Wal-Mart Applies for Patent for Blimp-Style Floating Warehouse

It’s no secret that Wal-Mart and Amazon have been waging an ongoing retail war. But recently, the former’s copycat efforts have gotten far less subtle.

 

 qz.com

A patent application filed by Walmart in February and published in August by the US Patent and Trademark Office proposes an “aerial transport and launch system” for dispatching delivery drones in mid-air—or, as Bloomberg describes it, a “blimp-style floating warehouse” that would send orders down from the sky.

 

www.cnbc.com

 

 



 

Designed to fly at heights of at least 500 feet and typically more than 1,000 feet, the aircraft would be operated autonomously or by a remote human pilot and coordinated with scheduling software.

 

 

“In a modern retail environment, there is a need to improve the customer service and/or convenience for the customer,” the patent states. “One aspect of customer service is the availability of products. The availability of products is dependent in part on the distribution.”

 

 

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because Amazon was a granted a patent for almost the same exact concept, back in April 2016. “This disclosure describes systems and methods for utilizing an aerial fulfillment center (“AFC”) and unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAV”) to facilitate delivery of ordered items to users,” says Amazon’s patent. “An AFC may be a fulfillment center that is supported by and/or incorporated into an airship.”

 

 

 

Extracted from qz.com

 

 

 

U.S. formally launches probe of China's intellectual property practices

The United States on Friday formally launched an investigation into China's alleged theft of U.S. intellectual property, a widely expected move following a call from President Donald Trump earlier this week to determine whether a probe was needed.

United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer speaks at a news conference prior to the inaugural round of North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiations in Washington, U.S., August 16, 2017.    www.reuters.com

The probe is the administration's first direct measure against Chinese trade practices, which the White House and U.S. business groups say are bruising American industry.

Trump repeatedly railed against Chinese trade practices on the campaign trail, but as president he had not taken significant action until this week.

 

 

 

 

Donald Trump  www.ipnomics.com

 

 

China had rebuffed attempts by previous American presidents to take action against its IP practices. Administration officials have said that China's theft of U.S. intellectual property could amount to as much as $600 million.

The probe will likely further complicate the U.S. relationship with China, the country's largest trading partner. The Trump administration has been pressing Beijing to take steps to encourage North Korea to curb its nuclear and missile programs.

Extracted from reuters.com





















 

SEE YOU LATER, WAITER!

With the rising trend of automated restaurants where people literally have to interact with no one, comes the need to have technology and design back that scenario.

Enter the Bellder, a tablet that takes care of everything for you from ordering, to notifying, to acting as a payment gateway. Each patron entering the restaurant gets handed a Bellder. Its design is sleek enough to seem appealing but bulky enough to not get stolen, or break (with rough usage).

The Bellder acts as a menu card, allowing users to order food visually, looking at the dishes rather than just reading names. Once the order is placed, use the Bellder itself to pay for your meal by swiping or inserting your card inside it. I assume future iterations will include NFC payments that are on a high rise.

Post payment, the Bellder acts as a notification unit, alerting you when your food’s ready so you can collect it from the kiosk. You exchange the Bellder for your food, having completed the restaurant experience without having to summon (and wait for) a waiter, or even dealing with waiters in bad moods! You’ll never get overcharged, because you see exactly what you’re paying for and bills will never get mixed up!

Designers: Dain Kim, Taejung Kim, Seyeom An, Myungi baek & JaeSuk Kwon.

 

 

Extracted from yankodesign