Smart waste receptacle

Abstract

Embodiments relate generally to waste receptacles and more particularly to smart waste receptacles capable of identifying waste. A waste receptacle may identify waste using machine vision and perform a task in response to identifying the waste. In an embodiment, the smart waste receptacle may instruct a user to direct the waste to one of a plurality of waste bins based on a category of the waste. In an embodiment, the smart waste receptacle may place an order to replenish the stock of a product based on the identification of waste. In an embodiment, the smart waste receptacle is created by attaching a smart device to a standard waste receptacle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A smart waste receptacle system, comprising:
 a smart waste receptacle;   a sensor associated with the smart waste receptacle and configured to acquire an image of waste;   a vision system configured to receive the image of the waste from the sensor and determine an identity of the waste based on the image.   
     
     
         2 . The smart waste receptacle system of  claim 1 , further comprising a display system configured to display an indication of the identity of the waste. 
     
     
         3 . The smart waste receptacle system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a lid configured to cover a top portion of the smart waste receptacle,   wherein the sensor is positioned on the underside of the lid.   
     
     
         4 . The smart waste receptacle system of  claim 1 , further comprising a supplemental lighting system positioned to illuminate the waste when the sensor acquires the image of the waste. 
     
     
         5 . The smart waste receptacle system of  claim 1 , wherein the vision system is configured to transmit the image of the waste to an image processing device and receive from the image processing device an identity of the waste in the image. 
     
     
         6 . The smart waste receptacle system of  claim 1 , further comprising a replenishment system configured to transmit, to a merchant platform, an order for a product corresponding to the identity of the waste. 
     
     
         7 . The smart waste receptacle system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first bin associated with a first category of waste; and   a second bin associated with a second category of waste, wherein a controller is configured to receive the identity of the waste from the vision system and, based on the identity, categorize the waste into either the first category of waste or the second category of waste.   
     
     
         8 . The smart waste receptacle system of  claim 7 , further comprising a display system configured to display directions to place the waste in the first waste bin if the waste is in the first category, and to place the waste in the second waste bin if the waste is in the second category. 
     
     
         9 . A method of sorting waste using a smart waste receptacle, comprising:
 receiving, by the smart waste receptacle, an image of waste being discarded into the smart waste receptacle;   determining an identification of the waste based on the image;   displaying, by a user input device, an indication of the identification of the waste; and   transmitting the identification of the waste to a remote analytics platform.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the determining an identification of the waste comprises:
 determining, based on the image, a plurality of potential identifications of the waste;   displaying the plurality of potential identifications; and   receiving input from the user input device selecting one identification of the plurality of identifications as the identification of the waste.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the smart waste receptacle includes a first waste bin associated with a first classification of waste and a second waste bin associated with a second classification of waste, further comprising:
 based on the identification of the waste, determining a classification of the waste.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the first classification of waste is recyclable waste and the second classification of waste is non-recyclable waste. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising displaying the classification of the waste. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising displaying instructions to direct the waste to the first waste bin if the waste is classified in the first classification, and to direct the waste to the second waste bin if the waste is classified in the second classification. 
     
     
         15 . A method of product replenishment, comprising:
 receiving, by a smart waste receptacle, sensor data of waste being discarded into the smart waste receptacle;   identifying an identity of the waste based on the sensor data;   determining a product corresponding to the identity of the waste;   determining to replenish the product; and   transmitting, to a product fulfillment platform, an order for the product.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 based on the identity of the waste, classifying the waste into a first classification; and   displaying, by the smart waste receptacle, instructions to direct the waste to a first waste bin of a plurality of waste bins, wherein the first waste bin is associated with the first classification.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the determining to replenish the product comprises receiving input from a user input device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the determining to replenish the product comprises:
 querying a product replenishment database for the product; and   in response to the querying, receiving from the database a response indicating an instruction to replenish the product.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the determining to replenish the product comprises:
 comparing an estimated inventory level for the product to a threshold inventory level; and   based on the comparing, determining that an estimated inventory level for the product is less than the threshold inventory level.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the product fulfillment platform is an e-commerce platform, and the order for the product is an order to purchase the product from the e-commerce platform. 
     
     
         21 . A smart device for attachment to a waste receptacle, comprising:
 a sensor associated with the smart device and configured to acquire an image of waste;   a vision system configured to receive the image of the waste from the sensor and determine an identity of the waste based on the image;   an adhesive or other fastener for attaching the smart device to the waste receptacle whereby the waste receptacle is converted to a smart waste receptacle.   
     
     
         22 . The smart device of  claim 21 , further comprising a display system configured to display an indication of the identity of the waste. 
     
     
         23 . The smart device of  claim 21 , wherein the smart device is positioned on the underside of a lid of the waste receptacle. 
     
     
         24 . The smart device of  claim 21 , further comprising a supplemental lighting system positioned to illuminate the waste when the sensor acquires the image of the waste. 
     
     
         25 . The smart device of  claim 21 , wherein the vision system is configured to transmit the image of the waste to an image processing device and receive from the image processing device an identity of the waste in the image. 
     
     
         26 . The smart device of  claim 21 , further comprising a replenishment system configured to transmit, to a merchant platform, an order for a product corresponding to the identity of the waste. 
     
     
         27 . The smart device of  claim 21 , wherein the smart device is configured to be attached to the waste receptacle having a first bin associated with a first category of waste and a second bin associated with a second category of waste, wherein a controller is configured to receive the identity of the waste from the vision system and, based on the identity, categorize the waste into either the first category of waste or the second category of waste. 
     
     
         28 . The smart device of  claim 27 , further comprising a display system configured to display directions to place the waste in the first waste bin if the waste is in the first category, and to place the waste in the second waste bin if the waste is in the second category.