Wal-Mart files patent for Amazon Dash rival

Wal-Mart Stores Inc has applied for a patent to compete with Amazon.com Inc's wifi-connected, one-button ordering device, Amazon Dash, according to data provider CB Insights.

The patent, filed in October, would be the first of Wal-Mart's more than 800 patents and applications to focus on Internet of Things (IoT) and branches into shoppers' homes, CB Insights said.

Wal-Mart's system would require less effort than Amazon's, a CB Insights blog post said.

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"While Dash buttons still require users to press a physical button separate from the product, Wal-Mart aims to integrate IoT into the products themselves for automatic re-ordering with no user input at all," the blog post said.