Inventory management

• US 10,134,005 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2014
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Full Facing (Pty) Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Full Facing (Pty) Ltd.
• Inventors: Labuschagne, Adriaan Zagarias Albertus
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Claude J
• Application Number:
  US15/309,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20170185952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 235385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

An inventory monitoring system (10) is provided, which includes a number of merchandise detectors (12) that each include a number of sensors that are configured to detect the presence or absence of products in a predetermined merchandise position, a position on a shelf in a retail space, and to emit a detect signal confirming such presence or absence. Each of the merchandise detectors (12) also includes a rear unit (28) with a transmitter that is connected to the sensor and that transmits the detect signal. The system (10) includes one or more gateway device (36,40) that receives the detect signals from the merchandise detectors (12) and compiles a merchandise data signal from the detect signals, and transmits it a computer (42) to be used in monitoring and managing inventory.

Claims

1. An inventory monitoring system which comprises:

a plurality of merchandise detectors, each of said merchandise detectors being fitted on top of a substrate and comprising at least one elongate array of photosensors and a magnetic element configured to releasably secure the at least one elongate array of photosensors to the substrate, each photosensor of said at least one elongate array of photosensors being a reverse-biased light emitting diode (LED) that acts as a photodiode, each photosensor configured to detect a presence or absence of products based on proximity of one of the products in a predetermined merchandise position above the merchandise detector interfering with detection of environmental lighting detection by at least one photosensor of said at least one elongate array of photosensors and to emit a detect signal confirming such presence or absence, and each of said merchandise detectors including a transmitter connected to the photosensors and configured to transmit the detect signal; and

at least one gateway device with a receiver that is configured to receive the detect signals from the merchandise detectors, and a transmitter that is configured to compile a merchandise data signal from the detect signals, and to transmit said merchandise data signal.

2. The inventory monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the photosensors in the elongate array in each merchandise detector form a line of spaced apart photosensors.

3. The inventory monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein each merchandise detector includes a receiver that is configured to receive detect signals from other of said merchandise detectors;

said gateway device and merchandise detectors being configured to communicate with one another as a wireless sensor network.

4. The inventory monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein each of said photosensors is a photodiode.

5. The inventory monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein each of said merchandise detectors includes a power source.

6. The inventory monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of merchandise detectors further comprises a base layer supporting said at least one elongate array of photosensors.

7. The inventory monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein said magnetic element is a magnetic flexible sheet configured to cover at least a portion of said base layer.

8. The inventory monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of merchandise detectors and the at least one gateway device communicate wirelessly.

9. The inventory monitoring system according to claim 1 further comprising a central inventory computer configured to collect inventory data based on at least one merchandise signal.

10. A merchandise detector which comprises:

a base layer;

a plurality of photosensors fitted on the base layer in an elongate array, each photosensor being a reverse-biased light emitting diode (LED) that acts as a photodiode, each said photosensor being configured to detect a presence or absence of an object on one side of the base layer and to emit a detect signal confirming such presence or absence by the object interfering with detection of environmental lighting detection by said at least one of said plurality of photosensors;

a magnetic element configured to releasably secure said base layer to a surface;

electronic circuitry connected to the photosensors to receive the detect signals from the photosensors; and

a transmitter connected to the electronic circuitry and configured to transmit the detect signals.

11. The merchandise detector according to claim 10, wherein the transmitter is a radio transmitter.

12. The merchandise detector according to claim 10, wherein said magnetic element is a magnetic flexible sheet configured to cover at least a portion of said base layer.

13. The merchandise detector according to claim 10, wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to compile a merchandise detector signal from the detect signals, said merchandise detector signal comprising data including the presence or absence of products in each of the merchandise positions, and to transmit the detect signals in the form of the compiled merchandise detector signal.

14. The merchandise detector according to claim 10, wherein the photosensors in the elongate array form a line of spaced apart photosensors.

15. The merchandise detector according to claim 10, wherein each of said photosensors is a photodiode.

16. The merchandise detector according to claim 10, which includes a power source.

17. A method of inventory management, said method comprising:

releasably attaching a plurality of merchandise detectors magnetically on top of at least one substrate, each of said merchandise detectors comprising at least one elongate array of photosensors, each photosensor of said at least one elongate array of photosensors being a reverse-biased light emitting diode (LED) that acts as a photodiode, each photosensor configured to detect a presence or absence of the products based on proximity of one of the products in a predetermined merchandise position above the merchandise detector by one of the products interfering with detection of environmental lighting detection by said at least one of said plurality of merchandise detectors;

monitoring the presence or absence of products in the predetermined merchandise positions, in the merchandise detectors;

emitting a detect signal from each merchandise detector, said detect signal confirming such presence or absence of products in each of the merchandise positions;

receiving the detect signals from the merchandise detectors in at least one gateway device;

compiling a merchandise data signal from the detect signals, said merchandise data signal including the presence or absence of products in each of the merchandise positions;

transmitting the merchandise data signal from the gateway device; and

receiving said merchandise data signal in at least one computer.

18. The method according to claim 17, in which the photosensors in at least some of the merchandise detectors form a line of spaced apart photosensors and which includes monitoring the presence or absence of products in an elongate array of the predetermined merchandise positions, in said merchandise detectors.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the gateway device and merchandise detectors communicate with one another as a wireless sensor network.

20. The method according to claim 17, which includes compiling merchandise data from the merchandise data signal, and displaying said merchandise data on a user interface.

21. The method according to claim 17, which includes compiling merchandise data from the merchandise data signal, and processing said merchandise data to generate prompts.

22. The method according to claim 17, which includes providing electrical power to each merchandise detector from a power source within the merchandise detector.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein releasably attaching each of the plurality of merchandise detectors to the substrate includes positioning a magnetic flexible sheet at least partly over a base layer of each merchandise detector.