Object tracking using enhanced video surveillance through a distributed network

• US 10,275,617 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2017
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hanis, Thomas T., Hyre, Bruce H., Smith, Jessica G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dsouza, Adolf
• Application Number:
  US15/803,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20180060617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Tracking a tagged object may include receiving, using a first processor, a first video of an object tagged with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and first metadata read from the RFID tag. The first metadata may be stored in association with the first video using the first processor. First updated metadata may be written to the RFID tag using the first processor. The first updated metadata may specify at least one of a time the first video is received or a location of the first processor.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of tracking an object tagged with a radio frequency identification tag (RFID), comprising:

receiving, by a first hardware processor, a first video of the object and first metadata read from the RFID tag;

storing, to a first storage device, the first metadata in association with the first video; and

writing, responsive to the receiving the first video and the first metadata and by the first hardware processor, second metadata to the RFID tag that overwrites the first metadata, wherein

the second metadata specifies a time the first hardware processor received the first video of the object and a location of the first hardware processor, and

the first metadata specifies a time a prior processor received a prior video of the object and a location of the prior processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

a second hardware processor receives a second video of the object and the second metadata read from the RFID tag,

the second processor stores to a second storage device separate from the first storage device the second metadata in association with the second video, and

the second processor writes third metadata to the RFID tag that overwrites the third metadata.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first and second metadata each include a location and a time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the first video and the first metadata are received substantially concurrently.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the writing the second metadata overwrites a user data memory of the RFID tag.

6. A computer hardware system configured to track an object tagged with a radio frequency identification tag (RFID), comprising

a first hardware processor programmed to initiate the following executable operations:

receiving, by the first hardware processor, a first video of the object and first metadata read from the RFID tag;

storing, to a first storage device, the first metadata in association with the first video; and

writing, responsive to the receiving the first video and the first metadata and by the first hardware processor, second metadata to the RFID tag that overwrites the first metadata, wherein

the second metadata specifies a time the first hardware processor received the first video of the object and a location of the first hardware processor, and

the first metadata specifies a time a prior processor received a prior video of the object and a location of the prior processor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein

a second hardware processor receives a second video of the object and the second metadata read from the RFID tag,

the second processor stores to a second storage device separate from the first storage device the second metadata in association with the second video, and

the second processor writes third metadata to the RFID tag that overwrites the third metadata.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein

the first and second metadata each include a location and a time.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein

the first video and the first metadata are received substantially concurrently.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein

the writing the second metadata overwrites a user data memory of the RFID tag.

11. A computer program product, comprising

a hardware storage device having a computer readable storage medium that stores a program code for tracking an object tagged with a radio frequency identification tag (RFID),

the program code, which when executed by a computer hardware system, causes the computer hardware system to perform:

receiving, by a first hardware processor, a first video of the object and first metadata read from the RFID tag;

storing, to a first storage device, the first metadata in association with the first video; and

writing, responsive to the receiving the first video and the first metadata and by the first hardware processor, second metadata to the RFID tag that overwrites the first metadata, wherein

the second metadata specifies a time the first hardware processor received the first video of the object and a location of the first hardware processor, and

the first metadata specifies a time a prior processor received a prior video of the object and a location of the prior processor.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein

a second hardware processor receives a second video of the object and the second metadata read from the RFID tag,

the second processor stores to a second storage device separate from the first storage device the second metadata in association with the second video, and

the second processor writes third metadata to the RFID tag that overwrites the third metadata.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein

the first and second metadata each include a location and a time.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein

the first video and the first metadata are received substantially concurrently.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein

the writing the second metadata overwrites a user data memory of the RFID tag.