Loss prevention in self-service retail checkout using smart alarms

• US 10,460,303 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Patil, Mangesh B., Vyas, Megha, Keogh, John J., Ambrozie, Mihail A., Efstathiou, James N., Adams, Mathew G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilder, A. Hunter
• Application Number:
  US15/283,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20180096331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/246 Check out systems combined with EAS, e.g. price information stored on EAS tag anti-theft systems in point of sale systems G07G3/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture for performing an operation comprising receiving, from a self-checkout platform and as part of a purchase transaction for a first product, a data value of a barcode of the first product, storing an indication in a product store that the first product has been purchased, receiving a first item-specific identifier stored in a first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the first product, cross-referencing the first item-specific identifier with the indication in the product store to verify the purchase transaction of the first product via the self-checkout platform, receiving a second item-specific identifier stored in a second RFID tag associated with a second product, cross-referencing the product store to determine the second product has not been purchased via the self-checkout platform, and emitting a security notification related to the second product.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

as part of a first purchase transaction for a first grouping of products;

receiving, from a self-checkout platform executed on a mobile device associated with a unique customer identifier, while the mobile device is in a store, data values of one or more barcodes of the first grouping of products;

storing at least one indication in a data store that the first grouping of products has been purchased; and

storing, in association with the at least one indication in the data store, a first count of the first grouping of products;

receiving, from an RFID reader proximate to an entrance or exit of the store, a first set of item-specific identifiers stored in a first set of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags associated with the first grouping of products;

determining a second count for the first set of item-specific identifiers;

cross-referencing the first set of item-specific identifiers and the determined second count with the at least one indication and the first count stored in the data store to attempt to verify the first purchase transaction of the first grouping of products via the self-checkout platform, wherein cross-referencing further comprises determining whether the first set of item-specific identifiers are associated with a respective indication specifying that the first grouping of products have been purchased by the customer associated with a unique customer identifier, wherein the unique customer identifier is associated with the mobile device; and

upon determining that the second count does not match the first count, generating a security notification related to the first grouping of products.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of item-specific identifiers comprises a concatenation of:

(i) data values of one or more barcodes of the first grouping of products, and (ii) values of the first set of item-specific identifiers stored in the first set of RFID tags associated with the first grouping of products.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

deconstructing the first set of item-specific identifiers to identify the data values of one or more barcodes of the first grouping of products and the values of the first set of item-specific identifiers stored in the first set of RFC tags associated with the first grouping of products.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the security notification is generated while the first set of RFD tags is active and without having to remove and disable the first set of RFID tags subsequent to the first purchase transaction of the first grouping of products.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to receiving the first set of item-specific identifiers:

associating the first set of RFID tags with the first grouping of products;

storing the first set of item-specific identifiers of the first grouping of products in the first set of RFID tags; and

storing an indication in the data store that the first grouping of products has not been purchased.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a data space customizing at least one of the data values of one or more barcodes and the first set of item-specific identifiers.

6. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by a processor to perform an operation comprising;

as part of a first purchase transaction for a first grouping of products;

receiving, from a self-checkout platform executed on a mobile device associated with a unique customer identifier, while the mobile device is in a store, data values of one or more barcodes of the first grouping of products;

storing at least one indication in a data store that the first grouping of products has been purchased; and

storing, in association with the at least one indication in the data store, a first count of the first grouping of products;

receiving, from an RFID reader proximate to an entrance or exit of the store, a first set of item-specific identifiers stored in a first set of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags associated with the first grouping of products;

determining a second count for the first set of item-specific identifiers;

cross-referencing the first set of item-specific identifiers and the determined second count with the at least one indication and the first count stored in the data store to attempt to verify the first purchase transaction of the first grouping of products via the self-checkout platform, wherein cross-referencing further comprises determining whether the first set of item-specific identifiers are associated with a respective indication specifying that the first grouping of products have been purchased by the customer associated with a unique customer identifier, wherein the unique customer identifier is associated with the mobile device; and

upon determining that the second count does not match the first count, generating a security notification related to the first grouping of products.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the first set of item-specific identifiers comprises a concatenation of:

(i) data values of one or more barcodes of the first grouping of products, and (ii) values of the first set of item-specific identifiers stored in the first set of RFID tags associated with the first grouping of products.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, the operation further comprising:

deconstructing the first set of item-specific identifiers to identify the data values of one or more barcodes of the first grouping of products and the values of the first set of item-specific identifiers stored in the first set of RFID tags associated with the first grouping of products.

9. The computer program product of claim 8,

wherein the security notification is generated while the first set of RFID tags is active and without having to remove and disable the first set of RFID tags subsequent to the first purchase transaction of the first grouping of products.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, the operation further comprising prior to receiving the first set of item-specific identifiers:

associating the first set of RFID tags with the first grouping of products;

storing the first set of item-specific identifiers of the first grouping of products in the first set of RFID tags; and

storing an indication in the data store that the first grouping of products has not been purchased.

17. The computer program product of claim 6, receiving a data space customizing at least one of the data values of one or more barcodes and the first set of item-specific identifiers.

11. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the processor, performs an operation comprising;

as part of a first purchase transaction for a first grouping of products;

receiving, from a self-checkout platform executed on a mobile device associated with a unique customer identifier while the mobile device is in a store, data values of one or more barcodes of the first grouping of products;

storing at least one indication in a data store that the first grouping of products has been purchased; and

storing, in association with the at least one indication in the data store, a first count of the first grouping of products;

receiving, from an RFID reader proximate to an entrance or exit of the store, a first set of item-specific identifiers stored in a first set of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags associated with the first grouping of products;

determining a second count for the first set of item-specific identifiers;

cross-referencing the first set of item-specific identifiers and the determined second count with the at least one indication and the first count stored in the data store to attempt to verify the first purchase transaction of the first grouping of products via the self-checkout platform, wherein the cross-referencing further comprises determining whether the first set of item-specific identifiers are associated with a respective indication specifying that the first grouping of products have been purchased by the customer associated with a unique customer identifier, wherein the unique customer identifier is associated with the mobile device; and

upon determining that the second count does not match the first count, generating a security notification related to the first grouping of products.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first set of item-specific identifiers comprises a concatenation of:

(i) data values of one or more barcodes of the first grouping of products, and (ii) values of the first set of item-specific identifiers stored in the first set of RFD tags associated with the first grouping of products.

13. The system of claim 12, the operation further comprising:

deconstructing the first set of item-specific identifiers to identify the data values of one or more barcodes of the first grouping of products and the values of the first set of item-specific identifiers stored in the first set of RFID tags associated with the first grouping of products.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the security notification is generated while the first set of RFID tags is active and without having to remove and disable the first set of RFID tags subsequent to the first purchase transaction of the first grouping of products.

15. The system of claim 12, the operation further comprising prior to receiving the first set of item-specific identifiers:

associating the first set of RFID tags with the first grouping of products;

storing the first set of item-specific identifiers of the first grouping of products in the first set of RFID tags; and

storing an indication in the data store that the first grouping of products has not been purchased.