Systems and methods for automatic physical object status marking

• US 10,460,632 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Matthew Allen, Jones, Nicholaus Adam, Lewis, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Dionne
• Application Number:
  US16/001,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20180357937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/18 Devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06112 the marking being simulated using a light source, e.g. a barcode shown on a display or a laser beam with time-varying intensity profile
• 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 19/07707 the visual interface being a display, e.g. LCD or electronic ink
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2402 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting mechanical aspects of the tags, e.g. related to locking E05B73/0017; RFID readers G06K7/00; RFID tags G06K19/00; access control systems G07C9/00; anti-theft control in point of sale systems G07G3/003; security seals G09F3/03
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2428 Tag details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2434 Tag housing and attachment details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2445 Tag integrated into item to be protected, e.g. source tagging
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/208 Electronic labels, Labels integrating electronic displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/35 for the management of goods or merchandise
• 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

Described in detail herein are systems and methods for an automatic physical object status marking system. An electronic label can display a machine-readable element encoded with an identifier associated with a physical object on the display. A first computing system can receive instructions to modify a status of the physical object. The first computing system can retrieve the identifier associated with the physical objects and the identifier associated with the electronic label. The first computing system can control display of the electronic label to display a visual indicator associated with the status. An RFID reader can detect a RFID tag of the electronic label. The RFID reader can transmit the identifier associated with the electronic label to the second computing system. The second computing system is prevented from scanning a machine-readable element associated with the physical object in response to receiving the first identifier from the RFID reader.

Claims

1. An automatic physical object status marking system using electronic labels, the system comprising:

a plurality of electronic labels, each electronic label configured to be affixed to a corresponding one of a plurality of physical objects disposed in a first location of a facility, at least one electronic label including a display, a RFID tag encoded with a first identifier, and an image capturing device affixed to the at least one electronic label, the at least one electronic label configured to;

capture, via the image capturing device, an image of one or more attributes associated with a first one of the physical object;

transmit the one or more attributes to a first computing system; and

display a machine-readable element encoded with a second identifier on the display based on the image, the first identifier is associated with the at least one electronic label and the second identifier is associated with a first one of the physical objects on which the at least one electronic label is affixed;

the first computing system including a database and being in selective communication with the at least one electronic label, the first computing system configured to;

receive instructions to modify a status associated with the at least one physical object;

query the database to retrieve the second identifier associated with the first one of the physical objects and the first identifier associated with the at least one electronic label; and

control the display of the at least one electronic label to display a first indicator associated with the status;

at least one RFID reader disposed with respect to a second computing system, the second computing system configured to;

detect the RFID tag of the at least one electronic label affixed to the first one of the physical objects in response to the RFID tag being within range of the RFID reader; and

transmit the first identifier encoded in the RFID tag to the second computing system, and

wherein the second computing system is disposed at a second location in the facility and is operatively coupled to an optical scanner, the first computing system, and the at least one RFID reader, and

wherein the second computing system is prevented from scanning the machine-readable element associated with the physical object in response to receiving the first identifier from the RFID reader.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing system is configured to:

determine the second identifier is associated with the first one of the physical objects;

generate the machine-readable element encoded with the second identifier; and

control the display of the at least one electronic label to display the machine-readable element.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing system is further configured to:

detect that the second computing system is prevented from scanning the machine-readable element; and

control the display of the at least one electronic label to display a second indicator.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first and second indicators are different colors.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing system receives instructions to modify the status associated with the first one of the physical objects from one or more third party systems.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the display of the at least one electronic label is an e-ink display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is a light emitting diode (LED) display or a liquid crystal display (LCD).

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic label affixed the first one of the physical objects, is removable.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one electronic label is removed from the first one of the physical objects and affixed to different one of the physical objects, and in response to being removed from the first one of the physical objects and affixed to the different one of the physical objects, the at least one electronic label is configured to:

render, on the display a machine-readable element encoded with a third identifier associated with the different one of the physical objects.

10. An automatic physical object status marking method using electronic labels, the method comprising:

capturing, via an image capturing device affixed to at least one electronic label of a plurality of electronic labels, an image of one or more attributes associated with a first one of the physical object;

each electronic label configured to be affixed to a corresponding one of a plurality of physical objects disposed in a first location of a facility, the at least one electronic label being affixed to the first one of the physical objects and including a display, and a RFID tag encoded with a first identifier;

transmitting the one or more attributes to a first computing system;

displaying a machine-readable element via a display of the at least one electronic label based on the image, the first identifier is associated with the at least one electronic label and the second identifier is associated with a first one of the physical objects on which the at least one electronic label is affixed;

receiving instructions to modify a status associated with the at least one physical object via the first computing system, the first computing system including a database and being in selective communication with the at least one electronic label;

querying, via the computing system, the database to retrieve the second identifier associated with the first one of the physical objects and the first identifier associated with the at least one electronic label;

controlling, via the computing system, the display of the at least one electronic label to display a first indicator associated with the status;

detecting, via at least one RFID reader disposed with respect to a second computing system, the RFID tag of the at least one electronic label affixed to the first one of the physical objects in response to the RFID tag being within range of the RFID reader; and

transmitting, via the at least one RFID reader, the first identifier encoded in the RFID tag to the second computing system,

wherein the second computing system is disposed at a second location of the facility and is operatively coupled to an optical scanner, the first computing system, and the at least one RFID reader, and

wherein the second computing system is prevented from scanning the machine-readable element associated with the physical object in response to receiving the first identifier from the RFID reader.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, via the first computing system, the second identifier is associated with the first one of the physical objects;

generating, via the first computing system, the machine-readable element encoded with the second identifier; and

controlling, via the first computing system, the display of the at least one electronic label to display the machine-readable element.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, via the first computing system, that the second computing system is prevented from scanning the machine-readable element; and

controlling, via the first computing system, the display of the at least one electronic label to display a second indicator.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second indicators are different colors.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, via the first computing system, instructions to modify a status associated with the first one of the physical objects from one or more third party systems.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the display of the at least one electronic label is an e-ink display.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the display is a light emitting diode (LED) display or a liquid crystal display (LCD).

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one electronic label affixed to the first one of the physical objects, is removable.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

removing the at least one electronic label from the first one of the physical objects;

affixing the at least one electronic label, to different one of the physical objects; and

in response to being removed from the first one of the physical objects and affixed to the different one of the physical objects, displaying, via the display of the at least one electronic label, a machine-readable element encoded with a third identifier associated with the different one of the physical objects.