Arrangement for, and method of, locating product tags by locating users who are operating mobile readers for reading the product tags

• US 10,496,952 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Lavery, Richard J., Calvarese, Russell E., Lauria, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelly, Rafferty D
• Application Number:
  US15/055,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20170249584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 235385, 340 101
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2007/10524 Hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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

A user moves about a venue, and operates a mobile reader to read a product tag in a read zone of the mobile reader. An identifier, such as a user identity badge, is associated with the user to identify the user. A sensing system is deployed in the venue for sensing the location of the identifier. A host server associates the mobile reader with the identifier of the user operating the mobile reader, and determines a location of the product tag in the venue based on the read zone and the location of the identifier.

Claims

1. An arrangement for locating a product tag associated with a product in a venue, comprising:

a mobile reader operated by a user in the venue, and operative for reading the product tag in a read zone that extends between the mobile reader and the product tag;

an identifier associated, and jointly movable in the venue, with the user, and operative for identifying the user;

a sensing system deployed in the venue, and operative for sensing a location of the identifier; and

a host server operatively connected to the mobile reader and the sensing system, and operative for associating the mobile reader with the identifier of the user operating the mobile reader, and for determining a location of the product tag in the venue based on the read zone and the location of the identifier.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the identifier includes a radio frequency (RF) identification (RFID) identifier tag, and wherein the sensing system is an RFID system operative for locating the identifier by reading the RFID identifier tag on the identifier.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the identifier includes an ultrasonic receiver, and wherein the sensing system is an ultrasonic locationing system operative for locating the identifier by transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the ultrasonic receiver on the identifier.

4. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the identifier includes a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) receiver, and wherein the sensing system is a Wi-Fi system operative for locating the identifier by transmitting a Wi-Fi signal to the Wi-Fi receiver on the identifier.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the identifier includes a low energy wireless receiver, and wherein the sensing system is a low energy wireless system operative for locating the identifier by transmitting a low energy wireless signal to the low energy wireless receiver on the identifier.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the identifier includes an image, and wherein the sensing system is a video system operative for locating the identifier by capturing the image on the identifier.

7. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the mobile reader is a handheld, portable, radio frequency (RF) identification (RFID) tag reader for reading the product tag configured as an RFID product tag.

8. The arrangement of claim 7, wherein the identifier includes an RFID identifier tag, and wherein the reader is also operative for reading the RFID identifier tag to associate the mobile reader with the identifier of the user operating the mobile reader.

9. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensing system includes a plurality of sensing units deployed overhead in the venue.

10. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a badge supported by the user.

11. A method of locating a product tag associated with a product in a venue, comprising:

operating a mobile reader by a user movable in the venue to read the product tag in a read zone that extends between the mobile reader and the product tag;

associating an identifier with the user to identify the user, the identifier being movable with the user in the venue;

sensing a location of the identifier;

associating the mobile reader with the identifier of the user operating the mobile reader; and

determining a location of the product tag in the venue based on the read zone and the location of the identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, and configuring the identifier with a radio frequency (RF) identification (RFID) identifier tag, and locating the identifier by reading the RFID identifier tag on the identifier.

13. The method of claim 11, and configuring the identifier with an ultrasonic receiver, and locating the identifier by transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the ultrasonic receiver on the identifier.

14. The method of claim 11, and configuring the identifier with a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) receiver, and locating the identifier by transmitting a Wi-Fi signal to the Wi-Fi receiver on the identifier.

15. The method of claim 11, and configuring the identifier with a low energy wireless receiver, and locating the identifier by transmitting a low energy wireless signal to the low energy wireless receiver on the identifier.

16. The method of claim 11, and configuring the identifier with an image, and locating the identifier by capturing the image on the identifier.

17. The method of claim 11, and configuring the mobile reader as a handheld, portable, radio frequency (RF) identification (RFID) tag reader for reading the product tag configured as an RFID product tag.

18. The method of claim 17, and configuring the identifier with an RFID identifier tag, and reading the RFID identifier tag to associate the mobile reader with the identifier of the user operating the mobile reader.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the sensing is performed by deploying a plurality of sensing units overhead in the venue.

20. The method of claim 11, and configuring the identifier as a badge supported by the user.