Inventory system using articles with RFID tags

• US 20010000019A1
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Published: 03/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John H. Bowers, Thomas J. Clare
• Original Assignee: John H. Bowers, Thomas J. Clare
• Inventors: Clare, Thomas J., Bowers, John H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,693,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• 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: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

An article inventory control system for articles, such as books, uses RFID tags attached to each article. Each tag has a unique identification or serial number for identifying the individual article. An inventory database tracks all of the tagged articles and maintains circulation status information for each article. Articles are checked out of the library using a patron self-checkout system. Checked out articles are returned to the library via patron self-check in devices. The shelves are periodically scanned with a mobile RFID scanner for updating inventory status.

Claims

1. An inventory control method for use in conjunction with articles which are maintained in a storage area, each of the articles having a radio frequency tag attached thereto, each tag including an antenna for use in detecting the presence of the article by receiving an interrogation signal and returning a response signal and an integrated circuit connected to the antenna for storing article identification information and for outputting the article identification information with the response signal upon interrogation of the tag, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning a portion of the storage area with a mobile interrogator, the mobile interrogator detecting disturbances in the form of response signals caused by the presence of tags on the articles within a predefined zone extending from the interrogator and outputting an interrogator output signal when a tag is detected in the zone, each interrogator output signal including the identification information stored in the integrated circuit of an interrogated tag, wherein plural articles located in the portion of the storage area may be simultaneously scanned;

(b) repeating step (a) for an adjacent portion of the storage area and for all remaining portions of the storage area; and

(c) receiving the interrogator output signals in a database, the database including inventory data for the articles maintained in the storage area, wherein the inventory data is updated using only the received interrogator output signals obtained from the tagged articles.

2. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the storage area comprises rows of shelves in a library, step (a) comprising scanning each shelf by scanning successive adjacent portions of the shelf.

3. A self-service checkout system for a library having articles available for checkout by patrons, each of the articles having a radio frequency tag attached thereto, each tag including an antenna for use in detecting the presence of the article by receiving an interrogation signal and returning a response signal and an integrated circuit connected to the antenna for storing article identification information and for outputting the article identification information with the response signal upon interrogation of the tag by an interrogator, the system also having a plurality of patron identification cards, each including a radio frequency tag, the system comprising:

(a) an interrogator located in a checkout area of the library for interrogating at least one article which the patron wants to borrow and substantially simultaneously interrogating a patron identification (ID) card which identifies a patron to the system, the interrogator receiving a response signal containing the stored article identification information for each of the articles to be borrowed and patron identification information from the ID card, wherein the interrogator receives the response signals regardless of the orientation of the articles or patron identification card, and wherein the interrogator may substantially simultaneously receive response signals from a plurality of tagged articles;

(b) an inventory database including a list of articles in the library and the circulation status of each of the articles, the database receiving the patron identification information and the article identification information for each of the articles to be borrowed; and

(c) a processor in communication with the database for updating the circulation status of the articles to be borrowed.

4. The system according to

claim 3

further comprising:

(d) a video camera for capturing images of the checkout area and outputting video signals of the captured images; and

(e) a video recorder for storing the video signals on a video storage medium.

5. The system according to

claim 3

wherein the tag is a physically non-deactivatable tag.