Inventory management system

• US 20030216969A1
• Filed: 01/23/2003
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Weel, Martin D., Bauer, Donald G., Rasband, Paul B., Campero, Richard J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/22
• 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 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• 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: G08B 13/2474 Antenna or antenna activator geometry, arrangement or layout loop antennae H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with certain aspects related to the present invention collect item information from RFID tags attached to items in an inventory, and uses the collected item information to perform various inventory management processes. In one aspect, the inventory management processes may include determining, reporting, and/or providing corrective actions for one or more events associated with at least one of depletions of items in the inventory, changes in the design of items in the inventory, defects with one or more items, misplaced items, the movement of an unusual umber of items within a short period of time (i.e., shrinkage), and malfunctions of one or more components included in the environment.

Claims

1. A method for managing an inventory of items, each item being positioned in a respective location within an environment and being associated with a corresponding wireless identification device, the method comprising:

providing item information associated with each item to each corresponding wireless identification device; and

performing an inventory management process based on the item information to provide real time information associated with the inventory of items, the inventory management process including at least one of;

an out of stock control process;

a shrinkage recognition process,

a rapid product recall process,

an alert monitor process, and

a sales optimization process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory of items includes items of one or more types and the out of stock control process includes at least one of:

(i) determining a current inventory count of the items of any type located in the environment based on information retrieved from one or more of the wireless identification devices,

(ii) determining whether any items of any type are misplaced within the environment based on information retrieved from one or more of the wireless identification devices,

(iii) determining when a number of items of any type in the inventory falls below a first threshold value based on information retrieved from one or more of the wireless identification devices,

(iii) determining a loss value reflecting an amount of lost revenue based on a condition where items of a certain type are no longer included in the inventory of items,

(iv) determining one or more factors that influence previous sales of each type of item included in the inventory of items,

(v) determining an alternate location within the environment to position items of a certain type that have a history of sales below a second threshold value,

(vi) determining an alternate location outside the environment to position items of a certain type that have been located in their respective locations within the environment for more than a predetermined amount of time,

(vii) providing an out of stock message to a display device when items of a certain type are no longer located in their respective locations, and

(viii) determining an inventory characteristic associated with each type of item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining a current inventory count includes:

retrieving item information from one or more wireless identification devices corresponding to one or more items; and

determining a count of each item of one or more types based on the retrieved item information.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining a current inventory count includes:

retrieving the item information associated with each item from a database; and

determining a count of each item of each type based on the retrieved item information, wherein the database periodically receives the item information from a process that collects the item information from each wireless identification device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether any items are misplaced includes:

accessing one or more wireless identification devices corresponding to one or more items to determine a location of the one or more items within the environment; and

determining that an item of a first type is misplaced based on a determination that the first type item is located in a position other than its designated location.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing an indication of the misplaced item to a user interface.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first threshold value is provided by one of a user and a threshold determination process.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the threshold determination process includes:

for each type of item,

determining the first threshold value based on a number of items of a respective type that have been removed from their respective locations within the environment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the threshold determination process includes:

for each type of item,

adjusting the first threshold value based on at least one of a seasonality factor that is associated with a time of year the items of the respective type are in their respective locations and an event factor that is associated with an event that is occurring, will occur, or has occurred.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein determining when a count of any type of item falls below a first threshold value includes:

identifying any types of items that have a number of items located within the environment below the first threshold value based on the determined inventory count; and

prioritizing the item types based on one of;

a determined lost profit value based on the respective item type having a number of items below the first threshold value,

whether additional items of the respective item type are available in another location within the environment, and

whether a reason for the item type has fallen below the first threshold value is based on short-term demand for the item type.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein determining a loss value includes:

for each type of item that is no longer located in the environment,

determining an amount of revenue that was generated by previous sales of items of the respective type over a previous time period; and

determining the loss value for the type of item no longer located in the environment based on the determined generated revenue.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein determining one or more factors that influence previous sales of each type of item includes:

identifying one or more external factors that were present during a time period that the previous sales of each type of item occurred; and

comparing the identified one or more external factors with the previous sales to determine how each of the external factors influenced the previous sales.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more external factors includes at least one of pricing of the items of each type, seasonality factors, and concurrent sales of other types of items.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein determining when a number of any type of item falls below the first threshold value includes:

adjusting at least one of a cycle time for ordering items and a quantity of items ordered from a supplier that provides the items of the type that has fallen below the first threshold value.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein determining an alternate location within the environment includes:

determining whether a specified type of item has a history of sales below the second threshold value in the environment; and

determining an alternate location within the environment to reposition items of the specified item type included in the inventory based on a history of sales of items associated with the alternate location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the history of sales associated with the alternate location includes a history of sales of a different type of item located in the alternate location.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein determining an alternate location outside the environment includes:

determining whether a type of item has a history of sales below the second threshold value; and

determining an alternate location outside the environment to reposition the items of the item type based on a history of sales associated with other items of the same item type that were positioned at the alternate location.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein providing an out of stock message includes:

determining whether items of the certain type are no longer located in their respective locations based on the inventory count; and

generating the out of stock message that includes at least one of an indication that the item type is out of stock, an offer for a discounted sale price on an item of the certain item type, a rain check for an item of the certain type, and an indication of an alternate location outside the environment where an item of the certain type may be located.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein the display device is located on a structure that previously supported the items of the certain type.

20. The method of claim 2, wherein the inventory characteristic is a mathematical relationship between previous sales of a type of item over a predetermined time period.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the relationship represents whether the previous sales of the type of item have been sporadic or uniform over the predetermined time period.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the shrinkage recognition process includes:

determining when a number of items of a certain type positioned in a first location is reduced by a determined value within a set time period; and

performing a shrinkage response process based on the determination of the reduction.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the shrinkage response process includes:

providing an indication of the first location to at least one of a user and a security monitoring process.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the indication further includes an indication of the certain type of items and the determined value.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the shrinkage response process includes at least one of:

storing a log record reflecting when the number of items were reduced by the determined value, the certain type of items, and the determined value;

providing an interrupt signal to a security device; and

providing to an interface device a message identifying the first location.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the security device is at least one of:

an alarm system;

a light emitting device positioned near the first location;

a video surveillance system that is activated by the interrupt signal to record video of an area associated with the first location; and

a camera surveillance system that is activated by the interrupt signal to record photographs of the area associated with the first location.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the message includes information directing a user to the first location.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the rapid product recall process includes:

determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved from its current location based on at least one of a shelf life associated with the item, an ambient temperature surrounding the item, and an identification number associated with the item.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein rapid recall process includes:

associating a begin date with the item corresponding to a time when the item is placed in its current location in the environment;

determining the shelf life for the item;

providing an indication that the shelf life for the item has expired or will soon expire based on a comparison between the begin date and the shelf life.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein determining the shelf life includes:

determining the shelf life based on an expiration date associated with the item.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved includes:

reading a temperature value from a temperature measuring device located in proximity to the current location of the item; and

determining that the item must be moved from the current location based on the temperature value.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved includes:

determining whether the identification number is associated with a recall order reflecting that the item must be moved from its current location.

33. The method of claim 28, further including:

providing an indication reflecting that the item should be moved from the inventory of items when the item is being purchased at a point of sale terminal.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the indication includes a message displayed at the point of sale terminal that the item has exceeded its shelf life.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the item has a first characteristic and the method further includes:

determining that the item should be moved form its current location based on a determination that new items similar to the item and provided by a same supplier have a second characteristic different from the first characteristic.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first and second characteristics are at least one of a new package style, a size of the respective item, a color of the respective item, a flavor associated with the respective item, and a price of the respective item.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved includes:

providing an indication that the item is defective based on a determination that the identification number is included in a list of identification numbers associated with defective items provided by a supplier.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert monitor process includes:

providing an indication to a user based on at least one of;

(i) information reflecting that one or more items of a type that is the same as a type of item that is no longer positioned in its respective location, are located in an alternate location within the environment;

(ii) information reflecting that an item that is no longer positioned in its respective location is not available in the environment;

(iii) information reflecting that a number of items of a certain type is within a predetermined range of values of a stock threshold value; and

(iv) a malfunction of a component that receives data from one or more wireless identification devices.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory of items includes items of one or more types and the sales optimization process includes at least one of:

determining a number of times one or more items of a particular type are moved from, and positioned back, into their respective location;

determining a number of times an item of any type is purchased with an item of another type;

determining a number of times an item of any type is purchased with one or more items of the same type;

determining any items of type that have not moved from their respective location for a predetermined period of time; and

determining any type of item that includes items that have a sale price change with a determined previous period of time.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein determining a number of times one or more items of one or more types are moved from and positioned back into their respective locations includes:

for each type of item;

periodically performing an inventory count of each item to determine whether any items have been removed from their respective locations.

41. The method of claim 40, further including:

determining a relationship between the number of times an item has been moved and positioned back into its respective location and the location of the item.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the location of the item may be one of a location that is at eye level on a support unit, a location near an entrance of the environment, a location in a high user traffic area within the environment, and a location in a low user traffic area within the environment.

43. A system for providing intelligent inventory management information associated with an item included in an inventory of items that each include an RFID tag that includes item information associated with the corresponding item, the system comprising:

a memory device including a data structure comprising;

a universal price code associated with the item,

an electronic pricing code associated with the item,

price information associated with the item,

seasonality information reflecting a seasonal characteristic associated with the item,

a shelf life indicator associated with the item,

historical sale information reflecting previous sales associated with one or more other items similar to the item,

out of stock information reflecting conditions when the location includes a number of items similar to the item located below a predetermined threshold value,

historical information reflecting a number of times the item is removed and returned to the location,

shelf volume size information reflecting a physical size of the item in relation to the location,

first location information reflecting a physical location of the item,

second location information reflecting a preferable physical location of the item,

shrinkage information associated with the item and the other similar items,

cost information associated with the item,

timestamp information reflecting a time when the item was placed in the location,

expiration date information reflecting a date when the item should be removed from the location,

sale information reflecting a date and time of an item similar to the item was sold and a sale price of the sold item, and

a customer number associated with an individual that purchased the sold item; and

a processor for accessing the memory device to perform an inventory management process associated with the item.

44. A method of providing inventory information in an environment including an inventory of items each positioned within a respective location within an environment and is associated with a corresponding wireless identification device, and an inventory monitoring process that periodically performs an inventory count of the items in the environment by retrieving item information from each wireless identification device associated with each item and storing the retrieved information in a database, the method comprising:

receiving from a user a request for an availability of an item within the environment;

searching the item information within the database to determine whether the requested item is available in the environment; and

providing an indication reflecting a result of the search.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein receiving the request includes:

receiving the request at a first processing device associated with the environment, wherein a user interfaces with a second processing device to create the request.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the second processing device is a computer system operated by the user.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the request is received from a network connected to the first and second processing devices.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the request is sent to the first processing device over the Internet.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein the second processing device is a kiosk computer device located within the environment.

50. The method of claim 46, wherein the first processing device is located within the environment.

51. The method of claim 46, wherein the first processing device is located outside the environment.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the first processing device forwards the request to a third processing device located in the environment that performs the searching step.

53. The method of claim 44, wherein the indication includes at least one of an indication that the item is available in the environment, an indication that the item is not available in the environment, an offer for a discount on a sale price of the item, an offer for a discount on a sale price of an alternative item, and an indication reflecting one or more alternative environments that the item is available.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the indication reflecting one or more alternative environments includes directions to the one or more alternative environments.

55. The method of claim 44, wherein providing the indication includes providing a message displayed on a display device mounted in proximity of the item'"'"'s respective location in the environment.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the message includes at least one of an indication that the item is not available in the environment, an offer for a discount on a sale price of the item, an indication reflecting one or more alternative environments that the item is available, and directions to the one or more alternative environments.

57. A method for providing inventory management for an inventory of items that are each tagged with an RFID tag that includes item information identifying each respective item and at least one item characteristic, the method comprising:

storing an electronic document received from a customer including a list of one or more desired items the customer is interested in purchasing in the environment;

determining the presence of the customer within the environment;

determining whether the customer is located in proximity to a location in the environment that includes a first item that is included in the list of one or more desired items based on the stored electronic document; and

presenting on a display device positioned at or near the location, item information associated with the first item based on the determination.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein storing includes:

providing from the customer to the environment the electronic document through the Internet.

59. The method of claim 57, wherein storing includes:

providing, by the customer, the electronic document to the environment through a computing device located within the environment.

60. A system for managing an inventory of items, each item being positioned in a respective location within an environment and being associated with a corresponding wireless identification device, the system comprising:

means for providing item information associated with each item to each corresponding wireless identification device; and

means for performing an inventory management process based on the item information to provide real time information associated with the inventory of items, the means for performing the inventory management process including at least one of;

means for performing an out of stock control process;

means for performing a shrinkage recognition process,

means for performing a rapid product recall process,

means for performing an alert monitor process, and

means for performing a sales optimization process.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the inventory of items includes items of one or more types and the means for performing the out of stock control process includes at least one of:

(i) means for determining a current inventory count of the items of any type located in the environment based on information retrieved from one or more of the wireless identification devices,

(ii) means for determining whether any items of any type are misplaced within the environment based on information retrieved from one or more of the wireless identification devices,

(iii) means for determining when a number of items of any type in the inventory falls below a first threshold value based on information retrieved from one or more of the wireless identification devices,

(iii) means for determining a loss value reflecting an amount of lost revenue based on a condition where items of a certain type are no longer included in the inventory of items,

(iv) means for determining one or more factors that influence previous sales of each type of item included in the inventory of items,

(v) means for determining an alternate location within the environment to position items of a certain type that have a history of sales below a second threshold value,

(vi) means for determining an alternate location outside the environment to position items of a certain type that have been located in their respective locations within the environment for more than a predetermined amount of time,

(vii) means for providing an out of stock message to a display device when items of a certain type are no longer located in their respective locations, and

(viii) means for determining an inventory characteristic associated with each type of item.

62. The system of claim 61, wherein the means for determining a current inventory count includes:

means for retrieving item information from one or more wireless identification devices corresponding to one or more items; and

means for determining a count of each item of one or more types based on the retrieved item information.

63. The system of claim 61, wherein the means for determining a current inventory count includes:

means for retrieving the item information associated with each item from a database; and

means for determining a count of each item of each type based on the retrieved item information, wherein the database periodically receives the item information from a process that collects the item information from each wireless identification device.

64. The system of claim 61, wherein the means for determining whether any items are misplaced includes:

means for accessing one or more wireless identification devices corresponding to one or more items to determine a location of the one or more items within the environment; and

means for determining that an item of a first type is misplaced based on a determination that the first type item is located in a position other than its designated location.

65. The system of claim 64, further comprising:

means for providing an indication of the misplaced item to a user interface.

66. The system of claim 61, wherein the first threshold value is provided by one of a user and a means for performing a threshold determination process.

67. The system of claim 66, wherein the means for performing the threshold determination process includes:

means for determining, for each type of item, the first threshold value based on a number of items of a respective type that have been removed from their respective locations within the environment.

68. The system of claim 66, wherein the means for performing the threshold determination process includes:

means for adjusting, for each type of item, the first threshold value based on at least one of a seasonality factor that is associated with a time of year the items of the respective type are in their respective locations and an event factor that is associated with an event that is occurring, will occur, or has occurred.

69. The system of claim 63, wherein the means for determining when a count of any type of item falls below a first threshold value includes:

means for identifying any types of items that have a number of items located within the environment below the first threshold value based on the determined inventory count; and

means for prioritizing the item types based on one of;

a determined lost profit value based on the respective item type having a number of items below the first threshold value,

whether additional items of the respective item type are available in another location within the environment, and

whether a reason for the item type has fallen below the first threshold value is based on short-term demand for the item type.

70. The system of claim 61, wherein the means for determining a loss value includes:

means for determining, for each type of item that is no longer located in the environment, an amount of revenue that was generated by previous sales of items of the respective type over a previous time period; and

means for determining, for each type of item that is no longer located in the environment, the loss value for the type of item no longer located in the environment based on the determined generated revenue.

71. The system of claim 61, wherein the means for determining one or more factors that influence previous sales of each type of item includes:

means for identifying one or more external factors that were present during a time period that the previous sales of each type of item occurred; and

means for comparing the identified one or more external factors with the previous sales to determine how each of the external factors influenced the previous sales.

72. The system of claim 71, wherein the one or more external factors includes at least one of pricing of the items of each type, seasonality factors, and concurrent sales of other types of items.

73. The system of claim 61, wherein the means for determining when a number of any type of item falls below the first threshold value includes:

means for adjusting at least one of a cycle time for ordering items and a quantity of items ordered from a supplier that provides the items of the type that has fallen below the first threshold value.

74. The system of claim 61, wherein the means for determining an alternate location within the environment includes:

means for determining whether a specified type of item has a history of sales below the second threshold value in the environment; and

means for determining an alternate location within the environment to reposition items of the specified item type included in the inventory based on a history of sales of items associated with the alternate location.

75. The system of claim 74, wherein the history of sales associated with the alternate location includes a history of sales of a different type of item located in the alternate location.

76. The system of claim 61, wherein the means for determining an alternate location outside the environment includes:

means for determining whether a type of item has a history of sales below the second threshold value; and

means for determining an alternate location outside the environment to reposition the items of the item type based on a history of sales associated with other items of the same item type that were positioned at the alternate location.

77. The system of claim 76, wherein the means for providing an out of stock message includes:

means for determining whether items of the certain type are no longer located in their respective locations based on the inventory count; and

means for generating the out of stock message that includes at least one of an indication that the item type is out of stock, an offer for a discounted sale price on an item of the certain item type, a rain check for an item of the certain type, and an indication of an alternate location outside the environment where an item of the certain type may be located.

78. The system of claim 61, wherein the display device is located on a structure that previously supported the items of the certain type.

79. The system of claim 61, wherein the inventory characteristic is a mathematical relationship between previous sales of a type of item over a predetermined time period.

80. The system of claim 79, wherein the relationship represents whether the previous sales of the type of item have been sporadic or uniform over the predetermined time period.

81. The system of claim 60, wherein the means for performing the shrinkage recognition process includes:

means for determining when a number of items of a certain type positioned in a first location is reduced by a determined value within a set time period; and

means for performing a shrinkage response process based on the determination of the reduction.

82. The system of claim 81, wherein the means for performing the shrinkage response process includes:

means for providing an indication of the first location to at least one of a user and a security monitoring process.

83. The system of claim 82, wherein the indication further includes an indication of the certain type of items and the determined value.

84. The system of claim 81, wherein the means for performing the shrinkage response process includes at least one of:

means for storing a log record reflecting when the number of items were reduced by the determined value, the certain type of items, and the determined value;

means for providing an interrupt signal to a security device; and

means for providing to an interface device a message identifying the first location.

85. The system of claim 84, wherein the security device is at least one of:

an alarm system;

a light emitting device positioned near the first location;

a video surveillance system that is activated by the interrupt signal to record video of an area associated with the first location; and

a camera surveillance system that is activated by the interrupt signal to record photographs of the area associated with the first location.

86. The system of claim 84, wherein the message includes information directing a user to the first location.

87. The system of claim 60, wherein the means for performing the rapid product recall process includes:

means for determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved from its current location based on at least one of a shelf life associated with the item, an ambient temperature surrounding the item, and an identification number associated with the item.

88. The system of claim 87, wherein the means for performing the rapid recall process includes:

means for associating a begin date with the item corresponding to a time when the item is placed in its current location in the environment;

means for determining the shelf life for the item;

means for providing an indication that the shelf life for the item has expired or will soon expire based on a comparison between the begin date and the shelf life.

89. The system of claim 88, wherein the means for determining the shelf life includes:

means for determining the shelf life based on an expiration date associated with the item.

90. The system of claim 87, wherein the means for determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved includes:

means for reading a temperature value from a temperature measuring device located in proximity to the current location of the item; and

means for determining that the item must be moved from the current location based on the temperature value.

91. The system of claim 87, wherein the means for determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved includes:

means for determining whether the identification number is associated with a recall order reflecting that the item must be moved from its current location.

92. The system of claim 87, further including:

means for providing an indication reflecting that the item should be moved from the inventory of items when the item is being purchased at a point of sale terminal.

93. The system of claim 92, wherein the indication includes a message displayed at the point of sale terminal that the item has exceeded its shelf life.

94. The system of claim 87, wherein the item has a first characteristic and the system further includes:

means for determining that the item should be moved form its current location based on a determination that new items similar to the item and provided by a same supplier have a second characteristic different from the first characteristic.

95. The system of claim 94, wherein the first and second characteristics are at least one of a new package style, a size of the respective item, a color of the respective item, a flavor associated with the respective item, and a price of the respective item.

96. The system of claim 87, wherein the means for determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved includes:

means for providing an indication that the item is defective based on a determination that the identification number is included in a list of identification numbers associated with defective items provided by a supplier.

97. The system of claim 60, wherein the means for performing the alert monitor process includes:

means for providing an indication to a user based on at least one of;

(i) information reflecting that one or more items of a type that is the same as a type of item that is no longer positioned in its respective location, are located in an alternate location within the environment;

(ii) information reflecting that an item that is no longer positioned in its respective location is not available in the environment;

(iii) information reflecting that a number of items of a certain type is within a predetermined range of values of a stock threshold value; and

(iv) a malfunction of a component that receives data from one or more wireless identification devices.

98. The system of claim 60, wherein the inventory of items includes items of one or more types and the means for performing the sales optimization process includes at least one of:

means for determining a number of times one or more items of a particular type are moved from, and positioned back, into their respective location;

means for determining a number of times an item of any type is purchased with an item of another type;

means for determining a number of times an item of any type is purchased with one or more items of the same type;

means for determining items of any type items that have not moved from their respective location for a predetermined period of time; and

means for determining any type of item that includes items that have a sale price change with a determined previous period of time.

99. The system of claim 98, wherein the means for determining a number of times one or more items of one or more types are moved from and positioned back into their respective locations includes:

means for periodically performing, for each type of item, an inventory count of each item to determine whether any items have been removed from their respective locations.

100. The system of claim 99, further including:

means for determining a relationship between the number of times an item has been moved and positioned back into its respective location and the location of the item.

101. The system of claim 99, wherein the location of the item may be one of a location that is at eye level on a support unit, a location near an entrance of the environment, a location in a high user traffic area within the environment, and a location in a low user traffic area within the environment.

102. A system for providing inventory information in an environment including an inventory of items each positioned within a respective location within an environment and is associated with a corresponding wireless identification device, and an inventory monitoring process that periodically performs an inventory count of the items in the environment by retrieving item information from each wireless identification device associated with each item and storing the retrieved information in a database, the system comprising:

means for receiving from a user a request for an availability of an item within the environment;

means for searching the item information within the database to determine whether the requested item is available in the environment; and

means for providing an indication reflecting a result of the search.

103. The system of claim 102, wherein the means for receiving the request includes:

means for receiving the request at a first processing device associated with the environment, wherein a user interfaces with a second processing device to create the request.

104. The system of claim 103, wherein the second processing device is a computer system operated by the user.

105. The system of claim 104, wherein the request is received from a network connected to the first and second processing devices.

106. The system of claim 104, wherein the request is sent to the first processing device over the Internet.

107. The system of claim 104, wherein the second processing device is a kiosk computer device located within the environment.

108. The system of claim 104, wherein the first processing device is located within the environment.

109. The system of claim 104, wherein the first processing device is located outside the environment.

110. The system of claim 109, wherein the first processing device forwards the request to a third processing device located in the environment that performs the searching step.

111. The system of claim 104, wherein the indication includes at least one of an indication that the item is available in the environment, an indication that the item is not available in the environment, an offer for a discount on a sale price of the item, an offer for a discount on a sale price of an alternative item, and an indication reflecting one or more alternative environments that the item is available.

112. The system of claim 111, wherein the indication reflecting one or more alternative environments includes directions to the one or more alternative environments.

113. The system of claim 104, wherein the means for providing the indication includes providing a message displayed on a display device mounted in proximity of the item'"'"'s respective location in the environment.

114. The system of claim 113, wherein the message includes at least one of an indication that the item is not available in the environment, an offer for a discount on a sale price of the item, an indication reflecting one or more alternative environments that the item is available, and a directions to the one or more alternative environments.

115. A system for providing inventory management for an inventory of items that are each tagged with an RFID tag that includes item information identifying each respective item and at least one item characteristic, the system comprising:

means for storing an electronic document received from a customer including a list of one or more desired items the customer is interested in purchasing in the environment;

means for determining the presence of the customer within the environment;

means for determining whether the customer is located in proximity to a location in the environment that includes a first item that is included in the list of one or more desired items based on the stored electronic document; and

means for presenting on a display device positioned at or near the location, item information associated with the first item based on the determination.

116. The system of claim 115, wherein the means for storing includes:

means for providing from the customer to the environment the electronic document through the Internet.

117. The system of claim 115, wherein the means for storing includes:

means for providing, by the customer, the electronic document to the environment through a computing device located within the environment.

118. A computer-readable medium including instructions for performing a method, when executed by a processor, for managing an inventory of items, each item being positioned in a respective location within an environment and being associated with a corresponding wireless identification device, the method comprising:

providing item information associated with each item to each corresponding wireless identification device; and

performing an inventory management process based on the item information to provide real time information associated with the inventory of items, the inventory management process including at least one of;

an out of stock control process;

a shrinkage recognition process,

a rapid product recall process,

an alert monitor process, and

a sales optimization process.

119. The computer-readable medium of claim 118, wherein the inventory of items includes items of one or more types and the out of stock control process includes at least one of:

(i) determining a current inventory count of the items of any type located in the environment based on information retrieved from one or more of the wireless identification devices,

(ii) determining whether any items of any type are misplaced within the environment based on information retrieved from one or more of the wireless identification devices,

(iii) determining when a number of items of any type in the inventory falls below a first threshold value based on information retrieved from one or more of the wireless identification devices,

(iii) determining a loss value reflecting an amount of lost revenue based on a condition where items of a certain type are no longer included in the inventory of items,

(iv) determining one or more factors that influence previous sales of each type of item included in the inventory of items,

(v) determining an alternate location within the environment to position items of a certain type that have a history of sales below a second threshold value,

(vi) determining an alternate location outside the environment to position items of a certain type that have been located in their respective locations within the environment for more than a predetermined amount of time,

(vii) providing an out of stock message to a display device when items of a certain type are no longer located in their respective locations, and

(viii) determining an inventory characteristic associated with each type of item.

120. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein determining a current inventory count includes:

retrieving item information from one or more wireless identification devices corresponding to one or more items; and

determining a count of each item of one or more types based on the retrieved item information.

121. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein determining a current inventory count includes:

retrieving the item information associated with each item from a database; and

determining a count of each item of each type based on the retrieved item information, wherein the database periodically receives the item information from a process that collects the item information from each wireless identification device.

122. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein determining whether any items are misplaced includes:

accessing one or more wireless identification devices corresponding to one or more items to determine a location of the one or more items within the environment; and

determining that an item of a first type is misplaced based on a determination that the first type item is located in a position other than its designated location.

123. The computer-readable medium of claim 121, wherein the method further comprises:

providing an indication of the misplaced item to a user interface.

124. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein the first threshold value is provided by one of a user and a threshold determination process.

125. The computer-readable medium of claim 124, wherein the threshold determination process includes:

for each type of item,

determining the first threshold value based on a number of items of a respective type that have been removed from their respective locations within the environment.

126. The computer-readable medium of claim 125, wherein the threshold determination process includes:

for each type of item,

adjusting the first threshold value based on at least one of a seasonality factor that is associated with a time of year the items of the respective type are in their respective locations and an event factor that is associated with an event that is occurring, will occur, or has occurred.

127. The computer-readable medium of claim 120, wherein determining when a count of any type of item falls below a first threshold value includes:

identifying any types of items that have a number of items located within the environment below the first threshold value based on the determined inventory count; and

prioritizing the item types based on one of;

a determined lost profit value based on the respective item type having a number of items below the first threshold value,

whether additional items of the respective item type are available in another location within the environment, and

whether a reason that the item type has fallen below the first threshold value is based on short-term demand for the item type.

128. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein determining a loss value includes:

for each type of item that is no longer located in the environment,

determining an amount of revenue that was generated by previous sales of items of the respective type over a previous time period; and

determining the loss value for the type of item no longer located in the environment based on the determined generated revenue.

129. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein determining one or more factors that influence previous sales of each type of item includes:

identifying one or more external factors that were present during a time period that the previous sales of each type of item occurred; and

comparing the identified one or more external factors with the previous sales to determine how each of the external factors influenced the previous sales.

130. The computer-readable medium of claim 129, wherein the one or more external factors includes at least one of pricing of the items of each type, seasonality factors, and concurrent sales of other types of items.

131. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein determining when a number of any type of item falls below the first threshold value includes:

adjusting at least one of a cycle time for ordering items and a quantity of items ordered from a supplier that provides the items of the type that has fallen below the first threshold value.

132. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein determining an alternate location within the environment includes:

determining whether a specified type of item has a history of sales below the second threshold value in the environment; and

determining an alternate location within the environment to reposition items of the specified item type included in the inventory based on a history of sales of items associated with the alternate location.

133. The computer-readable medium of claim 132, wherein the history of sales associated with the alternate location includes a history of sales of a different type of item located in the alternate location.

134. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein determining an alternate location outside the environment includes:

determining whether a type of item has a history of sales below the second threshold value; and

determining an alternate location outside the environment to reposition the items of the item type based on a history of sales associated with other items of the same item type that were positioned at the alternate location.

135. The computer-readable medium of claim 134, wherein providing an out of stock message includes:

determining whether items of the certain type are no longer located in their respective locations based on the inventory count; and

generating the out of stock message that includes at least one of an indication that the item type is out of stock, an offer for a discounted sale price on an item of the certain item type, a rain check for an item of the certain type, and an indication of an alternate location outside the environment where an item of the certain type may be located.

136. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein the display device is located on a structure that previously supported the items of the certain type.

137. The computer-readable medium of claim 119, wherein the inventory characteristic is a mathematical relationship between previous sales of a type of item over a predetermined time period.

138. The computer-readable medium of claim 137, wherein the relationship represents whether the previous sales of the type of item have been sporadic or uniform over the predetermined time period.

139. The computer-readable medium of claim 118, wherein the shrinkage recognition process includes:

determining when a number of items of a certain type positioned in a first location is reduced by a determined value within a set time period; and

performing a shrinkage response process based on the determination of the reduction.

140. The computer-readable medium of claim 139, wherein the shrinkage response process includes:

providing an indication of the first location to at least one of a user and a security monitoring process.

141. The computer-readable medium of claim 140, wherein the indication further includes an indication of the certain type of items and the determined value.

142. The computer-readable medium of claim 139, wherein the shrinkage response process includes at least one of:

storing a log record reflecting when the number of items were reduced by the determined value, the certain type of items, and the determined value;

providing an interrupt signal to a security device; and

providing to an interface device a message identifying the first location.

143. The computer-readable medium of claim 142, wherein the security device is at least one of:

an alarm system;

a light emitting device positioned near the first location;

a video surveillance system that is activated by the interrupt signal to record video of an area associated with the first location; and

a camera surveillance system that is activated by the interrupt signal to record photographs of the area associated with the first location.

144. The computer-readable medium of claim 142, wherein the message includes information directing a user to the first location.

145. The computer-readable medium of claim 118, wherein the rapid product recall process includes:

determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved from its current location based on at least one of a shelf life associated with the item, an ambient temperature surrounding the item, and an identification number associated with the item.

146. The computer-readable medium of claim 145, wherein rapid recall process includes:

associating a begin date with the item corresponding to a time when the item is placed in its current location in the environment;

determining the shelf life for the item;

providing an indication that the shelf life for the item has expired or will soon expire based on a comparison between the begin date and the shelf life.

147. The computer-readable medium of claim 146, wherein determining the shelf life includes:

determining the shelf life based on an expiration date associated with the item.

148. The computer-readable medium of claim 145, wherein determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved includes:

reading a temperature value from a temperature measuring device located in proximity to the current location of the item; and

determining that the item must be moved from the current location based on the temperature value.

149. The computer-readable medium of claim 145, wherein determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved includes:

determining whether the identification number is associated with a recall order reflecting that the item must be moved from its current location.

150. The computer-readable medium of claim 145, wherein the method further includes:

providing an indication reflecting that the item should be moved from the inventory of items when the item is being purchased at a point of sale terminal.

151. The computer-readable medium of claim 150, wherein the indication includes a message displayed at the point of sale terminal that the item has exceeded its shelf life.

152. The computer-readable medium of claim 145, wherein the item has a first characteristic and the method further includes:

determining that the item should be moved form its current location based on a determination that new items similar to the item and provided by a same supplier have a second characteristic different from the first characteristic.

153. The computer-readable medium of claim 152, wherein the first and second characteristics are at least one of a new package style, a size of the respective item, a color of the respective item, a flavor associated with the respective item, and a price of the respective item.

154. The computer-readable medium of claim 145, wherein determining whether an item in the environment needs to be moved includes:

providing an indication that the item is defective based on a determination that the identification number is included in a list of identification numbers associated with defective items provided by a supplier.

155. The computer-readable medium of claim 118, wherein the alert monitor process includes:

providing an indication to a user based on at least one of;

(i) information reflecting that one or more items of a type that is the same as a type of item that is no longer positioned in its respective location, are located in an alternate location within the environment;

(ii) information reflecting that an item that is no longer positioned in its respective location is not available in the environment;

(iii) information reflecting that a number of items of a certain type is within a predetermined range of values of a stock threshold value; and

(iv) a malfunction of a component that receives data from one or more wireless identification devices.

156. The computer-readable medium of claim 118, wherein the inventory of items includes items of one or more types and the sales optimization process includes at least one of:

determining a number of times one or more items of a particular type are moved from, and positioned back, into their respective location;

determining a number of times an item of any type is purchased with an item of another type;

determining a number of times an item of any type is purchased with one or more items of the same type;

determining items of any type that have not moved from their respective location for a predetermined period of time; and

determining any type of item that includes items that have a sale price change with a determined previous period of time.

157. The computer-readable medium of claim 156, wherein determining a number of times one or more items of one or more types are moved from and positioned back into their respective locations includes:

for each type of item;

periodically performing an inventory count of each item to determine whether any items have been removed from their respective locations.

158. The computer-readable medium of claim 157, further including:

determining a relationship between the number of times an item has been moved and positioned back into its respective location and the location of the item.

159. The computer-readable medium of claim 157, wherein the location of the item may be one of a location that is at eye level on a support unit, a location near an entrance of the environment, a location in a high user traffic area within the environment, and a location in a low user traffic area within the environment.

160. A computer-readable medium including instructions for performing a method, when executed by a processor, for providing inventory information in an environment including an inventory of items each positioned within a respective location within an environment and is associated with a corresponding wireless identification device, and an inventory monitoring process that periodically performs an inventory count of the items in the environment by retrieving item information from each wireless identification device associated with each item and storing the retrieved information in a database, the method comprising:

receiving from a user a request for an availability of an item within the environment;

searching the item information within the database to determine whether the requested item is available in the environment; and

providing an indication reflecting a result of the search.

161. The computer-readable medium of claim 160, wherein receiving the request includes:

receiving the request at a first processing device associated with the environment, wherein a user interfaces with a second processing device to create the request.

162. The computer-readable medium of claim 161, wherein the second processing device is a computer system operated by the user.

163. The computer-readable medium of claim 162, wherein the request is received from a network connected to the first and second processing devices.

164. The computer-readable medium of claim 162, wherein the request is sent to the first processing device over the Internet.

165. The computer-readable medium of claim 162, wherein the second processing device is a kiosk computer device located within the environment.

166. The computer-readable medium of claim 162, wherein the first processing device is located within the environment.

167. The computer-readable medium of claim 162, wherein the first processing device is located outside the environment.

168. The computer-readable medium of claim 167, wherein the first processing device forwards the request to a third processing device located in the environment that performs the searching step.

169. The computer-readable medium of claim 160, wherein the indication includes at least one of an indication that the item is available in the environment, an indication that the item is not available in the environment, an offer for a discount on a sale price of the item, an offer for a discount on a sale price of an alternative item, and an indication reflecting one or more alternative environments that the item is available.

170. The computer-readable medium of claim 169, wherein the indication reflecting one or more alternative environments includes directions to the one or more alternative environments.

171. The computer-readable medium of claim 160, wherein providing the indication includes providing a message displayed on a display device mounted in proximity of the item'"'"'s respective location in the environment.

172. The computer-readable medium of claim 171, wherein the message includes at least one of an indication that the item is not available in the environment, an offer for a discount on a sale price of the item, an indication reflecting one or more alternative environments that the item is available, and directions to the one or more alternative environments.

173. A computer-readable medium including instructions for performing a method, when executed by a processor, for providing inventory management for an inventory of items that are each tagged with an RFID tag that includes item information identifying each respective item and at least one item characteristic, the method comprising:

storing an electronic document received from a customer including a list of one or more desired items the customer is interested in purchasing in the environment;

determining the presence of the customer within the environment;

determining whether the customer is located in proximity to a location in the environment that includes a first item that is included in the list of one or more desired items based on the stored electronic document; and

presenting on a display device positioned at or near the location, item information associated with the first item based on the determination.

174. The computer-readable medium of claim 173, wherein storing includes:

providing from the customer to the environment the electronic document through the Internet.

175. The computer-readable medium of claim 173, wherein storing includes:

providing, by the customer, the electronic document to the environment through a computing device located within the environment.

176. A system for managing an inventory of items of one or more item types, each item being positioned in a respective location within an environment and is a associated with a corresponding wireless identification device that includes item information related to the respective item, the system comprising:

a data collection system configured to retrieve the item information from one or more of the wireless identification devices in response to one or more read commands; and

an intelligent inventory management system configured to generate the one or more read commands and receive the retrieved item information from the data collection system, the intelligent inventory management system comprising;

a database that stores the received item information and characteristic information associated with each of the items; and

at least one of

stock control means for determining at least one of a current inventory count of items of any type based on the received item information, any items that are misplaced in the environment, items of any type that are approaching or have reached an out of stock condition, an alternate location within the environment to position items of any type that have a history of sales below a threshold value,

shrinkage recognition means for determining when a number of items of a certain type positioned in a first location is reduced by a determined value within a set time period,

rapid recall means for determining whether an item needs to be moved from its current located based on at least one of a temporal, a defect, and a temperature characteristic associated with the item, and alert monitoring means for generating and providing one or more

indications based on at least one of an out of stock condition for an item type, a

misplaced item condition for an item, and a malfunction condition.

177. The system of claim 176, wherein the data collection system includes:

a primary controller for generating one or more controller commands based on the received one or more read commands; and

a secondary controller for activating an antenna based on the one or more controller commands, wherein the antenna is configured to retrieve the item information from one or more items.

178. The system of claim 176, wherein the stock control means also generates an out of stock display message reflecting when an out of stock condition occurs or is approaching.

179. The system of claim 176, wherein the system includes a security device located near the first location, and the shrinkage recognition means also activates the security device when the number of items of a certain type positioned in a first location is reduced by the determined value within the set time period.

180. The system of claim 176, wherein the temporal characteristic is at least one of a shelf life and an expiration date associated with the item.

181. The system of claim 176, wherein the temperature characteristic is a temperature value of an area proximate to the current location of the item.

182. The system of claim 176, wherein the defect characteristic is associated with at least one of the item missing a part and the item including a defecting part.

183. The system of claim 176, wherein the system includes a Point Of Sale (POS) terminal and the rapid recall means also generates an alarm message at the POS terminal when the customer attempts to purchase an item that (i) has exceeded at least one of an expiration date and a shelf life, or (ii) is defective.

184. An environment including items each tagged with a wireless identification device and positioned in a designated location, the environment comprising:

a database including information associated with each of the items;

storage units each including at least one antenna and having a support means that supports one or more of the items;

a computer system for providing commands to retrieve item information from the wireless identification devices and storing the item information in the database;

a data collection system for activating a corresponding antenna within a particular storage unit, retrieving item information from an item supported by a support means in the particular storage unit, and providing the item information to the computer system,

wherein the computer system includes a user interface that allows a user to request and receive real time inventory information associated with one or more of the items in the environment based on the item information stored in the database.

185. The environment of claim 184, wherein the computer system provides the user, based on a corresponding user request, at least one of:

a current inventory count of one or more types of items in the environment,

a location of an item that is misplaced in the environment,

an alternate location in the environment to move an item that has a history of sales below a predetermined threshold value,

an alternate location in the environment to move an item of a certain type that has been redesigned by a manufacturer, and

a location of any item of interest.

186. The environment of claim 184, wherein the computer system provides to the user an alert message when an item is determined to have exceeded at least one of its shelf life and expiration date.

187. The environment of claim 184, wherein the computer system provides to the user an alert message when an item is determined to be defective.

188. The environment of claim 184, wherein the computer system provides to the user an alert message when a number of items of a certain type is below a threshold value.

189. The environment of claim 184, wherein the computer system provides to the user an alert message when a certain number of items are removed from a certain location within a predetermined period of time.

190. The environment of claim 184, wherein the computer system collects information reflecting a condition when one or more of the items have been moved from and placed back to their designated locations.

191. The environment of claim 190, wherein the computer system provides to the user, based on a request, the information reflecting the condition.

192. The environment of claim 184, wherein the computer system determines a number of times an item of any type is purchased with an item of another type.