Article identification and tracking using electronic shadows created by RFID tags
First Claim
1. A tracking system, comprising:
- an identification sensor positioned at a first location, said identification sensor having a responsive circuit;
an antenna positioned at a second location, said antenna adapted to detect said identification sensor by interactive coupling between said antenna and said identification sensor via communication signals therebetween; and
a processing member adapted to determine an absence of detection of said identification sensor by said antenna, interpret the absence of detection as indicia of an electronic shadow between the first location and the second location, and infer a presence of an object as cause for the electronic shadow.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A tracking system uses RFID (radio frequency identification) tag technology to facilitate the identification and tracking of items in an environment through a technique known as shadowing. As an object or target moves within a pre-described detection zone with communicating antenna and RFID sensors, the object or target blocks the line of sight between respective antenna and sensors, preventing electromagnetic coupling between the sensor and the antenna and thus casting an electromagnetic shadow along the line of sight. One approach of this invention uses this shadow technique to perform functions such as theft (shrink) deterrence/ detection; tracking the motion of objects through an environment by monitoring the shadow; and correlation analysis of people shadows to tagged items (e.g., merchandise, articles) to foster marketing and merchandising effectiveness.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A tracking system, comprising:
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an identification sensor positioned at a first location, said identification sensor having a responsive circuit;
an antenna positioned at a second location, said antenna adapted to detect said identification sensor by interactive coupling between said antenna and said identification sensor via communication signals therebetween; and
a processing member adapted to determine an absence of detection of said identification sensor by said antenna, interpret the absence of detection as indicia of an electronic shadow between the first location and the second location, and infer a presence of an object as cause for the electronic shadow. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A tracking system, comprising:
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means for communicating signals along a line of sight between a first location and a second location;
means for detecting the communicated signals at the second location;
means for determining an absence of detection of one of the communicated signals at the second location;
means for interpreting the absence of detection as indicia of a shadow between the first location and the second location; and
means for inferring a presence of an object as cause for the shadow. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for targeting an object, comprising:
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communicating signals along a line of sight between a first location and a second location;
detecting the communicated signals at the second location;
determining an absence of detection of one of the communicated signals at the second location;
interpreting the absence of detection as indicia of a shadow between the first location and the second location; and
inferring a presence of the object as cause for the shadow. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification