Point-of-purchase display with RFID inventory control

• US 20050040934A1
• Filed: 08/22/2003
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WestRock Shared Services, LLC (WestRock Company)
• Original Assignee: Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation (WestRock Company)
• Inventors: Shanton, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.920
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/11 made of cardboard, paper or the like racks or cabinets made of cardboard, paper or the like A47B43/02, A47B47/06; stands for packaging and displaying B65D5/52
• 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: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A point-of-purchase (“POP”) display employing RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology for inventory control is provided. The POP is preferably fabricated from paper, paperboard and/or corrugated paperboard material, and incorporates one or more shelves and/or cover layers. An RF antenna structure is applied to the surfaces of, or built into, the one or more shelves and/or cover layers. Suitable RF transmitter/receiver circuitry may also be built into the POP, or the POP may simply have suitable connections built in, to permit such transceiver apparatus to be plugged into the POP. The transceiver circuitry is connected in any suitable manner to an inventory control computer, such as the retail store'"'"'s computer. Each article that is to be displayed in the POP is provided with an RFID tag. Removal of an article from the POP, results in a signal being transmitted to the inventory control computer, corresponding to the removal of the article from the POP, and corresponding adjustment of the inventory records in the inventory control computer.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring inventory in a point of purchase display, comprising:

a portable display stand, having at least one shelf, operably configured to support a package thereon;

the display stand further having at least one of a bottom wall, a side wall, a back wall, a top wall, a front wall;

at least one package, operably configured to be positioned on the at least one shelf, the at least one package containing a radio frequency identification tag;

at least one radio frequency antenna, affixed to at least one of the at least one shelf, the at least one of a bottom wall, a side wall, a back wall, a top wall, a front wall;

a radio frequency identification tag reader, operably connected to the radio frequency antenna, for transmitting to and receiving radio frequency signals from the radio frequency identification tag, the radio frequency identification tag reader being operably configured to generate signals representative of the presence and absence of radio frequency identification tags within the display stand,

the radio frequency identification tag reader being operably connectable to a remotely situated monitoring apparatus, for providing a remote indication of the presence and absence of the at least one package containing a radio frequency identification tag, within the display.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display stand is configured to be readily collapsible and transportable.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display stand is fabricated substantially completely from one of:

paper;

paperboard;

corrugated paperboard;

bristol board;

foam cored board;

plastic.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display stand is at least partially covered with emf absorbing/shielding material.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one radio frequency antenna is affixed to the portable display stand by printing the at least one radio frequency antenna on a surface of the portable display stand with metallic ink.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one radio frequency antenna is embedded within the material from which the portable display stand is fabricated.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display stand is provided with wheels to facilitate movement of the portable display stand.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the portable display stand incorporates a pallet structure.