System for inventory control and capturing and analyzing consumer buying decisions
First Claim
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1. A package identification and tracking system for use in analyzing consumer buying decisions comprising:
- a plurality of products, each having a tag with a unique code;
a tag reader having a tag detection range; and
change of state detection means for determining when each said product enters or leaves said tag detection range.
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Abstract
An RFID tag contains a unique code The RFID tag in response to a query communicates identifying data, which is utilized to authenticate a product and provides information relating to consumer purchase decisions.
32 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A package identification and tracking system for use in analyzing consumer buying decisions comprising:
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a plurality of products, each having a tag with a unique code;
a tag reader having a tag detection range; and
change of state detection means for determining when each said product enters or leaves said tag detection range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A package identification and tracking system for a retail outlet having articles available for selection and removal by customers, each of said articles having a radio frequency tag attached, each tag comprising an antenna for indicating the presence and identification of the associated article upon receiving an interrogation signal and returning a response signal, and an integrated circuit coupled to said antenna for storing at least article identification information and for supplying said article identification information with the response signal upon interrogation of said tag by an interrogator, the system comprising:
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a plurality of interrogator antennas arranged in a geometric array located in a product display area of the retail facility for interrogating each said article to determine at least its location and identity for each said article, the interrogator receiving a response signal containing the stored article identification information for each of the articles to be offered to customers, wherein the interrogator may substantially simultaneously receive response signals from a plurality of tagged articles;
data storage means for compiling an inventory database including at least identification of all articles in the product display and the location status of each of the articles, the database receiving the initial location information and the article identification information for each of the articles on display; and
a processor in communication with the data storage means for updating the location status of the articles on display. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A product display and information system comprising:
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a plural of product container supports for storing a quantity of product containers for display to customers;
identifier means for providing a unique identifier for each said product container;
sensing means associated with each of said product container supports for sensing and identifying individual ones of said containers;
data processing means for tracking individual ones of said containers with respect to said supports so as to generate product container movement data;
a communications network for transmitting signals comprising said unique identifiers and at least said movement data; and
a data processor coupled to said communications network for recovering said transmitted signals to determine one or more parameters selected from a group comprising inventory, sales, unauthorized removal, replacement, customer product selection activity and time of occurrence of any of the foregoing. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification