Inventory management tracking control system

• US 20060173756A1
• Filed: 12/31/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TimeSight Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TimeSight Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Benight, Barry P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,112,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

An inventory management tracking control system includes a first event processor operative to receive a video data signal from at least one video capturing device, the video data signal including an archive attribute signal, relating an item being tracked; reader circuitry operative to generate an event attribute signal in response to information provided by a radio frequency identification tag; and a second event processor operative to adjust the image characteristics of the video data signal in response to the event attribute, the second event processor further operative to adjust the event attribute subsequent to the time the event attribute is received. An inventory management control method includes receiving video image data from at least one video capturing device; receiving an archive attribute corresponding to the received video image data; receiving an event attribute corresponding to an occurrence of an event of interest; and adjusting the characteristics of the video image data in response to an event attribute.

Claims

1. An inventory management tracking control system, comprising:

a first event processor operative to receive a video data signal from at least one video capturing device, the video data signal including an archive attribute signal, relating an item being tracked;

reader circuitry operative to generate an event attribute signal in response to information provided by a radio frequency identification tag; and

a second event processor operative to adjust the image characteristics of the video data signal in response to the event attribute, the second event processor further operative to adjust the event attribute subsequent to the time the event attribute is received.

2. The control system of claim 1, further including memory circuitry operative to maintain the archive attribute signal and the event attribute, and further operative to maintain the adjusted image characteristics of the video data signal in response to the event attribute.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the archive attribute consists of one of the following:

a default attribute; and

one or more event attributes.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the second event processor is further operative to cause the memory circuitry to store the video data signal for a predetermined of time at a first resolution, and operative to store the adjusted image characteristics for a subsequent period of time at a second resolution.

5. The control system of claim 3, wherein the second event processor is further operative to cause the memory circuitry to purge previously stored video data signals after a predetermined period of time.

6. The control system of claim 3, wherein the event attributes are generated by the occurrence of the following:

the radio frequency tag traversing a given physical boundary;

the radio frequency tag being energized by an antenna, where the antenna is located at a specific physical point; and

a user modifying the archive attribute during a time post storage of the video image data.

7. The control system of claim 1, further including display means operative to display the image characteristics of the video data signal and the adjusted image characteristics of the video data signal in response to the receipt of an event attribute.

8. The control system of claim 4, wherein the first resolution has a value of approximately 160×

120-640×

480.

9. The control system of claim 4, wherein the second resolution has a value of approximately 640×

480-2560×

1920.

10. The control system of claim 1, further including warning circuitry operative to provide an audio indication of an event occurrence in response to the event attribute.

11. The control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one video capturing device includes a high resolution video camera positioned relative to a geographic area to be traversed by an inventory item, the high resolution video camera having a viewing angle α

.

12. The control system of claim 3, wherein the second event processor is further operative to cause the memory circuitry to store the video data signal at a first resolution of approximately 160×

120-640×

480 and further to cause the memory circuitry to store the adjusted image characteristics at a second resolution of approximately 640×

480-2560×

1920.

13. The control system of claim 6, wherein the antenna further comprises a first conductor layer having a thickness of about 3/16 inch, the first semiconductor layer having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a second insulator layer having a thickness of about ¼

inch;

a third conductor layer having a thickness of about 1/16 inch; and

a radio frequency connector, coupled to the bottom surface of the first conductor layer, the radio frequency connector coupled to the reader circuitry and further operative to provide an indication that an inventory item is traversing a physical boundary.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the first conductor layer is formed of aluminum;

the second insulator layer is formed of PTFE or polyethylene; and

the third conductor layer is formed of copper.

15. The control system of claim 13, further including a fourth insulating layer, substantially covering the first conductor layer, the second insulator layer and the third conductor layer, the fourth insulating layer having a thickness of about ¼

inch.

16. An inventory management control method, comprising:

receiving video image data from at least one video capturing device;

receiving an archive attribute corresponding to the received video image data;

receiving an event attribute corresponding to an occurrence of an event of interest; and

adjusting the characteristics of the video image data in response to an event attribute.

17. The control method of claim 16, further including the step of providing the user with an indication of the occurrence of an event of interest.

18. The control method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting step further includes the step of increasing the resolution of the video image data during the period of event of interest.

19. The control method of claim 18, further including the step of storing the increased resolution video image data of the event of interest in a memory, the increased resolution video image being indexed by the event attribute.

20. The control method of claim 16, further including the step of storing the received video image data as indexed by the archive attribute.