Interfering smart shelf

• US 20060214792A1
• Filed: 03/28/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Goyal, Amit, Soni, Jaimin A., Boyd, Raymond M., Rosenblum, Ian, Hassan, Ahmed F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,271,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• 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: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A smart shelf system is disclosed. Objects are placed on a shelf that includes RFID tags. The objects prevent an RFID reader from reading certain RFID tags. The number of objects placed on the shelf may be determined by determining how many RFID tags are unreadable.

Claims

1. A shelf system adapted to monitor the presence of objects, the shelf system comprising:

a shelf configured to support a plurality of objects;

a plurality of radio frequency identification tags coupled to the shelf and positioned such that objects placed on the shelf prevent a radio frequency identification tag reader from reading at least some of the radio frequency identification tags.

2. The shelf system of claim 1, further including:

a radio frequency identification tag reader positioned such that objects placed on the shelf are placed between the radio frequency identification tag reader and the plurality of radio frequency identification tags.

3. The shelf system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of radio frequency identification tags are embedded within the shelf.

4. The shelf system of claim 1, further including at least one blocking element coupled to the shelf for tuning at least one of the plurality of radio frequency identification tags.

5. The shelf system of claim 1, further including a plurality of antenna elements coupled to the radio frequency identification tag reader.

6. The shelf system of claim 1, wherein the objects placed on the shelf comprise products located within a package that contains a metallic wrapper.

7. A method of monitoring a quantity of objects located on a shelf having a plurality of radio frequency identification tags, the method comprising:

(a) illuminating the shelf with electromagnetic radiation;

(b) determining a quantity of the radio frequency identification tags that are unreadable with a radio frequency identification tag reader because of the presence of the objects; and

(c) determining the quantity of the objects based on the determination made in (c).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein (b) comprises determining a quantity of radio frequency identification tags that are covered by the objects.

9. The method of claim 7, further including:

(d) transmitting the quantity of objects from the reader to a computer device; and

(e) transmitting an order from the computer device to a supplier.

10. The method of claim 7, further including:

(d) tuning the radio frequency identification tags so that the objects prevent the reader from reading the radio frequency identification tags when the objects are placed between the reader and the radio frequency identification tags.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein (d) comprises adjusting an angle of a surface of a radio frequency identification tag relative to the reader.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein (d) comprises deforming at least a portion of an antenna of a radio frequency identification tag.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the objects comprise products located within a package that contains a metallic wrapper.

14. A method of monitoring inventory, the method comprising;

(a) placing a quantity of objects on a shelf that contains a plurality of radio frequency identification tags;

(b) positioning a radio frequency identification tag reader such that the objects are between the radio frequency identification tag reader and at least some of the radio frequency identification tags; and

(c) determining the quantity of the objects by determining a number of radio frequency identification tags that are unreadable with a radio frequency identification tag reader.

15. The method of claim 14, further including:

(i) tuning the radio frequency identification tags so that when placed on the shelf, the objects prevent the radio frequency identification tag reader from reading at least one of the radio frequency identification tags.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects comprise products located within packages that contain metallic wrappers.

16. The method of claim 16, tuning the radio frequency identification tags so that when placed between at least one of the radio frequency identification tags and the radio frequency identification tag reader, the objects prevent the radio frequency identification tag reader from reading the at least one of the radio frequency identification tags.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein (i) comprises:

adjusting an angle of a surface of a radio frequency identification tag relative to the radio frequency identification scanner.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein (i) comprises:

deforming at least a portion of an antenna of a radio frequency identification tag.