Method for slap-and-ship RFID labeling

• US 20070126578A1
• Filed: 12/01/2005
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frito-Lay North America Incorporated (PepsiCo Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Frito-Lay North America Incorporated (PepsiCo Incorporated)
• Inventors: Broussard, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,602,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A method for applying at least one RFID product tag to each of a plurality of products and to a product-containing container. Each product, case, or box is first unloaded from a container (e.g. pallet, tote, crate) or passed directly from manufacturing onto a conveyor whereon each item receives at least one RFID tag. Each RFID tag is then verified. Multiple items are then re-stacked in a container. An RFID tag is applied to the container and then the RFID tags are verified again before the container is shipped. Serialized numbers corresponding to products and containers are assigned and tracked. EPC data is stored on, or associated with, each RFID tag. RFID tags are verified to detect faulty placement and non-functionality. Non-functioning and poorly placed RFID tags are replaced before passing verification. The slap-and-ship line can handle execute-and-record methods and synchronized execution methods of handling product and associated data.

Claims

1. A method for applying RFID tags to a plurality of products processed through an assembly line comprising the steps of:

(a). acquiring product information about each of the plurality of products;

(b). encoding an RFID tag with an identifying data string for each of the plurality of products;

(c). applying an RFID tag to each of the plurality of products;

(d). verifying the integrity of each RFID tag of step (c);

(e). assigning a product code to each RFID tag verified in step (d); and

,

(f). associating each product code to the product information of step (a).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the acquiring product information of step (a) comprises the steps of:

scanning a product identifier from computer-readable information on a label affixed to at least one of the plurality of products;

searching a database of product information to find the product information associated with the product identifier; and

,

passing the product information to a machine which stores data in each RFID tag.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the data stored in each RFID tag is a unique sequence of digits.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the assembly line is a SAS line.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the verifying of step (d) is by interrogating the RFID tag with an RF signal.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is preceded by the step of receiving a container of products at an entry to the SAS line and unloading the plurality of products onto the SAS line from the container.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of stacking the plurality of RFID tagged products into the container.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of stacking the plurality of products into a new container.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein assigning of a product code of step (e) precedes the applying of an RFID tag to each of a plurality of products of step (c).

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the acquiring product information of step (a) is by scanning computer readable information from a container label affixed to the container.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of creating an RFID container tag for each of at least one container wherein the container tag is written with information which can be used to track the contents of the container in commerce.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

(g). assigning each of the plurality of products to a container.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

(h). interrogating a collection of RFID tags attached to a second plurality of products; and

,

(i). identifying a subset of the collection of RFID tags of step (h) belonging to one particular container.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the identifying of step (i) is by searching a database using an identifying data string obtained from the interrogation of RFID tags of step (h).

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

(g). interrogating RFID tags in the vicinity of a container;

(h). compiling a first list of recognized RFID tags;

(i). retrieving a second list of RFID tags from a set of container records in a computer system wherein each container record has a list of RFID tags associated with it;

(j). comparing the first list of recognized RFID tags of step (h) with the second list of RFID tags of step (i); and

,

(k). selecting the container record of step (i) which has a statistically significant number of RFID tags matching those RFID tags in the first list of step (h).

16. A method of identifying all products associated with a container wherein each product is tagged with an RFID tag comprising the steps of:

(a). interrogating RFID tags in a finite area;

(b). retrieving a container identifier for each of the successfully interrogated RFID tags;

(c). forming a list of such container identifiers;

(d). selecting a container identifier according to at least one statistically significant criterion from the list of such container identifiers; and

,

(e). retrieving a product identifier from a database for each of the products having the selected container identifier.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein at least one assembled container resides within the finite area.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one statistically significant criterion is being greater than a threshold value.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one statistically significant criterion comprises a calculation comprising at least one of the following non-exclusive list of numerical values:

number of RFID product tags responding to interrogation;

number of RFID container tags responding to interrogation;

quantitative strength of the responding signal from at least one of the RFID tags as measured by the interrogator;

arbitrary minimum number of RFID tags;

read count of RFID container tags;

read count of RFID product tags;

timestamp associated with an RFID tag;

type of product associated with responding RFID tags;

status associated with responding RFID tags;

lot number associated with responding RFID tags;

batch number associated with responding RFID tags; and

largest numerical percentage of RFID product tags responding to interrogation relative to the possible number of RFID product tags associated with each container identified by the interrogator.