SYSTEM, METHOD, AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH VALUE PRODUCT MANAGEMENT AND TRACKING

• US 20080128498A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andrew T. Fausak, Lawrence J. Quinnell
• Original Assignee: Andrew T. Fausak, Lawrence J. Quinnell
• Inventors: Fausak, Andrew T., Quinnell, Lawrence J.
• Application Number:
  US11/567,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20080128498A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: E05G 1/005 Portable strong boxes, e.g. which may be fixed to a wall or the like E05G1/08, E05G1/14 take precedence; devices to prevent theft or loss of bags, trunks, baskets, or the like A45C13/18; coin boxes for coin freed apparatus G07F9/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for managing product inventory, and particularly for managing inventories.

Claims

1. Apparatus for storing and tracking high value products, comprising:

a product storage cabinet;

means for detecting products within a predetermined area within the product storage cabinet;

means for detecting products present within the product storage cabinet; and

a communication interface for communicating inventory information for the cabinet to a remote product management system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including means for adding to an inventory listing new products detected within the storage cabinet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further including means for tracking time a previously present product identification tag has been absent and changing a status of the product when the product has not been detected within the cabinet for at least a predetermined period of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting products includes an RFID reader.

5. A method of distributing high value products, comprising:

installing a inventory cabinet at or near a point of sale on the premises of a third party;

stocking the inventory cabinet with high-value products on consignment, the cabinet including a reader for detecting the presence of products within the cabinet and a data processing system for tracking product inventory and a communications interface for reporting inventory information over a communications network;

receiving over a communications network inventory information indicating that a product consigned to the inventory cabinet has not been detected in the cabinet for at least a predetermined period of time; and

collecting from the third party or its designee payment for the product that has not been detected.