MULTI-DIRECTIONAL RFID READER FOR CONTROLLING INVENTORY AND SHELF STOCK

• US 20080174432A1
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal Mart Stores Inc (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Ulrich, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,667,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2471 Antenna signal processing by receiver or emitter
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2474 Antenna or antenna activator geometry, arrangement or layout loop antennae H01Q1/22

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a multi-directional RFID reader system where multi-directional readers can be place on opposing sides of a hallway leading from a back storage area to a retail floor area. The readers can be operable to detect an RFID tag associated with a product as well as its direction of movement, for example whether the product is moving from a back store room to a retail store or the opposite movement is occurring.

Claims

1. An inventory tracking system comprising:

a multi-directional RFID reader positioned along a passageway connecting a product storage area and a retail floor area, where the RFID reader includes a plurality of multiple directed sensors where each are directed to detect along the passageway the presence of an RFID tag associated with a product at multiple discrete positions along the passageway as the product and associated RFID tag travels along the passageway and where said RFID reader has a time stamp function operable to assign a time stamp to each discrete detection of the multiple discrete positions detected;

a background server communicably connected to the RFID reader, where the RFID reader includes a transmit function operable to transmit to the background server RFID detections, sensor identifications and associated time stamps; and

an executable inventory control application operably residing on the background server, where when executed determines the direction of travel of the product and associated RFID tag based on RFID transmissions.

2. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 1 where the plurality of multiple directed sensors includes two directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other where one sensor is directed rearwardly and the other sensor is directed forwardly along the passageway.

3. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 2 where the two directed sensors and two second tier directed sensors are directed RFID antennas.

4. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 3 where the plurality of multiple directed sensors includes two second tier directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other where one of the second tier sensors is directed rearwardly and the other sensor is directed forwardly along the passageway.

5. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 4 where the background server is communicably linked to a Replenishment Associates hand held inventory control device and said background server operable to send a notice to the handheld to restock the shelves.

6. An inventory tracking system comprising:

a first and a second multi-directional RFID reader each on opposing sides of and positioned along a passageway connecting a product storage area and a retail floor area, where each of the RFID readers includes a plurality of multiple directed sensors where each of the sensors are directed to detect along the passageway the presence of an RFID tag associated with a product at multiple discrete positions along the passageway as the product and associated RFID tag travels along the passageway and where said RFID readers each have a time stamp function operable to assign a time stamp to each discrete detection of the multiple discrete positions detected;

a background server communicably connected to each of the RFID readers, where each of the RFID readers include a transmit function operable to transmit to the background server RFID detections, sensor identifications and associated time stamps; and

an executable inventory control application operably residing on the background server, where when executed determines the direction of travel of the product and associated RFID tag based on RFID transmissions.

7. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 6, where the plurality of multiple directed sensors include two first directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other and two second directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other.

8. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 7, where the plurality of multiple directed sensors includes two second tier first directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other and two second tier second directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other.

9. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 8, where the plurality of multiple directed sensors are directed RFID antennas.

10. The inventory tracking systems as recited in claim 9, where the background server is communicably linked to a replenishment associates hand held inventory control device and said server operable to transmit a restock signal to the handheld.

11. An inventory tracking system comprising:

a first multi-directional encoded tag reader positioned along a first lengthwise side of a passageway connecting a product storage area and a retail floor area, where the encoded tag reader includes a first plurality of multiply directed sensors where each sensor of the first plurality are directed to detect along the passageway the presence of an encoded tag associated with a product at multiple discrete positions along the passageway as the product and associated encoded tag travels along the passageway and where said encoded tag reader has a first time stamp function operable to assign a first time stamp to each discrete detection of the multiple discrete positions detected by the first encoded tag reader;

a second multi-directional encoded tag reader positioned along a second lengthwise side of

the passageway opposite the first lengthwise side, where the second encoded tag reader includes a second plurality of multiply directed sensors where each sensor of the second plurality are directed to detect along the passageway the presence of an encoded tag associated with a product at multiple discrete positions along the passageway as the product and associated encoded tag travels along the passageway and where said second encoded tag reader has a second time stamp function operable to assign a second time stamp to each discrete detection of the multiple discrete positions detected by the second encoded tag reader;

a background server communicably connected to the first and second encoded tag readers, where the each of the first and second encoded tag readers include respective first and second transmit functions operable to transmit to the background server detections, sensor identifications and associated time stamps; and

an executable inventory control application operably residing on the background server, where when executed determines the direction of travel of the product and associated encoded tag based on the first and second encoded tag reader transmissions.

12. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 11, where the plurality of multiple directed sensors include two first directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other and two second directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other.

13. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 12, where the plurality of multiple directed sensors includes two second tier first directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other and two second tier second directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other.

14. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 13, where the plurality of multiple directed sensors are directed RFID antennas.

15. The inventory tracking systems as recited in claim 14, where the background server is communicably linked to a replenishment associates hand held inventory control device.

16. A method for tracking inventory comprising:

positioning a multi-directional RFID reader along a passageway connecting a product storage area and a retail floor area, where the RFID reader includes a plurality of multiple directed sensors where each are directed to detect along the passageway the presence of an RFID tag associated with a product at multiple discrete positions along the passageway as the product and associated RFID tag travels along the passageway and where said RFID reader has a time stamp function operable to assign a time stamp to each discrete detection of the multiple discrete positions detected;

providing a background server communicably connected to the RFID reader, where the RFID reader includes a transmit function operable to transmit to the background server RFID detections, sensor identifications and associated time stamps;

detecting the RFID tag at multiple discrete positions along the passageway and time stamping each of the multiple discrete positions detected;

transmitting to the background server RFID detections, sensor identifications and associated time stamps; and

executing an executable inventory control application operably residing on the background server, where when executed determining the direction of travel of the product and associated RFID tag based on RFID transmissions.

17. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 16 where the plurality of multiple directed sensors includes two directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other where one sensor is directed rearwardly and the other sensor is directed forwardly along the passageway.

18. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 17 where the plurality of multiple directed sensors includes two second tier directed sensors obtusely directed one with respect to the other where one of the second tier sensors is directed rearwardly and the other sensor is directed forwardly along the passageway.

19. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 18 where the two directed sensors and two second tier directed sensors are directed RFID antennas.

20. The inventory tracking system as recited in claim 19 where the background server is communicably linked to a Replenishment Associates hand held inventory control devise.