CUSTOMER INTERACTION WITH INVENTORY VIA RFID

• US 20080191881A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Minerley, Kevin G.
• Application Number:
  US12/102,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20080191881A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

Customer interaction with inventory via radio frequency identification (RFID) are disclosed, where a unique RFID is combined into ID cards, credit, debit, and smartcards. The current inventory RFID technology and RFID reader are moved into a place convenient to the end-user or customer to remove the need for cashiers. Some applications include point-of-sale terminals, libraries, tool cribs, and places where customers or end-users remove items from inventories and inventories need to be monitored.

Claims

1. A cell phone for interaction with inventory, comprising:

a list-making component for creating and maintaining an interim list of acquired items from a plurality of inventory items having inventory RFID tags and for providing a final list for reconciliation, the interim list associating at least one inventory item having at least one inventory RFID tag with a personal card having a personal RFID tag; and

an RFID reader for reading the at least one inventory RFID tag and the personal RFID tag, when the at least one inventory RFID tag and the personal RFID tag are in proximity to the RFID reader.

2. The cell phone of claim 1, wherein the list-making component sends the final list and an indication of agreement to an exit.