CUSTOMER INTERACTION WITH INVENTORY VIA RFID

• US 20080210756A1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• 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:
  US12/102,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20080210756A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• 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 shopping cart for interaction with inventory, comprising:

a holder for receiving at least one acquired item from a plurality of inventory items having inventory RFID tags, the at least one acquired item having been read by an RFID reader; and

a list-making component for creating and maintaining an interim list of the at least one acquired item and for providing a final list for reconciliation, the interim list associating the at least one acquired item with a personal item having a personal RFID tag, the personal RFID tag being read by the RFID reader.

2. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein the RFID reader is coupled to the holder.

3. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein the RFID reader is coupled to the list-making component.

4. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein the RFID reader is coupled to a cell phone.

5. The shopping cart of claim 1, further comprising:

an exit for receiving the final list and receiving an indication of agreement.

6. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein the holder is virtual and represented on a web page and the list-making component is associated with the web page.

7. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein the holder is physical and coupled to the list-making component.

8. The shopping cart of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of exits in communication with the list-making component that allow passage upon a valid sale.

9. The shopping cart of claim 8, wherein the exits do not allow passage upon an invalid sale.

10. The shopping cart of claim 8, wherein the exits set an alarm upon an invalid sale.

11. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein the at least one acquired item is read by the RFID reader when the at least one acquired item is placed in the holder.