Method, System And Apparatus For Dwell Monitoring In A Retail Establishment

• US 20090033491A1
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rodney R. Saunders
• Original Assignee: Rodney R. Saunders
• Inventors: Saunders, Rodney R.
• Application Number:
  US11/937,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20090033491A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.500
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for facilitating dwell monitoring in a retail store, including detecting and monitoring the number of shoppers in a store through the use of broadcasting devices, such as RFID tags, and associated signal detecting devices, and a processor for processing the information, and storage media for storing the information, as desired (such as, for example, a computer), and an event engine for comparing the information processed with threshold data to generate alerts when a threshold is reached.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating monitoring of shoppers in a store, including:

placing one or more signal detecting devices in a location within a store, said range of said signal detecting device comprising a zone;

associating with a movable can an RFID tag;

sensing the RFID tag as the movable cart is moved within the range of a signal detecting device;

collecting the information to determine the number of RFID devices in a particular zone;

determining whether the number of RFID devices detected within said particular zone meets a threshold;

generating an alert when the number of RFID devices meets a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the zone is a location at the checkout location of the store.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dwell time for RFID devices corresponding to moveable carts in the checkout location is determined, and wherein the alert is generated when the RFID devices associated with said moveable carts dwell in said checkout location for a predetermined length of time.

4. A system for facilitating monitoring of shoppers in a store, including:

at least one signal detecting device adapted for positioning in a location within a store, said signal detecting device having a range corresponding to a zone;

an RFID tag adapted to be carried on a movable cart;

wherein said RFID tag carried by said movable cart is configured to be detectible when said RFID tag is said zone corresponding to said signal detecting device;

data collection means for collecting the information to determine the number of RFID devices in a particular zone;

means for determining whether the number of RFID devices detected within said particular zone meets a threshold;

alert generating means for generating an alert when the number of RFID devices in said zone meets a threshold.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein a plurality of signal detecting devices are provided, and wherein a plurality of zones are configured, wherein each zone corresponds with one signal detecting device or a group of signal detecting devices.

6. An apparatus for managing retail store facilities, including

at least one signal detecting device adapted for positioning in a location within a store, said signal detecting device having a range corresponding to a zone;

an RFID tag adapted to be carried on a movable cart;

wherein said RFID tag carried by said movable cart is configured to be detectible when said RFID tag is said zone corresponding to said signal detecting device;

a device for collecting data from said signal detecting device for collecting the information to determine the number of RFID devices in a particular zone;

an event engine for determining whether the number of RFID devices detected within said particular zone meets a threshold, said event engine being configured to generate an alert to correspond with detection criteria.