OPERATION MONITORING AND ENHANCED HOST COMMUNICATIONS IN SYSTEMS EMPLOYING ELECTRONIC ARTICLE SURVEILLANCE AND RFID TAGS

• US 20100001863A1
• Filed: 05/05/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datalogic Scanning Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.), Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Datalogic Scanning Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.), Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Guess, Alan Jackson, Paris, Bruce Edward, Salim, Mohamed A., Clifford, Harold C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,006,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/00 Alarm indicators, e.g. bells

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring operation and performance of electronic tags such as article surveillance (EAS) tags or radio frequency identification (RFID) tags such as by monitoring and reporting electronic tag readability and operator/system performance levels. The system includes an optical symbol reader and/or electronic tag sensor/deactivator that measures and reports values of reading, detection, or deactivation events during operation which may be indicative of electronic tag operability. The apparatus may further comprise a data accumulation device including memory storage to accumulate the measurement values for each set of electronic tags, and a programmed computing system to analyze the measured values and report on the results of the analysis.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring electronic tag operation comprising the steps of

passing an item through a read volume;

identifying the item by reading a label on the item with a data reader and thereby obtaining identification data;

determining whether the item includes an EAS tag by attempting to sense an EAS tag using an EAS sense and deactivation system;

if an EAS tag has been sensed, (a) attempting to deactivate the EAS tag and (b) validating whether the EAS tag has been deactivated by attempting to re-sense the EAS tag after attempting to deactivate;

if the EAS tag has been re-sensed, repeating steps (a) and (b) for up to a given period or a given number of cycles;

assembling data of operation of the EAS system pertaining to sensing and attempting to deactivate the EAS tag, the operation data including the number of deactivation attempts;

correlating the EAS system operation data, including the number of deactivation attempts, to the item identified.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of correlating comprises:

appending the EAS system operation data to the identification data to generate a combined data string; and

transmitting the operation data and the identification data as a combined data string to a host.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of correlating comprises sending the identification data to a host and separately sending the EAS system operation data to the host.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of correlating further comprises:

transmitting the identification data to a host and separately transmitting the EAS system operation data to the host; and

automatically matching the EAS system operation data to the identification data if the EAS system operation data is received by the host within a predetermined time period of receiving the identification data.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of assembling data comprises measuring a time it takes to sense the EAS tag after successfully reading the label.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of assembling data comprises recording number of deactivation attempts made for the item.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of assembling data comprises recording an event of unsuccessful deactivation of the EAS tag.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of assembling data comprises identifying a defective EAS tag.

9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising tallying number of defective EAS tags by type of item identified.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of assembling data comprises determining EAS tag quality.

11. A method of operating a data reading and electronic article security (EAS) system, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining item identification data by reading a label on an item being passed through a read volume of a data reader;

(b) attempting to sense an EAS tag on the item;

(c) if an EAS tag has been sensed, attempting to deactivate the EAS tag;

(d) collecting EAS system operation data including the number of deactivation attempts with respect to the results of steps (b) and (c); and

(e) correlating the collected operation data including the number of deactivation attempts collected to the item identified.

13. A method according to claim 11 wherein the step of correlating comprises:

appending the collected EAS system operation data to the item identification data to form combined data; and

transmitting the combined data to a host.

14. A method according to claim 13 further comprising

(f) storing the combined data in the data reader.

15. A method according to claim 13 further comprising

repeating steps (a) through (e) for subsequent items and storing the combined data for each of the items in the data reader;

transmitting the combined data for items to a host for further processing.

16. A method according to claim 11 wherein the step of correlating comprises:

transmitting the item identification data to a host and separately transmitting the EAS system operation data to the host; and

automatically matching the EAS system operation data to the item identification data if the EAS system operation data is received by the host within a predetermined time period of receiving the item identification data.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the step of correlating further comprises matching the EAS system operation data to the identification data if the EAS system operation data is received by the host within time period of receiving the identification data.

18. A method according to claim 11 wherein the step of collecting data comprises measuring a time it takes to sense the EAS tag after reading the label.

12. (canceled)

19. An apparatus for monitoring and reporting electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag readability in a combined data reader and electronic article security (EAS) system, comprising

a data reader for reading a label on an item being passed through a read volume;

means for measuring values of EAS tag detection and/or deactivation during operation for providing indication of EAS tag operability.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19 further comprising

data accumulation means including a memory storage portion for accumulating measured values for each set of EAS tags;

and

computing means for analyzing the measured values and reporting the measured values.

21. An apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the data accumulation means comprises a single device connected to a plurality of data readers for monitoring system performance and readability of the EAS tags.

22. A system for monitoring electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag quality comprising:

a combined system of a data reader and an EAS system for reading labels appended to an item and for sensing and deactivating EAS tags appended to the item;

means within the combined system for identifying a defective EAS tag;

means for indicating presence of the defective EAS tag;

means within the combined system for tallying a number of defective EAS tags by type of item identified.

23. A system according to claim 22 further comprising

memory within the combined system for storing the number of defective EAS tags by type of item identified;

a point-of-service terminal coupled to the combined system having access to information stored in the memory.

24. A system according to claim 22 wherein the means for indicating presence comprises notifying operator.

25-48. -48. (canceled)

49. A method of monitoring electronic tag operation in a checkout system having a data reader, the method comprising the steps of:

passing an item through a read volume;

identifying the item by reading a label on the item and obtaining identification data;

determining a location of the item relative to the data reader when the label is read;

sensing an electronic tag on the item; and

correlating the location of the item to the electronic tag sensing operation for use in analyzing system operation.

50. A method of monitoring electronic tag operation according to claim 49 and wherein said determining a location of the item when the label is read includes determining a scan line of the data reader that was used to read the label.

51. A method of monitoring electronic tag operation according to claim 49 and wherein said determining a location of the item when the label is read includes inferring an orientation of the item.

52. A method of operation of an electronic checkout system having a point of sale (POS) terminal coupled to a data reader and an EAS system, the method comprising:

operating in an automatic activation mode whereby the EAS system is automatically activated in response to a signal from the data reader of good read of a product code;

operating in a manual activation mode whereby the EAS system is manually activated by action of an operator;

detecting a manual activation of the EAS system to deactivate an EAS tag; and

storing an indication that a manual activation, as distinguished from an automatic activation, of the EAS system has been detected.

53. A method according to claim 52 wherein said detecting step occurs in the EAS system and further comprising transmitting an indication that a manual activation, as distinguished from an automatic activation, of the EAS system has been detected.

54. A method according to claim 53 and further comprising storing an indication of the detected manual activation of the EAS system in the POS terminal or the host system in response to receiving the transmitted indication.

55. A method according to claim 52 and further comprising:

identifying an operator logged into the POS system at a time the manual activation of the EAS system is detected; and

storing an identifier of the identified operator in association with the stored indication of the manual activation.

56. A method according to claim 52 and further comprising:

determining a date and time when the manual activation, as distinguished from an automatic activation, of the EAS system is detected; and

storing the determined date and time in association with the stored indication of the manual activation.

57. A host notification method for use in an electronic checkout system that includes an optical code data reader and an electronic article surveillance (EAS) system, the data reader and the EAS system coupled to an electronic point-of-sale (POS) terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

using the data reader to read an identification tag on an item;

upon successful read of an identification tag, automatically attempting deactivation

permitting an operator to initiate a manual deactivation attempt;

detecting a manual deactivation attempt of the EAS system as distinguished from an automatic deactivation attempt;

determining whether manual deactivation attempt was successful;

if the manual deactivation attempt was successful, transmitting an indication of the manual deactivation to the POS terminal or host system.

58. A host notification method according to claim 57 wherein said step of transmitting an indication of the manual deactivation comprises transmitting a predetermined signal to the POS terminal or host system.

59. A host notification method according to claim 57 wherein said step of transmitting an indication of the manual deactivation comprises transmitting a predetermined special optical code data to the POS terminal or host system using a pre-existing interface of the POS terminal or host system that is operative to handle product optical code data.

62. A host notification method according to claim 57 and further comprising, in the POS, responsive to receiving the indication of the manual deactivation, transmitting a record of the manual deactivation event to a server or backroom controller.

60-61. -61. (canceled)