SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RFID SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

• US 20120166241A1
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Truecount Corp.
• Original Assignee: Truecount Corp.
• Inventors: Livingston, Donald, Lampert, Jordan
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a supply chain management system may provide dynamic information regarding items in manufacturing, storage, inventory, or retail processes by detecting RFID tags embedded on the items. A supply chain management system may also be configured to determine current inventory and regulate what items are stocked and restocked on displays. A split-screen showing detected items and instructions or information pertaining to the items may facilitate accurate and efficient execution of process steps by an employee or user. Supply chain management systems may also provide for re-tagging items with lost or damaged RFID tags and finding items lost from inventory due to lost or damaged RFID tags. Furthermore, a supply chain management system may include RFID tags affixed to point of purchase displays and include information regarding the point of purchase display within a database.

Claims

1. A supply chain management system comprising:

a remote sensor configured to receive identification information from an electronic identification device (EID) associated with an item;

a database in communication with the remote sensor configured to associate the identification information received from the EID with item information related to the item;

a processing unit in communication with the remote sensor, the processing unit configured to;

process the identification information received from the EID; and

retrieve the item information related to the item using the identification information; and

an electronic display unit communicatively coupled to the processing unit, the electronic display unit configured to display at least a portion of the item information related to the item via an electronic display.

2. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor comprises an RFID reader configured to receive identification information from an RFID tag associated with an item.

3. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the item information related to the item comprises a price.

4. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the item information related to the item comprises information regarding the manufacturing of the item.

5. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the item information related to the item comprises information regarding the shipping of the item.

6. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the item information related to the item comprises information regarding the relative location of the item over time.

7. The supply chain management system of claim 6, wherein the processing unit may be configured to determine the number of times the item has been removed from its location on a retail display using the item information comprising the relative location of the item over time.

8. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the electronic display unit is configured to dynamically select which portion of the item information will be displayed based on the physical location of the item.

9. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the electronic display unit is configured to dynamically select which portion of the item information will be displayed based on a relative location of the item within a supply chain, the relative locations within the supply chain comprising a manufacturing stage, a shipping stage, a storage stage, and a retail sales stage.

10. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor is further configured to receive identification information from an EID associated with a person,

wherein the database is configured to associate the identification information from the EID associated with the person to a personal profile, and

wherein the electronic display unit is configured to dynamically adjust which portion of the item information related to the item is displayed based on the personal profile.

11. The supply chain management system of claim 10, wherein the person comprises an employee,

wherein the personal profile includes a job description of the employee, and

wherein the electronic display unit is configured to display a task to be performed by the employee, the task related to the item.

12. The supply chain management system of claim 10, wherein the person comprises a consumer, and

wherein the electronic display unit is configured to display a discount price for the item available to the consumer.

13. The supply chain management system of claim 12, wherein the EID associated with the consumer is embedded in a customer loyalty card.

14. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor comprises a portable remote sensor.

15. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor is configured to receive identification information from a first plurality of EIDs, each of the first plurality of EIDs associated with an item on a retail display configured to display a variety of items,

wherein the database is further configured to indicate how many of each of the variety of items should be present on the retail display,

wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine how many of each of the variety of items is needed to restock the retail display, and

wherein the electronic display unit is configured to display how many of each of the variety of items is needed to restock the retail display.

16. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor is further configured to receive identification information from a second plurality of EIDs, each of the second plurality of EIDs associated with an item to be used to restock the retail display,

wherein the electronic display unit is configured to display how many of each of the variety of items is needed to restock the retail display on a first portion of the electronic display, and

wherein the electronic display unit is configured to display item information related to each of the items associated with second plurality of EIDs on the second portion of an electronic display.

17. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor is configured to receive identification information from an EID only when the EID is within a predefined read-zone.

18. The supply chain management system of claim 17, wherein the predefined read-zone is defined relative to the physical location of the remote sensor.

19. The supply chain management system of claim 17, wherein the predefined read-zone is defined by a set of expected EIDs, such that the remote sensor does not receive identification information from an EID if identification information is not associated with an EID in the set of expected EIDs.

20. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the item comprises a good to be sold in a retail establishment.

21. The supply chain management system of claim 1, wherein the remote sensor is further configured to receive identification information from an EID associated with a point of purchase (POP) display,

wherein the database is further configured to associate the identification from the EID associated with the POP display with POP display information, the POP display information comprising identification information of items associated with the POP display,

wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine how many items associated with the POP display are available, and

wherein the electronic display unit is configured to display how may items associated with the POP display are available.

22. The supply chain management system of claim 21, wherein the POP display information further comprises time line information for when the POP display should be on display and when it should be removed from display, and

wherein the electronic display unit is further configured to display when the POP display should be on display and when it should be removed from display.

23. A method for managing a supply chain comprising:

a remote sensor receiving identification information from an electronic identification device (EID) associated with an item;

a database in communication with the remote sensor associating the identification information received from the EID with item information related to the item;

a processing unit processing the identification information received from the EID;

the processing unit retrieving the item information related to the item using the identification information; and

an electronic display unit displaying at least a portion of the item information related to the item via an electronic display.

24. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, wherein the remote sensor comprises an RFID reader configured to receive identification information from an RFID tag associated with an item.

25. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, wherein the item information related to the item comprises a price.

26. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, wherein the item information related to the item comprises information regarding the manufacturing of the item.

27. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, wherein the item information related to the item comprises information regarding the shipping of the item.

28. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, wherein the item information related to the item comprises information regarding the relative location of the item over time.

29. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 28, further comprising the processing unit determining the number of times the item has been removed from its location on a retail display using the item information comprising the relative location of the item over time.

30. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, further comprising the electronic display unit dynamically selecting which portion of the item information will be displayed based on the physical location of the item.

31. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, further comprising the electronic display unit dynamically selecting which portion of the item information will be displayed based on a relative location of the item within a supply chain, the relative locations within the supply chain comprising a manufacturing stage, a shipping stage, a storage stage, and a retail sales stage.

32. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, further comprising:

the remote sensor receiving identification information from an EID associated with a person;

associating the identification information from the EID associated with the person to a personal profile within the database; and

the electronic display unit dynamically displaying a portion of the item information based on the personal profile.

33. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 32, wherein the person comprises an employee,

wherein the personal profile includes a job description of the employee, and

further comprising the electronic display unit displaying a task to be performed by the employee, the task related to the item.

34. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 32, wherein the person comprises a consumer, and

the electronic display unit displaying a discount price for the item available to the consumer.

35. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 34, wherein the EID associated with the consumer is embedded in a customer loyalty card.

36. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, wherein the remote sensor comprises a portable remote sensor.

37. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, further comprising:

the remote sensor receiving identification information from a first plurality of EIDs, each of the first plurality of EIDs associated with an item on a retail display configured to display a variety of items;

retrieving from a database how many of each of the variety of items should be present on the retail display; and

the display unit displaying how many of each of the variety of items is needed to restock the retail display.

38. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, further comprising:

the remote sensor receiving identification information from a second plurality of EIDs, each of the second plurality of EIDs associated with an item to be used to restock the retail display;

the electronic display unit displaying how many of each of the variety of items is needed to restock the retail display on a first portion of the electronic display; and

the electronic display unit displaying item information related to each of the items associated with the second plurality of EIDs on a second portion of the electronic display.

39. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, wherein the remote sensor is configured to receive identification information from an EID only when the EID is within a predefined read-zone.

40. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 39, wherein the predefined read-zone is defined relative to the physical location of the remote sensor.

41. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 39, wherein the predefined read-zone is defined by a set of expected EIDs, such that the remote sensor does not receive identification information from an EID if identification information is not associated with an EID in the set of expected EIDs.

42. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, wherein the item comprises a good to be sold in a retail establishment.

43. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 23, further comprising:

the remote sensor receiving identification information from an EID associated with a point of purchase (POP) display;

the database associating the identification from the EID associated with the POP display with POP display information, the POP display information comprising identification information of items associated with the POP display;

the processing unit determining how many items associated with the POP display are available; and

the electronic display unit displaying how may items associated with the POP display are available.

44. The method for managing a supply chain of claim 43, wherein the POP display information further comprises time line information for when the POP display should be on display and when it should be removed from display, and

further comprising the electronic display unit displaying when the POP display should be on display and when it should be removed from display.

45. A method for re-associating items in a database to facilitate supply chain management, comprising:

affixing an original electronic identification device (EID) to each of a plurality of items, each EID configured to communicate unique identification information to a remote sensor;

associating the identification information of each of the original EIDs with item information related to each of the plurality of items within a database;

discovering one of the plurality of items that no longer has an original, affixed, functional EID;

a remote sensor receiving identification information from each of the original EIDs affixed to each of the plurality of items that has an original, affixed, functional EID;

a processing unit determining which of the original EIDs was affixed to the item that no longer has an original, affixed, functional EID;

affixing a new EID to the item that no longer has an original, affixed, functional EID; and

associating the identification information of the new EID with the item information related to the item that no longer has an original, affixed, functional EID in the database.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the remote sensor comprises an RFID reader configured to receive identification information from an RFID tag associated with an item.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the item information related to the item comprises a price.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the item information related to the item comprises information regarding the manufacturing of the item.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein the item information related to the item comprises information regarding the shipping of the item.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the item information related to the item comprises information regarding the relative location of the item over time.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the remote sensor comprises a portable remote sensor.

52. The method of claim 45, wherein the item comprises a good to be sold in a retail establishment.