Detection of Groups of RFID Tags

• US 20120235817A1
• Filed: 03/16/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: FORSTER, Ian J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,810,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0029 the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10108 interrogating only those RFIDs that fulfill a predetermined requirement, e.g. selecting all RFIDs having the same speed and moving in a cloud like fashion, e.g. on the same train; interrogating only RFIDs having a certain predetermined temperature, e.g. in the same fridge, another possibility being the active ignoring of a group of tags that fulfill a predetermined requirement, equivalent to the Boolean NOT operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0072 with means for detecting the weight of the article of which the code is read, for the verification of the registration weighing combined with recording means, e.g. in weighing scale, G01G19/415
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2485 Simultaneous detection of multiple EAS tags

Abstract

RFID-based inventory management systems are provided for various applications. Such systems include a plurality of RFID-readable products tags, with each product tag being associated with a piece of merchandise and programmed to generate a signal containing information regarding the associated piece of merchandise. Such systems also include an RFID reader capable of sending and receiving signals from the product tags. Such systems further include a processor capable of receiving signals from the RFID reader with information regarding the product tags. The processor compares the information regarding two or more product tags to determine whether they are being moved together as part of a moving group. If the processor determines that there exists a moving group of product tags, it generates an output based at least in part on the signals being sent from the product tags in the moving group.

Claims

1. An RFID-based inventory management system comprising:

a plurality of RFID-readable product tags each associated with a piece of merchandise and programmed to generate a signal containing information regarding the associated piece of merchandise;

an RFID reader capable of sending signals to and receiving signals from said product tags; and

a processor capable of receiving signals from the RFID reader with information regarding said product tags and programmed to;

compare the information regarding two or more of said product tags,

determine whether said two or more product tags are part of a moving group being moved together, and

generate an output based at least in part on the signals being sent from the product tags in the moving group.

2. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the signals generated by the product tags include information related to the weight of the associated piece of merchandise.

3. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 2, wherein the output generated by the processor is an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined weight of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

4. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the signals generated by the product tags include information related to the volume of the associated piece of merchandise.

5. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 4, wherein the output generated by the processor is an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined volume of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

6. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the signals generated by the product tags include information related to the size of the associated piece of merchandise.

7. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 6, wherein the output generated by the processor is an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined size of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

8. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein

the processor is programmed with a carry limit corresponding to the ability of a person to carry pieces of merchandise;

and

the output generated by the processor is an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags if the moving group exceeds the carry limit.

9. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, further comprising an assistance device and an RFID-readable assistance device tag associated with the assistance device, wherein the processor is programmed to determine if the assistance device tag is part of or adjacent to the moving group.

10. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 9, wherein the output generated by the processor is based at least in part on a signal from the assistance device tag.

11. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 9, wherein

the processor is programmed with a carry limit corresponding to the ability of a person to carry pieces of merchandise;

the output generated by the processor is an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags if the moving group exceeds the carry limit; and

the processor is programmed to modify the carry limit if the assistance device tag is part of or adjacent to the moving group.

12. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, further comprising an RFID-readable personal tag, wherein the personal tag is programmed to generate a signal including information regarding a person and the processor is programmed to determine if the personal tag is part of or adjacent to the moving group.

13. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 12, wherein the output generated by the processor is based at least in part on a signal from the personal tag.

14. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the signals generated by the product tags include information related to the category of the associated piece of merchandise.

15. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 14, wherein the output generated by the processor is an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags if at least a predetermined quantity of the product tags in the moving group have related and/or the same categories.

16. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the signals generated by the product tags include information related to the price of the associated piece of merchandise.

17. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 16, wherein the output generated by the processor is an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined price of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

18. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the signals generated by the product tags include information related to the frequency of theft of the associated piece of merchandise.

19. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 18, wherein the output generated by the processor is an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined frequency of theft of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

20. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the signals generated by the product tags include information related to an expected quantity of the associated piece of merchandise.

21. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 20, wherein the output generated by the processor is an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags if the quantity of a particular piece of merchandise in the moving group exceeds said expected quantity.

22. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to determine the approximate velocity of movement of one of said pieces of merchandise based at least in part on the signal from the associated product tag.

23. The RFID-based inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to determine the approximate direction of movement of one of said pieces of merchandise based at least in part on the signal from the associated product tag.

24. An RFID-based method of managing inventory, comprising:

providing a plurality of pieces of merchandise;

providing a plurality of RFID-readable product tags, with each product tag associated with one of said pieces of merchandise and capable of generating a signal containing information regarding the associated piece of merchandise;

receiving signals from two or more of said product tags;

processing the signals from said two or more product tags to determine whether the two or more product tags are part of a moving group being moved together; and

generating an output if it is determined that the two or more product tags are part of a moving group.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said receiving signals from two or more of said product tags includes receiving signals having information related to the weight of the associated pieces of merchandise.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said generating an output includes generating an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined weight of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said receiving signals from two or more of said product tags includes receiving signals having information related to the volume of the associated pieces of merchandise.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said generating an output includes generating an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined volume of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein said receiving signals from two or more of said product tags includes receiving signals having information related to the size of the associated pieces of merchandise.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said generating an output includes generating an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined size of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein said generating an output includes generating an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags if the moving group exceeds a carry limit corresponding to the ability of a person to carry pieces of merchandise.

32. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing an assistance device and an RFID-readable assistance device tag associated with the assistance device, wherein said generating an output includes determining if an assistance device tag is part of or adjacent to the moving group.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said generating an output includes generating an output based at least in part on a signal from the assistance device tag.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein said generating an output includes generating an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags if the moving group exceeds a carry limit corresponding to the ability of a person to carry pieces of merchandise and the carry limit is modified if an assistance device tag is part of or adjacent to the moving group.

35. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing an RFID-readable personal tag including information regarding a person, wherein said generating an output includes determining if a personal tag is part of or adjacent to the moving group.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said generating an output includes generating an output based at least in part on a signal from the personal tag.

37. The method of claim 24, wherein said receiving signals from two or more of said product tags includes receiving signals having information related to the categories of the associated pieces of merchandise.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said generating an output includes generating an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags if at least a predetermined quantity of the product tags in the moving group have related and/or the same categories.

39. The method of claim 24, wherein said receiving signals from two or more of said product tags includes receiving signals having information related to the price of the associated pieces of merchandise.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said generating an output includes generating an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined price of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

41. The method of claim 24, wherein said receiving signals from two or more of said product tags includes receiving signals having information related to the frequency of theft of the associated pieces of merchandise.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said generating an output includes generating an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags based at least in part on the combined frequency of theft of the pieces of merchandise in the moving group.

43. The method of claim 24, wherein said receiving signals from two or more of said product tags includes receiving signals having information related to an expected quantity of the associated pieces of merchandise.

44. The method of claim 43, said generating an output includes generating an alert to provide assistance in the vicinity of the moving group of product tags if the quantity of a particular piece of merchandise in the moving group exceeds said expected quantity.

45. The method of claim 24, wherein said processing the signals from said two or more product tags includes processing the signals to determine the approximate velocity of movement of said two or more product tags.

46. The method of claim 24, wherein said processing the signals from said two or more product tags includes processing the signals to determine the approximate direction of movement of said two or more product tags.