Inventory system for the prevention of tobacco product theft

• US 20140043162A1
• Filed: 08/12/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Michael Siciliano, Michele P. Burns
• Original Assignee: Michael Siciliano, Michele P. Burns
• Inventors: Siciliano, Michael, Burns, Michele P.
• Application Number:
  US13/964,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043162A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.8
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/04 Racks or containers with arrangements for dispensing articles , e.g. by means of gravity or springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/125 with an article-pushing device
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/002 Devices for protection against sunlight or theft
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/06 Arrangements on packages concerning bar-codes
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/12 for dispensing tickets or tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/28 Setting of parameters; Software updates
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/34 Monitoring the contents of devices, e.g. the number of stored valuable papers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/14 by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1481 with optical detection

Abstract

A tobacco product display for monitoring inventory and aiding in theft prevention. A position sensor tracks the quantity of products on the display. A scanner, such as a barcode reader, tracks the identification of products removed from the display. A proximity and identity sensor detects authorized removal of products from the display and identifies persons removing the products. An alarm is triggered in the case of unauthorized product removal. Product inventory information is printed, sent to a network, computing device, smart phone, or similar device to alert authorized personnel of inventory reports and alarms.

Claims

1. An article display device comprising:

a shelf;

a pair of laterally spaced dividers disposed approximately perpendicular to the shelf, the pair of laterally spaced dividers being spaced to define an article-receptive channel;

a front barrier to capture a column of articles placed within the article-receptive channel, the front barrier located proximate a first end of the article-receptive channel;

a pressure bearing surface with the article-receptive channel disposed to push the column of articles towards the front barrier; and

a scanner proximate the first end of the article-receptive channel configured to detect an article'"'"'s identification when an article is removed from the article-receptive channel.

2. The article display device of claim 1 wherein the scanner comprises a barcode reader.

3. The article display device of claim 1 wherein the scanner comprises a camera.

4. The article display device of claim 1, wherein the pair of laterally spaced dividers is spaced to accept a plurality of cigarette packs.

5. The article display device of claim 1, further comprising a display terminal configured to display the quantity of articles populating the article-receptive channel.

6. The article display device of claim 1 further comprising:

a slot defined by the shelf, the slot oriented substantially parallel with the pair of laterally spaced dividers, wherein the pressure bearing surface engages the slot and travels along a path defined by the slot.

7. The article display device of claim 1 further comprising:

a position sensor in communication with the pressure bearing surface, the position sensor configured to detect the position of the pressure bearing surface in the article-receptive channel, wherein the quantity of articles populating the article-receptive channel is proportional to the position sensor'"'"'s position in the article-receptive channel.

8. The article display device of claim 7 wherein the position sensor comprises a linear magnetic potentiometer.

9. The article display device of claim 1 further comprising a identification sensor configured to detect a person near the display device.

10. The article display device of claim 9 wherein the identification sensor comprises a wireless receiver configured to detect and identify an identification tag.

11. The article display device of claim 10 wherein:

the identification sensor comprises a radio frequency identification tag reader; and

the identification tag comprises an RFID tag identifiable by the radio frequency identification tag reader.

12. The article display device of claim 11 wherein the RFID tag comprises a bracelet.

13. The article display device of claim 11 further comprising a memory configured to record the identification of a proximate RFID tag when an article is removed from the article-receptive channel.

14. The article display device of claim 11 further comprising an alarm configured to trigger when an article is removed from the article-receptive channel in the absence of a proximate RFID tag.

15. The article display device of claim 14 wherein the alarm signal is communicated to an electronic network.

16. The article display device of claim 3 further comprising a numeric display configured to indicate a quantity of articles residing in the article-receptive channel.

17. An article display device comprising:

a shelf comprising a pair of laterally spaced dividers disposed approximately perpendicular to the shelf, the pair of laterally spaced dividers being spaced to define a channel having a size and dimension to hold a column of cigarette packs;

a front barrier configured to capture the column of cigarette packs placed within the channel, the front barrier located proximate a first end of the channel;

a plow biased to push the column of cigarette packs towards the front barrier;

a position sensor in communication with the plow, the position sensor configured to detect the plow'"'"'s position within the channel;

a scanner proximate the first end of the channel, the scanner configured to identify cigarette packs removed from the channel;

a radio frequency identification tag reader configured to detect a proximate RFID tag; and

an alarm configured to trigger when a cigarette pack is removed from the channel in the absence of the proximate RFID tag.

18. The article display device of claim 17 wherein the alarm signal is communicated to an electronic network.

19. The article display device of claim 17 wherein the scanner comprises a barcode reader.

20. The article display device of claim 17 further comprising a computing device that records a log each time a cigarette pack is removed from the channel, the log comprising:

identification of proximate RFID tag, identification of person associated with the proximate RFID tag, identification of cigarette pack, channel identification, timestamp the cigarette pack is removed from the channel, and date the cigarette pack is removed from the channel.

21. An article display device comprising:

a shelf defining a channel having a size and dimension to hold a column of cigarette packs;

a plow with the shelf biased to push the column of cigarette packs towards a front edge of the shelf;

a radio frequency identification tag reader with the shelf configured to detect a proximate RFID tag; and

an alarm configured to trigger when a cigarette pack is removed from the shelf in the absence of the proximate RFID tag.

22. The article display device of claim 21 further comprising a position sensor in communication with the plow, the position sensor configured to detect plow position to indicate the quantity of cigarette packs in the channel.

23. The article display device of claim 21 further comprising a scanner proximate the first end of the channel configured to identify cigarette packs removed from the channel.