Inventory system using articles with RFID tags

• US 6,195,006 B1
• Filed: 08/27/1999
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Clare, Thomas J., Bowers, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/384,601
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/568.1, 340/568.8, 340/825.31, 340/825.35, 340/10.2, 340/10.1, 340/10.32, 340/10.42, 235/435, 235/380, 235/385, 235/381, 700/227, 700/225, 700/9, 705/416, 705/418
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• 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: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

An article inventory control system for articles, such as books, uses RFID tags attached to each article. Each tag has a unique identification or serial number for identifying the individual article. An inventory database tracks all of the tagged articles and maintains circulation status information for each article. Articles are checked out of the library using a patron self-checkout system. Checked out articles are returned to the library via patron self-check in devices. The shelves are periodically scanned with a mobile RFID scanner for updating inventory status.

Claims

1. A self-service checkout system for a library having articles available for checkout by patrons, each of the articles having a radio frequency tag attached thereto, each tag including an antenna for use in detecting the presence of the article by receiving an interrogation signal and returning a response signal and an integrated circuit connected to the antenna for storing article identification information and for outputting the article identification information with the response signal upon interrogation of the tag by an interrogator, the system also having a plurality of patron identification cards, each including a radio frequency tag, the system comprising:

(a) an interrogator located in a checkout area of the library for interrogating at least one article which the patron wants to borrow and substantially simultaneously interrogating a patron identification (ID) card which identifies a patron to the system, the interrogator receiving a response signal containing the stored article identification information for each of the articles to be borrowed and patron identification information from the ID card, wherein the interrogator receives the response signals regardless of the orientation of the articles or patron identification card, and wherein the interrogator may substantially simultaneously receive response signals from a plurality of tagged articles;

(b) an inventory database including a list of articles in the library and the circulation status of each of the articles, the database receiving the patron identification information and the article identification information for each of the articles to be borrowed; and

(c) a processor in communication with the database for updating the circulation status of the articles to be borrowed.

2. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

(d) a video camera for capturing images of the checkout area and outputting video signals of the captured images; and

(e) a video recorder for storing the video signals on a video storage medium.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the tag is a physically non-deactivatable tag.

4. A library inventory control system for use in conjunction with articles which are maintained in the library, each of the articles having a radio frequency tag attached thereto, each tag including an antenna for use in detecting the presence of the article by receiving an interrogation signal and returning a response signal and an integrated circuit connected to the antenna for storing article identification information and for outputting the article identification information with the response signal upon interrogation of the tag by an interrogator, the system comprising:

an inventory database including a list of the articles in the library and the circulation status of each such article;

a patron identification device for identifying a patron to the system;

an article checkout system located in an article checkout area of the library, the checkout system including a first interrogator for interrogating an article that the patron wants to remove from the library, the first interrogator receiving a response signal containing the stored article identification information for the article to be removed;

a processor in communication with the first interrogator and the database, the processor receiving the patron identification information and the article identification information for the article to be removed from the first interrogator, and updating the inventory database with the circulation status of the article to be removed;

an article check-in system including at least one article return area for receiving articles which were removed from the library, each returned article passing through a check-in zone as the article is returned;

a second interrogator in communication with the inventory database, the second interrogator monitoring the check-in zone for disturbances in the form of a response signal caused by the presence of a tag within the zone, and outputting an interrogator output signal when a tag is detected in the zone, each interrogator output signal including the identification information stored in the integrated circuit of an interrogated tag for the article being returned, wherein the inventory database receives the interrogator output signals and updates the checkout status of the article being returned using the interrogator output signals;

an exit interrogator for monitoring an exit from the library, the exit interrogator for interrogating an article passing through the exit and thereby being removed from the library, the exit interrogator receiving a response signal from the tag associated with the article, the response signal containing the stored article identification information for the article passing through the exit; and

an exit processor coupled to the exit interrogator, the exit processor receiving an output signal from the exit interrogator including the identification information of the response signal, wherein the exit processor compares the received identification information with the information stored in the database to determine whether the article is recorded therein as checked out, wherein the exit interrogator activates an alarm if the article passing through the exit is not recorded in the database as checked out.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein the first and second interrogator are identical.

6. An inventory control system for use in conjunction with library articles which are maintained in a library storage area, of the articles having a radio frequency tag attached thereto, each tag including an antenna for use in detecting the presence of the article by receiving an interrogation signal and returning a response signal and an integrated circuit connected to the antenna for storing article identification information and for outputting the article identification information with the response signal upon interrogation of the tag, the system comprising:

(a) at least one article return area for receiving articles which were removed from the storage area and which are to be returned to the storage area, the article return area including an interrogation zone and a collection bin for holding returned articles, the returned articles passing through the zone and into the collection bin as the articles are returned, wherein plural articles may be simultaneously placed in the zone;

(b) an interrogator for monitoring the zone for disturbances in the form of a response signal caused by the presence of one or more tags within the zone, the interrogator substantially simultaneously interrogating each library article in the zone, the interrogator outputting an interrogator output signal for each tag detected in the zone, each interrogator output signal including the identification information stored in the integrated circuit of an interrogated tag;

said interrogator being couplable to a database for receiving the interrogator output signals, the database including inventory data for library articles monitored by the system including checkout status data, the received interrogator output signals being used to update the checkout status data of each returned library article.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the article return area is a library book drop.

8. The system according to claim 6 wherein the inventory data includes article usage data.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the database includes storage area location data for the articles monitored by the system.

10. An inventory control method for use in conjunction with library articles which are maintained in a storage area, each of the articles having a radio frequency tag attached thereto, each tag including an antenna for use in detecting the presence of the library article by receiving an interrogation signal and retuning a response signal and an integrated circuit connected to the antenna for storing library article identification information and for outputting the library article identification information with the response signal upon interrogation of the tag, the method comprising the acts of:

(a) scanning a portion of the storage area with a mobile interrogator, the mobile interrogator detecting disturbances in the form of response signals caused by the presence of tags on the library articles within a predefined zone extending from the interrogator and outputting an interrogator output signal when a tag is detected in the zone, each interrogator output signal including the identification information stored in the integrated circuit of an interrogated tag, wherein plural articles located in the portion of the library storage area may be simultaneously scanned;

(b) communicating the interrogator output signals to a database, wherein the database includes inventory data for the articles maintained in the library storage area so that the inventory data can be upgraded using only the received interrogator output signals obtained from the tagged articles; and

(c) using the received interrogator output signals and the inventory data to determine whether a library article in a particular scanned portion is outside of a range of articles which belong in the scanned portion.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising the step of signaling that the article is mislocated when an article is determined to be outside of the range of library articles which belong in the scanned portion.

12. A library inventory control system for use in conjunction with articles which are maintained in a storage area, each of the articles having a radio frequency tag attached thereto, each tag including an antenna for use in detecting the presence of the article by receiving an interrogation signal and returning a response signal and an integrated circuit connected to the antenna for storing article identification information and for outputting the article identification information with the response signal upon interrogation of the tag, the system comprising:

(a) a portable RFID scanner for scanning a library storage area in discrete portions, detecting disturbances in the form of a response signal caused by the presence of tags within a zone extending from the interrogator, and outputting an interrogator output signal for each tag detected in the zone, wherein plural articles located in the discrete portions may be simultaneously scanned, each interrogator output signal including the identification information stored in the integrated circuit of an interrogated tag; and

(b) a portable computer in electrical communication with the portable RFID scanner that stores the identification information obtained from the interrogator output signals from tags attached to articles located within one of the discrete portions of the library area so that the identification information identifies articles for comparison to an inventory of library articles whereby the circulation status of the articles is determined.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the portable computer may store at least a portion of the inventory of library articles in a memory area.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the tags are physically non-deactivatable tags.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the library articles comprise books.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the discrete portion of the library is at least a portion of a book shelf.

17. A library inventory control system for use in conjunction with articles which are maintained in a storage area, each of the articles having a radio frequency tag attached thereto, each tag including an antenna for use in detecting the presence of the article by receiving an interrogation signal and returning a response signal and an integrated circuit connected to the antenna for storing article identification information and for outputting the article identification information with the response signal upon interrogation of the tag by an interrogator, the system comprising:

an article checkout system located in an article checkout area, the checkout system including a first interrogator for interrogating an article that the patron wants to remove from the storage area, the first interrogator receiving a response signal containing the stored article identification information for the article to be removed;

a processor in communication with the first interrogator and the database, the processor receiving patron identification information for the article to be removed from the first interrogator, and outputting an inventory database update signal indicative of the circulation status of the article to be removed;

an article check-in system including at least one article return area for receiving articles which were removed from the storage area and which are to be returned to the storage area, the article return area including an interrogation check-in zone, each returned article passing through the check-in zone as the article is returned, wherein plural articles may be simultaneously placed in the zone; and

a second interrogator in communication with the processor, the second interrogator monitoring the check-in zone for disturbances in the form of a response signal caused by the presence of a tag within the zone, the interrogator simultaneously interrogating each article in the zone and outputting an interrogator output signal for each tag which is detected in the zone, each interrogator output signal including the identification information stored in the integrated circuit of an interrogated tag for the article being returned, wherein the processor outputs a signal to an inventory database, the signal indicative of the checkout status data of each article being returned therewith.

18. The system according to claim 17 further comprising:

a mobile interrogator for scanning the storage area in discrete portions, detecting disturbances in the form of response signals caused by the presence of tags within a predefined zone extending from the mobile interrogator, and for outputting an interrogator output signal when a tag is detected in the zone, each interrogator output signal including the identification information stored in the integrated circuit of an interrogated tag, wherein the signal can be transferred to a database to update the circulation status of the articles stored therein with the information.