Automated monitoring of activity of shoppers in a market

• US 6,659,344 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2000
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Seitz, Dennis J., Otto, Jerome A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Seung H.
• Application Number:
  US09/731,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20020113123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 235/381, 235/383, 235/385, 235/375, 235/376, 235/384, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 235/381
• 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: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/343 Cards including a counter
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

A system for gathering data on behavior of shoppers in a retail market. A scanner is attached to a shopping basket, and detects (1) removal of an item from a shelf, (2) the identity of the removed item, (3) insertion of an item into a shopping basket, which may be the identical item removed from the shelf, and (4) the identity of the inserted item. Repeated detection of this type of data for numerous items, and numerous shoppers, allows one to draw valuable inferences about the shoppers, such as how often comparison shopping occurs. This type of detection also allows one to take specific responses to the actions of the shoppers.

Claims

1. A method of determining activity of a shopper comprising the steps of:

interrogating a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag on a product in a market at a plurality of times by a plurality of RFID scanners as the shopper moves the product in the market;

logging the plurality of times;

logging locations of the plurality of RFID scanners with the plurality of times to identify a product path; and

determining the activity of the shopper from the plurality of times and the product path.

2. A method of determining activity of a shopper comprising the steps of:

interrogating a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag on a product in a market at a first time by a first RFID scanner;

interrogating the RFID tag at a second time by a second RFID scanner;

logging the first and second times;

logging locations of the first and second REID scanners to identify a product path; and

determining the activity of the shopper from the first and second times and the product path.

3. A method of determining activity of a shopper comprising the steps of:

interrogating a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag on a product on a shelf in a market at a first time by a first RFID scanner adjacent the shelf;

interrogating the RFID tag at a second time by a second RFID scanner in a shopping cart;

logging the first and second times;

logging locations of the first and second RFID scanners to identify a product path from the shelf to the cart; and

determining the activity of the shopper from the first and second times and the product path.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

interrogating the RFID tag at a third time on the shelf by the first RFID scanner;

logging the third time;

logging the location of the first RFID scanner to identify an extended product path from the shelf to the cart and back to the shelf; and

determining the activity of the shopper from the first, second, and third times and the extended product path.

5. A method of determining activity of a shopper comprising the steps of:

interrogating a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag on a product on a shelf in a market at a first time by a first RFID scanner adjacent the shelf;

interrogating the RFID tag at a second time by a second RFID scanner in a shopping cart;

logging the first and second times;

logging locations of the first and second RFID scanners to identify a product path from the shelf to the cart;

comparing a difference time between the first and second times to a threshold difference time; and

determining the activity of the shopper from the product path and a comparison of the difference time to the threshold difference time.

6. A system for determining activity of a shopper comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) scanners for interrogating an RFID tag on a product in a market at a plurality of times as the shopper moves the product in the market; and

a computer for logging the plurality of times, for logging locations of the plurality of RFID scanners with the plurality of times to identify a product path, and for determining the activity of the shopper from the plurality of times and the product path.

7. A system for determining activity of a shopper comprising:

a first radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner for interrogating an RFID tag on a product in a market at a first time;

a second RFID scanner for interrogating the RFID tag on the product at a second time; and

a computer for logging the first and second times, for logging locations of the first and second RFID scanners to identify a product path, and for determining the activity of the shopper from the first and second times and the product path.

8. A system for determining activity of a shopper comprising:

a first radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner for interrogating an RFID tag on a product on a shelf in a market at a first time;

a second RFID scanner for interrogating the RFID tag on the product at a second time in a shopping cart; and

a computer for logging the first and second times, for logging locations of the first and second RFID scanners to identify a product path from the shelf to the cart, and for determining the activity of the shopper from the first and second times and the product path.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the first RFID scanner interrogates the RFID tag at a third time on a shelf;

and

wherein the computer logs the third time, logs the location of the first RFID scanner to identify an extended product path from the shelf to the cart and back to the shelf, and determines the activity of the shopper from the first, second, and third times and the extended product path.

10. A system for determining activity of a shopper comprising:

a first radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner for interrogating an RFID tag on a product on a shelf in a market at a first time by a first RFID scanner adjacent the shelf;

a second RFID scanner for interrogating the RFID tag on the product at a second time in a shopping cart; and

a computer for logging the first and second times, for logging locations of the first and second RFID scanners to identify a product path from the shelf to the cart, for comparing a difference time between the first and second times to a threshold difference, and for determining the activity of the shopper from the product path and a comparison of the difference time to the threshold difference time.