Merchandise inventory management system

• US 6,834,800 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2002
• Issued: 12/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vantec RF Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Leading Information Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Okamura, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US10/184,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20030015586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/380, 235/381, 235/435, 235/383
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An employee theft control system includes a merchandise control ID tag 121 that is attached to an article and stores merchandise identification data, a personal ID tag 120 that stores data that identifies an employee and has a storage area into which merchandise identification data can be written and read from which said data can be read, a read/write device 109 that reads data from and writes data into the merchandise control ID tag 121 and the personal ID tag 120, and a verification device 100 that verifies the merchandise identification data read out from the merchandise control ID tag 121 and the personal ID tag 120 by the read/write device 109. At the location from which merchandise is to be removed, the merchandise identification data is read out from the merchandise control ID tag 121 on the merchandise to be removed by the employee and stored in the personal ID tag 120; and at the location into which the merchandise is to be brought in, the merchandise identification data is read from the merchandise control ID tag 121 on the merchandise to be brought in by the employee and the merchandise identification data stored in the personal ID tag 121 is read, which are then verified against each other.

Claims

1. A merchandise inventory management system comprising

a merchandise control ID tag that is attached to merchandise and stores said merchandise identification data,

a personal ID tag that stores data that identifies an employee and has a storage area into which the aforementioned merchandise identification data can be written and from which said data can be read,

a read/write device that reads data from and writes data into the aforementioned merchandise control ID tag and personal ID tag, and

a verification device that verifies the merchandise identification data read out from the aforementioned merchandise control ID tag and personal ID tag by said read/write device;

wherein

when said merchandise is being removed by said employee, the read/write device reads out merchandise identification data from said merchandise control ID tag and stores said merchandise identification data in said personal ID tag; and

when said merchandise is subsequently being brought in by said employee, the read/write device reads out merchandise identification data from said merchandise control ID tag and also reads out merchandise identification data from said personal ID tag; and

the verification device compares that merchandise identification data read out from the merchandise control ID tag with the merchandise identification data read out from said personal ID tag.

2. The merchandise inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein

the merchandise control ID tag and the personal ID tag are non-contact wireless tags, and

the read/write device is a device that wirelessly performs reading and writing.

3. The merchandise inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein the verification device has a storage device that stores the verification results.

4. The merchandise inventory management system according to claim 3, wherein the storage device stores the verification results as well as the merchandise identification data or the employee identification data, or both.

5. The merchandise inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein the merchandise control ID tag is a tag that is attached to apparel, shoes, handbags, wallets, or jewelry.

6. The merchandise inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein the personal ID is personal identification of an employee having access to a stockroom of a retail store for apparel, shoes, handbags, wallets, or jewelry.

7. The merchandise inventory management system according to claim 1, wherein merchandise identification data and a unique ID number are stored in the merchandise control ID tag.