System and method of managing time-sensitive items

• US 7,185,810 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: White, Daniel F.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US10/843,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 235/378, 235/383, 235/385, 340/5.91, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

A method of managing time-sensitive items which relies on identification information of RFID labels associated with the items. The method includes the steps of identifying the time-sensitive item, and obtaining the expiration information from a web site of a seller of the time-sensitive item. In another form concerned with products, the method includes the steps of identifying an EPL associated with the product, causing the EPL to interrogate an RFID label on the product, receiving identification information from the RFID label, and obtaining the expiration information about the product using the identification information from the RFID label. The method additionally compares the expiration information with current date information and either causes the EPL to display a lower price or assists with removal of expired instances of a product through a report.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining expiration information about a product comprising the steps of:

storing expiration information for a product in a memory located apart from a radio frequency identification label,

associating the radio frequency identification label with the product;

identifying an electronic price label associated with the product;

causing the electronic price label to interrogate the radio frequency identification label associated with the product;

receiving identification information from the radio frequency identification label; and

obtaining the stored expiration information using the identification information from the radio frequency identification label.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

storing the expiration information comprises storing the expiration information in a memory accessible through a server; and

obtaining the expiration information comprises accessing the expiration information through the server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the expiration information to information associated with the current date; and

reducing the price of the product based upon the comparison.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein reducing the price comprises obtaining the reduced price through an internet server.