Method and system for inventory control

• US 7,239,241 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Claudatos, Christopher Hercules, Andruss, William Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bugg; George A.
• Application Number:
  US10/956,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• 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 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• 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 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader

Abstract

A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for inventory control of items in a location are disclosed. In an embodiment, this comprises an identification tag associated with a transaction authorizing some items to be removed from the location, such as a purchase, an identification tag reader configured to read the identification tag and placed to cover a portion of the location, and a computer configured to process information including the identification tag read by the reader and take action in response, such as issuing an alert. The inventory control system may be further configured to detect when the identification tag is brought back into the location.

Claims

1. A system for inventory control of items stored at a location, comprising:

a passively machine readable identification tag associated with a transaction authorizing an item to be removed from the location;

at least one identification tag reader configured to read the identification tag and placed to cover at least a portion of the location; and

a computer configured to process information including the identification tag read by the reader and take an action in response to the information;

wherein the identification tag is not attached to the item, and the information does not include data read from any passively machine readable tag attached to the item.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the identification tag is physically associated with a receipt for the transaction, and further comprising a device for attaching the identification tag to the receipt.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the information includes data associating the identification tag read with a portion of a database or index to a database where information regarding the associated event is stored.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the information further includes location of the identification tag.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the information further includes a timestamp indicating when the identification tag was read.

6. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the information further includes a direction of movement of the identification tag.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, further comprising placing readers in proximity to each other to detect the identification tag, and wherein the computer is further configured to determine the direction of movement of the identification tag by comparing timestamps from the readers.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the identification tag includes a radio frequency identification tag.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the reader is a radio frequency identification tag reader, placed to cover an access point to the location.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the computer is configured to determine when the identification tag has been removed from the location.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the computer is configured to determine when the identification tag has been returned to the location.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the computer includes an output, and the computer is further configured to provide an alert to the output when the identification tag has been returned to the location.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the output includes a display.

14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the output includes an access control system configured to prevent passage when an alert is received.

15. A method of controlling inventory of items stored at a location, comprising:

performing a transaction authorizing an item to be removed from the location;

providing, in connection with the transaction, a receipt including a passively machine readable identification tag;

associating the identification tag with the transaction; and

determining, using at least one identification tag reader placed to cover an egress from the location, when the identification tag has been removed from the location;

wherein the item is not attached to a tag that is passively machine readable.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising determining, using at least one reader placed to cover an ingress into the location, when the identification tag has been brought into the location.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising issuing an alert after determining that the identification tag has been brought into the location.

18. A computer program product for inventory control of items stored at a location having at least one identification tag reader placed to cover an access point to the location, comprising a computer usable medium having machine readable code embodied therein for:

associating a passively machine readable identification tag with a receipt for a transaction authorizing an item to be removed from the location; and

determining when the identification tag has been removed from the location;

wherein the item is not attached to a tag that is passively machine readable.