Radio frequency identification bag tracking and recycling system, and bag counting rack associated therewith
First Claim
1. A system for tracking thermoplastic bags at a retail establishment having a check out area, comprising:
- a plurality of bags removeably affixed to one another in uniform registration to form a bag stack, each of said bags having an transponder;
a bag rack formed to engage and support said bag stack;
a sensor having a range situated in the vicinity of said bag rack;
whereby, upon opening and filling a bag from said bag stack and removing said bag from said bag stack and said bag rack, said transponder on said bag is positioned within the scanning range of said sensor, so as to allow said sensor to detect said transponder and thereby discern data on said bag.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An RFID-based system for tracking, managing, dispensing and recycling bags, particularly retail and grocery-type bags such as t-shirt bags and the like. The preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates a system wherein there is employed at a T-Shirt bag fabrication facility an RFID tag dispensing system for affixing an RFID tag to the thermoplastic film utilized in forming a T-shirt bag, which bag is formed into a stack. The RFID tag is associated with the bag at the time of manufacture, and information pertaining to said bag is saved in a central computer, which is subsequently used in shipping and management of the bag(s). A sensor bag rack is provided for supporting the bag pack during dispensing and use of the bags at the checkout counter, which supports the bag during loading and is configured to relay data on said bag as it is removed from the rack for placement in the customers cart, or otherwise provided to the customer. An alternative system contemplates a sensor which counts the bags at they are removed from the rack and compiles the number of bags per customer per transaction, which is used to calculate the deposit to be charged the customer for the bags used. Data on the number of bags used in bagging of the customers goods is thereby provided, which maybe used to calculate a deposit for each bag, which is charged to the customer. The customer may also be associated with each bag for compiling subsequent data on recycling of said bags. Lastly, the present invention contemplates a recycling bin which incorporates an RFID scanner to scan a collection of bags simultaneously as they are returned by the user, utilizing the data to calculate a refund due the customer.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system for tracking thermoplastic bags at a retail establishment having a check out area, comprising:
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a plurality of bags removeably affixed to one another in uniform registration to form a bag stack, each of said bags having an transponder; a bag rack formed to engage and support said bag stack; a sensor having a range situated in the vicinity of said bag rack; whereby, upon opening and filling a bag from said bag stack and removing said bag from said bag stack and said bag rack, said transponder on said bag is positioned within the scanning range of said sensor, so as to allow said sensor to detect said transponder and thereby discern data on said bag. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A system for tracking bags, comprising:
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a filled bag stuffed with a plurality of like bags, each said bag having an RFID tag associated therewith having deposit data associated with a retail transaction therein; a bin having a receiving area having an RFID sensor associated therewith; said bin further comprising an interface to communicate information from said RFID sensor; whereby, upon said filled bag being placed in said receiving area of said bin, said RFID sensor is formed to simultaneously scans said receiving area to discern RFID data on all said bags, and wherein said interface is formed to communicate deposit data associated with said RFID data to a computer so as to facilitate a credit associated with a retail transaction. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. The method of utilizing t-shirt grocery bags, comprising the steps of:
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a. providing a plurality of RFID tags, each having distinct RFID data; b. applying each said RFID tag to a web of film in uniformly spaced fashion; c. forming a t-shirt bag from said web of film such that a single RFID tag is associated with said bag; d. repeating step “
c”
to provide a plurality of said T-shirt bags, each having an RFID tag associated therewith;e. stacking said plurality of T-shirt bags in uniform registration to form a stack; f. removeably adhering said T-shirt bags in said stack together to form a bag pack; g. sequentially separating a bag from said unitary bag pack, providing a dispensed bag; h. scanning said RFID tag on said dispensed bag as it is separated from said bag pack providing RFID data; i. repeating steps “
g” and
“
h”
until all of said bags are dispensed from said bag pack; andj. utilizing said RFID data on each dispensed bag to track bag usage.
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12. The method of tracking a bag, comprising the steps of:
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a. forming a bag having an RFID tag associated therewith, said RFID tag having RFID data; b. repeating step “
a”
to form a plurality of bags;c. stacking said plurality of bags in substantially uniform registration to form a stack; d. removeably adhering said stack to form a baa pack; e. removing a bag from said bag pack; f. scanning said bag during a transaction wherein said bag has product placed therein, and utilizing said RFID data to calculate a deposit amount charged as a component of said transaction; g. scanning said bag after use, and utilizing said RFID data to calculate a credit based upon the deposit amount charged.
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13. The method of recycling a grocery bag, comprising the steps of:
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a) forming a stack of bags, each bag having an RFID tag having RFID data; b) placing said stack of bags upon a bag rack; c) opening one of said bags upon said rack, and placing product therein, providing a filled bag; d) removing said filled bag from said rack; e) scanning said filled bag as it is removed from said rack, providing RFID data on said bag; f) utilizing said RFID data to calculate a deposit on said bag, which deposit is charged to a customer; g) providing said bag to said customer; h) utilizing said bag to convey said product; I) emptying said bag of said product, providing a used bag; j) utilizing an RFID scanner to scan said used bag, providing RFID data on said bag; k) utilizing said RFID data to calculate a credit based upon said deposit. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. The method of tracking a deposit on a grocery bag, comprising the steps of:
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a) forming a stack of bags, each bag having an RFID tag having RFID data; b) placing said stack of bags upon a bag rack; c) opening one of said bags upon said rack, and placing product therein, providing a filed bag; d) removing said filled bag from said rack; e) scanning said filled bag as it is removed from said rack, providing RFID data on said bag; f) utilizing said RFID data to calculate a deposit on said bag, which deposit is charged to a customer. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for tracking bag usage, comprising:
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a plurality of bags removeably affixed to one another in uniform registration to form a bag stack, each of said bags having a transponder; a bag rack formed to removeably engage and suspend said stack of bags in a substantially vertical orientation, said back rack having a base; a sensor associated with the base of said bag rack; whereby, upon suspending said stack of bags on said bag rack then removing a bag from said stack of bags, said sensor is formed to disseminate data from said transponder on said bag. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. The method of determining the amount of grocery bags utilized in a retail transaction, comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a bag stack comprising a plurality of bags removably affixed to one another in uniform registration, each of said bags forming said stack having a transponder, b) providing a bag rack comprising a base and a vertical support, said base having associated therewith a sensor; c) mounting said bag stack upon said bag rack such that said bag stack is supported in substantially vertical orientation by said rack; d) opening a bag from said bag stack upon said rack, and placing product therein, providing a filled bag; e) removing said filled bag from said rack;
whilef) utilizing said sensor to detect said transponder associated with said filled bag, so as to provide sensor detection; g) communicating said sensor detection to a computer, said computer utilizing said sensor detection to count said bag, so as to provide a bag count; h) repeating steps b–
g until said retail transaction is complete, providing a final bag count; andi) associating said final bag count within said transaction. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. The method of facilitating recycling of a grocery bag, comprising the steps of:
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a. forming a stack of bags, wherein each said bag has an RFID tag having RFID data; b. placing said stack of bags upon a bag rack; c. filling a bag from said stack of bags, providing a product filled bag; d. scanning said product filled bag as it is removed from said bag rack, providing said RFID data; e. utilizing said scan data to calculate a deposit; f. utilizing said filled bag, providing a used bag; g. scanning said used bag, providing said RFID data; h. utilizing said RFID data to provide a credit based upon said deposit.
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Specification