Product locating method and system

• US 7,323,989 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Allen, Ira Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US11/062,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20060187043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 340/539.13, 340/539.32, 340/825.49, 340/825.36, 235/375, 235/385, 705/22, 705/26
• 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

Abstract

A method and service that uses radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to track and monitor inventory vehicles is presented. Each vehicle has an attached RFID tag that contains detailed information about that vehicle. The information in the RFID tags is wirelessly read and compared to a customer'"'"'s product specifications. Any RFID tags containing a match with the customer'"'"'s product specifications are located by triangulation, which provides a set of coordinates that correspond to a parking space in either a local or remote parking lot. If the desired vehicle is in transit, then a central database provides information about vehicles using a Global Positioning System (GPS) and RFID system on a transport truck. The transport truck transmits a real-time picture of precisely where the desired vehicle is located, allowing for re-routing of the transport truck if necessary.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining from a customer one or more desired features describing a desired product;

reading product information from a plurality of radio frequency identifier (RFID) tags, wherein each of the plurality of RFID tags is attached to a different instance of a product, and wherein each of the RFID tags contains detailed product information describing the attached instance of the product;

matching the desired features obtained from the customer with the detailed product information in one or more of the RFID tags; and

determining a location of a desired product by locating an RFID that contains detailed product information that matches the customer'"'"'s one or more desired features.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired product is a vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein information from a database determines that the vehicle is on a local lot, and wherein the location of the vehicle on the local lot is determined by:

determining a coordinate position of the vehicle by triangulating onto the location of the vehicle using one or more local base transmitters that can interrogate the RFIDs;

assigning a parking space identifier to each parking space on the lot; and

associating the coordinate position of the vehicle with one of the parking space identifiers.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

upon determining the location of the vehicle, sending a signal from a local transmitter to unlock the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

upon determining the location of the vehicle, sending a signal from a local transmitter to flash on lights on the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

upon determining the location of the vehicle, sending a signal from a local transmitter to honk a horn on the vehicle.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein upon determining that the desired product is in transit, determining a real-time location of the product by:

interrogating, from a transceiver located on a transport vehicle, a radio frequency identifier (RFID) that is attached to the product being transported by the transport vehicle, wherein the RFID contains product information describing the product to which the RFID is attached;

determining a real-time location of the transport vehicle using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; and

transmitting the real-time location of the transport vehicle and the product information from the RFID to a desired destination for the product.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

upon determining the real-time location of the product, re-routing the transport vehicle from an original destination to the desired destination.

9. A computer program product, residing on a computer usable medium, comprising:

program code for obtaining from a customer one or more desired features describing a desired product;

program code for reading product information from a plurality of radio frequency identifier (RFID) tags, wherein each of the plurality of RFID tags is attached to a different instance of a product, and wherein each of the RFID tags contains detailed product information describing the attached instance of the product;

program code for matching the desired features obtained from the customer with the detailed product information in one or more of the RFID tags; and

program code for determining a location of a desired product by locating an RFID that contains detailed product information that matches the customer'"'"'s one or more desired features.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein information from a database determines that the vehicle is on a local lot, and wherein the location of the vehicle on the local lot is determined by:

determining a coordinate position of the vehicle by triangulating onto the location of the vehicle using one or more local base transmitters that can interrogate the RFIDs;

assigning a parking space identifier to each parking space on the lot; and

associating the coordinate position of the vehicle with one of the parking space identifiers.

11. A computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer program code for, upon determining that the desired product is in transit, determining a real-time location of the product by:

interrogating, from a transceiver located on a transport vehicle, a radio frequency identifier (RFID) that is attached to the product being transported by the transport vehicle, wherein the RFID contains product information describing the product to which the RFID is attached;

determining a real-time location of the transport vehicle using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; and

transmitting the real-time location of the transport vehicle and the product information from the RFID to a desired destination for the product.

12. A service comprising:

obtaining from a client one or more desired features obtained from a customer of the client, wherein the desired features describe a desired product for the customer;

remotely reading product information from a plurality of radio frequency identifier (RFID) tags located on the client'"'"'s premises, wherein each of the plurality of RFID tags is attached to a different instance of a product, and wherein each of the RFID tags contains detailed product information describing the attached instance of the product;

matching the desired features obtained from the customer with the detailed product information in one or more of the RFID tags;

determining a location of a desired product by locating an RFID that contains detailed product information that matches the customer'"'"'s one or more desired features; and

transmitting the location to the client.

13. The service of claim 12, wherein the desired product is a vehicle.

14. The service of claim 13, wherein information from a database determines that the vehicle is on a local lot, and wherein the location of the vehicle on the local lot is determined by:

determining a coordinate position of the vehicle by triangulating onto the location of the vehicle using one or more local base transmitters that can interrogate the RFIDs;

assigning a parking space identifier to each parking space on the lot; and

associating the coordinate position of the vehicle with one of the parking space identifiers.

15. A service of claim 12, wherein upon determining that the desired product is in transit, determining a real-time location of the product by:

interrogating, from a transceiver located on a transport vehicle, a radio frequency identifier (RFID) that is attached to the product being transported by the transport vehicle, wherein the RFID contains product information describing the product to which the RFID is attached;

determining a real-time location of the transport vehicle using a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver; and

transmitting the real-time location of the transport vehicle and the product information from the RFID to a desired destination for the product.

16. The service of claim 15, further comprising:

upon determining the real-time location of the product, re-routing the transport vehicle from an original destination to the desired destination.

17. The service of claim 16, wherein the desired location is the client'"'"'s local lot.