Monitoring object movement

• US 7,380,723 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Oget, Guillaume
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haupt, Kristy A.
• Application Number:
  US11/264,200
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.46, 235/384, 340/572.1, 700213-215
• US Class Current: 235/462.46
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

An object identifier for an object is read in a first reading area and a second reading area. A time the object entered the first reading area and a time the object exited the first reading area is determined. Also, a time the object entered the second reading area and a time the object exited the second reading area is determined. A direction of movement of the object is determined based on at least some of the determined times.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring object movement, the method comprising:

attempting to read an object identifier of an object in a first reading area, resulting in a plurality of first null read counts for falling to read the object identifier of the object in the first reading area;

reading the object identifier of the object at least one time in the first reading area;

determining a time the object entered the first reading area using at least one first timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the first reading area, wherein the at least one first timestamp is immediately preceded by one of the plurality of first null read counts; and

determining a time the object exited the first reading area using the at least one first timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the first reading area, wherein the at least one first timestamp is immediately followed by another of the plurality of first null read counts;

attempting to read the object identifier of the object in a second reading area resulting in a plurality of second null read counts for failing to read the object identifier of the object in the second reading area;

reading the object identifier at least one time in the second reading area;

determining a time the object entered the second reading area using at least one second timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the second reading area, wherein the at least one second timestamp is immediately preceded by one of the plurality of second null read counts; and

determining a time the object exited the second reading are using the at least one second timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the second reading area, wherein the at least one second timestamp is immediately followed by another of the plurality of second null read counts; and

determining a direction of movement of the object based on at least some of the determined times the object entered or exited the first or second reading areas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the object identifier at least one time in a first reading area comprises reading a time at which the object identifier is first observed in the first reading area and a time at which the object identifier is last observed in the first reading area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the object identifier at least one time in a second reading area comprises reading a time at which the object identifier is first observed in the second reading area and a time at which the object identifier is last observed in the second reading area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the direction of movement of the object further comprises:

determining the direction of movement of the object based on a comparison of at least one of the times at which the object identifier was read in the first reading area and at least one of the times the object identifier was read in the second reading area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the object identifier at least one time in the first reading area further comprises:

reading a plurality of object identifiers in the first reading area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the object identifier at least one time in the second reading area further comprises:

reading a plurality of object identifiers in the second reading area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the object identifier at least one time in the first reading area comprises reading the object identifier using at least one first reader and reading the object identifier at least one time to the second reading area comprises reading the object identifier using at least one second reader.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first reader and the second reader comprises a RFID reader.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the direction of movement of the object further comprises:

determining the direction of movement of the object based on a number of times a reader in the first reading area was able to read the object identifier per unit of time in the first reading area and a number of times a reader in the second reading area was able to read the object identifier per unit of time in the second reading area.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein reading the object identifier at least one time in the first reading area and reading the object identifier at least one time in the second reading area further comprises:

reading at least one of an object identifier affixed by a printing process, a label, a bar code, a RFID tag, an embedded microprocessor, an electronic substrate or some other type of electronic active device with memory capabilities.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the direction of movement of the object further comprises:

determining if the object made a U-turn.

12. A system for monitoring direction of an object, the system including:

an analysis module configured to receive an object identifier associated with an object read at least one time from each of a first reading area and a second reading area and a plurality of first and second null read counts representing a failure to read the object identifier associated with the object in the first reading area and the second reading area, respectively,

wherein the analysis module is further configured to determine a time the object entered the first reading area and a time the object exited the first reading area using at least one first timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the first reading area, wherein the at least one first timestamp is immediately proceeded by one of the plurality of first null read counts and immediately followed by another of the plurality of first null read counts;

wherein the analysis module is further configured to determine a time the object entered the second reading area and a time the object exited the second reading area using at least one second timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the second reading area, wherein the at least one second timestamp is immediately preceded by one of the plurality of second null read counts and immediately followed by another of the plurality of second null read counts;

wherein the analysis module is further configured to determine a direction of movement of the object based on at least some of the determined times the object entered or exited the first or second reading areas.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

at least a first reader; and

a second reader, wherein a reading area of the first reader defines the first reading area and a reading area of the second reader defines the second reading area.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first reader and the second reader are arranged to be unaligned.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first reader and the second reader are arranged so that the first reading area and the second reading area overlap.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first reader and the second reader are arranged so that the first reading area and the second reading area do not overlap.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the first reader and the second reader are arranged to be slightly rotated in relation to a horizontal axis across an opening defined by a first side and a second side.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the first reader comprises two readers, a primary first reader and a secondary first reader, wherein the secondary first reader is arranged opposite the primary first reader and rotated in mirror the primary first reader so that the first reading area includes two sub-first reading areas, and wherein the second area comprises two readers, a primary second reader and a secondary second reader, wherein the secondary second reader is arranged opposite the primary second reader and rotated in mirror the primary second reader so that the second reading area includes two sub-second reading areas.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a reading module configured to read the object identifier in the first reading area and the second reading area.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the reading module is configured to read a plurality of object identifiers, wherein at least two of the object identifiers are associated with different objects.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the reading module is configured to provide to the analysis module with a number of times a reader forming the first reading area was able to read the object identifier per unit of time in the first reading area and a number of times a reader forming the second reading area was able to read the object identifier per unit of time in the second reading area.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the reading module is located at a user system.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the reading module comprises at least one first reader forming the first reading area and at least one second reader forming the second reading area.

24. The system of claim 12, wherein the first reading area and the second reading area overlap.

25. The system of claim 12, wherein the first reading area and the second reading area are located near each other.

26. The system of claim 12, wherein the analysis module is located at a server system.

27. The system of claim 12, wherein the analysis module is located in a user system.

28. An apparatus for monitoring object movement, the apparatus comprising:

means for attempting to read an object identifier of an object in a first reading area resulting in a plurality of first and second null read counts for failing to read the object identifier of the object in the first reading area and the second reading area, respectively;

means for reading the object identifier for the object at least one time in the first reading area;

means for reading the object identifier for the object at least one time in a second reading area;

means for determining a time the object entered and a time the object exited the first reading area using at least one first timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the first reading area and for determining a time the object entered and a time the object exited the second reading area using at least one second timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the second reading area, wherein the at least one first timestamp is immediately preceded by one of the plurality of first null read counts and the at least one second timestamp is immediately preceded by one of the plurality of second null read counts and, wherein the at least one first timestamp is immediately followed by another of the plurality of first null read counts and the at least one second timestamp is immediately followed by another of the plurality of second null read counts, respectively; and

means for determining a direction of movement of the object based on at least some of the determined times the object entered or exited the first or second reading areas.

29. A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium and comprising code that, when executed, causes a computer to perform the following:

receiving a plurality of first null read counts as a result of a failure to read an object identifier for an object in a first reading area;

receiving at least one reading of the object identifier for the object from the first reading area;

receiving a plurality of second null read counts as a result of a failure to read the object identifier for the object in a second reading area;

receiving at least one reading of the object identifier from the second reading area;

determining a time the object entered and a time the object exited the first reading area using at least one first timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the first reading area, wherein the at least one first timestamp is immediately preceded by one of the plurality of first null read counts and immediately followed by another of the plurality of first null read counts;

determining a time the object entered and a time the object exited the second reading area using at least one second timestamp from the at least one time the object identifier was read in the second reading area, wherein the second timestamp is immediately preceded by one of the plurality of second null read counts and immediately followed by another of the plurality of second null read counts; and

determining a direction of movement of the object an object associated with the object identifier based on at least some of the determined times the object entered or exited the first or second reading areas.