Interactive inventory monitoring

• US 7,516,890 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2006
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stevan M. Spremo, Usen E. Udoh
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Inventors: Udoh, Usen E., Spremo, Stevan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik; Steven S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marshall; Christle I
• Application Number:
  US11/444,807
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/383, 340/5.92, 3405721-5729, 340/686.1, 340/825.36, 340 101- 106, 340/825.49, 700215-227, 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 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

Method and system for monitoring present location and/or present status of a target inventory item, where the inventory items are located on one or more inventory shelves or other inventory receptacles that communicate with an inventory base station through use of responders such as RFIDs. A user operates a hand held interrogation and display (IAD) module that communicates with, or is part of, the base station, to provide an initial inquiry. Information on location(s) of the target inventory item is also indicated visibly and/or audibly on the receptacle(s) for the user. Status information includes an assessment of operation readiness and a time, if known, that the specified inventory item or class was last removed or examined or modified. Presentation of a user access level may be required for access to the target inventory item. Another embodiment provides inventory information for a stack as a sight-impaired or hearing-impaired person passes adjacent to that stack.

Claims

1. A method for providing information on availability and/or status and/or location of one or more specified inventory items, the method comprising:

providing an electromagnetic energy source that generates and transmits energy over a wireless energy path;

providing at least one of a specified inventory item and a specified class of inventory items as a target inventory item, among an array of inventory items, with an electromagnetic mechanism that receives and utilizes electromagnetic energy from the energy source;

receiving an electronic inquiry concerning information associated with the target inventory item;

determining, through use of a computer, at least one of the following availability, status and location information items;

(i) whether the target inventory item is located at or adjacent to at least one determinable inventory item location; and

(ii) present status information for the target inventory item, where the present status information includes at least one of presence or absence of the target inventory item in the array, at least one present location, if known, of the target inventory item, and operational readiness of the target inventory item; and

(iii) at least one of user name and user contact information, if the target inventory item is not located at or adjacent to the determinable inventory item location and has been removed by an identifiable user;

determining and displaying for at least one time, the status, if known, of at least one of the target inventory items, where the status is characterized by the group of characteristics consisting of absent, use-ready, inactivated for maintenance, permanently inactivated, and withdrawn from use;

determining and displaying at least one time, if known, at which the target inventory item was removed or examined or maintained or repaired or modified or substituted or replaced;

providing information on at least one attribute associated with the target inventory item, in response to receipt of the electronic inquiry, where the at least one attribute is one or more of (1) number of replicas of the target inventory item that should be present in inventory, and (2) name or contact information for user, if the target inventory item has been removed or examined or maintained or repaired or modified or substituted or replaced;

when the target inventory item is located at or adjacent to the determinable location, providing at least one of a visibly perceptible signal and an audibly perceptible signal indicating present location of at least one of the target inventory item;

when the target inventory item is not located at or adjacent to the determinable location, determining if the target inventory item is located elsewhere in the array; and

when the target inventory item is determined to be located elsewhere in the array, providing an indicium indicating the present location of the target inventory item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when said target inventory item is not located at or adjacent to said determinable location and is not located elsewhere in said array, providing a second indicium indicating that said target inventory item is not present in said array.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating said at least one of said visibly perceptible signal and said audibly perceptible signal, at a time determined with reference to at least one of (i) accumulation of a time interval, after said visibly perceptible signal or said audibly perceptible signal is first provided with a time interval length at least equal to a threshold length and (ii) removal of said target inventory item from said location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving said electronic inquiry at a radio frequency identity detector (“

RFID”

) associated with said specified inventory item or class.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing at least one of said location information and said status information for said target inventory item using said RFID.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing said visually perceptible signal as a selected color signal that is distinguishable from at least one other color signal used to indicate location of another target inventory item.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying, as said target inventory item, a restricted item for which at least one of access to, and use of, the restricted item is restricted and has an assigned location;

requiring presentation, by a user who seeks at least one of access to, and use of, the restricted item, of at least one biometric indicium that establishes that the user has a right to access to and use of the restricted item;

determining whether the restricted item is located at or adjacent to its assigned location; and

when the restricted item is not at or adjacent to its assigned location, issuing an advisory signal and determining whether at least one of the restricted item is located at or adjacent to a location other than an assigned location.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

associating a required level for access with said restricted item;

requiring presentation and authentication of a user access level by said user who seeks at least one of access to, and use of, said restricted item; and

permitting access by said user to said restricted item only if said user'"'"'s authenticated access level is at least equal to the required level for access or use.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising

periodically transmitting, to a central receiver, each of said ASL information items, and receiving and storing said transmitted ASL information items in a selected memory unit associated with the central receiver;

and

overwriting said ASL information items received and stored in the selected memory unit during one time period with said ASL information items received during a subsequent time period.