RFID dense reader/automatic gain control

• US 7,714,723 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2007
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Media Cart Holdings, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Media Cart Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Gibbons, James E. Jr., Fowler, Doug
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/690,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20080231448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,143 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.7, 340/539.13, 340/825.49, 235/383
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/142 mounted on the basket
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1424 Electronic display devices
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0096 Identification of the cart or merchandise, e.g. by barcodes or radio frequency identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/246 Check out systems combined with EAS, e.g. price information stored on EAS tag anti-theft systems in point of sale systems G07G3/003
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system

Abstract

A media enhanced shopping cart system comprises a shopping cart comprising a frame, a basket, a handle, a base tray, a plurality of wheels, a read component for performing a proximity scan of the shopping cart, a locationing component for determining a location of the shopping cart within a store based on the scan, and a display component for displaying at least one advertisement for a product based on the location of the shopping cart within the store, wherein the locationing component is further operable to determine a location of the product within the store relative to the shopping cart based on the scan, and wherein the display component is further operable to display an indication of the location of the advertised product relative to the location of the shopping cart.

Claims

1. A method for increasing accuracy of locating a media enhanced shopping cart comprising:

determining a location of a cart based on a proximity scan of one or more RFID tags using one or more RFID antennas and an RFID reader;

detecting when a dense reader mode of operation is indicated; and

adjusting sensitivity of the RFID antennas such that RFID tags anticipated as being included in the proximity scan are read and RFID tags anticipated as excluded from the proximity scan are not read.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing feedback on the location of the cart in subsequent scans based on the adjusted characteristics of the RFID antennas.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dense reader mode of operation is indicated when the number of RFID readers within a predetermined proximity of the cart exceeds a predetermined number of RFID readers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dense reader mode of operation is indicated when the number of RFID tags within a predetermined proximity of the cart exceeds a predetermined number of RFID tags.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the sensitivity of one or more of the RFID antennas to read all RFID tags located within a predetermined distance of the cart.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing sensitivity of one or more of the RFID antennas to eliminate reading tags outside a predetermined distance of the cart.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing sensitivity of one or more of the RFID antennas when the cart is in close proximity with a second cart or another RFID antenna.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing transmit power for one or more of the RFID antennas.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises attenuating transmit power for one or more of the RFID antennas.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the duty cycle for one or more of the RFID antennas.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing the duty cycle for one or more of the RFID antennas.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the antenna receive wait times for one or more of the RFID antennas.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing the antenna receive wait times for one or more of the RFID antennas.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the time adjustment as between the RFID antennas.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing the time adjustment as between the RFID antennas.

16. A method for increasing accuracy of locating a media enhanced shopping cart comprising:

determining a location of a cart based on a proximity scan of one or more RFID tags using one or more RFID antennas and an RFID reader;

accessing a database of known locations of RFID tags to determine which tags of the RFID tags read in the proximity scan are anticipated as being included or excluded from the proximity scan; and

adjusting sensitivity of the RFID antennas such that RFID tags anticipated as being included in the proximity scan are read and RFID tags anticipated as excluded from the proximity scan are not read.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing feedback on the location of the cart in subsequent scans based on the adjusted characteristics of the RFID antennas.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the sensitivity of one or more of the RFID antennas to read all RFID tags located within a predetermined distance of the cart.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing sensitivity of one or more of the RFID antennas to eliminate reading tags outside a predetermined distance of the cart.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the adjusting further comprises increasing transmit power for one or more of the RFID antennas when at least one of the RFID tags of known locations that is anticipated as being included in the proximity scan by the RFID antennas when the cart is in a given location is not readily detected;

attenuating transmit power for one or more of the RFID antennas when at least one of the RFID tags of known locations that is anticipated as being excluded from the proximity scan by the RFID antennas when the cart is in a given location is being readily detected;

increasing sensitivity of one or more of the RFID antennas to read all RFID tags located within a predetermined distance of the cart;

decreasing sensitivity of one or more of the RFID antennas to eliminate reading tags outside a predetermined distance of the cart;

decreasing sensitivity of one or more of the RFID antennas when the cart is in close proximity with a second cart or another RFID antenna;

increasing duty cycle for one or more of the RFID antennas when at least one of the RFID tags of known locations that is anticipated as being included in the proximity scan by the RFID antennas when the cart is in a given location is not readily detected;

decreasing duty cycle for one or more of the RFID antennas when at least one of the RFID tags of known locations that is anticipated as being excluded from the proximity scan by the RFID antennas when the cart is in a given location is being readily detected;

increasing antenna receive wait times for one or more of the RFID antennas when at least one of the RFID tags of known locations that is anticipated as being included in the proximity scan by the RFID antennas when the cart is in a given location is not readily detected;

decreasing antenna receive wait times for one or more of the RFID antennas when at least one of the RFID tags of known locations that is anticipated as being excluded from the proximity scan by the RFID antennas when the cart is in a given location is being readily detected;

increasing time adjustment as between the RFID antennas when at least one of the RFID tags of known locations that is anticipated as being included in the proximity scan by the RFID antennas when the cart is in a given location is not readily detected;

decreasing time adjustment as between the RFID antennas when at least one of the RFID tags of known locations that is anticipated as being excluded from the proximity scan by the RFID antennas when the cart is in a given location is being readily detected;

or combinations thereof.