System and method for security protection, inventory tracking and automated shopping cart checkout

• US 7,780,081 B1
• Filed: 12/17/2005
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RCL Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RCL Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Liang, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, SONJI N
• Application Number:
  US11/305,993
• Time in Patent Office: 1,711 Days
• Field of Search: 235/381, 235383-385, 340/572.1, 705/26, 705/414, 348/156
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

The three major problems of retail/wholesale industry, i.e. Security, Inventory, Self CheckOut (SISCO) are achieved by “virtual salesperson” and provided by synergism techniques of 5W'"'"'s (Weight, Who, What, Where and When). A system that includes combination of steps and/or means for uniquely identifying each and every product (UPC/USID indicium), at a vendor retail premises; steps and/or means for protecting the product/property (brain-like recognition); steps and/or means for detecting/registering a product at a vendor retail premises that has been taken from its storage or display location; steps and/or means for registering that the product has been put into a customer'"'"'s shopping cart; steps and/or means for tracking customer'"'"'s location with a unique ID tagging wireless device to a shopping cart; steps and/or means for automatically transacting a purchase of the product, steps and/or means for paying for the product at the vicinity of the products location with laptop/net computers at both ends of exit aisle and/or more computers at convenient places with attached scanner and card payment device; steps and/or means for notifying the customer to pay if the product has not been properly or timely paid for; any missed/unwanted items will be accounted for at reduced manned checkout stations, to received itemized purchases receipt and to sign signature, and steps and/or means for customer ID checking in and checking out by “security guard” wirelessly scans customer'"'"'s receipt for inventory/security tracking.

Claims

1. A system for security protection, inventory tracking and shopping cart checkout, the system comprising:

means for identifying a customer entering a vendor retail premises and issuing a unique ID tagging wireless device to a customer'"'"'s shopping cart;

means for uniquely identifying a product at the vendor retail premises with a unique serial identification (USID) indicium on a packaging of the product, where the indicium is configured for optical UPC/USID recognition, and an assigned weight of the product;

means for registering the product that has been taken from its storage or display location using a sensor indicating the assigned weight has been removed and a digital picture of the product captured in a vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location where the USID is recognized along with a UPC code, and further activating an alarm at the product'"'"'s storage or display location;

means for registering that the product has been put into the customer'"'"'s shopping cart where a measured weight of the product is detected in the customer'"'"'s shopping cart;

means for automatically transacting a purchase of the product while the customer'"'"'s shopping cart remains in the vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location and the product remains in the customer'"'"'s cart as determined by the detected measured weight;

means for paying for the product in the vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location and deactivating the alarm;

means for notifying the customer exiting the vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location to pay if the product has not been properly or timely paid for in the vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location;

means for concluding the purchase transaction using the assigned weight, the measured weight, a total product measured weight and verification of payment; and

means for verifying the customer as exiting the vendor retail premises.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for alerting a security guard representative or system of a person and/or product that is being removed from the vendor location without being paid for.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising real-time means for accounting for inventory tracking and shopping cart checkout.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for tracking customers and customer'"'"'s location or position within the vendor'"'"'s premises.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for exchanging a customer'"'"'s credit card deposit or secured money deposit with a token that may be used in said payment means.

6. A method for security protection, inventory tracking and shopping cart checkout, the method comprising:

steps for identifying a customer entering a vendor retail premises and issuing a unique ID tagging wireless device to a customer'"'"'s shopping cart;

steps for uniquely identifying a product at the vendor retail premises with a unique serial identification (USID) indicium on a packaging of the product, where the indicium is configured for optical UPC/USID recognition, and an assigned weight of the product;

steps for registering the product that has been taken from its storage or display location using a sensor indicating the assigned weight has been removed and a digital picture of the product captured in a vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location where the USID is recognized along with a UPC code, and further activating an alarm at the product'"'"'s storage or display location;

steps for registering that the product has been put into the customer'"'"'s shopping cart where a measured weight of the product is detected in the customer'"'"'s shopping cart;

steps for automatically transacting a purchase of the product while the customer'"'"'s shopping cart remains in the vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location and the product remains in the customer'"'"'s cart as determined by the detected measured weight;

steps for paying for the product in the vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location and deactivating the alarm;

steps for reminding the customer exiting the vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location to pay if the product has not been properly or timely paid for in the vicinity of the product'"'"'s storage or display location;

steps for concluding the purchase transaction using the assigned weight, the measured weight, a total product measured weight and verification of payment; and

steps for verifying the customer as exiting the vendor retail premises.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising Steps for tracking products within the vendor'"'"'s premises.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising Steps for alerting a security guard representative or system of a person and/or product that is being removed from the vendor location without being paid for.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising real-time Steps for accounting for product inventory that is being tracked by said product tracking Steps.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising Steps for tracking customers within the vendor'"'"'s premises.

11. The method of claim 10, in which said Steps for tracking customers further comprising the Step of when a customer enters the vendor'"'"'s premises at least one motion detector detects the customer, a weighing platform weighs the customer, and digital camera takes an image of the customer, all used to track the entering/leaving of the customer in/from the vendor'"'"'s premises.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising Steps for exchanging a customer'"'"'s credit card deposit or secured money deposit with a token that may be used in said payment Steps.

13. The method of claim 6 further comprising steps for detecting a product removal at a vendor retail premises.

14. The method of claim 6 further comprising steps for comparing, verifying, and recognizing the unique product to ready for purchase and payment.

15. A system for indoor or outdoor premises security, the system comprising:

means for tracking and registering at least one unauthorized person within the premises;

means for detecting a removal of at least one item from its storage or display location using a sensor indicating a weight has been removed, where the at least one item has a unique serial identification (USID) indicium, configured for optical UPC/USID recognition, on a packaging of the at least one item and the USID is associated with the storage or display location, and further activating an alarm at the product'"'"'s storage or display location;

means for tracking and registering the unauthorized removal of at least one item within the premises; and

means for alerting a security guard representative or system of an unauthorized person and/or unauthorized item removal based on said person and/or item tracking means; and

means for detecting/sensing one or more unauthorized persons in open entry areas, said open entry areas to include curtains, doors, walls or one or more segments of outdoor peripheries.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising real-time means for accounting for said at least one item that is being tracked by said item tracking means.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the means for detecting/sensing one or more unauthorized persons in open entry areas comprise scanned beam interruption/reflection means.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein said means for detecting/sensing one or more unauthorized persons in open entry areas comprises one or more brain-like sensing systems that scan an area and detect and recognize differences between moving objects.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the one or more segments of outdoor peripheries further comprise a protected area on one side and an unprotected area on the other side of the one or more segments of outdoor peripheries such as a protected border.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein said means for detecting/sensing one or more unauthorized persons in open entry areas are located on and receive power from one or more conveniently spaced security towers that double as power transmission towers, wherein said power transmission towers are powered from sources that include solar, wind, hydroelectric, and Sterling engine systems.