Operation monitoring and enhanced host communications in systems employing electronic article surveillance and RFID tags

• US 8,006,904 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2009
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datalogic Scanning Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.), Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Datalogic Scanning Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.), Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Guess, Alan Jackson, Paris, Bruce Edward, Salim, Mohamed A, Clifford, Harold C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/435,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20100001863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/492, 235/493, 235/435, 235/449, 235/451, 235/375, 235/385, 235/462.01, 235/472.01, 340/572.1, 340/572.3, 340/4.34, 340/5.92
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/00 Alarm indicators, e.g. bells

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring operation and performance of electronic tags such as article surveillance (EAS) tags or radio frequency identification (RFID) tags such as by monitoring and reporting electronic tag readability and operator/system performance levels. The system includes an optical symbol reader and/or electronic tag sensor/deactivator that measures and reports values of reading, detection, or deactivation events during operation which may be indicative of electronic tag operability. The apparatus may further comprise a data accumulation device including memory storage to accumulate the measurement values for each set of electronic tags, and a programmed computing system to analyze the measured values and report on the results of the analysis.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring electronic tag operation comprising the steps of

passing an item through a read volume;

identifying the item by reading a label on the item with a data reader device and thereby obtaining identification data;

determining whether the item includes an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) tag by attempting to sense an EAS tag using an EAS sense and deactivation system;

if an EAS tag has been sensed, (a) attempting to deactivate the EAS tag and (b) validating whether the EAS tag has been deactivated by attempting to re-sense the EAS tag after attempting to deactivate;

if the EAS tag has been re-sensed, repeating steps (a) and (b) for up to a given period or a given number of cycles;

assembling operation data of the EAS system pertaining to sensing and attempting to deactivate the EAS tag, the EAS system operation data including the number of deactivation attempts having been attempted on the item;

correlating the EAS system operation data, including the number of deactivation attempts, to the item identified,

sending both the EAS system operation data and the item identification data to a host.

2. A method according to claim 1,

wherein the step of correlating comprises sending the identification data to a host and separately sending the EAS system operation data to the host.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of assembling data comprises recording number of deactivation attempts made for the item.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of assembling data comprises recording an event of unsuccessful deactivation of the EAS tag.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of assembling data comprises identifying a defective EAS tag.

6. A method according to claim 5 further comprising tallying number of defective EAS tags by type of item identified.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of assembling data comprises determining EAS tag quality.

8. A method of monitoring electronic tag operation comprising the steps of

passing an item through a read volume;

identifying the item by reading a label on the item with a data reader device and thereby obtaining identification data;

determining whether the item includes an EAS tag by attempting to sense an EAS tag using an EAS sense and deactivation system;

if an EAS tag has been sensed, (a) attempting to deactivate the EAS tag and (b) validating whether the EAS tag has been deactivated by attempting to re-sense the EAS tag after attempting to deactivate;

if the EAS tag has been re-sensed, repeating steps (a) and (b) for up to a given period or a given number of cycles;

assembling operation data of the EAS system pertaining to sensing and attempting to deactivate the EAS tag;

correlating the EAS system operation data to the item identified,

wherein the step of correlating comprises;

appending the EAS system operation data to the identification data to generate a combined data string; and

transmitting the EAS system operation data and the identification data as a combined data string to a host.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein EAS system operation data being assembled and correlated includes the number of deactivation attempts having been attempted on the item.

10. A method of monitoring electronic tag operation comprising the steps of

passing an item through a read volume;

identifying the item by reading a label on the item with a data reader device and thereby obtaining identification data;

determining whether the item includes an EAS tag by attempting to sense an EAS tag using an EAS sense and deactivation system;

if an EAS tag has been sensed, (a) attempting to deactivate the EAS tag and (b) validating whether the EAS tag has been deactivated by attempting to re-sense the EAS tag after attempting to deactivate;

if the EAS tag has been re-sensed, repeating steps (a) and (b) for up to a given period or a given number of cycles;

assembling operation data of the EAS system pertaining to sensing and attempting to deactivate the EAS tag;

correlating the EAS system operation data to the item identified,

wherein the step of correlating further comprises;

sending the identification data to a host and separately sending the EAS system operation data to the host, and

automatically matching the EAS system operation data to the identification data if the EAS system operation data is received by the host within a predetermined time period of receiving the identification data.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein EAS system operation data being assembled and correlated includes the number of deactivation attempts having been attempted on the item.

12. A method of monitoring electronic tag operation comprising the steps of

passing an item through a read volume;

identifying the item by reading a label on the item with a data reader device and thereby obtaining identification data;

determining whether the item includes an EAS tag by attempting to sense an EAS tag using an EAS sense and deactivation system;

if an EAS tag has been sensed, (a) attempting to deactivate the EAS tag and (b) validating whether the EAS tag has been deactivated by attempting to re-sense the EAS tag after attempting to deactivate;

if the EAS tag has been re-sensed, repeating steps (a) and (b) for up to a given period or a given number of cycles;

assembling operation data of the EAS system pertaining to sensing and attempting to deactivate the EAS tag, the EAS system operation data including the number of deactivation attempts;

correlating the EAS system operation data, including the number of deactivation attempts, to the item identified,

wherein the step of assembling data further comprises measuring a time it takes to sense the EAS tag after successfully reading the label.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein EAS system operation data being assembled and correlated includes the number of deactivation attempts having been attempted on the item.

14. A method of operating a data reading and electronic article security (EAS) system, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining item identification data by reading, with a data reader device, a label on an item being passed through a read volume of the data reader device;

(b) attempting to sense an EAS tag on the item;

(c) if an EAS tag has been sensed, attempting to deactivate the EAS tag;

(d) collecting EAS system operation data including the number of deactivation attempts with respect to the results of steps (b) and (c);

(e) correlating the collected EAS system operation data to the item, the collected EAS system operation data including the number of deactivation attempts having been attempted on the item;

(f) determining a success rate for deactivating an EAS tag on a particular item or class of items, based on results from steps (a)-(e).

15. A method of operating a data reading and electronic article security (EAS) system, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining item identification data by reading a label on an item being passed through a read volume of a data reader device;

(b) attempting to sense an EAS tag on the item;

(c) if an EAS tag has been sensed, attempting to deactivate the EAS tag;

(d) collecting EAS system operation data including the number of deactivation attempts with respect to the results of steps (b) and (c); and

(e) correlating the EAS system operation data collected including the number of deactivation attempts collected to the item identified,

wherein the step of correlating comprises;

appending the collected EAS system operation data to the item identification data to form combined data; and

transmitting the combined data to a host.

16. A method according to claim 15 further comprising

(f) storing the combined data in the data reader device.

17. A method according to claim 15 further comprising

repeating steps (a) through (e) for subsequent items and storing the combined data for each of the items in the data reader device;

transmitting the combined data for items to a host for further processing.

18. A method of operating a data reading and electronic article security (EAS) system, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining item identification data by reading, with a data reader device, a label on an item being passed through a read volume of the data reader device;

(b) attempting to sense an EAS tag on the item;

(c) if an EAS tag has been sensed, attempting to deactivate the EAS tag;

(d) collecting EAS system operation data with respect to the results of steps (b) and (c); and

(e) correlating the EAS system operation data collected to the item identified,

wherein the step of correlating further comprises;

transmitting the item identification data to a host and separately transmitting the EAS system operation data to the host; and

automatically matching the EAS system operation data to the item identification data if the EAS system operation data is received by the host within a predetermined time period of receiving the item identification data.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the step of correlating further comprises matching the EAS system operation data to the identification data if the EAS system operation data is received by the host within time period of receiving the identification data.

20. A method of operating a data reading and electronic article security (EAS) system, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining item identification data by reading, with a data reader device, a label on an item being passed through a read volume of the data reader;

(b) attempting to sense an EAS tag on the item;

(c) if an EAS tag has been sensed, attempting to deactivate the EAS tag;

(d) collecting EAS system operation data with respect to the results of steps (b) and (c), wherein the step of collecting data comprises measuring a time it takes to sense the EAS tag after reading the label; and

matching the EAS system operation data to the item identification data if the EAS system operation data is received by the host within a predetermined time as measured.

21. An apparatus for monitoring and reporting electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag readability in a combined data reader and electronic article security (EAS) system, comprising

a data reader for reading a label on an item being passed through a read volume;

means for measuring values of multiple EAS tag detections and/or of multiple deactivations during operation over multiple transactions for providing indication of EAS tag operability, wherein the values being measured are selected from the group consisting of;

(a) the time it took to detect an EAS tag on a particular item or class of items, (b) the time it took to deactivate an EAS tag on a particular item or class of items, (c) success rate for deactivating an EAS tag on a particular item or class of items, and (d) the percentage of a particular item or class of items detected to include an EAS tag, wherein the means for measuring is operable to measure all of the values from the group.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21 further comprising

data accumulation means including a memory storage portion for accumulating measured values for EAS tags on a particular item or class of items;

and

computing means for analyzing the measured values and reporting the measured values.

23. An apparatus according to claim 21 wherein the data accumulation means comprises a single device connected to a plurality of data readers for monitoring system performance and readability of the EAS tags.

24. A system for monitoring electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag quality comprising:

a combined system of a data reader and an EAS system for reading labels appended to an item and for sensing and deactivating EAS tags appended to the item;

means within the combined system for identifying a defective EAS tag comprising means for identifying EAS tags that have been sensed but not deactivated as defective tags;

means for indicating presence of the defective EAS tag;

means for correlating the number of deactivation attempts to item information of the item;

means within the combined system for tallying a number of defective EAS tags by type of item identified.

25. A system according to claim 24 further comprising

memory within the combined system for storing the number of defective EAS tags by type of item identified;

a point-of-service terminal coupled to the combined system having access to information stored in the memory.

26. A system according to claim 24 wherein the means for indicating presence comprises notifying operator.