RFID monitor

• US 8,061,605 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Production Resource Group LLC
• Inventors: Lee, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US12/030,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20080203160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/382, 235/383, 235/385, 340/5.92, 340/572.1, 705/28, 705/29
• 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 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

Inventory control and monitoring system uses an RFID reader to read tags on multiple lights passing through a portal. A light turns green after all the tags have been read. Information from those tags is added to an inventory database, which keeps track of which lights, and how many of each kind of light, is in stock. Locations of the lights can also be added to the inventory system.

Claims

1. A method of inventory monitoring, comprising:

automatically detecting information from plural stage lighting devices that are being returned into a storage facility, as said stage lighting devices are passed through a specified area, said automatically detecting information from all of said plural stage lighting devices;

once said information from each of said stage lighting device has been detected as they are passed through said specified area, a plurality at the same time,

changing an indicator to a state that indicates that all the information from all of said plural stage lighting devices has been detected;

automatically adding information to an inventory database indicative of said stage lighting device having been returned, responsive to said detecting; and

using said information that has been automatically added to maintain an inventory.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising adding location information to said inventory database, said location representing a location of said item.

3. A method as in claim 2, where said location includes a rack location and a location of a level on the rack.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said automatically detecting uses an RFID reader to read RF ID tags on said plural stage of lighting devices simultaneously.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein said specified area include readers on four different sides of said specified area.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein said information from said stage lighting devices includes a unique designation of a specific stage lighting device, and said automatically adding comprises determining a model number of said stage lighting device, and maintaining an indication of how many of said stage lighting models are in inventory.

7. An inventory monitoring system, comprising:

a reader, automatically reading information from plural stage lighting devices that are being returned, as said stage lighting devices are passed through a specified area all at the same time;

an indicator, responsive to said reader, which has states that indicate a reading state of said reader in reading said information, which has a first state that indicates that said information from all of said stage lighting devices has not been completely read, and has a second state that indicates that said information from all of said stage lighting devices has been completely read;

an inventory computer, receiving said information, and automatically adding said information to an inventory database and using said automatically added information to maintain an inventory.

8. A system as in claim 7, wherein said inventory computer also stores a location associated with at least plural of said stage lighting devices to said inventory database, said location representing a location of said item.

9. A system as in claim 8, where said location includes a rack location and a location of a level on the rack among plural levels on the rack.

10. A system as in claim 7, wherein said reader is an RFID reader.

11. A system as in claim 7, wherein said stage lighting devices include at least one light, and at least one item other than a light.

12. A system as in claim 7, wherein said reader includes multiple different readers, surrounding four sides of said specified area.

13. A system as in claim 7, wherein said information from said stage lighting devices includes unique designations of each of a plurality of specific stage lighting devices, and said inventory computer automatically determines a model number of said stage lighting device from said unique designation, and maintains an indication of a number of each of said models that are in inventory.

14. A method of inventory monitoring, comprising:

automatically detecting information from plural stage lighting devices that are being returned into a storage facility, as said stage lighting devices are passed through a specified area, said automatically detecting information from plural stage lighting devices, which includes at least one lighting device, and at least non-lighting device;

determining that plural of said stage lighting devices has been detected as they are passed through said specified area all at the same time, and informing a user that said plural of said devices has been detected;

automatically adding information to an inventory database indicative of said stage lighting device having been returned, responsive to said detecting; and

using said information that has been automatically added to maintain an inventory.

15. A method as in claim 14, further comprising adding location information to said inventory database, said location representing a location of said item.

16. A method as in claim 15, where said location includes a rack location and a location of a level on the rack.

17. A method as in claim 14, wherein said automatically detecting uses an RFID reader to read RF ID tags on a plurality of devices simultaneously.

18. A method as in claim 14, wherein said automatically detecting information comprises detecting information from at least four readers which surround said specified area.

19. A method as in claim 14, wherein said information from said stage lighting devices includes unique designations of each of a plurality of specific stage lighting devices, and said inventory computer automatically determines a model number of said stage lighting device from said unique designation, and maintains an indication of a number of each of said models that are in inventory.