Methods and apparatus for inventory location compliance

• US 8,102,264 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Rinkes, Charles, Mountjoy, Thomas L., Mohnke, David, Hulthen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US12/183,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5728, 340/10.1, 340/539.1, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• 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

An inventory compliance system includes an RFID reader having an agent configured to periodically read all RF tags within its range and then send the resulting tag information to an inventory application that processes the received information (e.g., tag ID, etc.) to determine the state of inventory at that time—i.e., the number, type, and location of each of the tags. In this way, through automatic updating via mobile and stationary RFID readers, an organization is able to monitor inventory without manual intervention, thereby reducing cost and time associated with conventional inventory compliance methods.

Claims

1. An inventory compliance system comprising:

a plurality of RF tags associated with a respective plurality of assets within an environment;

an inventory application coupled to a network;

a plurality of RFID readers provided within the environment, each having a range, wherein each of the RFID readers comprises an agent configured to periodically, in an intermittent fashion, instruct the RFID reader to acquire tag information from those RF tags that are within the range and then transmit the tag information over the network to the inventory application;

wherein each of the plurality of RFID readers is configured to operate in a first mode comprising conventional operation where an RFID reader acquires tags substantially continuously or based upon user input and in a second mode where the agent is configured to operate the RFID reader when the RFID reader is not being used for another task, and wherein the RFID reader is not synchronized with the tags in the second mode prior to acquiring the tag information.

2. The inventory compliance system of claim 1, wherein the inventory application is configured to receive the tag information and determine the type, number, and location of the assets within the environment.

3. The inventory compliance system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RFID readers comprises at least one mobile RFID reader and at least one stationary RFID reader.

4. The inventory system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless switch coupled to the network, the wireless switch comprising a locationing subsystem configured to determine the locations of the plurality of RF tags.

5. The inventory compliance system of claim 1, wherein the agent is configured to instruct the RFID reader to acquire tag information when it determines that the RFID reader is not performing another RF reading task.

6. The inventory compliance system of claim 1, wherein the agent is configured to instruct the RFID reader to acquire tag information at regular intervals.

7. The inventory compliance system of claim 6, wherein the regular intervals are configurable by a user.

19. The inventory compliance system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless switch coupled to the network and located between the inventory application and the plurality of RFID readers, wherein stationary RFID readers of the plurality of RFID readers are coupled to the wireless switch via the network; and

a access point coupled to the network and the wireless switch, the access point configured to communicate with mobile RFID readers of the plurality of RFID readers;

wherein the wireless switch is configured to monitor and control the plurality of RFID readers and to communicatively coupled the plurality of RFID readers to the inventory application or one or more enterprise applications.

20. The inventory compliance system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of RFID readers is configured to operate in the second mode where the agent is configured to operate the RFID reader without coordinating with the RF tags prior to acquiring the tag information.

8. An RFID reader comprising an agent configured to automatically and intermittently instruct the RFID reader to acquire tag information from a plurality of RF tags that are within a range and then transmit the tag information over a network to an inventory application, wherein the RFID reader is configured to operate in a first mode comprising conventional operation where the RFID reader acquires tags substantially continuously or based upon user input and in a second mode where the agent is configured to operate the RFID reader when the RFID reader is not being used for another task, and wherein the RFID reader is not synchronized with the tags in the second mode prior to acquiring the tag information.

9. The RFID reader of claim 8, wherein the RFID reader is mobile.

10. The RFID reader of claim 8, wherein the RFID reader is stationary.

11. The RFID reader of claim 8, wherein the agent is configured to instruct the RFID reader to acquire tag information when it determines that the RFID reader is not performing another RF reading task.

12. The inventory compliance system of claim 8, wherein the agent is configured to instruct the RFID reader to acquire tag information at regular intervals.

13. A method for determining the state of inventory for a plurality of assets having a plurality of associated RF tags associated therewith, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of RFID readers, each configured to respond to a request to acquire tag information from a set of the RF tags within its range, wherein each of the plurality of RFID readers is configured to operate in a first mode comprising conventional operation where an RFID reader acquires tags substantially continuously or based upon user input and in a second mode where an agent is configured to operate the RFID reader when the RFID reader is not being used for another task, and wherein the RFID reader is not synchronized with the tags in the second mode prior to acquiring the tag information;

in the second mode, intermittently and automatically sending to the RFID readers a request to acquire tag information;

sending the acquired tag information over a network to an inventory application;

determining the location of the set of the RF tags; and

determining the state of inventory based on the tag information and the location of the set of the RF tags.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the state of inventory comprises determining the type, number, and location of the assets within the environment.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of RFID readers comprises at least one mobile RFID reader and at least one stationary RFID reader.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a wireless switch coupled to the network, the wireless switch comprising a locationing subsystem configured to perform the step of determining the location of the set of the RF tags.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the request to acquire tag information is sent to the RFID reader when the RFID reader is not engaged in another reading task.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the request to acquire tag information is sent to the RFID reader at regular intervals.