Radio frequency identification point of sale unassisted retail transaction and digital media kiosk
First Claim
1. A self-checkout kiosk system, comprising:
- a main housing having a first panel;
a first RF antenna positioned adjacent the first panel to transmit a TX signal toward an RFID tag corresponding to an item and to receive a RX signal from the RFID tag;
a first RFID reader positioned in the main housing and connected to the first RF antenna to detect an RFID tag using the RX signal;
a remote housing having a second panel;
a second RF antenna positioned adjacent to the second panel to transmit a TX signal toward the RFID tag and to receive a RX signal from the RFID tag;
a second RFID reader positioned in the remote housing and connected to the second RF antenna to receive the RX signal from the RFID tag;
a theft detection module connected to the first RFID reader and the second RFID reader, the theft detection module configured to;
store a description of the item corresponding to the RFID tag in a database,track the amount of times the RFID tag is read by the first RFID reader or the second RFID reader within a predetermined amount of time using a theft alert counter, anddetermine whether a theft alert count generated by the theft alert counter exceeds a maximum amount of theft alerts,if the theft alert count is greater than or equal to the maximum amount of theft alerts then no theft alert is generated, andif the theft alert count is less than the maximum amount of theft alerts then a theft alert is generated;
transmit a security signal in response to a determination that the theft alert count is less than the maximum amount of theft alerts; and
an alarm connected to the theft detection module, the alarm configured to activate in response to receiving the security signal from the theft detection module.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a self-checkout system that selectively activates an alarm when an item is determined to be stolen, engages the user regarding the purchase of the item, and informs the user of the purchase status of the item. When an item is determined to be stolen, and a number of occurrences of the item in the database indicating it is stolen is greater than a predetermined amount over a predetermined period of time, a theft detection module does not transmit a security signal to activate an alarm. The invention can also include a touch-screen display including a first portion dedicated to displaying POS transactions and online shopping and a second portion dedicated to displaying interactive digital media related to the item. Furthermore, the invention can include indicators on the touch screen display to indicate the status of an item.
112 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A self-checkout kiosk system, comprising:
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a main housing having a first panel; a first RF antenna positioned adjacent the first panel to transmit a TX signal toward an RFID tag corresponding to an item and to receive a RX signal from the RFID tag; a first RFID reader positioned in the main housing and connected to the first RF antenna to detect an RFID tag using the RX signal; a remote housing having a second panel; a second RF antenna positioned adjacent to the second panel to transmit a TX signal toward the RFID tag and to receive a RX signal from the RFID tag; a second RFID reader positioned in the remote housing and connected to the second RF antenna to receive the RX signal from the RFID tag; a theft detection module connected to the first RFID reader and the second RFID reader, the theft detection module configured to; store a description of the item corresponding to the RFID tag in a database, track the amount of times the RFID tag is read by the first RFID reader or the second RFID reader within a predetermined amount of time using a theft alert counter, and determine whether a theft alert count generated by the theft alert counter exceeds a maximum amount of theft alerts, if the theft alert count is greater than or equal to the maximum amount of theft alerts then no theft alert is generated, and if the theft alert count is less than the maximum amount of theft alerts then a theft alert is generated; transmit a security signal in response to a determination that the theft alert count is less than the maximum amount of theft alerts; and an alarm connected to the theft detection module, the alarm configured to activate in response to receiving the security signal from the theft detection module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A self-checkout apparatus for detecting an RFID tag on an item, comprising:
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a main housing having a first panel; a memory located in the main housing storing a database, the memory configured to store a description of the item with the RFID tag in the database in response to the RFID tag being determined as stolen; a processor located in the main housing, the processor configured to determine whether the RFID tag is stolen, the processor further configured to track the amount of times the RFID tag is read in the database within a predetermined amount of time using a theft alert counter, determine whether a theft alert count generated by the theft alert counter exceeds a maximum amount of theft alerts, if the theft alert count is greater than or equal to the maximum amount of theft alerts then no security signal is generated, and if the theft alert count is less than the maximum amount of theft alerts then a security signal is generated, and transmit a security signal in response to a determination that the theft alert count is less than the maximum amount of theft alerts; a first RF antenna positioned adjacent the first panel to transmit a TX signal toward an RFID tag corresponding to an item and to receive a RX signal from the RFID tag; a first RFID reader positioned in the main housing and connected to the first RF antenna and the processor, to detect an RFID tag using the RX signal; a remote housing having a second panel; a second RF antenna positioned adjacent to the second panel to transmit a TX signal toward the RFID tag and to receive a RX signal from the RFID tag; a second RFID reader positioned in the remote housing and connected to the second RF antenna and the processor, to receive the RX signal from the RFID tag; and an alarm connected to the processor and configured to be activated by the security signal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification