Methods and systems for inventory management

• US 8,423,548 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David Brahm, David S. Trandal
• Original Assignee: David Brahm, David S. Trandal
• Inventors: Trandal, David Scott, Brahm, David
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TRUONG V
• Application Number:
  US13/526,359
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 707/736, 705/28
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate

Abstract

The present invention relates to inventory management solutions, and in particular, to methods and systems for inventorying items and property over wireless and data networks, using digital imaging, positioning, RFID, and data terminals. The user experience in performing inventory management is simplified and enhanced over existing methods.

Claims

1. A method of tagging an inventory of personal property items comprising:

registering a user by an inventory system;

providing an inventory software program associated with the inventory system, to a mobile device associated with the user, wherein some or all of the inventory software program is at least in part;

preinstalled on the mobile device of the user,

transmitted to the mobile device of the user, or

preinstalled on the mobile device and transmitted to the mobile device of the user;

partly causing an image capture instruction to be presented to the user on the mobile device;

receiving at the inventory system;

an image wherein the image is taken using the user'"'"'s mobile device,

a detected one or more RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags which are in proximity to an RFID reader associated with the user'"'"'s mobile device at substantially the same time the image was taken by the user using the user'"'"'s mobile device, and

a geographic location of the user'"'"'s mobile device wherein the geographic location is determined at least in part using a GPS (Global Position Satellite) location information and corresponds to at least in part the geographic location of the user'"'"'s mobile device at substantially the same time the image was taken by the user using the user'"'"'s mobile device;

identifying at least in part by the inventory system a one or more items within the image;

forming a one-to-one association of the detected one or more RFID tags with the one or more identified items within the image;

forming a one-to-many association of a room identifier with the one or more identified items within the image;

storing by the inventory system in computer readable memory, the one or more identified items and their associated RFID tags and room identifiers;

providing a user interface via which the room identifier and the identified items can be (a) viewed, (b) edited, (c) reassigned or any combination of (a), (b), and (c) by the user.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the one-to-many association includes a one-to-one association.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the reassignment includes changing a first room identifier of an identified item to a second room identifier.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

capturing a camera lens direction at substantially the same time the image was taken by the user using the user'"'"'s mobile device;

dividing the room where the image was taken into a one or more partitions;

assigning a label to one of the partitions of the room based at least in part on the camera lens direction;

forming a one-to-many association of the labeled room partition with the one or more identified items within the image; and

storing the labeled room partition associated with the one or more identified items within the image.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, the method further comprising using a compass within the user'"'"'s mobile device to determine the camera lens direction.

6. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein a divided room includes a north partition, a south partition, an east partition, and a west partition.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the formed assignment of the one-to-many association of the room identifier with the one or more identified items within the image is based at least in part on a color of the RFID tag.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the RFID tag color is determined by an Electronic Product Code or by processing the image.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the room identifier is a master bedroom, a guest bedroom, a garage, a shed, or a kitchen.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the user interface is provided (a) on the user'"'"'s mobile device, (b) on a computing device other than the user'"'"'s mobile device, or any combination of (a) and (b).

11. A method of tagging an inventory of personal property items comprising:

registering a user by an inventory system;

providing an inventory software program associated with the inventory system, to a mobile device associated with the user, wherein some or all of the inventory software program is at least in part;

preinstalled on the mobile device of the user,

transmitted to the mobile device of the user, or

preinstalled on the mobile device and transmitted to the mobile device of the user;

partly causing an image capture instruction to be presented to the user on the mobile device;

receiving at the inventory system;

an image wherein the image is taken using the user'"'"'s mobile device, and

a detected one or more RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags which are in proximity to an RFID reader associated with the user'"'"'s mobile device at substantially the same time the image was taken by the user using the user'"'"'s mobile device;

providing at least in part a first user interface via which a room identifier can be specified, confirmed, or specified and confirmed by the user;

identifying at least in part by the inventory system, a one or more items within the image;

forming a one-to-one association of the detected one or more RFID tags with the one or more identified items within the image;

forming a one-to-many association of a room identifier with the one or more identified items within the image;

storing by the inventory system in computer readable memory, the one or more identified items and their associated RFID tags and room identifiers;

providing at least in part a second user interface via which the room identifier and the identified items can be (a) viewed, (b) edited, (c) reassigned or any combination of (a), (b), and (c) by the user.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the room identifier confirmed by the user is an identifier determined by the inventory system using at least in part the one or more identified items in the image.

13. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the second user interface is the first user interface.

14. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising:

capturing a camera lens direction at substantially the same time the image was taken by the user using the user'"'"'s mobile device;

dividing the room where the image was taken into a one or more partitions;

assigning a label to one of the partitions of the room based at least in part on the camera lens direction;

forming a one-to-many association of the labeled room partition with the one or more identified items within the image; and

storing the labeled room partition associated with the one or more identified items within the image.

15. The method as defined in claim 14, the method further comprising using a compass within the user'"'"'s mobile device to determine the camera lens direction.

16. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the image is a picture or a video.

17. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the image is a plurality of images.

18. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the formed assignment of the one-to-many association of the room identifier with the one or more identified items within the image is based at least in part on a color of the RFID tag.

19. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the RFID tag color is determined by an Electronic Product Code or by processing the image.

20. A system of tagging an inventory of personal property items comprising:

at least one computing device;

program instructions stored in non-transitory memory, that when executed by the at least one computing device, are configured to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

registering a user;

providing an inventory software program to a mobile device associated with the user, wherein some or all of the inventory software program is at least in part;

preinstalled on the mobile device of the user,

transmitted to the mobile device of the user, or

preinstalled on the mobile device and transmitted to the mobile device of the user;

partly causing an image capture instruction to be presented to the user on the mobile device;

receiving;

an image wherein the image is taken using the user'"'"'s mobile device, and

a detected one or more RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags which are in proximity to an RFID reader associated with the user'"'"'s mobile device at substantially the same time the image was taken by the user using the user'"'"'s mobile device;

providing at least in part a first user interface via which a room identifier can be specified, confirmed, or specified and confirmed by the user;

identifying at least in part a one or more items within the image;

forming a one-to-one association of the detected one or more RFID tags with the one or more identified items within the image;

forming a one-to-many association of a room identifier with the one or more identified items within the image;

storing the one or more identified items and their associated RFID tags and room identifiers;

providing at least in part a second user interface via which the room identifier and the identified items can be (a) viewed, (b) edited, (c) reassigned or any combination of (a), (b), and (c) by the user.