Theft trend analysis and response

• US 8,587,662 B1
• Filed: 10/02/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Foster, Robert, Moll, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): BURGESS, BARBARA N
• Application Number:
  US12/572,825
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 348/159, 348/143, 348/144, 348/152, 348/153
• US Class Current: 348/159
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 31/00 Predictive alarm systems characterised by extrapolation or other computation using updated historic data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A method for responding to potential threats at a store, such as theft or vandalism, can include analyzing threat predictors, such as police reports and store reports, to determine a trend of theft or other threats. In some implementations, a organization, such as a chain of retail stores, can include a large number of facilities. Each facility may be capable of producing a significant volume of video data from various video cameras at the facility. In some implementations, the volume of video data monitored from the stores and from the cameras within the stores can be narrowed or reduced by monitoring substantially only the video data from the stores and locations within the stores that were identified as potential targets in the trend of theft.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of theft detection and response for a plurality of stores in a first geographic area, comprising:

receiving by a computer theft reports containing data concerning thefts at a plurality of stores in a first geographic area or other thefts in the first geographic area;

providing an investigation center having a computerized theft trend analysis system to analyze the theft reports containing data concerning thefts at a plurality of stores in the first geographic area or other thefts in the first geographic area;

determining a theft trend for a second geographic area based on the theft reports containing data concerning thefts at the plurality of stores in the first geographic area or other thefts in the first geographic area, the second geographic area is smaller than the first geographic area and within the first geographic area, the second geographic area includes a plurality of stores;

alerting a plurality of stores within the second geographic area of potential for future thefts;

automatically initiating a review and analysis, at the investigation center, of video data from each of the stores in only the second geographic area to determine if a person of interest is present at any of the stores in the second geographic area, the person of interest is a person that was involved in a theft forming at least a portion of the theft trend; and

,

sending an alert from the investigation center to a store in the second geographic area notifying the store in the second geographic area that the person of interest is present at the store in the second geographic area.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of automatically initiating a review and analysis is performed in real time.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of sending a notification to other stores in the second geographic area that the person of interest is present at a specific store.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the step of receiving theft reports containing data concerning thefts includes receiving stock and inventory reports for items or products previously identified as high theft items.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising the step of reviewing video data from an in store monitoring system to determine whether an identifiable individual is responsible for the theft of the products previously identified as high theft items.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 further comprising the step of reporting to the investigation center a determination that an identifiable individual is responsible for the theft.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising the step of analyzing the theft reports for theft patterns.

8. A computer-implemented method of theft detection and response for a plurality of stores in a first geographic area, comprising:

receiving by a computer theft reports containing data concerning thefts at a plurality of stores in a first geographic area or other thefts in the first geographic area;

providing a computerized theft trend analysis system to analyze the theft reports containing data concerning thefts at a plurality of stores in the first geographic area or other thefts in the first geographic area;

determining a theft trend for a second geographic area based on the theft reports containing data concerning thefts at the plurality of stores in the first geographic area or other thefts in the first geographic area, the second geographic area is smaller than the first geographic area and within the first geographic area, the second geographic area includes a plurality of stores;

notifying each of the plurality of stores within the second geographic area of a person of interest posing a potential future theft threat to the plurality of stores within the second geographic area;

determining whether the person of interest has been apprehended; and

,

again notifying each of the plurality of stores within the second geographic area of the person of interest posing a potential future theft threat to the plurality of stores within the second geographic area in the event that during the determining step it is determined that the person of interest has not been apprehended.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the step of determining a theft trend for the second geographic area includes automatically initiating a review and analysis of video data from each of the stores within the second geographic area in real time.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising the step of sending a notification to other stores in the second geographic area that the person of interest is present at a specific store and that the other stores can stop their review and analysis of video data to determine if the person of interest is present.

11. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the step of determining a theft trend includes receiving stock and inventory reports for items or products previously identified as high theft items.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the step of reviewing video data from an in store monitoring system to determine whether an identifiable individual is responsible for the theft.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the step of analyzing the theft reports includes analyzing the stock and inventory reports and video data for theft patterns.

14. A computer-implemented method of theft detection and response for a plurality of stores in a first geographic area, comprising:

identifying and observing, using a computer, theft trends in a first geographic area;

determining a theft trend for a second geographic area based on the theft trends in the first geographic area, the second geographic area is smaller than the first geographic area and within the first geographic area, the second geographic area includes a plurality of stores;

notifying each of the plurality of stores within the second geographic area of potential future theft threats to the plurality of stores within the second geographic area;

monitoring video data from one or more stores in the second geographic area to identify a person of interest, the person of interest is a person that was involved in a theft forming at least a portion the theft trend;

alerting a store in the second geographic area that the person of interest is present at the store;

determining whether the person of interest has been apprehended; and

,

again notifying each of the plurality of stores within the second geographic area of the potential future theft threat to the plurality of stores within the second geographic area in the event that during the determining step it is determined that the person of interest has not been apprehended.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step of monitoring video data from one or more stores in the second geographic area is performed in real time.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, further comprising the step of sending a notification to other stores in the second geographic area that the person of interest is present at a specific store and that the other stores can stop their real time review and analysis of video data to determine if the person of interest is present.

17. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step of receiving theft reports containing data concerning thefts includes receiving stock and inventory reports for items or products previously identified as high theft items.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising the step of reviewing video data from an in store monitoring system to determine whether an identifiable individual is responsible for the theft of the products previously identified as high theft items.

19. The method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising the step of analyzing the stock and inventory reports and video data for theft patterns.

20. The method as set forth in claim 14 wherein monitoring video data includes recording video from locations in and around stores that were identified in the theft trend.