Apparatus and method of determining a likelihood of task completion from information relating to the reading of RFID tags

• US 9,842,306 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Nicholaus A., Rasel, Abu, Wilkinson, Bruce W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alizada, Omeed
• Application Number:
  US14/977,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20160110676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are provided using RFID devices to assist in determining a likelihood that the performance of a task has been completed. In one implementation, an apparatus comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and a control circuit operably coupled to the RFID reader. The control circuit is configured to: detect, using at least information received via the RFID reader regarding a reading of one or more RFID tags by the RFID reader, one or more circumstances that evidence a status of interest pertaining to performance of a task of interest; and make a determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader; and

a control circuit operably coupled to the RFID reader, the control circuit being configured to;

detect, using at least information received via the RFID reader regarding a reading of one or more RFID tags by the RFID reader, one or more circumstances that evidence a status of interest pertaining to performance of a task of interest, wherein the detection of the one or more circumstances occurs automatically when a task resource assigned to complete the task of interest arrives at an expected location for the performance of the task, and wherein the task resource is associated with the performance of the task of interest; and

make a determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information comprises an indication that at least one of the one or more RFID tags were read by the RFID reader at a first location, the first location being the expected location for the performance of at least a portion of the task of interest.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the information comprises an indication that at least another of the one or more RFID tags were read by the RFID reader at at least another location, the at least another location being an expected other location for the performance of at least a portion of the task of interest.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the control circuit is operably coupled to another RFID reader, the control circuit being configured to:

detect, using at least the information received via the RFID reader regarding the reading of the one or more RFID tags by the RFID reader and using additional information received via the other RFID reader regarding another reading of the one or more RFID tags by the other RFID reader, the one or more circumstances that evidence the status of interest pertaining to the performance of the task of interest; and

make the determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed,

wherein the additional information comprises an indication that the at least one of the one or more RFID tags were read by the other RFID reader at a second location, the second location being a second expected location for the performance of at least a portion of the task of interest, and wherein progress of a larger task is tracked based at least on the determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the expected location comprises one of the following:

a merchandizing shelf, a merchandizing display, a merchandizing wall, a merchandizing rack, a merchandizing bar, a portion of a merchandizing unit, a stock container, a stock shelf, a stock drawer, a storage locker, a storage container, a truck trailer, a picking location, a riser, a display pallet, and a stock bin.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to perform at least one of the following steps:

output for display to a user, an indication that the performance of the task of interest has been completed;

output an indication that the task resource associated with performance of the task of interest is available for another task of interest;

modify a to-do list of tasks to be performed by removing a given to-do item on the to-do list that corresponds to the task of interest as having been completed;

modify a to-do list of tasks to be performed by characterizing a given to-do item on the to-do list that corresponds to the task of interest as having been completed; and

transmit the determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed to a central task management computer system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information comprises an indication that at least one of the one or more RFID tags was read by the RFID reader.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to make the determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed after an elapsing of a predetermined amount of time after the detection of the one or more circumstances.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the predetermined amount of time corresponds to the task of interest.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is located at a computer system operably coupled to the RFID reader.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is located in a mobile device configured to move with the task resource associated with the performance of the task of interest.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the RFID reader is located proximate to the expected location for the performance of the task of interest and the one or more RFID tags are located with the task resource associated with the performance of the task of interest.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the RFID reader is located with the task resource associated with the performance of the task of interest and the one or more RFID tags are located proximate to the expected location for the performance of the task of interest.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of the RFID reader and the one or more RFID tags is assigned to the task resource associated with the performance of the task of interest.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more RFID tags each comprise a tag that communicates in a near field, wherein the RFID reader is configured to read the one or more RFID tags in the near field.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one or more RFID tags each comprise a tag compliant with a near field communication (NFC) standard.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more RFID tags each comprise far field communication tags, wherein the RFID reader is configured to read the one or more far field communication tags.

36. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the determination of the performance of the task of interest is based on the detection of the one or more circumstances.

37. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the determination of the performance of the task of interest is made without any input from the task resource assigned to complete the performance of the task of interest.

18. A method comprising:

by a control circuit that is operably coupled to a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader;

detecting, using at least information received via the RFID reader regarding a reading of one or more RFID tags by the RFID reader, one or more circumstances that evidence a status of interest pertaining to performance of a task of interest, wherein the detecting of the one or more circumstances occurs automatically when a task resource assigned to complete the task of interest arrives at an expected location for the performance of the task, and wherein the task resource is associated with the performance of the task of interest; and

making a determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the information comprises an indication that at least one of the one or more RFID tags were read by the RFID reader at a first location, the first location being the expected location for the performance of at least a portion of the task of interest.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the information comprises an indication that at least another of the one or more RFID tags were read by the RFID reader at at least another location, the at least another location being an expected other location for the performance of at least a portion of the task of interest.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the control circuit is operably coupled to another RFID reader,

wherein the detecting step comprises detecting, using at least the information received via the RFID reader regarding the reading of the one or more RFID tags by the RFID reader and using additional information received via the other RFID reader regarding another reading of the one or more RFID tags by the other RFID reader, the one or more circumstances that evidence the status of interest pertaining to the performance of the task of interest;

and

wherein the making step comprises making the determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed,

wherein the additional information comprises an indication that the at least one of the one or more RFID tags were read by the other RFID reader at a second location, the second location being a second expected location for the performance of at least a portion of the task of interest and wherein progress of a larger task is tracked based at least on the determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the expected location comprises one of the following:

a merchandizing shelf, a merchandizing display, a merchandizing wall, a merchandizing rack, a merchandizing bar, a portion of a merchandizing unit, a stock container, a stock shelf, a stock drawer, a storage locker, a storage container, a truck trailer, a picking location, a riser, a display pallet, and a stock bin.

23. The method of claim 18 further comprising at least one of the following steps:

outputting for display to a user, an indication that the performance of the task of interest has been completed;

outputting an indication that the task resource associated with performance the task of interest is available for another task of interest;

modifying a to-do list of tasks to be performed by removing a given to-do item on the to-do list that corresponds to the task of interest as having been completed;

modifying a to-do list of tasks to be performed by characterizing a given to-do item on the to-do list that corresponds to the task of interest as having been completed; and

transmitting the determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed to a central task management computer system.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the information comprises an indication that at least one of the one or more RFID tags was read by the RFID reader.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein the making the determination step comprises making the determination that the performance of the task of interest has likely been completed after an elapsing of a predetermined amount of time after the detection of the one or more circumstances.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the predetermined amount of time corresponds to the task of interest.

27. The method of claim 18 wherein the control circuit is located at a computer system operably coupled to the RFID reader.

28. The method of claim 18 wherein the control circuit is located in a mobile device configured to move with the task resource associated with the performance of the task of interest.

29. The method of claim 18 wherein the RFID reader is located proximate to the expected location for the performance of the task of interest and the one or more RFID tags are located with the task resource associated with the performance of the task of interest.

30. The method of claim 18 wherein the RFID reader is located with the task resource associated with the performance of the task of interest and the one or more RFID tags are located proximate to the expected location for the performance of the task of interest.

31. The method of claim 18 wherein one of the RFID reader and the one or more RFID tags is assigned to the task resource associated with the performance of the task of interest.

32. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more RFID tags each comprise a tag that communicates in a near field, wherein the RFID reader is configured to read the one or more RFID tags in the near field.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the one or more RFID tags each comprise a tag compliant with a near field communication (NFC) standard.

34. The method of claim 18 wherein the one or more RFID tags each comprise far field communication tags, wherein the RFID reader is configured to read the one or more far field communication tags.

35. An apparatus comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader; and

a control circuit operably coupled to the RFID reader, the control circuit being configured to;

receive an indication that a first RFID tag was read by the RFID reader at a first location, the first location being an expected location for performance of a first task;

automatically detect, based on the received indication, one or more circumstances that evidence a status of interest pertaining to the performance of the first task; and

make a determination that the performance of the first task has likely been completed.