RFID reader-based apparatus and method

• US 9,990,519 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2017
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Riggins, Andrew P., Jones, Nicholaus A.
• Primary Examiner(s): File, Erin M
• Application Number:
  US15/434,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20170243037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A control circuit receives location information from a handheld RFID-tag reader that pertains to a scan of a location marker that correlates to a particular modular within a retail shopping facility. The control circuit also receives from that reader RFID-tag information gleaned from read RFID tags that are proximal to that location marker. The control circuit uses the location information to select specification information for a particular modular of interest and also compares the RFID-tag information with specification information for modulars other than the particular modular of interest to thereby remove some of the RFID-tag information and thereby provide filtered RFID-tag information. The control circuit then compares that filtered RFID-tag information with the specification information for the particular modular of interest to assess modular compliance.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a handheld radio-frequency identification (RFID)-tag reader;

a memory having specification information for a plurality of modulars that correspond to a retail shopping facility;

a control circuit configured to;

receive from the handheld RFID-tag reader location information pertaining to a scan of a location marker that correlates to a particular one of the plurality of modulars within the retail shopping facility;

receive from the handheld RFID-tag reader RFID-tag information gleaned from read RFID tags proximal the location marker;

use the location information to select the specification information for the particular one of the plurality of modulars;

compare the RFID-tag information with specification information for modulars other than the particular one of the plurality of modulars by identifying RFID-tag information that corresponds to modulars other than the particular one of the modulars and then removing the RFID-tag information that corresponds to modulars other than the particular one of the modulars from the RFID-tag information to thereby provide filtered RFID-tag information;

compare the filtered RFID-tag information with the specification information for the particular one of the plurality of modulars to assess modular compliance.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the location information pertains to an optical scan of an optical location marker.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the location information pertains to an RFID scan of an RFID-tag location marker.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to receive the location information prior to receiving the RFID-tag information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to receive the location information subsequent to receiving the RFID-tag information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

transmit information identifying at least one discrepancy as regards the modular compliance.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit the information identifying the at least one discrepancy as regards the modular compliance to the handheld RFID-tag reader.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the control circuit is configured to transmit the information identifying the at least one discrepancy as regards the modular compliance to other than the handheld RFID-tag reader.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is located at at least one of:

the handheld RFID-tag reader; and

a location remote from the handheld RFID-tag reader.

10. A method comprising:

by a control circuit;

receiving from a handheld RFID-tag reader location information pertaining to a scan of a location marker that correlates to a particular one of a plurality of modulars within a retail shopping facility;

receiving from the handheld RFID-tag reader RFID-tag information gleaned from read RFID tags that are proximal the location marker;

using the location information to select specification information for the particular one of a plurality of modulars;

comparing the RFID-tag information with specification information for modulars other than the particular one of the plurality of modulars by identifying RFID-tag information that corresponds to modulars other than the particular one of the modulars and then removing the RFID-tag information that corresponds to modulars other than the particular one of the modulars from the RFID-tag information to thereby provide filtered RFID-tag information;

comparing the filtered RFID-tag information with the specification information for the particular one of the plurality of modulars to assess modular compliance.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the location information pertains to an optical scan of an optical location marker.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the location information pertains to an RFID scan of an RFID-tag location marker.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving the location information comprises receiving the location information prior to receiving the RFID-tag information.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving the location information comprises receiving the location information subsequent to receiving the RFID-tag information.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

transmitting information identifying at least one discrepancy as regards the modular compliance.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein transmitting the information identifying the at least one discrepancy as regards the modular compliance comprises transmitting the information identifying the at least one discrepancy to the handheld RFID-tag reader.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein transmitting the information identifying the at least one discrepancy as regards the modular compliance comprises transmitting the information identifying the at least one discrepancy to other than the handheld RFID-tag reader.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is located at at least one of:

the handheld RFID-tag reader; and

a location remote from the handheld RFID-tag reader.