Shopping cart with RFID and biometric components and associated systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10093333-B2
Application number	US-201815879589-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2018
Priority date	Feb 23, 2017
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

Described in detail herein are systems and methods for interacting with an interactive display using a shopping cart. A biometric device integrated with the handle portion on a shopping cart can detect and discriminate between user attributes. At least one RFID tags can store the captured biometric information associated with the user attributes. A RFID reader and a computing system can be disposed within a predetermined distance of the shopping cart. The RFID reader can communicate with the at least one RFID tag in response to the at least one RFID tag being with a range of the at least one RFID reader to transfer the biometric information stored in the RFID tag to the RFID reader. The RFID reader can transmit the biometric information to the computing system. The computing system can authenticate the user based on the biometric information received via the at least one RFID reader.

First claim

We claim:

1. A shopping cart system comprising:
a shopping cart including a frame having a handle portion, a basket supported by the frame, and a plurality of caster configured to support the frame;
a biometric device integrated with the handle portion to detect and discriminate between user attributes;
at least one RFID tag integrated in the shopping cart, the at least one RFID tag is configured to store biometric information associated with the user attributes;
at least one RFID reader configured to communicate with the at least one RFID tag in response to the at least one RFID tag being with a range of the at least one RFID reader to transfer the biometric information stored in the RFID tag to the RFID reader; and
a computing system operatively coupled to the at least one RFID reader, the computing system being configured to authenticate the user based on the biometric information received via the at least one RFID reader.

2. The system in claim 1 , wherein the computing system is programmed to trigger an action on an interactive display of the computing system in response to authentication of the user.

3. The system in claim 2 , wherein the action is based on a type of user attribute that is detected by the biometric device.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of RFID tags integrated in the handle portions, the plurality of RFID tags including the at least one RFID tag, a first RFID tag, and a second RFID tag.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first and second RFID tags are disposed near a surface of the handle portion and are readable by the at least one RFID reader in response to the first and second RFID tags being with a range of the at least one RFID reader, and
wherein, in response to the first RFID tag being covered by one of the digits of the user when the first RFID tag is within range of the at least one RFID reader, the at least one RFID reader is prevented from reading the first RFID tag and the computing system is configured to control an interactive display of the computing system to perform one or more action on the interactive display.

6. The system in claim 5 , wherein the action is one or more of scroll, input information, and make selections on the interactive display.

7. The system in claim 4 , wherein the first RFID tag includes far-filed component and a near-field component, the near-field component and far-field component being moveable with respect to each other between a first position in which the near-field component and far-field component are spaced away from each other and a second position in which the near-field component and far-field component are mechanically coupled to each other, and
wherein, in response to the near-field component and far-field component being moved to the second position when the first RFID tag is within range of the at least one RFID reader, the at least one RFID reader is reads the first RFID tag and the computing system is configured to control an interactive display of the computing system to perform one or more action on the interactive display.

8. The system in claim 1 , wherein the handle portion includes discrete push buttons.

9. The system in claim 1 , further comprising a database coupled to the computing system, and the computing system is programmed to query the database to determine the corresponding action to perform in response to authentication.

10. The system in claim 1 , wherein the user attributes detected by the biometric device include at least one of finger prints, facial images, iris prints or voice recognition.

11. A method comprising:
detecting and discriminating between user attributes via a biometric device integrated with the handle portion of a shopping cart;
storing, via at least one RFID tag integrated in the shopping cart, biometric information associated with the user attributes;
communicating via at least one RFID reader, with the at least one RFID tag in response to the at least one RFID tag being with a range of the at least one RFID reader to transfer the biometric information stored in the RFID tag to the RFID reader; and
authenticating the user based on the biometric information received via the at least one RFID reader via a computing system operatively coupled to the at least one RFID reader.

12. The method in claim 11 , further comprising triggering, via the computing system, an action on an interactive display of the computing system in response to authentication of the user.

13. The method in claim 12 , wherein the action is based on a type of user attribute that is detected by the biometric device.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein a plurality of RFID tags are integrated in the handle portions and the plurality of RFID tags include the at least one RFID tag, a first RFID tag, and a second RFID tag.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
preventing the at least one RFID reader from reading the first RFID tag in response to the first RFID tag being covered by one of the digits of the user;
controlling, via the computing system, an interactive display of the computing system to perform one or more action on the interactive display, and
wherein the first and second RFID tags are disposed near a surface of the handle portion and are readable by the at least one RFID reader in response to the first and second RFID tags being with a range of the at least one RFID reader.

16. The method in claim 15 , wherein the action is one or more of scroll, input information, and make selections on the interactive display.

17. The method in claim 14 , further comprising:
reading, via the at least one RFID reader, the first RFID tag in response to a near-field component and far-field component being moved from a first position to a second position when the first RFID tag is within range of the at least one RFID reader;
controlling, via the computing system, an interactive display of the computing system to perform one or more action on the interactive display, and
wherein the first RFID tag includes far-filed component and the near-field component, the near-field component and far-field component being moveable with respect to each other between the first position in which the near-field component and far-field component are spaced away from each other and the second position in which the near-field component and far-field component are mechanically coupled to each other.

18. The method in claim 11 , wherein the handle portion includes discrete push buttons.

19. The method in claim 11 , query, via the computing system, a database coupled to the computing system to determine the corresponding action to perform in response to authentication.

20. The method in claim 11 , wherein the user attributes detected by the biometric device include at least one of finger prints, facial images, iris prints or voice recognition.

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Jones Nicholaus Adam
• Vasgaard Aaron
• Jones Matthew Allen

Classifications

• G06K9/00892

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06Q30/0609 Primary

  Qualifying participants for shopping transactions (payment transaction verification G06Q20/401) · CPC title

• B62B5/0096

  Identification of the cart or merchandise, e.g. by barcodes or radio frequency identification [RFID] · CPC title

• G06K9/00006

  Physics · mapped topic

• B62B3/1424 Primary

  Electronic display devices · CPC title