Product display surface apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10360533-B2
Application number	US-201715608042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2017
Priority date	May 27, 2016
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A product display surface supports at least one product being offered for sale thereon. This product display surface has a weight-sensitive RFID tag associated therewith. This tag has at least one transmission element that moves with respect to a remaining portion of the tag as a function of weight being supported by the product display surface. So configured, the weight-sensitive RFID tag transmits at a first level when there are no products (or only a few products) on the product display surface and at a second level when there are at least a predetermined number of products on the product display surface, the first transmission level being less than the second transmission level. An RFID-tag reader reads the weight-sensitive RFID tag and a control circuit determines when the first product display surface lacks sufficient displayed inventory as a function, at least in part, of the weight-sensitive RFID tag's transmission strength.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least a first product display surface configured to support at least one product being offered for sale thereon, the product display surface having:
a weight-sensitive radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag associated therewith, the weight-sensitive RFID tag having at least one transmission element that moves with respect to a remaining portion of the weight-sensitive RFID tag as a function of varying weight being supported by the product display surface such that the weight-sensitive RFID tag transmits at a first signal strength level when there are no products on the product display surface and at a second signal strength level when there are at least a predetermined number of products on the product display surface, the first signal strength level being less than the second signal strength level; and
a non-weight-sensitive RFID tag associated therewith, wherein the non-weight-sensitive RFID tag transmits at a peak strength level when there are no products on the product display surface and at attenuated reduced effective strength levels when there is at least one product on the product display surface within a predetermined distance of the non-weight-sensitive RFID tag;

an RFID-tag reader configured to read the weight-sensitive RFID tag and the non-weight-sensitive RFID tag;
a control circuit operably coupled to the RFID-tag reader and configured to determine when the first product display surface lacks sufficient displayed inventory as a function, at least in part, of the weight-sensitive RFID tag's transmission strength and the non-weight-sensitive RFID tag's transmission strength.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first product display surface includes a plurality of the weight-sensitive RFID tags, and wherein the control circuit is configured to determine when the first product display surface lacks sufficient displayed inventory as a function, at least in part, of the transmission strength for at least two of the plurality of weight-sensitive RFID tags.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one transmission element moves with respect to the remaining portion of the weight-sensitive RFID tag by pivoting.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the at least one transmission element pivots with respect to the remaining portion of the weight-sensitive RFID tag about a hinge.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the weight-sensitive RFID tag comprises at least a first and second physically separate parts.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the first physically separate part includes the at least one transmission element and the second physically separate part includes the remaining portion of the weight-sensitive RFID tag.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the RFID-tag reader comprises a fixed-location RFID-tag reader.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the RFID-tag reader comprises a mobile RFID-tag reader.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the mobile RFID-tag reader comprises an autonomous mobile platform.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
determine when to determine when the first product display surface lacks sufficient displayed inventory as a function, at least in part, of a predetermined parameter.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the predetermined parameter comprises information regarding a rate of sales for the at least one product.

12. A method comprising:
by a control circuit that operably couples to a radio-frequency identification (RFID)-tag reader:
receiving information from the RFID-tag reader regarding:
a weight-sensitive RFID tag that is associated with a first product display surface that is configured to support at least one product being offered for sale thereon, the weight-sensitive RFID tag having at least one transmission element that moves with respect to a remaining portion of the weight-sensitive RFID tag as a function of varying weight being supported by the product display surface such that the weight-sensitive RFID tag transmits at a first signal strength level when there are no products on the product display surface and at a second signal strength level when there are at least a predetermined number of products on the product display surface, the first signal strength level being less than the second signal strength level; and
a non-weight-sensitive RFID tag that is associated with the first product display surface, wherein the non-weight-sensitive RFID tag transmits at a peak strength level when there are no products on the product display surface and at attenuated reduced effective strength levels when there is at least one product on the product display surface within a predetermined distance of the non-weight-sensitive RFID tag;

determining when the first product display surface lacks sufficient displayed inventory as a function, at least in part, of the weight-sensitive RFID tag's transmission strength and the non-weight-sensitive RFID tag's transmission strength.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein receiving the information from the RFID-tag reader regarding the weight-sensitive RFID tag that is associated with the first product display surface comprises receiving information regarding a plurality of the weight-sensitive RFID tags that are associated with the first product display surface.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein determining when the first product display surface lacks sufficient displayed inventory comprises determining when the first product display surface lacks sufficient displayed inventory as a function, at least in part, of the transmission strength for all of the plurality of weight-sensitive RFID tags.

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Atchley Michael D
• Thompson John P

Classifications

• G01G19/42

  for counting by weighing (G01G19/387 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04W4/20

  Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel · CPC title

• G06K7/10009

  sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves · CPC title

• G06K19/0716

  at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor · CPC title

• G06K19/0723

  the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs · CPC title