Merchandise event monitoring via wireless tracking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10657491-B2
Application number	US-201815885992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2018
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

Item movement is determined via wireless tracking using RFID data from at least one RFID reader. The RFID data associates RFID tag information with each antenna of the RFID reader that receives the tag information. At least one processer is configured to identify a first appearance of unique tag information in the RFID data. Items may be grouped when their first appearance in RFID data and their antenna association indicates that they first appear in a location within a predetermined amount of time, as indicated by RFID data, and/or when they have all moved from a previous location within a predetermined amount of time, as indicated by different RFID data. A group designation comprises the relevant unique tag information, which may be stored in memory along with a time stamp.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for determining item movement via wireless tracking comprising:
a plurality of RFID read zones in a facility;
a first RFID reader located in a first zone of the plurality of RFID read zones;
a second RFID reader located in a different non-overlapping zone of the plurality of RFID read zones from the first RFID reader;
a processing device communicatively coupled to the first RFID reader and the second RFID reader configured to:
receive first RFID data by the first RFID reader;
receive second RFID data by the second RFID reader, the second RFID data different than the first RFID data;
identify a first appearance of a first unique tag information in the first RFID data;
identify a second appearance of the first unique tag information in the second RFID data;
identify a first appearance of a second unique tag information in the second RFID data;
determine whether the second unique tag information appears in the first RFID data within a first period of time prior to the first appearance of the second unique tag information in the second RFID data;
designate, responsive to the second unique tag information appearing in the first RFID data within the first time period prior to the first appearance of the second unique tag information in the second RFID data, a group comprising the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information;
store in a memory a group designation including the first unique tag information the second unique tag information, a time corresponding to when the group is designated, and a first event indicator indicating formation of the group;
detect, during a second period of time, the first unique tag information in third RFID data, the third RFID data different than the first and second RFID data;
detect, during the second period of time, an absence of the second unique tag information in third RFID data; and
update, in the memory, the group designation including a time corresponding to the second period of time and a second event indicator indicating termination of the group.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing device further configured to:
trigger an alert based on the second event indicator.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the alert comprising a system notification, a message directed towards a specific user, a message sent via visual or audio alters throughout the facility.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing device further configured to:
filter the first RFID data to eliminate shadow data, wherein the shadow data includes duplicate RFID tag reads and ambiguous RFID tag reads due to signal interruptions.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing device further configured to:
analyze the second event indicator to identify a traffic flow pattern within the facility.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing device further configured to:
calculate a confidence score based on a comparison of the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information in the first RFID data and the second RFID data.

7. A method for determining item movement via wireless tracking comprising:
receiving, from a first RFID reader located in a first zone of a plurality of RFID read zones in a facility, first RFID data;
receiving, from a second RFID reader located in a different non-overlapping zone of the plurality of RFID read zones from the first RFID reader, second RFID data, wherein the second RFID data is different than the first RFID data;
identifying, by a processing device, a first appearance of a first unique tag information in the first RFID data;
identifying, by a processing device, a second appearance of the first unique tag information in the second RFID data;
identifying, by a processing device, a first appearance of a second unique tag information in the second RFID data;
determining, by a processing device, whether the second unique tag information appears in the first RFID data within a specified time prior to the first appearance of the second unique tag information in the second RFID data;
designating, by a processing device responsive to the second unique tag information appearing in the first RFID data within the first time period prior to the first appearance of the second unique tag information in the second RFID data, a group comprising the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information;
storing, by a processing device, in a memory, a group designation including the first unique tag information, the second unique tag information, a time corresponding to when the group is designated, and a first event indicator indicating formation of the group;
detecting, by a processing device, during a second period of time, the first unique tag information in a third RFID data, the third RFID data different than the first and second RFID data;
detecting, by a processing device, during the second period of time, an absence of the second unique tag information in third RFID data; and
updating, by a processing device, in the memory the group designation including a time corresponding to the second period of time and a second event indicator indicating termination of the group.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
triggering an alert based on the second event indicator.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the alert comprises a system notification, a message directed towards a specific user, a message sent via visual or audio alters throughout the facility.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
filtering the first RFID data to eliminate shadow data, wherein the shadow data includes duplicate RFID tag reads and ambiguous RFID tag reads due to signal interruptions.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
analyzing the second event indicator to identify a traffic flow pattern within the facility.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
calculating a confidence score based on a comparison of the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information in the first RFID data and the second RFID data.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium, having stored thereon, instructions that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a first RFID reader located in a first zone of a plurality of RFID read zones in a facility, a first RFID data;
receiving, from a second RFID reader located in a different non-overlapping zone of the plurality of RFID read zones from the first RFID reader, a second RFID data, wherein the second RFID data is different than the first RFID data;
identifying, by a processing device, a first appearance of a first unique tag information in the first RFID data;
identifying, by a processing device, a second appearance of the first unique tag information in the second RFID data;
identifying, by a processing device, a first appearance of a second unique tag information in the second RFID data;
determining, by a processing device, whether the second unique tag information appears in the first RFID data within a first time period prior to the first appearance of the second unique tag information in the second RFID data;
designating, by a processing device responsive to the second unique tag information appearing in the first RFID data within the first time period prior to the first appearance of the second unique tag information in the second RFID data, a group comprising the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information;
storing, by a processing device, in a memory a group designation including the first unique tag information, the sec

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Stiefel Thomas E
• Jones Nicholaus Adam
• Wilkinson Bruce W

Classifications

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06K7/10366

  the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications · CPC title

• G06K7/10475

  arrangements to facilitate interaction with further interrogation devices, e.g. such that at least two interrogation devices may function and cooperate in a network of such devices · CPC title

• G06Q10/08 Primary

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title

• G08B13/14

  by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles · CPC title