Device and method for adaptive cycle counting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016210586-A1
Application number	US-201614997936-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 18, 2016
Priority date	Jan 19, 2015
Publication date	Jul 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system may include a plurality of wireless communication tags associated with corresponding items at a location, a counting device configured to communicate with the tags to perform a counting operation associated with inventory information related to the items, and a count controller operably coupled to the counting device. The count controller may receive information indicative of count cycle frequency factors and may be configured to determine a count cycle frequency to be employed at the counting device. The count controller may receive updated count cycle frequency factors. The count cycle frequency may be updated based on the updated count cycle frequency factors.

First claim

1 . A system comprising:
a plurality of wireless communication tags associated with corresponding items at a location; a counting device configured to communicate with the tags to perform a counting operation associated with the items; and a count controller operably coupled to the counting device, the count controller receiving information indicative of count cycle frequency factors and being configured to determine a count cycle frequency to be employed at the counting device, wherein the count controller receives updated count cycle frequency factors, and wherein the count cycle frequency is updated based on the updated count cycle frequency factors.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the counting device corn a fixed device.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the counting device automatically performs a plurality of subsequent counting operations at a frequency determined by the count cycle frequency.

4 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the counting device comprises a mobile device or a handheld device.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the count controller communicates a notification of the count cycle frequency to the counting device responsive to determination of the count cycle frequency.

6 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the count controller communicates a notification of the count cycle frequency to a communication device of an operator responsive to determination of the count cycle frequency.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the count cycle frequency factors comprise a plurality of components including at least a first component associated with temporal information and a second component associated with at least one of inventor change information, historical information, or product information.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the first and second components are each assigned a corresponding weighting factor.

9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein a cumulative count cycle frequency value is determined based on the first and second components, and wherein the count cycle frequency is determined based on adjusting a starting point defined between an upper boundary value and a lower boundary value by an amount based on the cumulative count cycle frequency value.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the count controller is configured to determine the count cycle frequency for the location or for a particular product type at the location.

11 . A count controller of a wireless inventory counting system, the count controller being operably coupled with a counting device configured to communicate with tags on items to perform a counting operation associated with the items, the count controller comprising processing circuitry configured to:
receive information indicative of count cycle frequency factors; determine a count cycle frequency to be employed at the counting device; receive updated count cycle frequency factors; and update the count cycle frequency based on the updated count cycle frequency factors.

17 . The count controller of claim 11 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to communicate a notification of the count cycle frequency to the counting device responsive to determination of the count cycle frequency.

13 . The count controller of claim 11 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to communicate a notification of the count cycle frequency to a communication device of an operator responsive to determination of the count cycle frequency.

14 . The count controller of claim 11 , wherein the count cycle frequency factors comprise a plurality of components including at least a first component associated with temporal information and a second component associated with at least one of inventory change information, historical information, or product information.

15 . The count controller of claim 14 , wherein the first and second components are each assigned a corresponding weighting factor.

16 . The count controller of claim 14 , wherein a cumulative count cycle frequency value is determined based on the first and second components, and wherein the count cycle frequency is determined based on adjusting a stalling point defined between an upper boundary value and a lower boundary value by an amount based on the cumulative count cycle frequency value.

17 . The count controller of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the count cycle frequency for a given location or for a particular product type.

18 . A method comprising:
receiving information indicative of count cycle frequency factors; determining a count cycle frequency to be employed at the counting device; receiving updated count cycle frequency factors; and updating the count cycle frequency based on the updated count cycle frequency factors.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising communicating a notification of the count cycle frequency to the counting device responsive to determination of the count cycle frequency.

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising communicating a notification of the count cycle frequency to a communication device of an operator responsive to determination of the count cycle frequency.

Assignees

• Checkpoint Systems Inc

Inventors

• Morrow Philip Word
• Chandershaker Ghali Venkata Sarath
• Nachimuthu Palaniappan

Classifications

• G06Q10/087 Primary

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

• G06Q10/08772 Primary

  Inventory counting methods · CPC title

• G06M1/27

  for representing the result of count in the form of electric signals, e.g. by sensing markings on the counter drum · CPC title

• G06M9/00 Primary

  Counting of objects in a stack thereof · CPC title