Merchandise event monitoring via wireless tracking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9443218-B2
Application number	US-201313862354-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

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 processor 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 method of monitoring a group merchandise event via wireless tracking comprising:
receiving first RFID data from a first RFID reader comprising at least one first antenna, wherein the first RFID data associates first tag information of a first RFID tag with the at least one first antenna that read the first tag information;
receiving second RFID data from a second RFID reader comprising at least one second antenna, wherein the second RFID data associates second tag information of a second RFID tag with the at least one second antenna that read the second tag information;
identifying, by a processor in communication with the first RFID reader and the second RFID reader, a first appearance of first unique tag information in the first RFID data;
identifying, by the processor, an appearance of the first unique tag information in the second RFID data prior to the first appearance of the first unique tag information in the first RFID data;
identifying, by the processor, a first appearance of second unique tag information in the first RFID data within a predetermined time of the first appearance of the first unique tag information in the first RFID data;
checking, by the processor, for an appearance of the second unique tag information in the second RFID data prior to the first appearance of the second unique tag information in the first RFID data;
designating, by the processor, in response to the appearance of the second unique tag information in the second RFID data prior to the first appearance of the second unique tag information in the first RFID data is found, a first group comprising the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information;
storing in memory a first group designation including the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information, a first time index indicating a time when the first group is designated, and a first event indicator indicating formation of a first group;
checking, by the processor, the first RFID data for an appearance of the first unique tag information and for an appearance of the second unique tag information; and
storing, in memory, in response to both the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information appearing in the first RFID data for a second predetermined time, (i) the first group designation including the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information, (ii) a second time index indicating a time when the first group is terminated, and (iii) a second event indicator indicating the termination of the first group.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
checking, by the processor, the first RFID data for an appearance of the first unique tag information and for an appearance of the second unique tag information; and
storing, in memory, in response to the first RFID data no appearance of either the first unique tag information or the second unique tag information for a second predetermined time limit, the first group designation, a second time index, and a second event indicator, wherein the second event indicator indicates the termination of the first group.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, by the processor, a first appearance of first unique tag information in a third RFID data;
identifying, by the processor, a first appearance of second unique tag information in a fourth RFID data;
checking, by the processor, for an appearance of the first unique tag information in the fourth RFID data;
checking, by the processor, for an appearance of the second unique tag information in the third RFID data;
terminating the first group comprising the first unique tag information and the second unique tag information in response to the third RFID data comprising no appearance of the second unique tag information and the fourth RFID data comprises no appearance of the first unique tag information for a second predetermined time limit; and
storing in memory the first group designation, a second event indicator, and a second time index, wherein the second event indicator indicates the termination of the first group.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving third RFID data from a third RFID reader comprising at least one third antenna configured to read tag information of an RFID tag, wherein the third RFID data associates tag information with the at least one third antenna that read the tag information, wherein the at least one third antenna and the at least one first antenna have non-overlapping read zones;
identifying, by the processor, a first appearance of first unique tag information and a first appearance of second unique tag information in the third RFID data within a second predetermined time; and
checking whether the first appearance of first unique tag information in the third RFID data occurred within a second predetermined time of the first appearance of the second unique tag information in the third RFID data; and
checking whether the first appearances in the third RFID data occurred within a third predetermined time of an appearance of the first unique tag information or the second unique tag information in the first RFID data; and
if the first appearances in the third RFID data occurred within the second predetermined time and the third predetermined time, storing in memory the first group designation, a second time index, and a second event indicator that indicates a group movement.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising: calculating by at least one processor a confidence score based on a comparison of the appearances of the tag information in the first RFID data, and the second RFID data.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
analyzing, by the processor, a plurality of second event indicators to identify a traffic flow pattern within a facility.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
triggering, by the processor, an alert based on the second event indicator.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: transmitting the alert to an inventory management system.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein triggering an alert further comprises:
triggering, by the processor, an alert based on the second event indicator and the tag information of the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
filtering, by the processor, the first RFID data to eliminate shadow data.

11. A system for determining item movement via wireless tracking comprising:
a first RFID reader having at least one first antenna configured for receiving RFID tag information, the first RFID reader generating first RFID data that associates first tag information of a first RFID tag with each of the at least one first antenna that reads the first tag information;
a second RFID reader having at least one second antenna configured for receiving RFID data, the second RFID reader generating second RFID data that associates second tag information of a second RFID tag with each of the at least one second antenna that reads the second tag information;
at least one processor in communication with the first RFID reader and the second RFID reader and configured to:
receive the first RFID data and the second RFID data; to identify a first appearance of first unique tag information in the first RFID data;
identify an appearance of the first unique tag information in the second RFID data prior to the first appearance of first unique tag information in the first RFID data;
identify a first appearance of second unique tag information in the first RFID data within a predetermined time of the first appearance of the first unique tag information in the first RFID data;
check for a

Assignees

• Wal Mart Stores Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• 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

• G06Q10/087 Primary

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

• G06K2017/0045

  Physics · mapped topic