Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Walmart Apollo, LLC

Justin C Lewis

Nicholaus Adam Jones

Richard Ulrich

Matthew M Lowrie

Jason Todd

Tim Webb

John F Neal

Ryan Cox

Richard B Ulrich

In some embodiments, a method and apparatus involve: providing a plurality of products that are each associated with a respective radio frequency identification tag; using radio frequency identification technology to automatically identify specific products in a group of products collected by a shopper; and evaluating whether or not to obtain payment from the shopper based on the radio frequency identification of products in the group. Based on the result of the evaluation, either payment is obtained from the shopper on the basis of the radio frequency identification of products in the group, or else the products in the group are audited, and then payment is obtained on the basis of the products identified by the audit.

Method and apparatus for automated shopper checkout using radio frequency identification technology

A method and apparatus involve: providing a plurality of products that are each associated with a respective radio frequency identification tag; using radio frequency identification technology to automatically identify specific products in a group of products collected by a shopper; and evaluating whether or not to obtain payment from the shopper based on the radio frequency identification of products in the group. Based on the result of the evaluation, either payment is obtained from the shopper on the basis of the radio frequency identification of products in the group, or else the products in the group are audited, and then payment is obtained on the basis of the products identified by the audit.

An RFID tag includes a tag-type identifier. This tag-type identifier can represent data encoder-relevant tag-type information and/or printer-relevant tag-type information as desired. This identifier can comprise an optical or electronic code such as a numeric, binary, or hexadecimal code. This code can be stored within the RFID tag's integrated circuit (for example, within the integrated circuit's stored EPC field). These teachings also provide for recovering from an unassigned RFID tag its tag-type identifier and using that tag-type identifier to facilitate automatically processing the RFID tag when assigning the RFID tag to a corresponding item. This can comprise utilizing the tag-type identifier to determine corresponding assignment-facilitation information to use when assigning the RFID tag. Examples in these regards, include, for example, an RFID tag encoder power setting or position, a printer setting, or a label layout.

Method and apparatus pertaining to RFID tag tag-type identifiers

An RFID Point-of-Sale system for completing a sale transaction to a customer of a plurality of items associated with a plurality of unique RFID tags at a store includes an arrangement of a plurality of RFID tag scanners for detecting the plurality of unique RFID tags associated with the plurality of items, and a checkout platform including a transaction panel, wherein a list of the plurality of items is displayed on the transaction panel based on a matching of the detected plurality of unique RFID tags with information stored in an inventory database.

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Bentonville, AR, United States of America

Justin C Lewis