Symbol Technologies, LLC

Zebra Technologies Corporation

Motorola Corporation

Other

Zih Corporation

Symbol Technologics, Inc.

Thomas E Wulff

David E Bellows

Russell Calvarese

Mark William Duron

JaeHo Choi

Curt D Croley

Sean A Connolly

Rehan K Jaffri

Sean D Marvel

Alistair Robert Hamilton

Richard J Lavery

Sudhir Bhatia

Azer Ilkhanov

Timothy B Austin

Robert I Sandler

Robert Sanders

Richard T Knadle

Robert A Spano

Ron Zancola

Edward D Barkan

Mark E Drzymala

Darran Michael Handshaw

David P Goren

Christopher Warren Brock

James R Giebel

Edward M Voli

Daniella Strat

Tim Austin

Marco P Orlassino

Russell E Calvarese

Miklos Stern

Carl A Thelemann

Eric M Johnson

Yuri Astvatsaturov

Shane E MacGregor

Kevin Cordes

Nicole Daphne Tricoukes

Charles Lauria

Ian D Chamberlin

Patrick B Tilley

Patrick S Riechel

Mitchell Maiman

Joseph R White

Tine Berentzen

Michael Steele

Carl Degiovine

Jaeho Choi

Jimmy Chabra

Brian Viscount

Mark E Wheeler

Dana C DeMeo

David Stern

Justin Hotard

LuoSheng Chen

Robert Sandler

David Bellows

Asset tracking equipment housing

At least some embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of product scanning systems and arrangements used within a retail venue. In an embodiment, the present invention is a data capture system that includes a scanner pod housing a plurality of scanners, each configured to capture product data; a data capture module communicatively coupled to the scanner pod, the first data capture module configured to capture, via a mobile device associated with a customer, customer data; and a server communicatively coupled to at least one of the scanner pod and the first data capture module, the server being configured to, upon the first data capture module capturing the customer data associated with the customer, associate one of the plurality of scanners with at least one of the customer and the customer data associated with the customer, resulting in an associated data capture device.

Systems and methods for data capture device selection from within data capture device repository

In an embodiment, the present invention is a device locationing system operable to dynamically determine the presence of keep-out zones within a venue, and thereafter adjust positional data obtained through the device based on the presence of the previously detected keep-out zones.

Systems and methods for locating devices in venues

At least some embodiments described herein relate to the field of product scanning systems and arrangements used within a retail venue. In an embodiment, the present invention is a system including: a barcode reader repository having docking stations each with a power connector and a lock; barcode readers docked at and locked by the docking stations, each receiving an electrical charge from the respective power connector; a data acquisition assembly configured to capture and decode a symbol associated with an operator profile, and forward the decoded data for further processing; and a server configured to: receive the decoded data; responsively select one of the plurality of barcode readers resulting in a selected barcode reader; transmit, an unlock signal to the lock locking the selected barcode reader to enable removal; and transmit a beacon signal to activate a beacon that is indicative of a physical location of the selected barcode reader.

Product scanning systems

A method and apparatus for locating a moving target in a venue and for capturing a sequenced timeline of target directed images is described. Target sensing stations having a wide-angle video camera, such as a 180&#xb0; video camera, are positioned within the venue. Each sensing station includes a sensing unit, such as radio frequency identification (RFID) transceiver unit, that determines a location and/or direction of travel of the target. The sensing station correlates the RFID transceiver information with the wide-angle video camera to specifically filter and process a video stream from the camera, producing target directed image snapshots from the stream that are assembled at a centralized controller into the sequenced timeline images that may be used in monitoring target movement and to establish location chain for prevention of unauthorized movement.

RFID directed video snapshots capturing targets of interest

Systems and methods are described for detecting theft events based on a dynamically updating high-shrink electronic item library. In various aspects, a server is associated with an onsite venue containing several items. The server is in communication with an electronic item library, where the server dynamically updates the electronic item library based on theft events associated with items of the onsite venue. The server further associates one or more shrink categories of the electronic item library with the items, where one of the shrink categories may be a high-shrink category. Detector station(s), located within the onsite venue, are configured to track a high-shrink item within the onsite venue, where the high-shrink item belongs to a high-shrink category of the electronic item library.

Reduction of theft in a venue based on a dynamically updated high-shrink item library

Theft of an item from a department of a venue having a department-specific, point-of-sale (POS) station for completing a transaction of the item prior to authorized removal of the item from the department, is deterred by sensing and tracking movement of a target associated with the item from the department by deploying a plurality of sensing units overhead at the venue, and by generating an alert when the sensing units sense and track that the target associated with the item has bypassed the department-specific POS station without the transaction having been completed for the item at the department-specific POS station. Security personnel execute a theft-deterrent action in response to the alert.

System for and method of deterring theft of items from a venue

In an embodiment, the present invention is a shrink event detection system for use within a venue. The system includes a server associated with a venue containing a plurality of items, the server including one or more processors, and a shrink event detection subsystem. The shrink event detection subsystem is operable to: detect a theft event of a stolen item; backtrack from the theft event of the stolen item to recognize at least one attribute related to the theft event; and record the at least one attribute in a tracking database, the tracking database being accessible by the server. The system is configured such that the server, via the one or more processors, generates a shrink event template based at least in part of the at least one attribute in the tracking database.

Systems and methods for retracing shrink events

Ultrasonic transmitters periodically transmit ultrasonic ranging signals, and an ultrasonic receiver receives the ultrasonic ranging signals on a mobile device in order to locate the mobile device in a venue. A controller determines a noise level in the venue, and varies a sound level of the periodically ranging signals based on the determined noise level, thereby optimizing the position of the mobile device.

Arrangement for, and method of, accurately locating products in a noisy venue

Systems and methods for product reader control are described. In various aspects, the product reader control is enhanced with image sensor(s) for steering product reader(s) to determine product attributes associated with scanned products. The product reader control system and methods may capture, with the image sensor(s), one or more images associated with a product. The product may have a product identifier and the product may be located within an onsite venue. Based on the detection of the product identifier in the image(s), a first product reader may be steered in a direction of the product, where the first product reader is located within the onsite venue with the product. The first product reader may scan the product such that the scanning determines at least one attribute associated with the product.

Systems and methods for steering one or more product readers and determining product attributes

Systems and methods for identifying new radio frequency identification (RFID) tag events within a particular vicinity of an RFID reader are described. In various aspects, a processor causes image sensors to capture a first set and a second set of video images, where the first set depicts a first RFID tag environment and the second set depicts a second RFID tag environment. The first RFID tag environment is static without a person moving within the first RFID tag environment and the second RFID tag environment is active with at least one person moving within the second RFID tag environment. An environment database may be generated and updated with static analytic information and active analytic information based on the first set and second set of video images, respectively. The processor may determine a RFID tag event based upon the static analytic information and the active analytic information.

Systems and methods for point-of-sale detection with image sensors for identifying new radio frequency identification (RFID) tag events within a vicinity of an RFID reader

Systems and methods for adaptively optimizing RFID-based POS performance are described. In various aspects, one or more processors and one or more image sensors are configured to aggregate images, where the images are captured by the image sensor(s) and where the image sensor(s) are associated with an RFID reader. A first density value and a second density value may be determined based on the image(s), where each of the first density value and the second density value is associated with a respective a first or second set of individuals, or a first or second set of products, located within a respective first and second POS lane. The second POS lane is positioned adjacent to the first POS lane. The first density value and the second density value are used to update a reader parameter associated with the RFID reader to optimize the RFID reader.

Systems and method to adaptively optimize RFID-based point-of-sale performance

A method and apparatus for determining the position of a RFID tag. The method includes the following: (1) measuring the position of an active device to an accuracy of better than 1.0 meter using a radio locating system to determine the position of a reference point; (2) detecting a first RF signal from a reference RFID tag near the reference point with an RF receiver in an RFID reading system; (3) detecting a second RF signal from a RFID tag of interest with the RF receiver in the RFID reading system; and (4) processing both the first RF signal and the second RF signal and relying upon at least partially the position of the reference point to determine the position of the RFID tag of interest.

RFID tag locationing using dynamic beacon tag association

Growing community of inventors

North Patchogue, NY, United States of America

Thomas E Wulff