# US 2026/0065254 A1 · Store monitoring system, store monitoring apparatus, and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2026/0065254 A1 - Document ID: US20260065254A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 19/212,529 - Filed: 2025-05-19 - Published: 2026-03-05 - Earliest claimed: 2024-09-03 - Assignees: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yuichiro KAWABE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260065254A1 ## CPC - G06Q 20/208: {Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing} - G07G 3/003: {Anti-theft control (theft alarms G08B13/00)} - G06Q 20/203: {Inventory monitoring} - G07G 1/009: {the reader being an RFID reader} - G08B 13/2462: {Asset location systems combined with EAS (inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00)} - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G07G: REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract A store monitoring system includes a tag reader disposed in or near a shelf on which items with wireless tags are displayed, a point-of-sale terminal configured to acquire tag information from wireless tags attached to items and perform checkout processing on the items using the acquired tag information, and a store monitoring apparatus configured to acquire tag information from the tag reader, upon determining that first tag information previously received by the tag reader at a particular time has not been received by the tag reader for a predetermined time period since the particular time, store the first tag information in a memory, acquire tag information from the POS terminal, and upon determining that the first tag information is not in the tag information acquired by the tag reader within the predetermined time period, output an alert indicating an item associated with the first tag information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A store monitoring system comprising: a tag reader disposed in or near a shelf on which items with wireless tags are displayed, the tag reader being configured to periodically transmit signals to the wireless tags and receive tag information stored in each of the wireless tags, respectively; a point-of-sale (POS) terminal configured to acquire tag information from wireless tags attached to items and perform checkout processing on the items using the acquired tag information; and a store monitoring apparatus including: a memory that stores a program, and a processor configured to execute the program to: acquire tag information from the tag reader, upon determining that first tag information previously received by the tag reader at a particular time has not been received by the tag reader for a predetermined time period since the particular time, store the first tag information in the memory, acquire tag information from the POS terminal, and upon determining that the first tag information is not in the tag information acquired by the tag reader within the predetermined time period, output an alert indicating an item associated with the first tag information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The store monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising: a camera configured to capture images of the shelf and the items displayed on the shelf, wherein the processor executes the program to: acquire the images captured by the camera, and upon determining that the first tag information has not been acquired by the tag reader within the predetermined time period, identify an image captured before and an image captured after a time point at which the first tag information was most recently received by the tag reader. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The store monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein the processor executes the program to store in the memory the images captured before and after the time point association with the item corresponding to the first tag information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The store monitoring system according to claim 2, further comprising: a data storage apparatus configured to store the images captured by the camera. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The store monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising: a mobile terminal, wherein the alert indicates that the item associated with the first tag information is likely being stolen, and the alert is output to the mobile terminal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The store monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the tag information in each wireless tag is a code that identifies a type of commodity and the individual item with which the wireless tag associated. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The store monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless tags are radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. ### Claim 8 A store monitoring apparatus comprising: an interface circuit connectable to: a tag reader disposed in or near a shelf on which items with wireless tags are displayed, the tag reader being configured to periodically transmit signals to the wireless tags and receive tag information stored in each of the wireless tags, respectively, and a point-of-sale (POS) terminal configured to acquire tag information from wireless tags attached to items and perform checkout processing on the items using the acquired tag information; a memory that stores a program; and a processor configured to execute the program to: acquire tag information from the tag reader, upon determining that first tag information previously received by the tag reader at a particular time has not been received by the tag reader for a predetermined time period since the particular time, store the first tag information in the memory, acquire tag information from the POS terminal, and upon determining that the first tag information is not in the tag information acquired by the tag reader within the predetermined time period, output an alert indicating an item associated with the first tag information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The store monitoring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the interface circuit is connectable to a camera configured to capture images of the shelf and the items displayed on the shelf, and the processor executes the program to: acquire the images captured by the camera, and upon determining that the first tag information has not been acquired by the tag reader within the predetermined time period, identify an image captured before and an image captured after a time point at which the first tag information was most recently received by the tag reader. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The store monitoring apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor executes the program to store in the memory the images captured before and after the time point association with the item corresponding to the first tag information. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The store monitoring apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor executes the program to acquire the images from a data storage apparatus through the interface circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The store monitoring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor executes the program to control the interface circuit to output the alert to a mobile terminal, and the alert indicates that the item associated with the first tag information is likely being stolen. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The store monitoring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the tag information in each wireless tag is a code that identifies a type of commodity and the individual item with which the wireless tag associated. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The store monitoring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the wireless tags are radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores a program causing a computer to execute a method comprising: connecting to a tag reader disposed in or near a shelf on which items with wireless tags are displayed, the tag reader being configured to periodically transmit signals to the wireless tags and receive tag information stored in each of the wireless tags, respectively; acquiring the tag information from the tag reader, and upon determining that first tag information previously received by the tag reader at a particular time has not been received by the tag reader for a predetermined time period since the particular time, storing the first tag information in a memory; connecting to a point-of-sale (POS) terminal configured to acquire tag information from wireless tags attached to items and perform checkout processing on the items using the acquired tag information; and acquiring tag information from the POS terminal, and upon determining that the first tag information is not in the tag information acquired by the tag reader within the predetermined time period, outputting an alert indicating an item associated with the first tag information. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the method comprises: connecting to a camera configured to capture images of the shelf and the items displayed on the shelf; acquiring the images captured by the camera; and upon determining that the first tag information has not been acquired by the tag reader within the predetermined time period, identifying an image captured before and an image captured after a time point at which the first tag information was most recently received by the tag reader. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the method comprises: storing in the memory the images captured before and after the time point association with the item corresponding to the first tag information. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the method comprises: connecting to a data storage apparatus to acquire the images captured by the camera. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the alert indicates that the item associated with the first tag information is likely being stolen, and the alert is output to a mobile terminal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the tag information in each wireless tag is a code that identifies a type of commodity and the individual item with which the wireless tag associated.