System for detecting unauthorized store exit events using signals detected by shopping cart wheels units
AssigneeGatekeeper Systems, Inc.
InventorsStephen E. Hannah, Scott J. Carter, Jesse Michael James
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle tracking system includes a wheel unit containing circuitry capable of sensing various types of conditions, such as specific electromagnetic and/or magnetic signals indicative of particular wheel locations. The wheel units communicate with fixed nodes of a monitoring system. In some embodiments, the wheel units are placed on shopping carts and are used to determine whether particular shopping carts are authorized to exit a store. For example, if a shopping cart that has not passed through a checkout lane is approaching a store exit, the system may activate a shopping cart braking unit, and/or initiate another action to inhibit push-out theft.
Claims30
A system for detecting unauthorized shopping cart exits from a store, the system comprising:
- a plurality of shopping cart wheel units, each shopping cart wheel unit attached to a respective shopping cart, each shopping cart wheel unit including a wireless communication system and a controller;
- a plurality of signal emitters, each signal emitter corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of checkout areas of the store, each signal emitter positioned relative to the respective checkout area to enable the shopping cart wheel units to detect entry of the respective shopping carts into the checkout area;
- and
- a monitoring system that communicates bi-directionally with the shopping cart wheel units;
- wherein the shopping cart wheel units are configured use signals emitted by the signal emitters to detect entry of the corresponding shopping carts into the checkout areas, and wherein each shopping cart wheel unit is configured to transmit, to the monitoring system, information reflective of whether the shopping cart wheel unit has detected entry into a checkout lane area, the shopping cart wheel units thereby enabling the monitoring system to assess whether particular shopping carts are authorized to exit the store.
The system of 1, wherein the monitoring system is configured to determine whether a shopping cart that is approaching a store exit is authorized to exit the store based at least partly on whether the shopping cart's wheel unit has detected entry into a shopping cart area.
An automated method of detecting unauthorized shopping cart exits from a store, the method comprising:
- providing, on each of a plurality of shopping carts, a respective shopping cart wheel unit that includes a wireless communication system and a controller;
- providing a signal emitter at a checkout area of the store, said signal emitter positioned to enable the shopping cart wheel units to detect entry of the respective shopping carts into the checkout area;
- detecting checkout area entry events in which a shopping cart enters the checkout area, said detecting comprising the shopping cart wheel units detecting a signal emitted from the signal emitter;
- receiving information from the shopping cart wheel units over a radio frequency data link, said information reflective of the detected checkout area entry events;
- and
- automatically determining whether particular shopping carts are authorized to exit the store based at least partly on the detected checkout area entry events.
Non-transitory computer storage having stored thereon executable program code that directs a computing system to detect unauthorized shopping cart exit events by at least:
- determining whether a shopping cart has entered a checkout area of a store based on whether a wheel unit of the shopping cart has received a signal emitted from a signal emitter located at the checkout area;
- detecting, based on wireless communications between the wheel unit and a wireless transceiver positioned proximate to an exit of the store, that the shopping cart has approached the exit of the store;
- and
- determining, based at least partly on the determination of whether the shopping cart has entered a checkout area, whether the shopping cart is authorized to exit the store.
A system for detecting unauthorized shopping cart exits from a store, the system comprising:
- a plurality of shopping cart wheel units, each shopping cart wheel unit attached to a respective shopping cart, each shopping cart wheel unit including a wireless transceiver, a VLF (Very Low Frequency) receiver, and a controller coupled to the wireless transceiver and the VLF receiver;
- a plurality of VLF signal emitters, each VLF signal emitter corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of checkout areas of the store, each VLF signal emitter positioned relative to the respective checkout area to enable the shopping cart wheel units to detect entry of the respective shopping carts into the checkout area;
- and
- a monitoring system that communicates bi-directionally with the wireless transceivers of the shopping cart wheel units;
- wherein each shopping cart wheel unit is configured to use its VLF receiver to receive the VLF signals emitted by the VLF signal emitters, and is configured to use at least the received VLF signals emitted by the VLF signal emitters to determine whether the corresponding shopping cart is authorized to exit the store;
- and
- wherein each shopping cart wheel unit is configured to use its wireless transceiver to transmit status information to the monitoring system, including status information reflective of unauthorized store exit events.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.