System and method for mobile device self-checkout for retail transactions with loss protection
The disclosure relates to mobile device retail self-checkout with incorporated theft detection system and methods thereof. Aspects of the invention employ asset tracking, mobile phone scanning and self-checkout in a retail environment. Specifically, a mobile device application in communication with a transaction system has to capacity to complete unassisted self-checkouts. Other aspects include providing a transaction system using a mobile device application interfacing therewith. Additionally, the present invention has the capacity to interface with existing anti-theft technologies, such as, RFID or similar RF tagging and reading which can determine thefts and process exceptions of unique items.
1. A method of reducing a risk of loss of an article of merchandise from a retail establishment using a server in communication with a network, the method comprising:
affixing to said article of merchandise a plurality of labels including an optical label encoded with an optical label identifier and a radio frequency identification (RFID) label encoded with a RFID label identifier, said optical label readable by an optical reader or scanner and said RFID label readable by a RFID reader or scanner;
recording said optical label identifier, said RFID label identifier and information regarding said article of merchandise in a data store accessible by said server so that said article of merchandise is associated with both said optical label identifier and said RFID label identifier;
in said server, receiving from a customer mobile device equipped with an optical label reader or scanner, said optical label identifier;
in said server, querying an item data store using said optical label identifier to determine if the article of merchandise associated with said optical label identifier is available for sale;
in response to an indication from the item data store that the article of merchandise is available for sale, in said server:
transmitting product information to the customer mobile device, said product information including at least a price of said article of merchandise;
receiving from the customer mobile device, over said network, information enabling payment for the article of merchandise so as to effect a sale of said article of merchandise; and
updating said item data store to reflect that the article of merchandise is sold;
in response to an indication from the item data store that the article of merchandise is not found in said item data store, in said server:
querying a master product database to determine if a first item type code for the article of merchandise matches a second item type code for at least one other article of merchandise in the master product database; and
transmitting an alert or a message to the customer mobile device, the alert or message indicating that the article of merchandise is an unknown article of merchandise;
with an exit RFID reader in communication with the item data store, determining whether to activate a security alert when the article of merchandise enters a read range of the exit RFID reader, the determining comprising:
interrogating the RFID label on the article of merchandise to read the RFID label identifier associated with the RFID label;
transmitting a request from the exit RFID reader to the server, over said network, to determine a label state of the article of merchandise, the request including at least a portion of the RFID label identifier that includes a unique identifier for the article of merchandise;
in response to a first indication from the server that the article of merchandise has been sold, deactivating the RFID label to thereby deactivate the security alert for the article of merchandise;
in response to a second indication from the server that the article of merchandise has not been sold, the exit RFID reader activating the security alert for the article of merchandise; and
in response to a third indication from the server that the unique identifier does not exist in the item data store and that the first item type code for the article of merchandise matches the second item type code for the at least one other article of merchandise in the master product database, the exit RFID reader activating the security alert for the article of merchandise.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting a message over the network to the customer mobile device if the article of merchandise is not available for sale.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the message is transmitted if the article of merchandise is in an ACTIVE state.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the optical label includes a quick read (QR) code.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the QR code includes an electronic product code (EPC) for the product.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, over said network, a command to deactivate said RFID label responsive to a sale of said article of merchandise as reflected in said item data store.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the command is transmitted by an RFID antenna located in the retail store, the RFID antenna in communication with said RFID label.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the command includes a KILL command.
9. The method of claim 1 , said optical label identifier and said RFID label identifier comprising a same unique identification number.
10. The method of claim 1 , said optical label identifier and said RFID label identifier comprising different identification numbers that correspond to one another in a one-to-one fashion, and are each uniquely associated with said same article of merchandise, so that one such identification number can be used to determine the other.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising updating said item data store once said article of merchandise is sold to reflect that the item is in a SOLD status.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein updating the item data store further prevents a security alarm from being activated in connection with said article of merchandise.
13. A method of operating a system having an exit radio frequency identification (RFID) reader and a server in communication with a network to reduce a risk of loss of an article of merchandise from a retail establishment, the article of merchandise having affixing thereto a plurality of labels including an optical label and a RFID label, the optical label encoded with an optical label identifier, the RFID label encoded with a RFID label identifier, said optical label readable by an optical reader or scanner and said RFID label readable by a RFID reader or scanner, the method comprising:
recording said optical label identifier, said RFID label identifier and information regarding said article of merchandise in a data store accessible by said server so that said article of merchandise is associated with both said optical label identifier and said RFID label identifier;
in said server, receiving from a customer mobile device equipped with an optical label reader or scanner, said optical label identifier;
in said server, querying an item data store using said optical label identifier to determine if the article of merchandise associated with said optical label identifier is available for sale;
in response to an indication from the item data store that the article of merchandise is available for sale, in said server:
transmitting product information to the customer mobile device, said product information including at least a price of said article of merchandise;
receiving from the customer mobile device, over said network, information enabling payment for the article of merchandise so as to effect a sale of said article of merchandise; and
updating said item data store to reflect that the article of merchandise is sold;
in response to an indication from the item data store that the article of merchandise is not found in said item data store, in said server:
querying a master product database to determine if a first item type code for the article of merchandise matches a second item type code for at least one other article of merchandise in the master product database; and
transmitting an alert or a message to the customer mobile device, the alert or message indicating that the article of merchandise is an unknown article of merchandise;
with said exit RFID reader, determining whether to activate a security alert when the article of merchandise enters a read range of the exit RFID reader, the determining comprising:
interrogating the RFID label on the article of merchandise to read the RFID label identifier associated with the RFID label;
transmitting a request from the exit RFID reader to the server, over said network, to determine a label state of the article of merchandise, the request including at least a portion of the RFID label identifier that includes a unique identifier for the article of merchandise;
in response to a first indication from the server that the article of merchandise has been sold, deactivating the RFID label to thereby deactivate the security alert for the article of merchandise;
in response to a second indication from the server that the article of merchandise has not been sold, the exit RFID reader activating the security alert for the article of merchandise; and
in response to a third indication from the server that the unique identifier does not exist in the item data store and that the first item type code for the article of merchandise matches the second item type code for the at least one other article of merchandise in the master product database, the exit RFID reader activating the security alert for the article of merchandise.