In-store interaction and location system for interfacing users with products

1. An in-store interaction and location system, comprising:

at least one RF backscatter transmitter, hosted on a device, configured to emit a Radio Frequency (RF) signal on a frequency;

a set of passive RF backscatter tags, each associated with a respective one of a plurality of products in a given store area and configured to reflect and frequency shift the RF signal to a different frequency; and

at least one RF backscatter receiver, hosted on another device, configured to read the plurality of products on the different frequency by detecting a distributed ambient backscatter signal generated by a reflection and frequency shifting of the RF signal by the passive RF backscatter tag,

wherein at least one device selected from the group consisting of the device hosting the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the other device hosting the at least one RF backscatter receiver is configured to maintain an inventory and a location of the plurality of products in the given store area and provide the inventory and location to a user device, and

wherein the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the at least one RF backscatter receiver coordinate usage of multiple channels for backscattering, with at least one of the multiple channels configured for transmission and at least one of remaining channel from among the multiple channels configured for reception, and wherein the passive RF backscatter tag comprises a passive non-linear device to generate a mixed frequency detected as the distributed ambient backscatter signal on the at least one of the remaining channels.

2. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein the backscatter tag is configured to frequency shift and backscatter the RF signal from the at least one RF backscatter transmitter onto a different orthogonal channel for reception by the receiver.

3. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein a transmission from the at least one RF backscatter transmitter comprises a signal required for shifting the frequency of the distributed ambient backscatter signal by the passive tag.

4. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein the passive backscatter tag is configured to backscatter the RF signal simultaneously on a first band used by the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and a second band that is orthogonal to the first band and used by the at least one RF backscatter receiver.

5. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the at least one RF backscatter receiver are hosted in a same mobile or stationary device in a mono-static configuration.

6. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the at least one RF backscatter receiver are hosted on two separate devices in a bi-static configuration.

7. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein the passive RF backscatter tags store information relevant to a product or a place, and modulate the RF signal to convey the information to the at least one RF backscatter receiver.

8. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the at least one RF backscatter receiver are embodied in existing re-purposed devices having a primary purpose other than tagging products.

9. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one RF backscatter receiver is configured to infer its location based on locations of products in proximity having the passive RF backscatter tags read by the at least one RF backscatter receiver.

10. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 9 , wherein the location of the at least one RF backscatter receiver indicates the location of a user, at which customer assistance can be requested.

11. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 9 , where user interest in specific products, as indicated through a software application, is used to filter the tagged products read in a vicinity of a user and provide relevant product information to the user.

12. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 9 , where user interest in a particular one of the plurality of products is used to show a location of the particular one of the plurality of products relative to a location of a user on a store map application, along with a navigation trajectory to reach the particular one of the plurality of products.

13. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein the device hosting the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the other device hosting the at least one RF backscatter receiver are configured and coordinated through a software application made available on a user smart device.

14. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 13 , wherein the software application is provided by a retailer, and wherein the set of passive RF backscatter tags are deployed on the plurality of products by one or more entities selected from the group consisting of a distribution center operator, fulfillment center operator and a retailer.

15. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein at least one device selected from the group consisting of the device hosting the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the other device hosting the at least one RF backscatter receiver is configured to take inventory and identify when an amount of a given one of the plurality of products is below a threshold level, responsive to the distributed ambient backscatter signal.

16. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein at least one device selected from the group consisting of the device hosting the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the other device hosting the at least one RF backscatter receiver is configured to identify a location misplacement condition of any of the plurality of products responsive to the distributed ambient backscatter signal and a mapping of correct product locations.

17. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein at least one device selected from the group consisting of the device hosting the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the other device hosting the at least one RF backscatter receiver is configured to provide an out-of-stock indication at a retailer-selectable frequency responsive to the distributed ambient backscatter signal.

18. The in-store interaction and location system of claim 1 , wherein at least one device selected from the group consisting of the device hosting the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the other device hosting the at least one RF backscatter receiver is configured to automatically mine an interest profile and context information of the plurality of products based on user dwell time to improve a performance of a product recommendation system and inventory management system.

19. A method for maintaining an in-store interaction and location information, comprising:

emitting, by at least one RF backscatter transmitter hosted on a device, a Radio Frequency (RF) signal on a frequency;

reflecting and frequency shifting, by a passive RF backscatter tag associated with a product, the RF signal to a different frequency;

reading, by at least one RF backscatter receiver, the product on the different frequency by detecting a distributed ambient backscatter signal generated by a reflection and frequency shifting of the RF signal by the passive RF backscatter tag;

maintaining, by at least one device selected from the group consisting of the device hosting the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the other device hosting the at least one RF backscatter receiver, an inventory and a location of the plurality of products in the given store area; and

providing, by the at least one device, the inventory and location to a user device, and

wherein the at least one RF backscatter transmitter and the at least one RF backscatter receiver coordinate usage of multiple channels for backscattering, with at least one of the multiple channels configured for transmission and at least one of remaining channel from among the multiple channels configured for reception, and wherein the passive RF backscatter tag comprises a passive non-linear device to generate a mixed frequency detected as the distributed ambient backscatter signal on the at least one of the remaining channels.