RFID Shelf Tag Placement for Purchase Data and Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing marketing data collection systems using RFID tags face issues with privacy violations due to illegal reading of tag information and high costs, as well as limitations in detecting commodity presence or absence when a purchaser interacts with items on a shelf.
Innovation Solution
A marketing data collection system that includes RF tags disposed between a reader antenna and a target article placement region, using signal strength information to determine the presence or absence of articles, and associating tag information with position and commodity identification information to generate presence/absence data without attaching tags to the commodities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If RF tags are attached to commodities for marketing data collection, then purchase sign data can be acquired, but privacy violations occur due to illegal reading of tag information by third parties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the RF tag from the commodity itself and places it on the shelf instead. This separation allows the system to continue collecting purchase sign data while eliminating the privacy risk associated with tags attached to individual commodities that customers might carry home.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the RF tag is placed on the shelf and detects commodity presence through electromagnetic field changes when commodities are placed or removed. This intermediary approach enables data collection without direct attachment to commodities, preventing illegal reading by third parties.
2Loss of information
If RF tags are attached to commodities, then purchase sign data can be collected, but costs increase significantly compared to barcodes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the RF tag on the shelf serve multiple functions: it detects the presence of multiple different commodities simultaneously, tracks purchase patterns, and eliminates the need for individual tags on each commodity. This multi-functionality reduces the overall number of tags needed and lowers costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a single RF tag on the shelf that effectively 'copies' or replicates the functionality of multiple individual commodity tags, enabling the system to track multiple items without requiring multiple physical tags, thereby reducing costs.
3Device complexity
If the reader antenna is placed close to RF tags for compact design, then space is saved, but false detections occur when purchasers interact with items
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement by placing the RF tag between the reader antenna and the commodity placement region, creating a layered configuration. This dimensional arrangement allows the system to detect electromagnetic field changes caused by commodity placement while maintaining compact spacing, resolving the conflict between compact design and detection accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system effectively collects purchase sign data while enhancing security and reducing costs by reusing RF tags, allowing for accurate detection of article presence or absence without the need for wide spacing between RFID readers and tags, thus preventing false detections.
Implementation Method 1
an RFID reader that reads management information from the RF tag through the reader antenna, the management information including signal strength information of a response signal output by the RF tag
Data Source
AI summary
A marketing data collection system includes commodity information storage unit (203) that stores at least one of position information of the target article placement region and commodity identification information, commodity presence/absence determination unit (201) that determines presence or absence of the target article on the basis of the signal strength information of the RF tag to generate article presence/absence information, refers to the position information of the target article placement region and the commodity identification information to generate commodity presence/absence information in which presence/absence information of the target article and the commodity information are associated with each other and commodity detection time information in which information about the time when the commodity presence/absence information has been generated and the commodity information are associated with each other, and recording accumulation unit (204) that accumulates the commodity presence/absence information and the commodity detection time information.