Product identity data Number:7,137,566 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) owispatent

Title: Product identity data

Abstract: Coded data for disposal on or in an interface surface associated with a product item, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions disposed on or in the interface surface, and wherein each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the product item such that sensing any one of the coded data portions allows the identity of the product item to be determined.

Patent Number: 7,137,566 Issued on 11/21/2006 to Silverbrook,   et al.

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Inventors:	Silverbrook; Kia (Balmain, AU), Lapstun; Paul (Balmain, AU)
Assignee:	Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd (Balmain, AU)
Appl. No.:	10/815,632
Filed:	April 2, 2004

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Foreign Application Priority Data

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Apr 07, 2003 [AU]			2003901617
Apr 15, 2003 [AU]			2003901795

Current U.S. Class:	235/494 ; 235/487
Current International Class:	G06K 19/06 (20060101)
Field of Search:	235/494

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References Cited [Referenced By]

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U.S. Patent Documents

	4751375		June 1988		Ravizza
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	5661506		August 1997		Lazzouni et al.
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	6199048		March 2001		Hudetz et al.
	6199753		March 2001		Tracy et al.
	6497367		December 2002		Conzola et al.
	6542927		April 2003		Rhoads

Foreign Patent Documents

	2306669		May., 1997		GB
	WO 99/18487		Apr., 1999		WO
	WO 99/50787		Oct., 1999		WO
	WO 2001/037540		May., 2001		WO
	WO 2001/041055		Jun., 2001		WO

Other References

Dymetman, M., and Copperman, M., Intelligent Paper; in Electronic Publishing, Artistic Imaging, and Digital Typography, Proceedings of EP '98, Mar./Apr. 1998, Springer Verlag LNCS 1375, pp. 392-406. cited by oth- er.

Primary Examiner: Frech; Karl D.

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Claims

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The invention claimed is:

1. Coded data for disposal on or in an interface surface associated with a product item, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions disposed on or in the interface surface, and wherein each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the product item such that sensing any one individual coded data portion allows the identity of the product item to be determined, and wherein the identity is adapted to distinguish the product item from each other product item.

2. The coded data of claim 1, wherein, the coded data is provided on the interface surface such that, in use, a sensing device: (a) senses at least one coded data portion; and, (b) generates, using the sensed coded data, indicating data indicative of the product item identity.

3. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the coded data is provided at respective positions on the interface surface, and wherein the sensing device is responsive to sensing the coded data to determine position data indicative of at least one of: (a) a position of the sensing device with respect to the interface surface; (b) a position of the sensed coded data; (c) an orientation of the sensed coded data; and, (d) an orientation of the sensing device relative to the interface surface.

4. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the coded data is indicative of at least one of: (a) a first identifier indicative of a class of products; and (b) a second identifier indicative of the respective product item.

5. The coded data of claim 4, wherein the first identifier is indicative of at least one of: (a) a manufacturer number indicative of at least one manufacturer, and, (b) a product class number indicative of a type of the product item.

6. The coded data of claim 5, wherein the first identifier is a UPC.

7. The coded data of claim 4, wherein the second identifier is a serial number indicative of the respective product item.

8. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout.

9. The coded data of claim 8, wherein each layout includes a number of sub-layouts, each sub-layout including at least one codeword that is at least one of: (a) identical to at least one codeword of at least one other sub-layout; and, (b) different to at least one codeword of at least one other sub-layout.

10. The coded data of claim 8, wherein each sub-layout has at least one codeword formed from a number of data elements, each sub-layout defining the positions of the data elements within the layout.

11. The coded data of claim 10, the sub-layouts being arranged such that each data element has a unique position.

12. The coded data of claim 10, the positions of the data elements of respective sub-layouts being interleaved.

13. The coded data of claim 8, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with a plurality of layouts arranged in accordance with a super-layout.

14. The coded data of claim 13, wherein the layouts are arranged to tessellate over the interface surface.

15. The coded data of claim 13, wherein each layout has at least one of the following shapes: (a) linear; (b) square; (c) rectangular; (d) triangular; or (e) hexagonal.

16. The coded data of claim 8, wherein the at least one layout includes at least one target feature.

17. The coded data of claim 16, wherein the ax least one target feature is used to determine ax least one of: (a) a position of the at least one layout; (b) a perspective of the at least one layout with respect to a sensing device; and, (c) a rotation of the at least one layout.

18. The coded data of claim 16, wherein each layout includes at least four target features.

19. The coded data of claim 16, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of layouts, at least some target features being common to at least two layouts.

20. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the interface surface includes a number of regions, and wherein each region includes at least one coded data portion indicative of an identity of the region.

21. The coded data of claim 20, wherein each coded data portion is provided at a respective position on the interface surface, and wherein each coded data portion is indicative of the respective position.

22. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the coded data is indicative of an EPC associated with the product item.

23. The coded data of claim 22, wherein the EPC includes: (a) a manufacturer number indicative of at least one manufacturer; (b) a product class number indicative of type of the product item; and (c) a serial number indicative of the respective product item.

24. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the coded data is redundantly encoded.

25. The coded data of claim 24, wherein the coded data is redundantly encoded using Reed-Solomon encoding.

26. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the coded data is substantially invisible to the unaided eye.

27. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the coded data is printed using infrared ink.

28. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the coded data is provided on the interface surface coincident with visible markings representing at least one of: (a) product information; and, (b) the identity of the product item.

29. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the interface surface is at least a portion of at least one of: (a) product item packaging; (b) product item labelling; (c) product manuals; (d) product instructions; and, (e) a surface of the product item.

30. The coded data of claim 1, wherein the coded data is disposed over at least one of: (a) substantially all of any one of: (i) an entire product surface; (ii) packaging; and, (iii) a product label; (b) more than 25% of any one of: (i) an entire product surface; (ii) packaging; and, (iii) a product label; (c) more than 50% of any one of: (i) an entire product surface; (ii) packaging; and, (iii) a product label; (d) more than 75% of any one of: (i) an entire product surface; (ii) packaging; and, (iii) a product label.

31. The coded data of claim 1, wherein, in use, the coded data is sensed by a sensing device, and wherein the sensing device is responsive to the sensed coded data to determine product identity data indicative of the product item identity.

32. An interface surface for use with a product item, the interface surface including coded data including a plurality of coded data portions disposed on or in the interface surface, and wherein each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the product item such that sensing any one individual coded data portion allows the identity of the product item to be determined, and wherein the identity is adapted to distinguish the product item from each other product item.

33. Coded data for disposal on or in an interface surface associated with a product item, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions disposed on or in the interface surface, and wherein each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the product item such that sensing any one individual coded data portion allows the identity of the product item to be determined, and wherein the coded data is arranged to tessellate over the interface surface.

34. Coded data for disposal on or in an interface surface associated with a product item, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions disposed on or in the interface surface, and wherein each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the product item such that sensing any one individual coded data portion allows the identity of the product item to be determined, and wherein the coded data is redundantly encoded using Reed-Solomon encoding.

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Description

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CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS

Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention simultaneously with the present application:

TABLE-US-00001 10/815,647, 10/815,634, 10/815,631, 10/815,648, 10/815,641, 10/815,645, 10/815,646, 10/815,617, 10/815,620, 10/815,615, 10/815,613, 10/815,633, 10/815,619, 10/815,616, 10/815,614, 10/815,621, 10/815,612, 10/815,630, 10/815,637, 10/815,638, 10/815,640, 10/815,642, 10/815,643, 10/815,644 10/815,618, 10/815,639, 10/815,609, 10/815,627, 10/815,626, 10/815,610 10/815,611, 10/815,623, 10/815,622, 10/815,629, 10/815,625, 10/815,624, 10/815,628, 10/815,636, 10/815,649, 10/815,635

The disclosures of these co-pending applications are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

CROSS-REFERENCES

Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending applications filed by the applicant or assignee of the present invention. The disclosures of all of these co-pending applications and granted patents are incorporated herein by cross-reference.

TABLE-US-00002 10/409,876 10/409,848 10/409,845 09/575,197 09/575,195 09/575,159 09/575,132 09/575,123 09/575,148 09/575,130 09/575,165 09/575,153 09/693,415 09/575,118 09/609,139 09/608,970 09/575,116 09/575,144 09/575,139 09/575,186 09/575,185 09/609,039 09/663,579 09/663,599 09/607,852 09/575,191 09/693,219 09/575,145 09/607,656 09/693,280 09/609/132 09/693,515 09/663,701 09/575,192 09/663,640 09/609,303 09/610,095 09/609,596 09/693,705 09/693,647 09/721,895 09/721,894 09/607,843 09/693,690 09/607,605 09/608,178 09/609,553 09/609,233 09/609,149 09/608,022 09/575,181 09/722,174 09/721,896 10/291,522 10/291,517 10/291,523 10/291,471 10/291,470 10/291,819 10/291,481 10/291,509 10/291,825 10/291,519 10/291,575 10/291,557 10/291,661 10/291,558 10/291,587 10/291,818 10/291,576 10/291,589 10/291,526 6,644,545 6,609,653 6,651,879 10/291,555 10/291,510 19/291,592 10/291,542 10/291,820 10/291,516 10/291,363 10/291,487 10/291,520 10/291,521 10/291,556 10/291,821 10/291,525 10/291,586 10/291,822 10/291,524 10/291,553 10/291,511 10/291,585 10/291,374 10/685,523 10/685,583 10/685,455 10/685,584 10/757,600 09/575,193 09/575,156 09/609,232 09/607,844 09/607,657 09/693,593 10/743,671 09/928,055 09/927,684 09/928,108 09/927,685 09/927,809 09/575,183 09/575,160 09/575,150 09/575,169 6,644,642 6,502,614 6,622,999 09/575,149 10/322,450 6,549,935 NPN004US 09/575,187 09/575,155 6,591,884 6,439,706 09/575,196 09/575,198 09/722,148 09/722,146 09/721,861 6,290,349 6,428,155 09/575,146 09/608,920 09/721,892 09/722,171 09/721,858 09/722,142 10/171,987 10/202,021 10/291,724 10/291,512 10/291,554 10/659,027 10/659,026 09/693,301 09/575,174 09/575,163 09/693,216 09/693,341 09/693,473 09/722,087 09/722,141 09/722,175 09/722,147 09/575,168 09/722,172 09/693,514 09/721,893 09/722,088 10/291,578 10/291,823 10/291,560 10/291,366 10/291,503 10/291,469 10/274,817 09/575,154 09/575,129 09/575,124 09/575,188 09/721,862 10/120,441 10/291,577 10/291,718 10/291,719 10/291,543 10/291,494 10/292,608 10/291,715 10/291,559 10/291,660 10/409,864 10/309,358 10/410,484 10/683,151 10/683,040 09/575,189 09/575,162 09/575,172 09/575,170 09/575,171 09/575,161 10/291,716 10/291,547 10/291,538 10/291,717 10/291,827 10/291,548 10/291,714 10/291,544 10/291,541 10/291,584 10/291,579 10/291,824 10/291,713 10/291,545 10/291,546 09/693,388 09/693,704 09/693,510 09/693,336 09/693,335 10/181,496 10/274,119 10/309,185 10/309,066 10/778,090 10/778,056 10/778,058 10/778,060 10/778,059 10/778,063 10/778,062 10/778,061 10/778,057 10/782,894 10/782,895 10/786,631 10/793,933 10/804,034

Some application has been listed by docket numbers, these will be replace when application number are known.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to unique object identification and, in particular, to methods and systems for identifying and interacting with objects.

BACKGROUND

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

For the purposes of automatic identification, a product item is commonly identified by a 12-digit Universal Product Code (UPC), encoded machine-readably in the form of a printed bar code. The most common UPC numbering system incorporates a 5-digit manufacturer number and a 5-digit item number. Because of its limited precision, a UPC is used to identify a class of product rather than an individual product item. The Uniform Code Council and EAN International define and administer the UPC and related codes as subsets of the 14-digit Global Trade Item Number (GTIN).

Within supply chain management, there is considerable interest in expanding or replacing the UPC scheme to allow individual product items to be uniquely identified and thereby tracked. Individual item tagging can reduce "shrinkage" due to lost, stolen or spoiled goods, improve the efficiency of demand-driven manufacturing and supply, facilitate the profiling of product usage, and improve the customer experience.

There are two main contenders for individual item tagging: visible two-dimensional bar codes, and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.

There are a significant number of different bar code symbologies, which allow data to be encoded as 2D visible markings, and these include, for example: "Code 49" described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,239; "Data Matrix" described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,939,354, 5,053,609 and 5,124,536; "Datastrip Code", as described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,692,603, 4,728,783, 4,754,127, and 4,782,221; "huecode" described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,369,261 and 5,118,369; "Maxicode" described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,874,936, 4,896,029 and 4,998,010; "MiniCode" described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,153,418, 5,189,292 and 5,223,701; and, "PDF 417" described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,655.

Bar codes have the advantage of being inexpensive, but require optical line-of-sight for reading and in some cases appropriate orientation of the bar code relative to the sensor. Additionally they often detract from the appearance of the product label or packaging. Finally, damage to even a relatively minor portion of the bar code can prevent successful detection and interpretation of the bar code.

RFID tags have the advantage of supporting omnidirectional reading, but are comparatively expensive. Additionally, the presence of metal or liquid can seriously interfere with RFID tag performance, undermining the omnidirectional reading advantage. Passive (reader-powered) RFID tags are projected to be priced at 10 cents each in multi-million quantities by the end of 2003, and at 5 cents each soon thereafter, but this still falls short of the sub-one-cent industry target for low-price items such as grocery. The read-only nature of most optical tags has been cited as a disadvantage, since status changes cannot be written to a tag as an item progresses through the supply chain. However, this disadvantage is mitigated by the fact that a read-only tag can refer to information maintained dynamically on a network.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Auto-ID Center has developed a standard for a 96-bit Electronic Product Code (EPC), coupled with an Internet-based Object Name Service (ONS) and a Product Markup Language (PML). Once an EPC is scanned or otherwise obtained, it is used to look up, possibly via the ONS, matching product information portably encoded in PML. The EPC consists of an 8-bit header, a 28-bit EPC manager, a 24-bit object class, and a 36-bit serial number. For a detailed description of the EPC, refer to Brock, D. L., The Electronic Product Code (EPC), MIT Auto-ID Center (January 2001), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference. The Auto-ID Center has defined a mapping of the GTIN onto the EPC to demonstrate compatibility between the EPC and current practices Brock, D. L., Integrating the Electronic Product Code (EPC) and the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), MIT Auto-ID Center (November 2001), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference. The EPC is administered by EPCglobal, an EAN-UCC joint venture.

EPCs EPCs are technology-neutral and can be encoded and carried in many forms. The Auto-ID Center strongly advocates the use of low-cost passive RFID tags to carry EPCs, and has defined a 64-bit version of the EPC to allow the cost of RFID tags to be minimized in the short term. For detailed description of low-cost RFID tag characteristics, refer to Sarma, S., Towards the 5c Tag, MIT Auto-ID Center (November 2001), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference. For a description of a commercially-available low-cost passive RFID tag, refer to 915 MHz RFLD Tag, Alien Technology (2002), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference. For detailed description of the 64-bit EPC, refer to Brock, D. L., The Compact Electronic Product Code, MIT Auto-ID Center (November 2001), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross-reference.

EPCs are intended not just for unique item-level tagging and tracking, but also for case-level and pallet-level tagging, and for tagging of other logistic units of shipping and transportation such as containers and trucks. The distributed PML database records dynamic relationships between items and higher-level containers in the packaging, shipping and transportation hierarchy.

IBM Business Consulting Services, in conjunction with the Auto-ID Center, has carried out a number of case studies analysing and quantifying the costs and benefits of RFID-carried EPCs in the supply chain. They distinguish the benefits which accrue at different stages in the supply chain (e.g. distribution versus retail), at different levels of tagging (i.e. pallet versus case versus item), in response to different sources of loss (e.g. shrinkage versus unsaleables), and across different product categories (e.g. grocery versus apparel versus consumer electronics).

Since the Auto-ID Center exclusively advocates RFID-carried EPCs, the case studies do not clearly distinguish the benefits which accrue from EPCs alone from the benefits which accrue specifically from RFID tags. In addition, the case studies implicitly adopt a very optimistic view of the omni-directional scanning performance of RFID in the presence of radiopaque product, i.e. typically liquid content and metal packaging. More broadly, the case studies do not clearly recognise benefits already beginning to accrue from systemic supply chain changes, such as better utilisation of UPC-based scan data collected at the point-of-sale, increasingly automated reordering and replenishment, and improving levels of communication and data sharing between different participants in the supply chain. In many cases these changes are presented as if predicated on Auto-ID technologies such as RFID-carried EPCs, when in fact they are not. This in turn tends to overstate the benefits of these technologies.

The case studies implicitly assume that tagged units can be accurately scanned in bulk, e.g. when a pallet-load of tagged cases is moved within a distribution center. However, a study by Alien Technology, the first manufacturer of RFID tags conforming to the Auto-ID Center's UHF RFID specifications, shows that cases of radiopaque product (such as soft drinks, shampoo, detergent, and coffee in metal containers) can only be effectively scanned when the case tags are within line-of-sight of tag readers as discussed in Alien Technology, "RFID Supply Chain Applications--Building Test 1", February 2002. In practice this means that pallets of radiopaque product must be split so that individual cases can be conveyed past tag readers, precluding pallet-level operations including storage and dock-to-dock transfer.

Although not directly explored in the Alien study, the same restrictions apply at the item level. For example, while the case study on obsolescence Alexander, K. et al., Applying Auto-ID to Reduce Losses Associated with Product Obsolescence, MIT Auto-ID Center, November 2002, assumes that shelf scanners in a retail store can perform a complete scan of shelf stock, and the case study on shrinkage Alexander, K. et al., Applying Auto-ID to Reduce Losses Associated with Shrink, MIT Auto-ID Center, November 2002, assumes that exit scanners in a retail store can successfully read items jumbled together in a shopping cart or in grocery bags, in reality the presence of radiopaque product is likely to undermine performance in these situations, thereby compromising some of the claimed benefits of RFID. The Auto-ID Center's own study of supermarket shelf reader design factors concludes that UHF radiopaque product items should have their RFID tags attached to their tops within line-of-sight of shelf readers Cole, P., A Study of Factors Affecting the Design of EPC Antennas & Readers for Supermarket Shelves, MIT Auto-ID Center, 1 Jun. 2002.

As with case-level RFID scanning in the distribution center, item-level RFID scanning in the retail store works best when items are handled individually, such as during stock movement to and from shelves, and during the checkout process, i.e. where each item is allowed to fall within line-of-sight of the reader.

The case studies generally conclude that benefits accrue predominantly from case-level tagging when the case is the primary unit of product movement, which remains true right through the supply chain to the retail store backroom.

Benefits from item-level tagging begin to accrue in the retail store once cases are split and product hits the shelves, and these benefits fall into three main categories: a reduced shrinkage rate; a reduced unsaleable rate; and reduced out-of-stocks (with less safety stock). These benefits are discussed in detail below.

Stage-relevant tagging levels are illustrated in FIG. 100.

The case studies assume seven product categories, summarised in Table 1. For every product category except grocery, the case studies conclude that item-level tagging is cost-effective. Specifically, the case studies do not consider item-level RFID tagging in grocery to be cost-effective because of the high cost of RFID tags relative to the average item price.

Note that if partial and incremental item-level RFID tagging of higher-value grocery items occurs (such as of packets of razor blades Alien Technology, "Alien Announces Major Order for Low-cost RFID Tags", 6 Jan. 2003, http://www.alientechnology.com/library/pr/alien_gillette.htm, then from the point of view of per-tag cost it becomes more difficult to justify item-level tagging of remaining products, since the average price of untagged items has been reduced. Conversely, it may become easier to justify from the point of view of sunk investment in reader infrastructure.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 1 Product categories and average item prices average product category item price grocery $1.75 apparel $14 consumer electronics $130 health & beauty $9 music & video $18 pharmacy $27 toys $18

The case studies therefore make a convincing argument for case-level RFID tagging for all product categories. Additionally item-level RFID tagging may be used for more expensive items.

With item-level tagging, each product item is assigned a unique EPC at time of manufacture. The item's EPC then serves as a key into a distributed PML database which records the characteristics of the item and its evolving history as it proceeds through the supply chain. This includes the item's inclusion in a dynamic hierarchy of packaging, shipping and transportation units, each identified by its own unique EPC. Tracking of higher-level units through the supply chain implicitly support the tracking of lower-level units. For example, once a pallet is loaded and until it is unloaded and split, pallet-level tracking is sufficient to also track its case-level content. Similarly, once a carton is filled and until it is re-opened and split, case-level tracking is sufficient to also track its item-level content. Readers installed in entry and exit portals in factories, warehouses, distribution centers and retail stores can automatically track unit movements and update movement histories. Notwithstanding issues with automatically tracking radiopaque product, RFID readers have benefits for pallet-level and case-level tracking.

At the checkout, the unique EPC of the item prevents it from being recorded as a sale more than once. This allows the checkout to be partially or fully automated. Automatic scanning of a traditional UPC bar code, which only identifies item class, is problematic because multiple scans of the same item are difficult to avoid and impossible to detect from the bar code alone. In an automatic checkout the EPC of an item is typically read many times to ensure that the EPC is read at all, but is only recorded as a sale once. The unique EPC also prevents the checkout operator from multi-scanning a single item to account for a number of similar items, a common time-saving practice which can lead to inventory inaccuracy and thereby undermine automatic reordering and replenishment.

It has been suggested that an RFID-based automatic checkout process can be as simple as wheeling a shopping cart full of RFID-tagged product items through a checkout zone continuously scanned by one or more RFID readers.

In reality, due to issues with radiopaque grocery items, an RFID-based automatic checkout is likely to require each item to pass through the RFID reader's field individually. This may happen when the customer places the item in the cart, i.e. if the cart incorporates a reader, but is more likely to happen at the checkout where the operator or customer either places each item on a conveyor to transport the item through the reader's field, or manually presents each item to the reader's field.

Similarly, whilst the use of item-level RFID tagging arguably makes it possible to construct so-called smart shelves which incorporate RFID readers and continuously monitor RFID-tagged shelf content, practically this is once again subject to performance in the presence of radiopaque product.

The cost of the RFID tag approach is particularly of importance in the grocery sector which is characterised by high-volume sales of low-priced product items, coupled with low net margins. In 2001 2002 the United States grocery sector achieved net profits of 1.36% on net sales of roughly $500 billion.

During the same period the grocery sector experienced a shrinkage rate of 1.42% and an unsaleable rate of 0.95% Lightburn, A., 2002 Unsaleables Benchmark Report, Joint Industry Unsaleables Steering Committee 2002. Net profit and shrinkage were therefore roughly equal at $7 billion each, and unsaleables accounted for an additional $5 billion. Out-of-stocks were further estimated to result in a 3% loss in net sales Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA), Full-Shelf Satisfaction--Reducing Out-of-Stocks in the Grocery Channel (Executive Summary), 2002, which translates into a $200 million reduction in net profit. The grocery sector is also highly labour-intensive, with labour costs accounting for more than 50% of operating expenses.

Profitable operation in the grocery sector therefore relies on maximising efficiency, minimising losses due to shrinkage, minimising losses due to unsaleables, and minimising out-of-stocks while minimising levels of safety stock.

Table 2 summarises these sources of loss in the grocery sector.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 2 Sources of loss in the grocery sector approximate cost source of loss contribution ($millions) shrinkage 1.42% 7,000 unsaleables 0.95% 5,000 out-of-stocks 0.04% 204 total 2.41% 12,204

The grocery sector is likely to significantly reduce these sources of loss over the coming decade, independently of item-level tagging, by better utilising UPC-based scan data collected at the point-of-sale, by increasing the level of automation of reordering and replenishment, and by improving communication between different participants in the supply chain. Furthermore, the benefits of item-level tagging itself only accrue if such systemic changes actually take place.

However, the cost of apply RFID tags to provide item level tagging to further enhance loss reduction is currently cost prohibitive.

As shown in Table 2, the cost of shrinkage, unsaleables and out-of-stocks amounts to about 2.41% of net sales. Assuming an average grocery item price of $1.75, this cost equates to about 4.2 cents. Further assuming universal tagging of grocery items, and ignoring other costs and benefits of item-level tagging, such as the cost of the reader infrastructure and the benefit of an improved consumer experience, 4.2 cents represents an absolute upper limit on the threshold cost of a tag in the grocery sector.

The Auto-ID Center hopes to achieve a 5 cent EPC-compatible passive RFID tag within the next couple of years, and Alien Technology are moving towards that goal with a tag design which they expect to price at 10 cents in multi-billion tag volumes by the end of 2003. Alien Technology, 915 MHz RFID Tag, .Ghassali, M., Unsaleables "The U.S. Experience", Unilever Bestfoods North America, 27 Mar. 2001. However, the 5 cent tag goal is still highly speculative, and even in multi-billion tag volumes there is currently no projected timeline for achieving an RFID tag price lower than 5 cents. Despite this, the IBM Auto-ID case studies assume a two cent RFID tag within a couple of years in their most optimistic scenarios Alexander, K. et al., Applying Auto-ID to Reduce Losses Associated with Shrink, MIT Auto-ID Center, November 2002.

Since even wildly optimistic projected cost savings only marginally justify the cost of the most optimistically-priced RFID tags, it is unlikely that universal item-level RFID tagging in the grocery sector is justified in the foreseeable future.

In addition to this however, other disadvantages of the RFID tagging scheme, such as the difficulty of scanning in the presence of radiopaque products, and issues surrounding privacy, make the use of RFID tags undesirable in item-level tagging of more expensive products even where the RFID cost becomes negligible.

It is therefore desirable to find an alternative to the use of RFID tags for item level tagging which ensures reliable item identification, which does not suffer from drawbacks such as reduced privacy for the consumer. It is also preferable that the technique provides a lower cost alternative thereby allowing it to be economically used on grocery items.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect the present invention provides a method of requesting assistance relating to a product item, the product item including an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data indicative of an identity of the product item, the method including, in a sensing device: (a) sensing at least some of the coded data; (b) generating, using the sensed coded data, indicating data indicative of the product item identity; and, (c) transferring the indicating data to a computer system, the computer system being responsive to the indicating data to cause provision of assistance.

In a further aspect the present invention provides method of providing assistance relating to a product item, the product item including an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data indicative of an identity of the product item, wherein the method includes, in a computer system: (a) receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data indicative of the identity of the product item; (b) generating, using the received indicating data, identity data indicative of the identity of the product item; (c) causing, using the identity data, provision of the assistance.

In another aspect the present invention provides a method of providing assistance relating to a product item, wherein the method includes providing the product item with an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data indicative of an identity of the product item such that when the coded data portion is sensed by a sensing device, the sensing device generates indicating data indicative of the product item identity, the indicating data being transferred to a computer system which is responsive to the indicating data to cause provision of product assistance.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a sensing device for use in requesting assistance relating to a product item, the product item including an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data indicative of an identity of the product item, the sensing device including: (a) a sensor for sensing the coded data; (b) a processor for generating indicating data indicative of the product item identity; and, (c) a communication means for transferring the indicating data to a computer system, the computer system being responsive to the indicating data to cause provision of product assistance.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a computer system for providing assistance relating to a product item, the product item including an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data indicative of an identity of the product item, wherein the computer system: (a) receives indicating data generated by a sensing device in response to sensing of the coded data, the indicating data being indicative of the product item identity; (b) generates, using the received indicating data, identity data indicative of the identity of the product item; (c) causes, using the identity data, provision of the assistance.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a product item, the product item having an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data indicative of an identity of the product item such that when the coded data portion is sensed by a sensing device, the sensing device generates indicating data indicative of the product item identity, the indicating data being transferred to a computer system which is responsive to the indicating data to cause provide product related assistance.

In a second aspect the present invention provides a method of maintaining a status of a product item, the product item including an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the product item, the method including, in a sensing device: (a) sensing at least one coded data portion; (b) generating, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the product item identity; and, (c) transferring the indicating data to a computer system, the computer system being responsive to the indicating data to update product status information stored in a data store.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of maintaining a status of a product item, the product item including an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the product item, the method including, in a computer system: (a) receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data indicative of the identity of the product item; (b) generating, using the received indicating data, identity data indicative of the identity of the product item; (c) update product status information stored in a data store.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of maintaining a status of a product item, wherein the method includes providing the product item with an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the product item such that when the coded data portion is sensed by a sensing device, the sensing device generates indicating data indicative of the product item identity, the indicating data being transferred to a computer system which is responsive to the indicating data to update product status information stored in a data store.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a sensing device for maintaining a status of a product item, the product item including an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the product item, the sensing device including: (a) a sensor for sensing at least one coded data portion; (b) a processor for generating indicating data indicative of the product item identity; and, (c) a communication means for transferring the indicating data to a computer system, the computer system being responsive to the indicating data to update product status information stored in a data store.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a computer system for providing status information relating to a product item, the product item including an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the product item, wherein the computer system: (a) receives indicating data generated by a sensing device in response to sensing of at least one coded data portion, the indicating data being indicative of the product item identity; (b) generates, using the received indicating data, identity data indicative of the identity of the product item; and, (c) updates, using the identity data, the product status information stored in a data store.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a product item, the product item having an associated interface surface, the interface surface having disposed thereon or therein coded data including a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the product item such that when the coded data portion is sensed by a sensing device, the sensing device generates indicating data indicative of the product item identity, the indicating data being transferred to a computer system which is responsive to the indicating data to update product status information stored in a data store.

In a third aspect the present invention provides coded data for disposal on or in an interface surface associated with a product item, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions disposed on or in the interface surface, and wherein each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the product item such that sensing any one of the coded data portions allows the identity of the product item to be determined.

In a further aspect the present invention provides an interface surface for use with a product item, the interface surface including coded data including a plurality of coded data portions disposed on or in the interface surface, and wherein each coded data portion is indicative of an identity of the product item such that sensing any one of the coded data portions allows the identity of the product item to be determined.

In a fourth aspect the present invention provides coded data for disposal on or in an interface surface associated with a product item, the coded data being indicative of an identity of the product item, the coded data being arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry about a center of rotation, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about the center of rotation, at least one sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes that sub-layout from each other sub-layout.

In a further aspect the present invention provides an interface surface for use with a product item, the interface surface including coded data disposed thereon or therein, the coded data being indicative of an identity of the product item, the coded data being arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry about a center of rotation, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about the center of rotation, at least one sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes that sub-layout from each other sub-layout.

In a fifth aspect the present invention provides a method of determining an orientation of a respective object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions provided at respective positions on the interface surface, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object, and wherein the method includes, in a sensing device: (a) sensing at least one coded data portion; (b) generating, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the object identity and at least one of: (i) a position of the sensed coded data portion; (ii) a position of the sensing device relative to the interface surface; (iii) an orientation of the sensed coded data; and, (iv) an orientation of the sensing device relative to the interface surface; and, (c) transferring the indicating data to a computer system, the computer system being responsive to the indicating data to determine the orientation of the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of determining an orientation of a respective object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions provided at respective positions on the interface surface, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object, and wherein the method includes, in a sensing device: (a) receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data indicative of the identity of the object and at least one of: (i) a position of the sensing device with respect to the interface surface; (ii) a position of the sensed coded data; (iii) an orientation of the sensed coded data; and, (iv) an orientation of the sensing device relative to the interface surface. (b) generating, using the received indicating data: (i) identity data indicative of the object identity; and, (ii) position data indicative of at least one of: (1) the position of the sensed coded data portion; and, (2) a position of the sensing device relative to the interface surface; and, (c) determining, using the identity data and the position data, orientation of the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of determining an orientation of a respective object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the interface surface includes at least one region having at least one coded data portion provided therein, the at least one coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the region, and wherein the method includes, in a sensing device: (a) sensing at least one coded data portion; (b) generating, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the region identity; and, (c) transferring the indicating data to a computer system, the computer system being responsive to the indicating data to determine the orientation of the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of determining the orientation of a respective object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the interface surface includes at least one region having at least one coded data portion provided therein, the at least one coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the region, and wherein the method includes, in a computer system: (a) receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data indicative of the identity of the region: (b) determining, using the indicating data, region identity data indicative of the identity of the region; and, (c) determining, using the region identity data, the orientation of the object.

In a sixth aspect the present invention provides a method of packing an object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object, wherein the method includes, in a sensing device: (a) sensing at least one coded data portion; (b) generating, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (c) transferring the indicating data to at least one of: (i) a packing system which is responsive to the indication to pack the object. (ii) a computer system which is responsive to the indication to cause a packing system to pack the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of packing an object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object, wherein the method includes, in a packing system: (a) receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data indicative of the identity of the object; (b) generating, using the received indicating data, object identity data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (c) packing the object using the object identity data.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of packing an object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object, wherein the method includes: (a) in a sensing device: (i) sensing at least one coded data portion; (ii) generating, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (iii) transferring the indicating data to a packing system; and, (b) in the packing system; (i) receiving the indicating data; (ii) generating, using the received indicating data, object identity data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (iii) packing the object using the object identity data.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of packing an object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object, wherein the method includes, in a computer system: (a) receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data indicative of the identity of the object; (b) generating, using the received indicating data, object identity data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (c) causing, using the object identity data, a packing system to pack the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of packing an object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object, wherein the method includes: (a) in a sensing device: (i) sensing at least one coded data portion; (ii) generating, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (iii) transferring the indicating data to a computer system; and, (b) in the computer system; (i) receiving the indicating data; and, (ii) generating, using the received indicating data, object identity data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (iii) causing, using the object identity data, a packing system to pack the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a system for packing an object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object, wherein the system includes a sensing device which: (a) senses at least one coded data portion; (b) generates, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (c) transfers the indicating data to a packing system which is responsive to the indication to pack the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a system for packing a object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object and the position of the coded data portion on the interface surface, wherein the system includes a packing system which: (a) receives, from a sensing device, indicating data generated in response to sensing of a coded data portion, the indicating data being indicative of the object identity; (b) generates, from the received indicating data, object identity data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (c) packs the object using the object identity data.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a system for packing a object, the object having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the object and the position of the coded data portion on the interface surface, wherein the system includes a computer system which: (a) receives, from a sensing device, indicating data generated in response to sensing of a coded data portion, the indicating data being indicative of the object identity; (b) generates, from the received indicating data, object identity data indicative of the identity of the object; and, (c) causes, using the object identity data, a packing system to pack the object.

In a seventh aspect the present invention provides a method of assembling an object using a component, the component having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the component, wherein the method includes, in a sensing device: (a) sensing coded data on the component; (b) generating, using the sensed coded data, indicating data indicative of the identity of the component; and, (c) transferring the indicating data to at least one of: (i) an assembly system which is responsive to the indication to assemble the object; and, (ii) a computer system which is responsive to the indication to cause an assembly system to assemble the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of assembling an object using a component, the component having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the component, wherein the method includes, in an assembly system: (a) receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data indicative of the identity of the component; (b) generating, using the received indicating data, component identity data indicative of the identity of the component; and, (c) assembling the object using the component identity data.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of assembling an object, the component having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the component, wherein the method includes: (a) in a sensing device: (i) sensing at least one coded data portion; (ii) generating, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the identity of the component; and, (iii) transferring the indicating data to an assembly system; and, (b) in the assembly system; (i) receiving the indicating data; (ii) generating, using the received indicating data component identity data indicative of the identity of the component; and, (iii) assembling the object using the component identity data.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of assembling an object, the component having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the component, wherein the method includes: (a) in a sensing device: (i) sensing at least one coded data portion; (ii) generating, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the identity of the component; and, (iii) transferring the indicating data to a computer system; and, (b) in the computer system; (i) receiving the indicating data; (ii) generating, using the received indicating data, component identity data indicative of the identity of the component; and, (iii) causing, using the component identity data, an assembly system to assemble the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a method of assembling an object using a component, the component having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the component, wherein the method includes, in a computer system: (a) receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data indicative of the identity of the component; (b) generating, using the received indicating data, component identity data indicative of the identity of the component; and, (c) causing, using the component identity data, an assembly system to assemble the object.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a system for assembling an object using a component, the component having an interface surface having coded data disposed thereon or therein, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of an identity of the component, wherein the system includes a sensing device which: (a) senses at least one coded data portion; (b) generates, using the sensed coded data portion, indicating data indicative of the identity of the component; and, (c) transfers the indicating data to at least one of: (i) an a