> Mike Rosing[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > On Mon, 17 Mar 2003, Michael Shields wrote: > > > It adds up, especially in low-margin businesses. Groceries are a good > > example; unpacking every cart, scanning, and bagging is an expensive > > bottleneck. The process could be streamlined a lot if an entire cart > > were scanned at once. > > > > There are serious engineering problems before we get there; but the > > demand from retailers is very real, and so a very real effort will be > > made to solve them. > > I can see a couple of solutions to the checkout problem. One is to > remove checkout counters, just scan the item at the shelf with a card. > > With rfid this actually becomes a lot simpler, you can isolate items to > specific regions of the store. If the item is removed, it had better > already be purchased or you get busted. > I'd expect to see scanners at each entrance and exit, as well as at points where an object's status changes (stockroom vs sales floor, checkout, etc)
All that has to be done is to scan the pallet of goods as it goes out to be shelved, adding the tags on the pallet to the 'unsold goods' list. Then, if a tag leaves the store without going through one of the approved routes (eg: Checkout -> customer exit; expired goods -> backdoor (expired goods can be recognized by the time the tag was added to the db)), raise the alarm. Heve you ever seen a store shut down for stocktaking? It won't happen any more. "Shrinkage" (ie, employee theft) becomes much more difficult. So does shoplifting. Checkout times are reduced to under a minute, even for full carts. > A whole cart load of items responding simultaneously won't work, at least > not with 5 cent rfid's of the next few years. In a decade maybe cdma rfid > will be 5 cents. > Mike, Go to the literature. They are already scanning 20 - 1000 of tags per second (most of the more realistic reports seem to be below 50 tps). So it takes 10 seconds to scan my cart? That's a hell of a lot better than 5 minutes or so by hand. References:: http://www.cfo.com/article/1,5309,8661,00.html?f=related (CFO magazine) Library applications (v scary) http://www.vernlib.com/VernStep6.asp For some actual rates: http://www.autoid.org/2002_Documents/WG4_SG3/Dec2002/SG3_200211_347_PtB_Demo .pdf Critical article on library applications http://www.vtls.com/Products/rfid/documents/choosing.pdf 200-800 tps: http://www.matricsrfid.com/pdf/Inlays_Data_Sheet.pdf > Removing the bottleneck of checkout counters would be *very good thing* > because most people hate standing in line. Of course, digital cash would > be really nice to have for that too! > ...now if we can only get rid of the delays caused by people who've clipped 50 coupons, and insist on paying by check.... > Patience, persistence, truth, > Dr. mike > Peter
