Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking shipment of products are disclosed herein. One or more cameras may be used capture video of an area where the products are loaded into and/or unloaded from shipping containers. Wireless beacons may be attached to the shipping containers. A network gateway may receive the wireless signals from the wireless beacon and the video from at least one camera. The wireless beacon may change a transmittal rate of the wireless signal from a first transmittal rate to a second transmittal rate in response to the cover on the shipping container being opened or closed. The network gateway may provide, to a remote server, a selected amount of the received video from its memory along with a unique identifier for the wireless beacon in response to the network gateway receiving the wireless signal at the second transmittal rate.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using wireless beacons in point of purchase (“POP”) displays to facilitate the delivery of consumer oriented content to mobile devices is disclosed. Wireless beacons may be used to broadcast wireless signals from POP displays, where the wireless signals include data packets with unique identifiers for the wireless beacons. The wireless signals may be received by mobile devices. A remote server may communicate with the mobile device and provide the mobile device with up-to-date content associated with the POP displays. Wireless data collection devices (such as network gateways) may be used to receive data packets from the wireless beacons provide the data packets to the remote server. Accelerometers may be used on the wireless data collection devices to assess movement of the devices. Movement data for the devices may be used to determine reprogramming of the devices after the devices are moved.

Abstract: Printable circuits may be used in combination with a point of purchase (POP) display (e.g., a consumer product display). The POP display may be configured to be deployed at a retail location. A printable circuit may be attached to the POP display with the printable circuit having printed data for a selected retail campaign associated with the POP display. The printed data may include one or more parameters for the selected retail campaign. A wireless beacon may be attached to the printable circuit on the POP display. The printable circuit may provide the parameters for the selected retail campaign to the wireless beacon when the wireless beacon is attached to the printable circuit. The wireless beacon may be assigned a unique identifier in at least one parameter provided to the wireless beacon by the printable circuit.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using wireless beacons in point of purchase (“POP”) displays to facilitate the delivery of consumer oriented content to mobile devices is disclosed. Wireless beacons may be used to broadcast wireless signals from POP displays, where the wireless signals include data packets with unique identifiers for the wireless beacons. The wireless signals may be received by mobile devices. A remote server may communicate with the mobile device and provide the mobile device with up-to-date content associated with the POP displays. A geographic location of the mobile device may be assessed and used to determine if the mobile device is at an acceptable location for displaying the up-to-date content. The wireless beacons may be enclosed in an enclosure that is attached to the POP displays. Sensors may determine when the enclosures are attached/removed from the POP displays.

Abstract: Systems and methods for tracking shipment of products are disclosed herein. One or more cameras may be used capture video of an area where the products are loaded into and/or unloaded from shipping containers. Wireless beacons may be attached to the shipping containers. A network gateway may receive the wireless signals from the wireless beacon and the video from at least one camera. The wireless beacon may change a transmittal rate of the wireless signal from a first transmittal rate to a second transmittal rate in response to the cover on the shipping container being opened or closed. The network gateway may provide, to a remote server, a selected amount of the received video from its memory along with a unique identifier for the wireless beacon in response to the network gateway receiving the wireless signal at the second transmittal rate.

Abstract: Printable circuits may be used in combination with a point of purchase (POP) display (e.g., a consumer product display). The POP display may be configured to be deployed at a retail location. A printable circuit may be attached to the POP display with the printable circuit having printed data for a selected retail campaign associated with the POP display. The printed data may include one or more parameters for the selected retail campaign. A wireless beacon may be attached to the printable circuit on the POP display. The printable circuit may provide the parameters for the selected retail campaign to the wireless beacon when the wireless beacon is attached to the printable circuit. The wireless beacon may be assigned a unique identifier in at least one parameter provided to the wireless beacon by the printable circuit.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using wireless beacons in point of purchase (“POP”) displays to facilitate the delivery of consumer oriented content to mobile devices is disclosed. Wireless beacons may be used to broadcast wireless signals from POP displays, where the wireless signals include data packets with unique identifiers for the wireless beacons. The wireless signals may be received by mobile devices. A remote server may communicate with the mobile device and provide the mobile device with up-to-date content associated with the POP displays. A wireless data collection device may be used to receive and collect data from the wireless beacons. The collected data may be used to assess one or more properties of the POP displays.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using wireless beacons in point of purchase (“POP”) displays to facilitate the delivery of consumer oriented content to mobile devices is disclosed. Wireless beacons may be used to broadcast wireless signals from POP displays, where the wireless signals include data packets with unique identifiers for the wireless beacons. The wireless signals may be received by mobile devices. A remote server may communicate with the mobile device and provide the mobile device with up-to-date content associated with the POP displays. A geographic location of the mobile device may be assessed and used to determine if the mobile device is at an acceptable location for displaying the up-to-date content.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using wireless beacons in point of purchase (“POP”) displays to facilitate the delivery of consumer oriented content to mobile devices is disclosed. Wireless beacons may be used to broadcast wireless signals from POP displays, where the wireless signals include data packets with unique identifiers for the wireless beacons. The wireless signals may be received by mobile devices. A remote server may communicate with the mobile device and provide the mobile device with up-to-date content associated with the POP displays. An accelerometer may be attached to a POP display and used to assess movement of the POP display. Movement data for the POP display may be added to data packets broadcast by the wireless beacon.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using wireless beacons in point of purchase (“POP”) displays to facilitate the delivery of consumer oriented content to mobile devices is disclosed. Wireless beacons may be used to broadcast wireless signals from POP displays, where the wireless signals include data packets with unique identifiers for the wireless beacons. The wireless signals may be received by mobile devices. A remote server may communicate with the mobile device and provide the mobile device with up-to-date content associated with the POP displays. A geographic location of the mobile device may be assessed and used to determine if the mobile device is at an acceptable location for displaying the up-to-date content. The wireless beacons may be enclosed in an enclosure that is attached to the POP displays. Sensors may determine when the enclosures are attached/removed from the POP displays.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using wireless beacons in point of purchase (“POP”) displays to facilitate the delivery of consumer oriented content to mobile devices is disclosed. Wireless beacons may be used to broadcast wireless signals from POP displays, where the wireless signals include data packets with unique identifiers for the wireless beacons. The wireless signals may be received by mobile devices. A remote server may communicate with the mobile device and provide the mobile device with up-to-date content associated with the POP displays. Additionally, one or more cameras associated with the POP displays may be used to assess information about the POP displays and/or the environment surrounding the POP displays.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using wireless beacons in point of purchase (“POP”) displays to facilitate the delivery of consumer oriented content to mobile devices is disclosed. Wireless beacons may be used to broadcast wireless signals from POP displays, where the wireless signals include data packets with unique identifiers for the wireless beacons. The wireless signals may be received by mobile devices. A remote server may communicate with the mobile device and provide the mobile device with up-to-date content associated with the POP displays. Data packets broadcast by the wireless beacons may also include assessed state information for the POP displays.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using wireless beacons in point of purchase (“POP”) displays to facilitate the delivery of consumer oriented content to mobile devices is disclosed. Wireless beacons may be used to broadcast wireless signals from POP displays, where the wireless signals include data packets with unique identifiers for the wireless beacons. The wireless signals may be received by mobile devices. A remote server may communicate with the mobile device and provide the mobile device with up-to-date content associated with the POP displays. Wireless data collection devices (such as network gateways) may be used to receive data packets from the wireless beacons provide the data packets to the remote server. Accelerometers may be used on the wireless data collection devices to assess movement of the devices. Movement data for the devices may be used to determine reprogramming of the devices after the devices are moved.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings described herein, retail advertising systems and methods are provided for coordinating an advertising message with a product display. An advertising media device may be used for broadcasting recorded advertising messages about products in a retail environment. A product display may be used that is associated with a product on sale in the retail environment and that includes an associated wireless identification tag. A wireless identification system may be used that includes at least one antenna in the retail environment and that is configured to detect the wireless identification tag in the retail environment. An advertisement coordination system may be used that determines from the wireless identification system that the product display is located in the retail environment and in response causes the advertising media device to broadcast an advertising message related to the product display.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are provided for approximating the location of an RFID tag in an RFID system. The RFID system may include a plurality of receivers that receive RF signals from the RFID tag. Tag read count data for two or more of the plurality of receivers may be used to identify a number of times that each of the two or more receivers has received an RF signal from the RFID tag over a period of time. Signal strength data may be used to identify the strength of the RF signals received from the RFID tag. A combination metric for each of the two or more receivers may be determined as a function of the tag read count data and the signal strength data. The combination metrics may be compared to identify one of the receivers that is closest in proximity to the RFID tag.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings described herein, RFID systems are provided that include a distributed RFID antenna array utilizing one or more circular polarized helical antennas. A plurality of RFID tags may be used, with each RFID tag including a linear polarized antenna for communicating RFID tag signals. One or more receiver antennas may be used for receiving the RFID tag signals from the RFID tags. An RFID tag signal reader may be used to process RFID tag signals received by the receiver antennas. In one example, the receiver antennas may include a circular polarized helical antenna element. One or more transmitter antennas may be used for transmitting an RF signal to the plurality of RFID tags, the transmitter antennas including a circular polarized helical antenna element. A transmitter may be used to generate the RF signal for transmission by the transmitter antennas. In one example, the RFID tag signal reader and the transmitter may be included in a single reader/transmitter unit.

Abstract: A conversion receiver in a radio frequency identification system includes a phase shifting circuit that shifts the phase of a received signal. A switching circuit is coupled to the phase shifting circuit and selects either the received signal, or the phase shifted signal. A single receiver chain is coupled to the switching circuit and is configured to process either the received signal or the phase shifted received signal.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are described for monitoring the open stock merchandising. A product label may be used that includes an electronic identification device that outputs information identifying one or more products to be stocked on one or more retail display structures, such as a shelf. A wireless communication device may be used that communicates with a wireless communication system. The product label may also include one or more connectors for electrically coupling the electronic identification device to the wireless communication. The wireless communication device may be configured to receive the information identifying the one or more products via the one or more connectors and wirelessly communicate the information to the wireless communication system. The information may be used to determine if a first product is adjacent to a second product on one or more retail display structures.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are provided for measuring the effectiveness of an advertising display. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag may be associated with an advertising display in a retail environment. One or more receivers may be used to receive an RFID signal from the RFID tag. One or more processors may be used to receive the RFID signal from the receivers to determine a time period during which the advertising display is located within the retail environment. The one or more processors may also receive sales data from the retail environment relating to an amount of sales of one or more products associated with the advertising display over the time period that the advertising display is located within the retail environment. The one or more processors may compare the sales data with one or more sets of control data to measure the effectiveness of the advertising display.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings described herein, RFID systems are provided that include a distributed RFID antenna array utilizing one or more circular polarized helical antennas. A plurality of RFID tags may be used, with each RFID tag including a linear polarized antenna for communicating RFID tag signals. One or more receiver antennas may be used for receiving the RFID tag signals from the RFID tags. An RFID tag signal reader may be used to process RFID tag signals received by the receiver antennas. In one example, the receiver antennas may include a circular polarized helical antenna element. One or more transmitter antennas may be used for transmitting an RF signal to the plurality of RFID tags, the transmitter antennas including a circular polarized helical antenna element. A transmitter may be used to generate the RF signal for transmission by the transmitter antennas. In one example, the RFID tag signal reader and the transmitter may be included in a single reader/transmitter unit.