Patents by Inventor Thomas Edward Stiefel

Thomas Edward Stiefel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9460326
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a computer-implemented method of managing inventory performed by a processor includes receiving in a digital or analog format, from a first computing device, a first request for first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag data associated with a first plurality of RFID tags and receiving in a digital or analog format, from a second computing device, a second request for second RFID tag data associated with a second plurality of RFID tags. In response to the first request and the second request, the method further includes automatically selecting a selected one of a first interrogation mode and a second interrogation mode based on the first request and the second request, and automatically transmitting configuration information to an RFID reader to operate in the selected interrogation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholaus Adam Jones, Jarrod Lee Bourlon, Thomas Edward Stiefel
  • Patent number: 9165277
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a computer-implemented method of managing inventory includes receiving, at an antenna operatively coupled to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, product identification information encoded in an RF signal transmitted by a plurality of RFID tags. Each of the RFID tags is associated with a respective one of a plurality of products. The method further includes processing, by a processor and using the product identification information, information contained in a portion of the encoded RF signal to compare apparent location information associated with the RFID reader with prior location information associated with at least one of the products, and updating, by the processor, the apparent location information to match the prior location information where the apparent location information is different than the prior location information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholaus Adam Jones, Jarrod Lee Bourlon, Thomas Edward Stiefel
  • Patent number: 9098824
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of managing inventory includes receiving, at an antenna operatively coupled to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, product identification information encoded in an RF signal transmitted by a plurality of RFID tags. Each of the RFID tags is associated with a respective one of a plurality of products. The method further includes processing, by a processor, the product identification information contained in a portion of the encoded RF signal to identify a characteristic associated with each of the products, and identifying, by the processor using the product identification information, one of the products having a characteristic different from another one of the products. The method may include identifying a majority of the products having a characteristic in common based on the product identification information, and identifying at least one of the products having a characteristic different from the majority.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventors: Nicholaus Adam Jones, Jarrod Lee Bourlon, Thomas Edward Stiefel
  • Publication number: 20140306804
    Abstract: Item movement is determined via wireless tracking using RFID data from at least one RFID reader. The RFID data associates RFID tag information with each antenna of the RFID reader that receives the tag information. At least one processor is configured to identify a first appearance of unique tag information in the RFID data. Items may be grouped when their first appearance in RFID data and their antenna association indicates that they first appear in a location within a predetermined amount of time, as indicated by RFID data, and/or when they have all moved from a previous location within a predetermined amount of time, as indicated by different RFID data. A group designation comprises the relevant unique tag information, which may be stored in memory along with a time stamp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Inventors: Thomas Edward Stiefel, Bruce Walter Wilkinson, Nicholaus Adam Jones
  • Publication number: 20140263635
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of managing inventory includes receiving, at an antenna operatively coupled to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, product identification information encoded in an RF signal transmitted by a plurality of RFID tags. Each of the RFID tags is associated with a respective one of a plurality of products. The method further includes processing, by a processor, the product identification information contained in a portion of the encoded RF signal to identify a characteristic associated with each of the products, and identifying, by the processor using the product identification information, one of the products having a characteristic different from another one of the products. The method may include identifying a majority of the products having a characteristic in common based on the product identification information, and identifying at least one of the products having a characteristic different from the majority.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventors: Nicholaus Adam Jones, Jarrod Lee Bourlon, Thomas Edward Stiefel
  • Publication number: 20140266621
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a computer-implemented method of managing inventory performed by a processor includes receiving in a digital or analog format, from a first computing device, a first request for first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag data associated with a first plurality of RFID tags and receiving in a digital or analog format, from a second computing device, a second request for second RFID tag data associated with a second plurality of RFID tags. In response to the first request and the second request, the method further includes automatically selecting a selected one of a first interrogation mode and a second interrogation mode based on the first request and the second request, and automatically transmitting configuration information to an RFID reader to operate in the selected interrogation mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventors: Nicholaus Adam Jones, Jarrod Lee Bourlon, Thomas Edward Stiefel
  • Publication number: 20140263636
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a computer-implemented method of managing inventory includes receiving, at an antenna operatively coupled to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, product identification information encoded in an RF signal transmitted by a plurality of RFID tags. Each of the RFID tags is associated with a respective one of a plurality of products. The method further includes processing, by a processor and using the product identification information, information contained in a portion of the encoded RF signal to compare apparent location information associated with the RFID reader with prior location information associated with at least one of the products, and updating, by the processor, the apparent location information to match the prior location information where the apparent location information is different than the prior location information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventors: Nicholaus Adam Jones, Jarrod Lee Bourlon, Thomas Edward Stiefel