HK1242827A1 - Anti-theft system used for customer service - Google Patents

Description

Anti-theft system for customer service

Technical Field

This document relates generally to anti-theft systems. More particularly, the present document relates to an anti-theft system for customer service.

Background

Conventional anti-theft systems primarily attempt to catch a thief, rather than prevent or deter theft. The only deterrent is the presence of a security tag on the goods that means to the customer that he (she) may be caught if he (she) attempts to steal the goods. Most retailers do not stop possible thieves at the exit because of concerns about legal action or injury to the person stopping the possible thieves. The lack of action negates, or at least minimizes, the effectiveness of the anti-theft system.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for implementing theft deterrence for providing customer-based services. The method comprises the following steps: identifying, by the electronic circuit, each of a plurality of items being removed from the display by a person; determining, by the electronic circuit, whether the person is performing an action associated with a potential theft of an item previously removed from the display by the person; and in response to determining that the person is performing an action associated with a potential theft of the item, performing, by the electronic circuit, an action that initiates a customer service-based interaction. Customer service-based interaction with the person is initiated such that the person is discouraged from theft. Notably, when a customer service based interaction occurs, the person is located at a location within the facility rather than at the exit of the facility.

In some scenarios, determining whether the person is performing an action associated with a potential theft of an item is based on: a result of an operation of associating a list of items removed from the display device by the person with a list of items checked out by a clerk on behalf of the person; a result of an operation of associating the list of items owned by the person detected at the sales site with a list of items checked out by a clerk on behalf of the person; the number and type of at least one item removed from the display by the person; a location at which the person is currently located within the facility and/or at which the person removes items from the display; the speed of travel and the current path of travel of the person through the facility; and/or a result of an operation of comparing the person's activity within the facility with a predefined thief's shopping pattern.

The customer service based interaction includes at least one of the following actions: the store assistant asks the person if(s) he needs help to find something that can be used with or in addition to the item that may be stolen; the store assistant asks the person if(s) he needs anything to go with the item that might be stolen or an item other than the one that might be stolen; the store associate providing the person with information regarding specials or promotions associated with the item that may be stolen or items other than the item that may be stolen; the store POS clerk asks the person if he (she) wishes to purchase an item that may be stolen; an electronic message transmitted to the person's communication device suggesting an item collocated with the item that may be stolen or an item other than the item that may be stolen; and the electronic message transmitted to the person's communication device emphasizes a special offer or promotion regarding the item that may be stolen or an item other than the item that may be stolen.

Drawings

Embodiments will be described with reference to the following drawings, wherein like numbers represent like items throughout the views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary system that can be used to understand the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary architecture of a beacon shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary architecture of the mobile communication device shown in fig. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for providing customer service based theft deterrence.

Detailed Description

It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of various embodiments, as represented in the figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, but is merely representative of various embodiments. While various aspects of the embodiments are presented in drawings, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by this detailed description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention are or should be in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean: the particular features, advantages, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, in light of the description herein, that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. As used herein, the term "including" means "including, but not limited to".

Notably, by changing the manner in which the anti-theft system operates, more effectively tracking customers in the retail store and using information collected before the customer leaves the retail store, possible theft can be predicted. Such predictions allow customer service interactions that deter customers from actually completing a theft within the retail store. Accordingly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for providing customer service using an anti-theft system. Exemplary architectures for these systems and methods will be described below with reference to fig. 1-4.

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for providing store intelligence systems using proximity systems. Proximity systems may include, but are not limited to, those based onA proximity system.Connect to a mobile communication device (e.g., a cellular telephone) using bluetooth communication technology. In the course of establishing such a connection,first information is requested and received from each mobile communication device. The first information includes consent provided by the telephone userThe information of (1).The second information may also be pushed to the mobile communication device. The second information may include, but is not limited to, coupon correlations selected based on the store the customer is currently at or enteringAnd (4) information. Bluetooth technology is based on 2.45GHz transmission and its data rate ranges from 1Mbit to 24 Mbit.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of an exemplary system 100 useful for understanding the present invention is provided. System 100 is generally configured to allow improved theft-proof retail store intelligence and customer service using wireless communication techniques. The wireless communication technology may include, but is not limited to, a short-range communication ("SRC") technology and/or a mobile communication technology. SRC technology includes, but is not limited to, bluetooth technology. Mobile communication technologies may include, but are not limited to, radio frequency ("RF") communication technologies.

As shown in fig. 1, the system 100 includes a retail establishment ("RSF") 160 and a corporate establishment ("CF") 170 communicatively coupled to each other via a network (e.g., the internet) 136. Although FIG. 1 is shown with two facilities, the invention is not limited in this regard. For example, the facilities 160, 170 may reside in the same or different buildings or geographic areas. Alternatively or additionally, the facilities 160, 170 may be the same or different sub-parts of a larger facility.

RSF160 is generally configured to provide enhanced security, store intelligence, and customer service. In this regard, the RSF160 includes a plurality of proximity systems 106, 116, 134 disposed at various strategic locations therein. For example, first proximity system 106 is coupled to a display (e.g., a promotional display or merchandise display case). The second proximity system 116 is disposed on or within an electronic article surveillance ("EAS") system 120. In this case, the second proximity system 116 may be disposed on at least one pedestal located at the exit/entry point of the RSF 160. The third proximity system 134 is disposed in or on an emergency device (e.g., a smoke detector, exit sign, or emergency door).

Each proximity system 106, 116, 134 includes a beacon 138 and/or a camera 136. The beacon 138 is generally operable to communicate information to and/or from other communication devices via SRC technology (e.g., bluetooth technology). Thus, in some scenarios, the beacon 138 includesAre well known in the art and therefore will not be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however,bluetooth technology may be used as a transmitting device or as a receiving device. The camera 136 is used to obtain time-stamped images of people entering the RSF160, existing in the RSF160, and/or leaving the RSF 160.

Thus, the information transmitted from the beacon 138 may include, but is not limited to, a unique identifier. The unique identifier of the beacon 138 provides a means of determining the location of the person within the RSF 160. For example, assume that a person 108 located in RSF160 has a mobile communication device ("MCD") 110 with an SRC application installed thereon. When the person 108 moves into proximity of the beacon 138, the beacon transmits its unique identifier to the MCD110 via SRC communication. Further, the camera 136 may optionally capture at least one time stamped image of the person 108 and forward the captured image directly (not shown in fig. 1) or indirectly to a store intelligence system ("SIS") 140 of the CF170 via the computing device 114. The MCD110 sends the unique identifier of the beacon 138 and its own unique identifier (e.g., MAC address) to the SIS 140.

Notably, the SIS 140 need not be remote from the RSF160 in all cases. For example, if the RSF is part of a relatively small store chain, the SIS may be located in one of the retail stores. SIS may also be cloud-enabled. In this case, the SIS may not be located in the company facility 170, but in a server leased from a cloud provider.

At the SIS 140, various operations are performed using two unique identifiers and/or time stamped images. For example, the two unique identifiers and/or time-stamped images are used to (1) increase the security and safety of the RSF160, (2) track the travel path of people through the retail store, (3) generate a map indicating where one or more people are located within the RSF160, and/or (4) improve the shopping and/or checkout experience of the customer.

As described above, the RSF160 includes the EAS system 120. The EAS system 120 includes a monitoring system 124 and at least one security tag 122. Although not shown in fig. 1, a security tag 122 is attached to the article 150 for protecting the article 150 from unauthorized removal from the RSF 160. Monitoring system 124 establishes a monitoring area (not shown) within which the presence of security tag 122 may be detected. A monitoring region is established at an entry point (not shown) of the RSF 160. If security tag 122 is carried into the monitored area, an alarm is triggered to indicate that article 150 may be removed from RSF160 without authorization.

During store hours, a customer may wish to purchase an item 150. The customer may purchase the item 150 via a fixed POS station (e.g., a checkout counter) or a mobile POS station (e.g., MCD 110). Upon successful purchase of the article 150, the security tag 122 is disabled and/or disengaged from the article 150. In fact, no alert is issued when the customer passes through the interrogation zone.

In some cases, a person may attempt to steal the merchandise 150, thus leaving the RSF160 with the merchandise 150 coupled with the activated security tag 122 or the merchandise 150 coupled with the maliciously deactivated security tag 122. When the person walks through the interrogation zone of the EAS system 120, an alarm may be sounded as described above. However, if (1) multiple others (e.g., 5) pass through the interrogation zone at the same or substantially the same time, and/or (2) the retail establishment has a policy for a potential thief to leave the RSF for fear of legal action or injury to their employees, then the person may not be blocked.

Thus, the system 100 implements a method that allows store personnel to interact with the RSF160 before a potential thief attempts to exit the RSF. In this regard, the proximity systems 106, 116, 134 allow the RSF160 to monitor and track customers 108 passing through the RSF 160. Customer tracking is accomplished using unique identification information (e.g., a media access control ("MAC") address) obtained from the MCD110 carried by the customer 108. Further, video analysis may be used to visually track the customer 108 through the RSF160 and visually detect whether the customer is removing items from the display 104, walking around the RSF160, or performing some action that may be associated with a potential theft. Video analysis is facilitated by the camera 136 of the proximity system 106, 116, 134. Display 104 may include, but is not limited to, a promotional display case, a device-safe area of an RSF, and a safety display case.

The RSF160 may obtain knowledge of what items each customer owns at any given time by (1) identifying the customer, (2) identifying the items that the customer has removed from the display, and (3) tracking the movement of the customer and/or security tag affixed to the items through the RSF 160. Customer identification may be accomplished using the camera 136 and/or unique identification information obtained from the MCD 110. In both scenarios, the customer may be identified not by name, but as an anonymous person. The mechanical shelf system 190 and/or camera 136 that monitors shelf loading may be used to visually identify item removal. Mechanical shelving systems are well known in the art and will not be described herein. The customer may be tracked using signals (e.g., RFID or bluetooth signals) received from the MCD110 and/or the self-checkout device. The security tag may be tracked using SRC (such as RFID communication).

This knowledge may be used in association with purchases at the POS station. This association may be accomplished by comparing a checkout item list (i.e., a list of items scanned at the POS station) with a list of items that the customer removed from the display, read from security tags near the customer, and/or read from security tags having the same travel path through the RSF. Based on the comparison, some action may be taken to prevent theft before the customer leaves the RSF.

For example, if a customer enters a POS station and the scanned item does not match an item identified as removed from the display device by the customer, the checkout clerk may be alerted to any items missing from the checkout items (or scanned items). The checkout clerk may then ask the customer if he or she wishes to purchase the missing one of the checkout items. This intervention occurs before the customer enters the vicinity of the exit of the RSF and serves as an increased deterrent to theft before the customer is located away from the store, disregarding the issue of an alarm of the security tag.

This knowledge can also be used to alert store personnel to a potential theft so that interaction with the customer can be initiated. This customer interaction indicates to him that the RSF knows the items that he removed from the display and/or the items that he (she) owns. Customer interaction may take the form of a store associate asking if(s) he can help the customer find something that can be used with the potentially stolen item.

For example, the system 100 detects that a customer has removed a plurality of identical items (e.g., ten packs of shavers) from the display. The item is a high theft item. Typically, a thief picks up a plurality of packages of such items and proceeds quickly to the outlet of the RSF. However, store associate may be dispatched quickly to prevent a customer from going to an exit gate, with a reminder that a particular customer removed many items from the display. Upon arrival at the customer, the store associate can ask the customer if anything needs to be collocated with a particular item (e.g., a razor). Such a query lets the customer know that(s) he has been identified by the retail store as having the item. Further, this information may automatically trigger a visual recording (e.g., picture or video) of the customer and/or highlight the event within the recording system for later retrieval and evidence.

Of course, the same information is also useful for providing real customer service. The customer or item information allows the retail store to suggest items to be matched with one or more items removed from the display and/or to highlight specials and discounts that may be of interest to the customer. These recommendations may be pushed to the MCD110 or communicated to the customer by the store assistant. In this way, the customer service aspect can also be used for theft deterrence.

Referring now to fig. 2, a schematic diagram of an exemplary architecture of the beacon 138 of fig. 1 is provided. Beacon 138 may include more or fewer components than those shown in fig. 2. The components shown, however, are sufficient to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the invention. Some or all of the components of beacon 138 may be implemented in hardware, software, and/or a combination of hardware and software. The hardware includes, but is not limited to, one or more electronic circuits. The electronic circuit may include passive components (e.g., capacitors and resistors) and active components (e.g., processors) arranged and/or programmed to implement the methods disclosed herein.

The hardware architecture of fig. 2 represents an embodiment of a representative beacon 138 configured to facilitate improved store intelligence. In this regard, the beacon 138 includes an SRC-enabled device 200 for allowing data to be exchanged with an external device (e.g., the MCD110 of fig. 1) via SRC technology (e.g., bluetooth technology). The components 204, 260 and the battery 220 shown in fig. 2 may be collectively referred to herein as the SRC-enabled device 200.

The SRC-enabled device 200 includes an antenna 202 that allows data to be exchanged with external devices via SRC technology. The antenna 202 is configured to receive SRC signals from external devices and/or transmit SRC signals generated by the SRC-enabled device 200. The SRC-enabled device 200 includes a SRC transceiver 204. SRC transceivers are well known in the art and will not be described herein. However, it should be understood that the SRC transceiver 204 transmits an SRC signal including the first information to the external device, and processes the received SRC signal to extract the second information therefrom. The first information includes a unique identifier 230 for the beacon 138. The unique identifier 230 provides a means for the SIS to determine the location of a person located within a given facility (e.g., RSF160 of fig. 1). The second information may include, but is not limited to, a unique identifier of an external device (e.g., the MCD110 of fig. 1). The SRC transceiver 204 may pass the extracted second information to the controller 206 via the interface 260.

At the controller 206, the information may be pre-processed to determine how the beacon 130 is to process the SRC signals. For example, the unique identifier of the external device and the unique identifier of the beacon may be forwarded to the SIS for various purposes, such as security purposes, customer service purposes, access control purposes, and/or promotional purposes.

Notably, the memory 208 can be volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 208 may include, but is not limited to, random access memory ("RAM"), dynamic random access memory ("DRAM"), static random access memory ("SRAM"), read only memory ("ROM"), and flash memory. The memory 208 may also include non-secure memory and/or secure memory. The phrase "unsecure memory" as used herein refers to a memory configured to store data in plain text form. The phrase "secure memory" as used herein refers to a memory configured to store data in encrypted form and/or a memory having or disposed in a secure or tamper-resistant enclosure.

Referring now to fig. 3, a block diagram of an exemplary architecture of an MCD110 that may be used to understand the present invention is provided. The MCD110 may include more or fewer components than those shown in fig. 3. The components shown, however, are sufficient to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the invention. Some or all of the components of the MCD110 may be implemented in hardware, software, and/or a combination of hardware and software. The hardware includes, but is not limited to, one or more electronic circuits.

The MCD110 can include, but is not limited to, a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, or a mobile telephone with smart device functionality (e.g., a smart phone). In this regard, the MCD110 includes an antenna 302 for receiving and transmitting RF signals. A receive/transmit ("Rx/Tx") switch 304 selectively couples the antenna 302 to transmitter circuitry 306 and receiver circuitry 308 in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art. The receiver circuit 308 demodulates and decodes the RF signal received from the external device. The receiver circuit 308 is coupled to a controller (or microprocessor) 310 via an electrical connection 334. Receiver circuitry 308 provides the decoded signal information to controller 310. The controller 310 uses the decoded RF signal information according to one or more functions of the MCD 110. Controller 310 also provides information to transmitter circuitry 306 for encoding and modulating information into RF signals. Thus, controller 210 is coupled to transmitter circuitry 306 via electrical connection 338. Transmitter circuitry 306 conveys the RF signals to antenna 302 for transmission to external devices via Rx/Tx switch 304.

The MCD110 also includes an antenna 340 coupled to the SRC transceiver 314 for receiving SRC signals. SRC transceivers are well known in the art and therefore will not be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the SRC transceiver 314 processes the SRC signals to extract information therefrom. The SRC transceiver 314 may process the SRC signals in a manner defined by the SRC application 354 installed on the MCD 110. The SRC application 354 may include, but is not limited to, Commercial Off the Shelf ("COTS") applications. The SRC transceiver 314 is coupled to the controller 310 via electrical connection 336. The controller uses the extracted information according to one or more functions of the MCD 110. For example, the extracted information may be forwarded by the MCD110 to an SIS (e.g., SIS 140 of fig. 1) where it may be used for various purposes. Such purposes may include, but are not limited to: (1) increasing the security of the RSF160, (2) providing promotional material to a person, (3) providing a person with a locking code for accessing a particular area of the RSF160 and/or items stored in a locked display case, (4) tracking the travel path of people through the retail store, (5) generating a map indicating where one or more people are located within the RSF160, and/or (6) improving the shopping and/or checkout experience of the customer.

The controller 310 can store the received and extracted information in the memory 312 of the MCD 110. Thus, the memory 312 is connected to the controller 310 by the electrical connection 332 and is accessible by the controller 310. The memory 312 may be volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. For example, memory 312 may include, but is not limited to, RAM, DRAM, ROM, and flash memory. The memory 312 may also include non-secure memory and/or secure memory. The memory 312 may be used to store various other types of data 360 therein, such as authentication information, encryption information, location information, and various merchandise-related information.

As shown in FIG. 3, one or more sets of instructions 350 are stored in memory 312. The instructions may include customizable instructions and non-customizable instructions. The instructions 350 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the controller 310 during execution thereof by the MCD 110. In this regard, the memory 312 and the controller 310 may constitute machine-readable media. The term "machine-readable medium" as used herein refers to a single medium or multiple media that store one or more sets of instructions 350. The term "machine-readable medium" as used herein also refers to any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying the set of instructions 350 for execution by the MCD110 and that causes the MCD110 to perform one or more of the methods of the present disclosure.

The controller 310 is also connected to a user interface 330. The user interface 330 includes an input device 316, an output device 324, and software routines (not shown in fig. 3) configured to allow a user to interact with and control software applications (e.g., the software applications 352 and 358 and other software applications) installed on the MCD 110. Such input and output devices may include, but are not limited to, a display 328, a speaker 326, a keypad 320, directional keys (not shown in FIG. 3), a directional knob (not shown in FIG. 3), a microphone 322, and a camera 318. The display 328 may be designed to accept touch screen input. As such, the user interface 330 may facilitate user software interaction to launch applications (e.g., software applications 352 and 358 and other software applications) installed on the MCD 110. The user interface 330 may facilitate user-software interactive sessions for: initializing communication with an external device; writing data to memory 312 and reading data from memory 312; the retail application process is initialized to provide improved customer service to the user and/or to provide enhanced security to the retail store. The retail application process will be described in detail below.

The display 328, the keypad 320, the directional keypad (not shown in fig. 3), and the directional knob (not shown in fig. 3) may collectively provide a means for a user to activate one or more software applications or functions of the MCD 110. The application software 352 and 358 may facilitate data exchange between (a) the user and the MCD110, (b) the MCD110 and the POS station, and/or (c) the MCD110 and a beacon (e.g., beacon 138 of fig. 1). In this regard, the application software 352-358 performs one or more of the following: verifying the identity of the user of the MCD110 via an authentication process; presenting information to the user indicating that his/her identity has or has not been verified; and presenting a graphical user interface ("GUI") to the user to enable the user to initiate a customer service process that provides improved customer service to the user while the user is in a retail establishment (e.g., RSF 150 of fig. 1).

The application software 352-358 also performs one or more of the following: transmitting a unique identifier to a beacon; receiving information (e.g., promotional material) from a remote database; and/or display the received information on a display screen of the MCD 110. The application software 352-358 also performs one or more of the following: receiving a unique identifier from a beacon; transmitting the unique identifier of the beacon and its own unique identifier to the distant SIS; receiving information from the SIS; and/or display the received information on a display screen of the MCD 110.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram of an exemplary method 400 for providing customer service based theft deterrence is provided. The method 400 begins at step 402 and continues with step 404. Step 404 involves detecting when a person (e.g., person 108 of fig. 1) is located in proximity to a proximity system (e.g., proximity systems 106, 116, or 134 of fig. 1) disposed within an RSF (e.g., RSF160 of fig. 1). Such detection may be performed using a proximity sensor (e.g., the proximity sensor 130 of fig. 1) disposed adjacent to or in close proximity to the proximity system. Next, in optional step 406, at least one time stamped image of the person is captured by a camera (e.g., camera 136 of fig. 1) of the proximity system. The captured image is then optionally transmitted from the proximity system to a remote SIS (e.g., SIS 140 of fig. 1), as shown in step 408.

In step 410, a unique identifier is transmitted from a beacon of the proximity system (e.g., beacon 138 of fig. 1) to the MCD owned by the person (e.g., MCD110 of fig. 1) or vice versa via the SRC (e.g., bluetooth communication). In step 412, the beacon and the unique identifier of the MCD are transmitted to the SIS.

Then, in step 414, various operations are performed by the proximity system to identify each item (e.g., item of merchandise 150 of FIG. 1) being removed from the display (e.g., display 104 of FIG. 1) by the person. These operations may include, but are not limited to, capturing a visual image showing the person's activity within the RSF, and/or obtaining information from a security tag (e.g., security tag 122 of fig. 1) attached to an item removed from the display by the person. Identification information for the removed item is also sent from the proximity system to the SIS in step 414. At the SIS, a list is generated in step 416 that includes information that indicates each item removed from the display by the person.

Tracking information is also generated in step 418. The tracking information indicates the tracked movement of the person and/or the item owned by the person throughout the RSF. The tracking information may be generated by: periodically obtaining unique identification information from a beacon of a proximity system (e.g., beacon 138 of fig. 1), an MCD owned by the person (e.g., MCD110 of fig. 1), and/or a security tag attached to the item; capturing an image of the person's activity within the RSF; and/or capturing an image of an item removed from the display by the person. In step 418, tracking information is also transmitted from the RSF to the SIS.

At the SIS, one or more beacon unique identifiers, MCD unique identifiers, lists of removed items, and/or tracking information are used to determine whether the person is performing an action associated with a potential theft, as shown at step 420. Such a determination may be made based on: (1) a result of an operation that associates a list of removed items with a list of checked-out (or scanned) items, (2) a result of an operation that associates a list of items owned by the person detected at a POS station with a list of checked-out (or scanned) items, (3) a number and type of items removed by the person from a display device, (4) a location at which the person is currently within a facility and/or a location at which the person is removed from a display device, (5) a travel speed and a current travel path of the person or group of persons through the RSF, and/or (6) a result of an operation that compares the person's activity within the RSF to a predefined thief's shopping pattern. With respect to criterion (3), a threshold comparison may be performed. The same or different thresholds may be selected for each type of time. With respect to criterion (4), a threshold comparison may be performed. The threshold is selected based on a theft risk associated with a particular location within the RSF.

For example, if the list of checked-out (or scanned) items does not match the list of removed items, the person is deemed to be performing an action associated with a potential theft. Similarly, if the person removes a plurality of packages of certain items from the display and/or begins traveling relatively quickly toward the exit of the RSF, the person is deemed to be performing an action associated with a potential theft. Similarly, if the person's activity within the RSF substantially or approximately matches a predefined thief's shopping pattern, the person is deemed to be performing an action associated with the potential theft.

If it is determined that the person is not performing an action associated with a potential theft [ 422: no ], step 424 is performed, wherein the method 400 returns to step 404. Conversely, if it is determined that the person is performing an action associated with a potential theft [ 422: yes ], then step 426 is performed in which interaction with the person is initiated before the person comes to the exit of the RSF. For example, an interaction may be initiated with the person indicating that store personnel are aware of the item that they have acquired. This interaction may take the form of: (1) the store assistant asks the person if(s) he needs help to find something that can be used with or in addition to the item that may be stolen; (2) the store assistant asks the person if(s) he needs anything to go with the item that might be stolen or an item other than the one that might be stolen; (3) the store associate providing the person with information regarding specials or promotions associated with the item that may be stolen or items other than the item that may be stolen; (4) the store POS clerk asks the person if he (she) wishes to purchase an item that may be stolen; (5) an electronic message transmitted to the person's MCD suggesting an item collocated with the item that may be stolen or an item other than the item that may be stolen; and/or (6) an electronic message transmitted to the person's MCD emphasizes specials or promotions regarding or in addition to potentially stolen items. The electronic message may include, but is not limited to, an email, text message, or other display screen message. This interaction serves as a deterrent to theft until the person is located away from the store, disregarding any associated security alarms. Notably, such interaction is customer service based, which eliminates or minimizes retail store liability and injury issues with respect to theft deterrence.

After completing step 426, step 428 is performed in which method 400 ends or other processing is performed. Other processing may include capturing images of the person and/or videos of events between store personnel and the person. The captured images and/or video are transferred to the SIS for storage and later use as evidence of the person's illegal activity.

All of the devices, methods, and algorithms disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variations may be applied to the apparatus, methods and in the sequence of steps of the method without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. More specifically, it will be apparent that certain components may be added to, combined with, or substituted for the components described herein while the same or similar results would be achieved. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined.

The above-disclosed features and functions, and alternatives, may be combined in many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art, each of which is also intended to be encompassed by the disclosed embodiments.

Claims (18)

1. A method for providing customer service based theft deterrence, comprising:

identifying, by the electronic circuit, each of a plurality of items being removed from the display by a person;

determining, by the electronic circuit, whether the person is performing an action associated with a potential theft of an item previously removed from the display by the person; and

in response to determining that the person is performing the action associated with the potential theft of the item, performing, by the electronic circuit, an action that initiates a customer service-based interaction with the person such that the person is deterred from theft, wherein the person is located at a location within a facility other than at an exit of the facility when the customer service-based interaction occurs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination is based on the result of an operation of associating a list of items removed from the display device by the person with a list of items checked out by a store clerk on behalf of the person.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is based on a result of an operation of associating a list of items detected at a sales site that the person owns with a list of items checked-out by a store clerk on behalf of the person.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination is based on the number and type of at least one item removed from the display by the person.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination is based on a location within the facility where the person is currently located and/or a location where the person removes items from the display.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination is based on a speed of travel of the person through the facility and a current path of travel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination is based on a result of an operation of comparing the person's activity within the facility with a predefined pattern of thieves' purchases.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer service based interaction comprises at least one of:

a store associate asking the person if(s) he needs help to find something that can be used with or in addition to the item that may be stolen;

the store assistant asks the person if(s) he needs anything to go with the item that might be stolen or an item other than the one that might be stolen;

a store associate providing the person with information regarding specials or promotions associated with the item that may be stolen or an item other than the item that may be stolen; and

the store POS clerk asks the person if he (she) wishes to purchase an item that may be stolen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer service based interaction comprises at least one of:

an electronic message transmitted to the person's communication device suggesting an item collocated with the item that may be stolen or an item other than the item that may be stolen; and

the electronic message transmitted to the person's communication device emphasizes specials or promotions regarding or other than the item that may be stolen.

10. A system, comprising:

at least one electronic circuit configured to

Identifying each of a plurality of items being removed from the display by a person;

determining whether the person is performing an action associated with a potential theft of an item previously removed from the display by the person; and

in response to determining that the person is performing the action associated with the potential theft of the item, performing an action that initiates a customer service-based interaction with the person such that the person is discouraged from theft, wherein the person is located at a location within a facility other than an exit of the facility when the customer service-based interaction occurs.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the determination is based on a result of an operation of associating a list of items removed from the display device by the person with a list of items checked out by a store clerk on behalf of the person.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the determination is based on a result of an operation of associating a list of items detected at a sales site that are owned by the person with a list of items checked-out by a store clerk on behalf of the person.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the determination is based on the number and type of at least one item removed from the display by the person.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the determination is based on a location within the facility where the person is currently located and/or a location where the person removes items from a display.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the determination is based on a speed of travel of the person through the facility and a current path of travel.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the determination is based on a result of an operation of comparing the person's activity within the facility with a predefined thief's shopping pattern.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the customer service based interaction comprises at least one of:

a store associate asking the person if(s) he needs help to find something that can be used with or in addition to the item that may be stolen;

the store assistant asks the person if(s) he needs anything to go with the item that might be stolen or an item other than the one that might be stolen;

a store associate providing the person with information regarding specials or promotions associated with the item that may be stolen or an item other than the item that may be stolen; and

the store POS clerk asks the person if he (she) wishes to purchase an item that may be stolen.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the customer service based interaction comprises at least one of:

an electronic message transmitted to the person's communication device suggesting an item collocated with the item that may be stolen or an item other than the item that may be stolen; and

the electronic message transmitted to the person's communication device emphasizes specials or promotions regarding or other than the item that may be stolen.