Patent ID: 8417445
Filing Date: 2013-04-09
Classification: A47F,B60K,B60T,B62B,G01C,G06K,G06Q,G08B,G08G,H02K,H04W,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of inhibiting theft of merchandise contained in a shopping cart, the method comprising: monitoring a location of a shopping cart in a store via bi-directional radio frequency communications with communication circuitry of the shopping cart; automatically determining whether the shopping cart is authorized to exit the store based, at least in part, on whether the shopping cart passed through a checkout zone before proceeding to an exit of the store, as determined from said monitoring, said checkout zone corresponding in location to a checkout area of the store, and being created via radio frequency transmissions from an antenna mounted at said checkout area, wherein the automatic determination of whether the shopping cart is authorized to exit the store is made without determining whether a payment transaction has actually occurred; and when the shopping cart is determined to not be authorized to exit the store, automatically taking an action to inhibit theft.