Patent ID: 7245221

Claim:
A system for inventory control of items stored at a location, comprising: a surveillance system comprising a plurality of cameras, a recorder for storing video or audio information from at least one camera, and at least one display; at least one identification tag; at least one identification tag reader configured to read the identification tag and placed at an egress to the location; a computer configured to process information including the identification tag read by the reader and in response to the information: select one of the plurality of video cameras to display an image showing an area around the identification tag, using data representing associations between readers and cameras operable to view areas around the readers; determine if the identification tag has been removed from the location; determine if the identification tag has been returned to the location by using the reader to detect the identification tag after the identification tag has been determined to have been removed from the location; and store the information, wherein the information includes the identity of the reader, at least a portion of information contained by the identification tag, and a timestamp.