Inventory control apparatus and method of using same

Claim 1

An inventory control apparatus for use in an establishment including a plurality of existing open shelves having a variety of merchandise displayed thereon to enable the establishment to monitor the removal of an individual item of merchandise from at least one of the shelves without restricting customer access to the at least one shelf, each one of the shelves having an outer lip extending upwardly from a top surface, the inventory control apparatus comprising: portable base means to position on top of the at least one shelf for receiving the merchandise item thereon to facilitate the monitoring of the merchandise item, wherein said portable base means is not fixed to the at least one shelf to enable said portable base means to be relocated and repositioned on another one of the plurality of shelves for monitoring other items of merchandise; sensor means coupled to said portable base means for sensing the status of the merchandise item relative to said portable base means to generate a situated signal when the merchandise item is in the proximity of said sensor means, and to generate a removed signal when the merchandise item is not in the proximity of said sensor means, wherein the merchandise item is disposed on said portable base means to cooperate with said sensor means for generating said situated signal and said removed signal; detection means connected to said sensor means for generating an indicating signal to identify the status of the merchandise item; annunciator means connected to said detection means for indicating the status of the merchandise item relative to said sensor means to enable the establishment to monitor the presence or absence of the merchandise item on said portable base means; said sensing means includes a photoresistor; said annunciator means includes a light emitting diode; said annunciator means includes a speaker; wherein said sensor means and said detection means are connected to form a monitoring means for generating a trigger signal when the merchandise item is removed from the proximity of said sensor means, wherein said trigger signal is generated in response to said detection means generating said indicating signal; said annunciator means includes a timer means for generating a switching signal of variable duration to control the period of time that said annunciator means is activated; a switch means responsive to said switching signal to activate said annunciator means; a plurality of said monitoring means, wherein each of said monitoring means is connected to said timer means by a common node, and wherein said timer means generates said switching signal each time one of said monitor means generates said trigger signal; said timer means includes a control means to vary the duration of said switching signal; said portable base means includes a planar member and a pair of spaced apart support members to support said planar member above the top surface of the at least one shelf, wherein one of said support members engages the outer lip of the at least one shelf to prevent the inventory control apparatus from sliding off of the top surface; and a power source disposed on said portable base means and coupled to said monitoring means for providing electrical energy.