Successive memory writes in an RFID interrogator

• US 10,073,994 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2015
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Inventors: Duckett, Jeanne F., Neuhard, Lance D., Wimmers, David J., Wirrig, Richard D., Williams, Larri B., Makley, James A., Watson, Jan M., Evans, Andrew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alunkal, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/882,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20160189018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/066 using ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/00 Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in continuous form, e.g. webs
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/335 Structure of thermal heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/36 Print density control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/13 Cases or covers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/50 Mechanisms producing characters by printing and also producing a record by other means , e.g. printer combined with RFID writer
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0052 by thermal printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0094 by thermal printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/00 Methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/20 Simultaneous marking of record carrier and printing-out of data, e.g. printing-punch
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0025 the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0725 the arrangement being a circuit for emulating a plurality of record carriers, e.g. a single RFID tag capable of representing itself to a reader as a cloud of RFID tags
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10198 setting parameters for the interrogator, e.g. programming parameters and operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10227 loading programming parameters or programs into the interrogator, e.g. for configuring the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications

Abstract

A high speed tabletop and industrial printer is disclosed with integrated high speed RFID encoding and verification at the same time. The industrial printer simultaneously prints on and electronically encodes/verifies RFID labels, tags, and/or stickers attached to a continuous web. The industrial printer comprises a lighted sensor array for indexing the printing to the RFID tags; and a cutter powered from the industrial printer for cutting the web that the RFID tags are disposed on. The industrial printer comprises two RFID reader/writers that are individually controlled. Specifically, one of the RFID reader/writers comprises the ability to electronically encode the RFID tags while the web is moving; and the second RFID reader/writer uses an additional RFID module and antenna on the printer for verifying the data encoded to the RFID tags. The printer provides for successive writes to various memory blocks and optimizes the communication sequence between the interrogator and tag.

Claims

1. A process for optimizing the command sequence between an RFID interrogator and an RFID tag based on foreknowledge of the communication sequence between an RFID interrogator and an RFID tag, comprising the steps of:

removing query command via the RFID interrogator;

removing ack command via the RFID interrogator;

issuing a Req_RN command via the RFID interrogator;

issuing a handle New RN 16 via the RFID tag;

responding with an access command via the RFID Interrogator; and

responding with status via the RFID tag.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein removal of the query command and ack command reduces overall cycle time of the communication sequence.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the status is either success or error failure for the command sequence.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein the access command is at least one of Req-RN, read, write, lock, kill, blockwrite, or blockerase.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein the steps are repeated before issuing another access command.

6. The process of claim 1, where the individual commands comprise Write EPC (electronic product code), Write Access, Password Lock, and Read EPC.

7. The process of claim 6, where the individual commands may all be processed at the once by the RFID interrogator.

8. The process of claim 1, where the RFID tag is a RFID Gent 2 Tag.

9. The process of claim 1, where implementation of the high level command stack optimization operation eliminates unnecessary overhead between the RFID printer and the RFID interrogator.

10. The process of claim 1, implemented within a high speed tabletop and industrial printer integrated with high speed RFID encoding and simultaneous verification.