RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION DEVICE
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for tracking articles in a manufacturing environment comprising:
- a plurality of identification cards attached to said articles, said identification cards including memory and wireless connections for transmitting information about said articles;
a portable reader wand with memory and a wireless connection for transmitting information about said articles to and from said identification cards;
a central computer with a database of information about said articles; and
an interruptible connection between said portable reader wand and said central database for transmitting information about said articles.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An identification system for tracking wafer carriers within a manufacturing facility. The system uses smart card technology in which an identification card is placed on each wafer carrier. The smart cards have memory for storing information about the wafer carrier. Power is transmitted to the card along with data so that the smart card does not require a separate power source. The devices for communicating with the smart cards can be stationary or they can be portable hand-carried devices. A network connects the readers to a central database.
-
Citations
30 Claims
-
1. A system for tracking articles in a manufacturing environment comprising:
-
a plurality of identification cards attached to said articles, said identification cards including memory and wireless connections for transmitting information about said articles;
a portable reader wand with memory and a wireless connection for transmitting information about said articles to and from said identification cards;
a central computer with a database of information about said articles; and
an interruptible connection between said portable reader wand and said central database for transmitting information about said articles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A method for tracking semiconductor wafers in a manufacturing environment comprising the steps of:
-
providing a plurality of wafer carriers with identification cards attached thereto wherein said identification cards include memory;
providing a portable reader wand with memory and with wireless communication capabilities for transmitting information to and from said identification cards;
providing a central database of information about said wafer carriers;
transmitting information from said central database to the memory in said portable reader;
disconnecting said portable reader wand from said central database;
transmitting information from the memory in said portable reader wand to the memory in said identification cards;
transmitting information from the memory in said identification cards to the memory in said portable reader wand;
reconnecting said portable reader wand to said central database; and
transmitting information from the memory in said portable reader wand to said central database. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
-
-
27. A method of identifying a specific wafer carrier within a semiconductor manufacturing environment comprising the steps of:
-
providing a plurality of wafer carriers with identification cards attached thereto wherein said identification cards include memory;
providing a portable reader wand with memory and with wireless communication capabilities for transmitting information to and from said identification cards;
providing a central database of information about said wafer carriers;
transmitting information from said central database to the memory in said portable reader wherein said information uniquely identifies said specific wafer carrier;
disconnecting said portable reader wand from said central database;
transmitting information from the memory in said portable reader wand to the memory in said identification cards;
transmitting information from the memory in said identification cards to the memory in said portable reader wand;
generating a visual or audible signal when the information transmitted from the memory in one of said identification cards indicates that it is attached to said specific wafer carrier. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
-
Specification