Context-aware and real-time item tracking system architecture and scenarios
First Claim
1. A method for context-aware and real-time tracking of items, comprising:
- receiving multiple instances of tag-read-data, each instance including information read from a tag bound to an item, the information read including a unique digital identifier read automatically from the tag, each instance also including status information including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound item when the unique identifier was read from the tag, the multiple instances of tag-read-data collectively including information read from tags bound to multiple items;
receiving one or more instances of context information, each instance describing an associated non-taggable physical circumstance, the context information indicating a status including a location of the circumstance, the multiple instances of context information collectively including information describing multiple circumstances;
using the received tag-read-data and context information to maintain virtual items and virtual circumstances in a virtual world, the virtual items including an object for each of the multiple articles and the virtual circumstances including an object for each of the multiple circumstances, each of the objects representing the status of its corresponding item or circumstance; and
detecting interactions occurring in the virtual world between the circumstances and the items as represented by the virtual items and virtual circumstances.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for real-time and context-aware tracking of items. Tags bound to items are read and information read from the tags and location information about the tags is provided by at least two enterprises and used to maintain disposition information about the items, which is made visible to enterprises in the supply chain. The disposition information can be mapped to a world model that tracks the items and circumstances affecting the items, for example, geo-spatial events and traffic delays. Visibility of the disposition information can be controlled through authorization. Visible information can include relationships between particular items and business documents such as order and shipping documents.
643 Citations
51 Claims
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1. A method for context-aware and real-time tracking of items, comprising:
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receiving multiple instances of tag-read-data, each instance including information read from a tag bound to an item, the information read including a unique digital identifier read automatically from the tag, each instance also including status information including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound item when the unique identifier was read from the tag, the multiple instances of tag-read-data collectively including information read from tags bound to multiple items;
receiving one or more instances of context information, each instance describing an associated non-taggable physical circumstance, the context information indicating a status including a location of the circumstance, the multiple instances of context information collectively including information describing multiple circumstances;
using the received tag-read-data and context information to maintain virtual items and virtual circumstances in a virtual world, the virtual items including an object for each of the multiple articles and the virtual circumstances including an object for each of the multiple circumstances, each of the objects representing the status of its corresponding item or circumstance; and
detecting interactions occurring in the virtual world between the circumstances and the items as represented by the virtual items and virtual circumstances. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for updating information on a writable tag bound to an item, the method comprising:
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receiving in a system first attribute information for a first item, where the first attribute information was derived from data read automatically from a first tag bound to the first item, the first attribute information including a first identifier identifying the first item;
receiving in the system second attribute information for a second item, where the second attribute information was derived from data read automatically from a second tag bound to the second item, the second attribute information including a second identifier identifying the second item;
receiving in the system sensor information derived from data read automatically from a sensor coupled to the second item;
receiving in the system relationship information specifying a relationship between the first item and the second item;
maintaining in the system a first and a second virtual item representing the first and the second item, respectively, the objects maintaining information representing the first attribute information and the second attribute information and sensor information, respectively, and maintaining in the system a virtual circumstance representing the relationship between the first and second items;
recognizing an alert condition from information in the physical and virtual circumstances, the alert condition relating to the first item;
generating updated attribute information to be written to the first item in response to the alert condition;
detecting in the system the presence of the first tag at a tag writer station after the alert condition was recognized; and
causing the tag writer station to write the updated information to the first tag at the tag writer station upon detecting the presence of the first tag at the tag writer station. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method to be performed in a commercial data processing environment where the environment includes multiple enterprises in a supply chain, the method comprising:
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provide the enterprises with real-time visibility of the disposition of items in the supply chain, by;
receiving from a first enterprise multiple instances of tag-read-data, each instance including information read from a tag bound to an item, the information read including a unique tag identifier read automatically from the tag, each instance also including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound item when the tag identifier was read from the tag, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from the first enterprise collectively including information read from tags bound to multiple items;
using the tag-read-data received from the first enterprise to maintain disposition information for the items;
receiving from a second enterprise multiple instances of second tag-read-data, each instance including information read from a tag bound to an item, the information read including a unique tag identifier read automatically from the tag, each instance also including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound item when the tag identifier was read from the tag, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from the second enterprise collectively including information read from tags bound to at least one of the multiple items;
using the tag-read-data received from the second enterprise to maintain disposition information for the items, where tag-read-data received from either enterprise for a particular item is used to update the disposition information; and
making the disposition information visible to the multiple enterprises in the supply chain, including the first and second enterprises. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A method, comprising:
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receiving a set of rules, the rules specifying what data to furnish to an external application;
receiving item data including item identifiers from one or more tag readers, each item identifier being read from a digital tag bound to a physical item, the item identifier uniquely identifying the item;
receiving additional item data from other sensor devices, the other sensor devices being devices other than tag readers, the additional item data containing additional physical item attributes besides an item identifier, the additional item data being related to one or more items identified by the tag readers;
using the rules, item identifiers, and additional item data to determine which subset of the item identifiers and additional item data to finish to the external application; and
furnishing to the external application data consisting of only the subset of the received item identifiers and additional item data. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47)
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48. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for context-aware and real-time tracking of items, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:
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receive multiple instances of tag-read-data, each instance including information read from a tag bound to an item, the information read including a unique digital identifier read automatically from the tag, each instance also including status information including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound item when the unique identifier was read from the tag, the multiple instances of tag-read-data collectively including information read from tags bound to multiple items;
receive one or more instances of context information, each instance describing an associated non-taggable physical circumstance, the context information indicating a status including a location of the circumstance, the multiple instances of context information collectively including information describing multiple circumstances;
use the received tag-read-data and context information to maintain virtual items and virtual circumstances in a virtual world, the virtual items including an object for each of the multiple articles and the virtual circumstances including an object for each of the multiple circumstances, each of the objects representing the status of its corresponding item or circumstance; and
detect interactions occurring in the virtual world between the circumstances and the items as represented by the virtual items and virtual circumstances.
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49. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for updating information on a writable tag bound to an item, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:
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receive in a system first attribute information for a first item, where the first attribute information was derived from data read automatically from a first tag bound to the first item, the first attribute information including a first identifier identifying the first item;
receive in the system second attribute information for a second item, where the second attribute information was derived from data read automatically from a second tag bound to the second item, the second attribute information including a second identifier identifying the second item;
receive in the system sensor information derived from data read automatically from a sensor coupled to the second item;
receive in the system relationship information specifying a relationship between the first item and the second item;
maintaining in the system a first and a second virtual item representing the first and the second item, respectively, the objects maintaining information representing the first attribute information and the second attribute information and sensor information, respectively, and maintaining in the system a virtual circumstance representing the relationship between the first and second items;
recognize an alert condition from information in the physical and virtual circumstances, the alert condition relating to the first item;
generate updated attribute information to be written to the first item in response to the alert condition;
detect in the system the presence of the first tag at a tag writer station after the alert condition was recognized; and
cause the tag writer station to write the updated information to the first tag at the tag writer station upon detecting the presence of the first tag at the tag writer station.
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50. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, to be used in a commercial data processing environment where the environment includes multiple enterprises in a supply chain, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:
provide the enterprises with real-time visibility of the disposition of items in the supply chain, by;
receiving from a first enterprise multiple instances of tag-read-data, each instance including information read from a tag bound to an item, the information read including a unique tag identifier read automatically from the tag, each instance also including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound item when the tag identifier was read from the tag, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from the first enterprise collectively including information read from tags bound to multiple items;
using the tag-read-data received from the first enterprise to maintain disposition information for the items;
receiving from a second enterprise multiple instances of second tag-read-data, each instance including information read from a tag bound to an item, the information read including a unique tag identifier read automatically from the tag, each instance also including a location of the corresponding tag and its bound item when the tag identifier was read from the tag, the multiple instances of tag-read-data received from the second enterprise collectively including information read from tags bound to at least one of the multiple items;
using the tag-read-data received from the second enterprise to maintain disposition information for the items, where tag-read-data received from either enterprise for a particular item is used to update the disposition information; and
making the disposition information visible to the multiple enterprises in the supply chain, including the first and second enterprises.
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51. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for data transfer between sensor devices and higher-level applications, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:
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receive a set of rules, the rules specifying what data to furnish to an external application;
receive item data including item identifiers from one or more tag readers, each item identifier being read from a digital tag bound to a physical item, the item identifier uniquely identifying the item;
receive additional item data from other sensor devices, the other sensor devices being devices other than tag readers, the additional item data containing additional physical item attributes besides an item identifier, the additional item data being related to one or more items identified by the tag readers;
use the rules, item identifiers, and additional item data to determine which subset of the item identifiers and additional item data to furnish to the external application; and
furnish to the external application data consisting of only the subset of the received item identifiers and additional item data.
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Specification