Applications for radio frequency identification systems

• US 20040201479A1
• Filed: 04/20/2004
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Nash, James E., Grunes, Mitchell B., Gonzalez, Bernard A., Lindahl, Richard W., Garber, Sharon R., Karel, Gerald L., Jackson, Richard H., Kruse, John M., Piotrowski, Chester, Yorkovich, John D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,123,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07786 the antenna being of the HF type, such as a dipole
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2408 using ferromagnetic tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2411 Tag deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2431 Tag circuit details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2457 Lending systems using EAS tags wherein the tags are reusable, e.g. they can be activated and deactivated more than once, e.g. for a library
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2485 Simultaneous detection of multiple EAS tags
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 : used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 : used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/364 : using a particular conducting material, e.g. superconductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 : Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 : Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

The present invention relates to RFID devices, including handheld RFID devices, and applications for such devices. The devices and applications may be used in connection with items that are associated with an RFID tag, and optionally a magnetic security element. The devices and applications are described with particular reference to library materials such as books, periodicals, and magnetic and optical media.

Claims

1. A method of processing a set of associated items each having an RFID element, comprising the steps of:

(a) interrogating each of the items to obtain information including the identity of the item;

(b) interrogating an RFID element that is associated with the set of associated items;

(c) comparing the information obtained in step (a) with the information obtained in step (b) to determine whether the associated items are presented together.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of:

(d) determining whether other items are included with the associated items that are not members of the set of associated items.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of:

(d) determining whether any of the associated items are missing from the set.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of:

(d) performing a magnetization operation on magnetic security elements associated with the items.

5. A method of processing multiple items each having an RFID element, comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting more than one of said items to an RFID reader;

(b) obtaining information from the RFID elements approximately simultaneously; and

(c) using the information obtained from the RFID elements to determine whether different types of items are among the items presented.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further includes the step of:

(d) providing an indication to a user that different types of items are among the items presented.

7. A method of processing multiple items having an RFID element, comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting more than one of the items to an RFID reader;

(b) obtaining information from the RFID elements approximately simultaneously;

(c) detecting the number of RFID elements presented;

(d) automatically processing the items when only a predetermined number of items have been detected.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the processing step comprises performing an appropriate magnetization operation on magnetic security elements associated with the items presented to the RFID reader.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the processing step comprises updating a database that includes information as to the items presented to the RFID reader.

10. A method of processing multiple items having an RFID element, comprising the steps of:

(a) presenting more than one of the items to an RFID reader;

(b) obtaining information from the RFID elements approximately simultaneously;

(c) detecting the number of RFID elements presented;

(d) displaying the number of RFID elements detected to a user; and

(e) permitting the user to direct that the items be processed.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the processing step comprises performing an appropriate magnetization operation on magnetic security elements associated with the items presented to the RFID reader.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the processing step comprises updating a database that includes information as to the items presented to the RFID reader.