Methods and devices for providing scalable RFID networks
First Claim
1. A method of dynamically managing a network, the method comprising:
- provisioning each of a plurality of radio frequency identification (“
RFID”
) devices in the network;
associating each RFID device with one of a plurality of locations;
transmitting a middleware server request from provisioned RFID devices;
assigning one of a plurality of middleware servers to each of the requesting RFID devices; and
associating each of the requesting RFID devices with an assigned middleware server.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
According to some implementations of the present invention, RFID devices and middleware servers are automatically provisioned with a network address and with instructions for sending a request for a middleware server to a middleware server assigner. In some implementations, the middleware server assigner is a load balancer. In some implementations, a middleware server is associated with a plurality of RFID devices by associating a middleware server network address or names with the network addresses of the RFID devices. Preferred methods also provide for redundancy of middleware servers and dynamic re-assignment of RFID devices from an unavailable middleware server to an available middleware server.
-
Citations
38 Claims
-
1. A method of dynamically managing a network, the method comprising:
-
provisioning each of a plurality of radio frequency identification (“
RFID”
) devices in the network;
associating each RFID device with one of a plurality of locations;
transmitting a middleware server request from provisioned RFID devices;
assigning one of a plurality of middleware servers to each of the requesting RFID devices; and
associating each of the requesting RFID devices with an assigned middleware server. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A network, comprising:
-
a plurality of RFID devices in various locations of a site;
a plurality of middleware servers associated with the site; and
an assigner, wherein the RFID devices are provisioned with an RFID device network address, an assigner network address and instructions to send a request to the assigner for a middleware server, and wherein the assigner is configured to assign an RFID device to a middleware server in response to the request. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. A method of dynamically managing a network, the method comprising:
-
provisioning each of a plurality of radio frequency identification (“
RFID”
) devices in the network, wherein the provisioning step comprises providing an RFID device with a designated load balancer;
associating each RFID device network address with one of a plurality of locations;
causing RFID devices to send a first middleware server request to a designated load balancer;
assigning a first middleware server of a plurality of available middleware servers to a first plurality of the requesting RFID devices;
associating the RFID device of each of the first plurality of RFID devices with the first middleware server;
receiving an indication that the first middleware server is no longer an available middleware server;
causing each of the first plurality of RFID devices to send a second middleware server request to the load balancer;
assigning a second middleware server of a plurality of available middleware servers to N RFID devices of the first plurality of RFID devices; and
associating each of the N RFID devices with the second middleware server. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
-
-
33. A radio frequency identification (“
- RFID”
) network, comprising;
means for provisioning each of a plurality of radio frequency identification (“
RFID”
) devices in the network;
means for associating each RFID device with one of a plurality of locations;
means for transmitting a middleware server request from provisioned RFID devices;
means for assigning one of a plurality of middleware servers to each of the requesting RFID devices; and
means for associating each of the requesting RFID devices with an assigned middleware server. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
- RFID”
-
38. A computer program for dynamically managing a network, the computer program embodied in a machine-readable medium and containing instructions for controlling devices in the network to perform the following steps:
-
provisioning each of a plurality of radio frequency identification (“
RFID”
) devices in the network;
associating each RFID device with one of a plurality of locations;
transmitting a middleware server request from provisioned RFID devices;
assigning one of a plurality of middleware servers to each of the requesting RFID devices; and
associating each of the requesting RFID devices with an assigned middleware server.
-
Specification