Method and apparatus for aggregating and communicating tracking information

• US 20050258955A1
• Filed: 12/29/2004
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: G2 Microsystems Pty Limited (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: G2 Microsystems Pty Limited (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Geoffrey, Gloekler, John S., Foyster, Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 7,394,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.130
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0029 the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• 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: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Tracking devices having computational and communication resources receive information from a plurality of local devices, such as passive RFID tags, and collect and process the received information to determine one or more of when, where, and in what format to forward the collected information. The tracking devices typically include hardware resources for temporal- and location-awareness. In operation, these tracking devices may receive and respond to queries from remotely located tracking entities. In some embodiments, records of the communications between the devices and the remotely located tracking entities are made, and charges for the communication services are billed to the tracking entities that receive the communication services.

Claims

1. A method for aggregating and communicating information, comprising:

a) receiving data from each of a plurality of passive RFID tags;

b) storing the data received from each of the plurality of RFID tags;

c) determining whether to forward any of the data received from the plurality of RFID tags;

d) determining, if the determination of (c) is affirmative, one or more addresses to which the data to be forwarded is to be transmitted;

e) determining the time at which the data to be forwarded is to be transmitted; and

f) determining the format in which the data to be forwarded is to be transmitted;

wherein the data received from each of the plurality of RFID tags includes at least an identification code unique to each of the plurality of RFID tags.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising energizing at least one of the plurality of passive RFID tags;

3. The method of claim 2, wherein energizing the at least one passive RFID tag is responsive to receiving a request for information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the location of the plurality of RFID tags at the time of receiving data from the RFID tags.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting data received from one or more of the plurality of RFID tags.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising transmitting location data along with the data received from the one or more of the plurality of RFID tags.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the location data is obtained from a GPS receiver.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting a timestamp along with the data received from the one or more of the plurality of RFID tags.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data received from at least one of the plurality of RFID tags includes environmental condition information.

10. A tracking device comprising:

an RFID communication module, the RFID communication module operable to communicate with one or more passive RFID tags;

a processing module coupled to the RFID communication module, the RFID communication module further operable to transfer data received from one or more passive RFID tags to the processing module, and the processing module operable to interpret the data; and

a wireless communication module coupled to the processing module, the processing module further operable to transfer data to the wireless communication module, and the wireless communication module operable to communicate with a network;

wherein, the wireless communication module is operable to communicate the data over the network to a destination determined by the processing module.

11. The tracking device of claim 10, wherein the network is the Internet.

12. The tracking device of claim 10, wherein the wireless communication module comprises a cellular telephone module.

13. The tracking device of claim 10, further comprising an RFID energizing circuit coupled to the processing module through the RFID communications module.

14. The tracking device of claim 10, further comprising a GPS module coupled to the processing module.

15. The tracking device of claim 10, further comprising an RFID energizing circuit coupled to the processing module through the RFID communications module;

and a GPS module coupled to the processing module;

wherein the RFID communications module, the processing module, the wireless communications module, the RFID energizing circuit, and the GPS module, are all integrated into a single chip, the chip is coupled to a battery.

16. The tracking device of claim 15, wherein the chip and the battery are disposed upon a pallet.

17. The tracking device of claim 15, wherein the chip and the battery are disposed upon the packaging of an item.

18. The tracking device of claim 10, wherein the processor module is operable to aggregate data from multiple passive RFID tags, and to determine one or more destination addresses for the aggregated data.

19. A system for collecting and communicating information between tracked items and tracking entities, comprising:

a plurality of passive RFID tags;

a first plurality of tracking devices, each of the first plurality of tracking devices communicativley coupled to a corresponding portion of the plurality of passive RFID tags;

a second plurality of tracking devices, each of the second plurality of tracking devices communicatively coupled to at least a corresponding one of the first plurality of tracking devices; and

an access portal communicatively coupled to at least one of the second plurality of tracking devices, the access portal operative to transfer data from the at least one of the second plurality of tracking devices to the Internet.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein each one of the plurality of passive RFID tags is attached to an asset;

each asset is disposed on a pallet;

at least one of the first plurality of tracking devices is attached to the pallet;

the pallet is disposed within a container; and

at least one of the second plurality of tracing devices is disposed on the container.