RFID enabled information systems utiling a business application

• US 20060047545A1
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sriram, Balasubramanian, Kumar, Anush
• Granted Patent: US 7,557,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing

Abstract

The subject invention provides a system and/or a method that facilitates extending data within an RFID network to a business application. An interface can receive real-time RFID data from a process with at least one device collection within the RFID network. An integration component can seamlessly expose such real-time RFID data to a business application to achieve a critical business function in real-time. The business application can be associated to a business network that connects applications within a single organization and/or connects applications in different organizations. Moreover, the integration component can allow the business application to manipulate the RFID network based at least in part upon the real-time output.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates extending data within an RFID network to a business application, comprising:

an interface that receives real-time RFID data from a process comprising of at least one device collection in the RFID network; and

an integration component that seamlessly exposes real-time RFID data to a business application to achieve a critical business function in real-time.

2. The system of claim 1, the device collection is a collection of devices, wherein the device is one of the following:

an RFID reader;

an RFID writer;

an RFID printer;

a reader;

a writer;

an RFID transmitter;

an antenna;

a sensor;

a real-time device;

an RFID receiver;

a real-time sensor;

a device extensible to a web service; and

a real-time event generation system.

3. The system of claim 1, the business application is at least one of the following:

a back end application;

an existing business application;

a line of business (LOB) application;

an accounting application;

a supply chain management application;

a resource planning application; and

a business monitoring (BAM) application.

4. The system of claim 1, the critical business function is one of the following:

a demand plan;

a forecast; and

an inventory control with the incorporation of RFID data in real-time.

5. The system of claim 1, the business application is associated with a business network that enables at least one of a development, a deployment, and a management of one of an integrated business process and a language based Web service, wherein separate applications can be united into a coherent whole to allow for at least one of the connection of an application within a single organization and the connection of an application in disparate organizations.

6. The system of claim 1, the business application can provide at least one of a manipulation of a process within the RFID network based at least in part upon the real-time data incorporation and a creation of a process within the RFID network based at least in part upon the real-time data incorporation.

7. The system of claim 6, the process is a high-level object that forms together at least one entity to create a meaningful unit of execution that relates to at least one of the following:

an outbound process;

a manufacturing process;

a shipping process;

a receiving process;

a tracking process;

a data representation process;

a data manipulation process;

a security process; and

a process utilizing one of an RFID device service, a device collection, a tag read, an event, an event queue, a tag write, a device configuration, and a number count.

8. The system of claim 7, the event is one of the following:

a tag read;

a tag read error;

a device up event;

a device down event; and

a management event.

9. The system of claim 1, the RFID network comprises a collection of devices that form a sub-system which includes:

an RFID reader that receives an RFID signal; and

an RFID tag that transmits to at least one device.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an analyzer component that can analyze data related to at least one of the RFID network and the business application to determine the association of such data to one of a process within the RFID network, the business application, and a business network.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a router component that can distribute data to a target destination within at least one of the RFID network, the business application, and a business network.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a transform component that formats data into a particular format suitable for at least one of the RFID network, the business application, and a business network.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising an RFID mapper component that enables a straight through message type scenario, wherein a mapping technique is associated with data related to at least one of the application, a business network, and the RFID network.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a schema component that can invoke at least one of the following:

1) a schema and a protocol that relates to at least one of an input message and an output message; and

     2) the creation of a schema.

15. The system of claim 14, the schema component further provides a message schema can be a type of message that a business network can transmit, wherein the RFID network can recognize and apply.

16. A computer readable medium having stored thereon the components of the system of claim 1.

17. A computer-implemented method that facilitates extending data within an RFID network to a business application, comprising:

receiving real-time data from an RFID network;

exposing the real-time data to a business application; and

utilizing the real-time data with the business application to achieve a critical business function in real-time.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transforming the real-time data to a compatible format;

routing the data to an appropriate target destination;

utilizing a message schema;

exposing the real-time data to a business network;

manipulating a process within the RFID network based on the real-time output;

creating a process within the RFID network based on the real-time output; and

invoking a straight through messaging type scenario.

19. A data packet that communicates between at least two of an integration component, a business application, a business network, an RFID network, and an interface, the data packet facilitates the method of claim 17.

20. A computer-implemented system that facilitates extending data within an RFID network to a business application, comprising:

means for receiving real-time RFID data from process comprising at least one device collection within the RFID network;

means for seamlessly exposing real-time RFID data to a business application to achieve a critical business function in real-time; and

means for manipulating the RFID network based at least in part upon the critical business function real-time output.