Hot swap and plug-and-play for RFID devices

• US 20060047787A1
• 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: Agarwal, Abhishek, Sriram, Balasubramanian, Ahmed, Mohamed Fakrudeen Ali, Goteti, Janaki Ram, Kumar, Anush
• Granted Patent: US 7,382,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• 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

Abstract

The subject invention provides a system and/or a method that facilitates adding a device to an RFID network and associated a process to such device. An interface can receive a new device and/or related identification data that is to be incorporated into an RFID network. A hot swap component can seamlessly adds the new device to a process within the RFID network based at least in part upon the identification data. The new device can be incorporated into the RFID network without the process stopping, restarting, and/or reconfiguring.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates incorporating a device into an RFID network, comprising:

an interface that receives a new device and related identification data; and

a hot swap component that seamlessly adds the new device to a process within the RFID network based at least in part upon the identification data.

2. The system of claim 1, the new device is one of the following:

an RFID reader;

an RFID writer;

an RFID printer;

a 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 new device is one of the following:

a device introduced into the RFID network;

a device re-introduced into the RFID network;

a newly added device;

a replacement device;

a device previously removed;

a repaired device; and

a re-located device.

4. The system of claim 1, the identification data is at least one of a unique identification number, a device name, a serial number, an uniform resource identifier (URI), an uniform resource locator (URL), a map point, a location, and an Internet protocol (IP) address.

5. The system of claim 1, 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.

6. The system of claim 5, 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.

7. 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.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a detector component that can discover the new device by at least one of an automatic discovery and a manual discovery.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an analyzer component that analyzes at least one of the new device, a new device name, a device identification, a device process, a new device type, a new device brand, a new device configuration, a characteristic of the new device, a process related to the new device, an event list associated with the new device, and a new device capability.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a match component that provides at least one of the following:

1) an association of the new device to the process based at least in part upon identification data utilizing a wildcard technique;

     2) a matching of a device to a device collection utilizing one of a fully formed device and a wildcard-ed device identification;

     3) a dynamic discovery of the new device which maps the new device to zero or more processes; and

     4) an addition of the new device online to a device collection of the RFID process, wherein an event from a newly matched device is added to a queue of events that can be processed by the RFID process.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a traffic component that maintains the collection of data related to the device within the RFID network during a downtime of the process.

12. The system of claim 11, the traffic component maintains a flow of data collection between the new device and the process within the RFID network during a hot swap.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a health component that determines at least one of a deterioration of a device and maintenance of a device within the RFID network.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a security component that provides at least one security attribute in association with the addition of the new device.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a management component that manages identification data by utilizing a batch technique.

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

17. A computer-implemented method that facilitates incorporating a device into an RFID network, comprising:

detecting a new device within the RFID network;

associating the new device with at least one process; and

employing the new device in the execution of at least one process.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

analyzing the new device and at least one characteristic associated therewith;

utilizing a wildcard technique to match the new device to at least one process; and

including at least one of an event and a process from the new device with the RFID network.

19. A data packet that communicates between a hot swap component and an interface, the data packet facilitates the method of claim 17.

20. A computer-implemented system that facilitates incorporating a device into an RFID network, comprising:

means for detecting a new device;

means for receiving the new device and related identification data; and

means for seamlessly adding the new device to a process within the RFID network based at least in part upon the identification data.