Device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item

• US 20060139172A1
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Erickson, David P., Waldner, Michele A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.700
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00

Abstract

A device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item. One embodiment of the invention provides a device for verifying the location of an RFID tag on an item including: an item holder; and an RF antenna attached to the item holder, where the item holder includes a readable volume where the RF antenna can read or write to an RFID tag, and where the item holder includes a non-readable volume where the RF antenna cannot read or write to an RFID tag. The present invention also relates to methods of verifying the location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item.

Claims

1. A device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item, comprising:

an item holder; and

an RF antenna attached to the item holder,

wherein the item holder includes a readable volume where the RF antenna can read or write to an RFID tag, and wherein the item holder includes a non-readable volume where the RF antenna cannot read or write to an RFID tag.

2. The device of claim 1, further including an RFID reader in operative connection to the RF antenna, wherein the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to RFID tags from the RFID reader.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein when an RFID tag is within the readable volume, the RFID tag is properly located on an item, and wherein when an RFID tag is within the non-readable volume of the holder, the RFID tag is not properly located on an item.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the device signals to a user if the RFID tag is properly located on an item.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the item holder further comprises metal in the non-readable volume.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor attached to the item holder, wherein when the sensor is activated, the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to RFID tags.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a file having an RFID tag attached to the file associated with the item holder.

8. A device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item, comprising:

an item holder; and

an RF antenna attached to the item holder,

wherein the item holder includes a readable volume where the RF antenna can read or write to an RFID tag, wherein the item holder includes a non-readable volume where the RF antenna can not read or write to an RFID tag,

wherein when an RFID tag is within the readable volume of the item holder, then the RFID tag is properly located on the item, and wherein when an RFID tag is within the non-readable volume of the holder, the RFID tag is not properly located on the item.

9. The device of claim 8, further including an RFID reader in operative connection to the RF antenna, wherein the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to RFID tags from the RFID reader.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the device signals to a user if the RFID tag is properly located on an item.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the item holder further comprises metal in the non-readable volume.

12. The device of claim 8, further comprising a sensor attached to the item holder, wherein when the sensor is activated, the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals.

13. The device of claim 8, further comprising a file having an RFID tag attached to the file associated with the item holder.

14. A system for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item, comprising:

an item holder;

an RF antenna attached to the item holder,

wherein the item holder includes a readable volume where the RF antenna can read or write to an RFID tag, wherein the item holder includes a non-readable volume where the RF antenna can not read or write to an RFID tag; and

an item having an RFID tag attached to the item associated with the item holder

wherein if the RFID tag is within the readable volume of the item holder, then the system verifies that the RFID tag is properly located on the item, and wherein if the RFID tag is not within the readable volume of the item holder, then the system verifies that the RFID tag is not properly located on the item.

15. The system of claim 14, further including an RFID reader in operative connection to the RF antenna, wherein the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to RFID tags from the RFID reader.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the device signals to a user if the RFID tag is properly located on an item.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the item holder further comprises metal in the non-readable volume.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising a sensor attached to the item holder, wherein when the sensor is activated, the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to RFID tags.

19. The system of claim 14, further comprising a file having an RFID tag attached to the file associated with the item holder.

20. A method of verifying the location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item, comprising the steps of:

providing a device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item, comprising;

an item holder; and

an RF antenna attached to the item holder,

wherein the item holder includes a readable volume where the RF antenna can read or write to an RFID tag, and wherein the item holder includes a non-readable volume where the RF antenna cannot read or write to an RFID tag;

attaching an RFID tag to an item;

inserting the item into the device;

transmitting write command signals to the RFID tags; and

verifying the proper location of the RFID tag on the item, if the signals were successfully read or written on the RFID tag.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the device further comprises an RFID reader in operative connection to the RF antenna, wherein the transmitting step includes the RF antenna transmitting read or write command signals to RFID tags from the RFID reader.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the verifying step further comprises signaling that the RFID tag is in a proper location on the item when the signals were successfully read or written on the RFID tag.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the verifying step further comprises verifying the proper location when the RFID tag on the item is within the readable volume of the item holder, and signaling that the RFID tag is not in a proper location on the item when the RFID tag on the item is not with the readable volume of the holder.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the item holder further comprises metal in the non-readable volume.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the device further comprises a sensor attached to the item holder, wherein when the sensor is activated, the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to RFID tags.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the attaching step comprises attaching the RFID tag to a file.

27. A device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item, comprising:

an item holder; and

an RF antenna attached to the item holder, wherein the RF antenna is designed to provide a readable volume where the RF antenna can read or write to an RFID tag, wherein the item holder is designed to further shape the readable volume of the RF antenna, and wherein if an RFID tag is within the readable volume of the RF antenna, then the device verifies that the RFID tag is properly located on the item.

28. The device of claim 27, further including an RFID reader in operative connection to the RF antenna, wherein the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to RFID tags from the RFID reader.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein when an RFID tag is within the readable volume, the RFID tag is properly located on an item.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the device signals to a user if the RFID tag is properly located on an item.

31. The device of claim 27, wherein the item holder further comprises metal in to create a non-readable volume where the RF antenna cannot read or write to an RFID tag.

32. The device of claim 27, further comprising a sensor attached to the item holder, wherein when the sensor is activated, the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals.

33. The device of claim 27, further comprising a file having an RFID tag attached to the file associated with the item holder.