Portable device for caching RFID tag and method thereof

• US 20060202803A1
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Kyung-ho, Yoon, Hyung-min, Kang, Woo-shik
• Granted Patent: US 8,125,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.400
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer

Abstract

A portable device includes an RFID reader for detecting a tag information of an RFID tag, a memory for storing the tag information detected by the RFID reader, and a controller. When a read command for the RFID tag is input and the tag information is valid, the controller controls the RFID reader to retrieve the tag information of the memory. If the tag information is invalid, the controller controls the RFID reader to re-read the RFID tag. The controller can determine whether the tag information is valid using the time and location. Because unnecessary operation can be omitted to read tags, power consumption is reduced and tag information check time is shortened.

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader which detects tag information of an RFID tag;

a memory which stores the tag information detected by the RFID reader; and

a controller which retrieves the tag information stored in the memory if a read command for the RFID tag is input and the tag information is valid.

2. The portable device of claim 1, further comprising an input unit through which the read command for the RFID tag is input.

3. The portable device of claim 2, wherein, if the read command for the RFID tag is input and the tag information is invalid, the controller controls the RFID reader to re-detect the tag information of the RFID tag.

4. The portable device of claim 3, wherein, if the re-detected tag information is same as the previously stored tag information of the memory, the controller discards the re-detected tag information, and if the re-detected tag information is not same as the previously stored tag information of the memory, the controller stores the re-detected tag information to the memory.

5. The portable device of claim 4, wherein, if the tag information is determined to be valid, the controller determines a validation degree of the tag information and provides the tag information together with the validation degree.

6. The portable device of claim 5, further comprising a display which displays the tag information together with a message corresponding to the validation degree.

7. The portable device of claim 5, wherein, if a predetermined validation time has not been elapsed from a point of detecting the tag information, the controller determines the tag information to be valid.

8. The portable device of claim 7, further comprising a timer which counts a time from the point when the RFID reader detects the tag information, wherein if the counted time exceeds the predetermined validation time, the controller controls the RFID reader to re-detect the tag information of the RFID tag according to the read command, and if the counted time does not exceed the predetermined validation time, the controller detects the tag information stored in the memory according to the read command.

9. The portable device of claim 8, wherein, if the counted time does not exceed the predetermined validation time, the controller determines the validation degree using the difference between the counted time and the predetermined validation time.

10. The portable device of claim 5, wherein, if the current position is within a predetermined validation distance from the point where the tag information is detected, the controller determines the tag information to be valid.

11. The portable device of claim 10, further comprising a distance measuring part which measures a moving distance from the point of detecting the tag information to a point of inputting the read command, wherein if the moving distance exceeds the predetermined validation distance, the controller controls the RFID reader to re-detect the tag information of the RFID tag according to the read command, and if the moving distance does not exceed the predetermined validation distance, the controller detects the tag information stored in the memory according to the read command.

12. The portable device of claim 11, wherein, if the moving distance does not exceed the validation distance, the controller determines the validation degree based on a difference between the moving distance and the validation distance.

13. The portable device of claim 3, further comprising:

a communication unit which performs wireless communication with a server corresponding to the tag information, and receives predetermined information; and

a display which displays data received from the communication part according to the control of the controller.

14. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores information about a time and a location of detecting the tag information, together with the tag information.

15. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the memory deletes the stored tag information if a predetermined time elapses since the storage of the tag information.

16. The portable device of claim 2, wherein, if the read command is input, the RFID reader detects tag information of all RFID tags within a predetermined reading distance for a predetermined time.

17. The portable device of claim 2, wherein, if the read command is input through the input during execution of a predetermined application program, the controller controls the RFID reader to selectively detect only the tag information of the RFID tag which corresponds to the application program.

18. A portable device comprising:

a radio frequency (RFID) reader which detects tag information of an RFID tag;

a memory which stores the tag information detected by the RFID reader and additional information related to reading of the RFID tag; and

a controller which selects invalid tag information from the memory according to the additional information, and deletes the selected information.

19. The portable device of claim 18, wherein the additional information comprises at least one of a time of detecting the tag information, a location of detecting the tag information, a validation time and a validation distance.

20. The portable device of claim 19, wherein the controller determines the tag information to be invalid based on the additional information if at least one of an elapsed time from the time of detecting the tag information exceeds the validation time, and if a moving distance from the location of detecting the tag information to a current location exceeds the validation distance.

21. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reading method of a portable device, the method comprising:

if a read command is input, determining whether previously detected and stored tag information is valid; and

if it is determined that the tag information is valid, providing the stored tag information.

22. The RFID tag reading method of claim 21, further comprising, if it is determined that the tag information is determined to be not valid, reading the RFID tag and detecting and providing the tag information of the RFID tag.

23. The RFID tag reading method of claim 22, further comprising, if the detected tag information is the same as the previously stored tag information, discarding the detected tag information, and if the detected tag information is not same as the previously stored tag information, storing the detected tag information.

24. The RFID tag reading method of claim 21, wherein the determining whether the previously detected and stored tag information is valid comprises determining whether the tag information is valid using an elapsed time from a time of detecting the tag information.

25. The RFID tag reading method of claim 24, wherein the determining whether the previously detected and stored tag information is valid comprises:

counting an elapsed time from the time of detecting the tag information;

comparing the counted time and a predetermined validation time; and

if the counted time does not exceed the validation time, determining the tag information to be valid, and if the counted time exceeds the validation time, determining the tag information to be invalid.

26. The RFID tag reading method of claim 25, further comprising, if the tag information is determined to be valid, determining a validation degree of the tag information using a difference between the counted time and the validation time.

27. The RFID tag reading method of claim 21, wherein the determining whether the previously detected and stored tag information is valid comprises determining whether the tag information is valid based a distance from a location of detecting the tag information to current location.

28. The RFID tag reading method of claim 27, wherein the determining whether the previously detected and stored tag information is valid comprises:

measuring a moving distance from the location of detecting the tag information to a location of inputting the read command; and

if the moving distance does not exceed a predetermined validation distance, determining the tag information to be valid, and if the moving distance exceeds the validation distance, determining the tag information to be invalid.

29. The RFID tag reading method of claim 28, further comprising, if the tag information is determined to be valid, determining a validation degree of the tag information using a difference between the moving distance and the validation distance.

30. The RFID tag reading method of claim 21, further comprising:

wirelessly communicating with a server corresponding to the tag information, and receiving data; and

displaying the received data.

31. The RFID tag reading method of claim 21, further comprising additionally storing information about a time and a location of detecting the tag information.

32. The RFID tag reading method of claim 21, if a predetermined time elapses since the storing of the tag information, deleting the stored tag information.

33. The RFID tag reading method of claim 22, wherein the detecting the tag information of the RFID tag comprises detecting tag information of all RFID tags within a predetermined reading distance.

34. The RFID tag reading method of claim 22, wherein if the read command is input during the execution of a predetermined application program, the detecting the tag information of the RFID tag selectively detects only the tag information of the RFID tag which corresponds to the application program.