Intelligent station using multiple RF antennae and inventory control system and method incorporating same
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Accused Products
Abstract
An inventory control system and method that tracks inventories of items with RFID tags, includes a reader unit and an intelligent station that tracks RFID tags to determine item information of items to be inventoried. The reader unit transmits and receives RF signals. The intelligent station includes a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit by a first transmission cable through a first switch, and one or more additional RF antennae connected to the reader unit by the same first transmission cable through additional switches. An inventory control processing unit receives item information from the intelligent stations to update inventory information regarding the items to be inventoried.
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Citations
440 Claims
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1-96. -96. (canceled)
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97. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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a reader unit that transmits or receives an RF signal; and
a first intelligent station comprising;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit by a first transmission cable through a first switch; and
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit by the first transmission cable through at least a second switch, wherein the first switch and the at least a second switch receive control signals via the first transmission cable. - View Dependent Claims (98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192)
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193. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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a reader unit that transmits or receives an RF signal; and
a first intelligent station comprising;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit by a first transmission cable through a first switch; and
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit by the first transmission cable through at least a second switch, wherein the first switch and the at least a second switch receive control signals via a wireless communications channel. - View Dependent Claims (194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 339)
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283. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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a reader unit that transmits or receives an RF signal; and
a first intelligent station comprising;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit by a first transmission cable through a first switch; and
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit by the first transmission cable through at least a second switch, wherein the first switch and the at least a second switch receive control signals via a common control channel. The system of claim 283, wherein the system is composed of an additional intelligent station comprising;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit by a first transmission cable through a first switch; and
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit by the first transmission cable through at least a second switch, wherein the first switch and the at least a second switch receive control signals via the common control channel. - View Dependent Claims (284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 379, 380, 381, 382)
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378. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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a reader unit that transmits or receives an RF signal;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit by a first transmission cable through a first switch; and
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit by the first transmission cable through at least a second respective switch, wherein at least two of the first RF antenna and the at least a second RF antenna are energized at the same time.
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383. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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a reader unit that transmits or receives an RF signal; and
a first intelligent station comprising;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit by a first transmission cable through a first switch; and
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit by the first transmission cable through at least a second switch; and
a control unit connected to a communications channel and that generates a control signal for selectively operating the first switch and the at least a second switch, wherein the control unit can control at least a peripheral device other than an antenna. - View Dependent Claims (384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397)
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398. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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at least one reader unit that transmits or receives an RF signal; and
at least two RF antennae, wherein the at least two RF antennae are coupled to one or more of the at least one reader units, wherein the tuning of at least one antenna not being interrogated is altered, the altering causing the antennae not being interrogated to be substantially non-resonant at a frequency of the RF signal. - View Dependent Claims (399, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414)
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415. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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at least one reader unit that transmits or receives an RF signal; and
at least two RF antennae, wherein the at least two RF antennae are coupled to one or more of the at least one reader units, wherein the system automatically determines whether the RF antennae are adjacent to each other. - View Dependent Claims (416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422)
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423. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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a reader unit that transmits or receives an RF signal;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit by a first transmission cable through a first switch;
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit by the first transmission cable through at least a second respective switch;
a determining unit for determining the desired RF power to be provided to read each RF antenna connected to the reader, wherein the system uses the desired RF power when selectively energizing the RF antennae. - View Dependent Claims (424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429)
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430. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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one or more reader units that transmit or receive an RF signal;
one or more intelligent stations comprising;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit by a first transmission cable through a first switch;
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit by the first transmission cable through at least a second switch, respectively; and
an environmental sensor, a memory;
wherein the system records in memory sensor data from the environmental sensor, and wherein the system records RFID tags on the intelligent station in the memory. - View Dependent Claims (431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438)
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439. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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a reader unit that transmits or receives an RF signal; and
a first intelligent station comprising;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit through a first switch; and
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit through at least a second switch, wherein the first switch and the at least a second switch receive control signals.
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440. A system for detecting RFID tags comprising:
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a reader unit that transmits or receives RF signals; and
a first intelligent station comprising;
a first RF antenna connected to the reader unit through a first switch; and
at least a second RF antenna connected to the reader unit through at least a second switch, wherein the first switch and the at least a second switch receive control signals, and wherein the intelligent station detects the presence of a stocking RFID tag or a pushbutton or keyed input sequence, alerts the intelligent station that the shelf is completely stocked, and sends a message to a database which indicates that a current stock level is full or at a target level.
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Specification