Rich object model for diverse Auto-ID tags

• US 20060289646A1
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shafer, Steven Arthur Nolan
• Granted Patent: US 7,815,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A system and method allowing one application to implement diverse AutoID tags interchangeably, by unifying all AutoID technologies into a single object model. The single object model interacts with all AutoID technologies, with only a lowest level device tailored to the specific AutoID technology, the single object model thereby persisting through the middleware, up to an application, carrying all necessary information from any AutoID technology. The single object model can interact with a tag many times, as necessary to complete an operation. A reader interface allows an application to communicate with multiple readers of diverse AutoID tags, and to communicate with individual servers communicating with individual readers of diverse AutoID tags. The reader interface also provides a single interface for hardware communication with a radio, for an application interacting with an entire network of readers, sensors, interpretation steps, product lookup, and information storage providing a single virtual reader.

Claims

1. A method for communicating information between a reader device and an application in a tagging system, the method comprising:

transmitting a scan instruction to a reader regarding one or more tags;

retrieving a template associated with each tag scanned; and

transmitting a tag information report to an application, the report including the template associated with each tag scanned, whereby the application can identify and manipulate elements of tags of differing tag technologies.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each template has a name including a bit string that associates a respective tag type with the template.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a template exists for each type of tag, the template including information about a configuration of each type of tag, whereby the application can effectively take advantage of the information pertaining to a respective type of tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein upon receipt of a single respective template, the application is capable of interpreting all subsequent reports directed to a type of tag associated with the respective template.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the tag information report includes a pointer to a template associated with each of the one or more tags scanned, whereby the application is then capable of interpreting all subsequent reports directed to a tag through use of the pointer that indicates the respective template identifying the tag type.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the template is serialized into an XML description.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the template is stored in and retrieved from a reader responsible for scanning the one or more ID tags.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the template is stored in and retrieved from a standards body repository.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the template includes fields capable of storing data necessary to describe an ID tag although an initial scan of the ID tag only populates a subset of the fields due to pre-determined scanning time efficiencies desired.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the fields unpopulated by the initial scan are populated upon later request by an application for additional data.

11-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

transmitting a scan instruction to a reader regarding one or more tags;

retrieving a template associated with each tag scanned that describes a type of tag scanned;

transmitting a tag information report to an application, the report including an object model of the tag having components descriptive of characteristics of the tag, and including the template associated with each tag scanned or including a pointer to a location of the template associated with each tag scanned, whereby the application can identify and manipulate elements of tags of differing tag technologies.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein upon receipt of a single respective template, the application is capable of interpreting all subsequent reports directed to a type of tag scanned through use of the pointer to the location of the template associated with the respective tag scanned.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein each component of the tag object model has a corresponding component in the template.