Inductively powered devices

• US 20070103291A1
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Co. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Adams, Guy
• Application Number:
  US11/585,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103291A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.100
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal

Abstract

An inductively powered device comprises a memory tag (13) and an additional functional device (10) for powering by and communication with a reader device (11) emitting radio frequency signals. The inductively powered device is adapted such that when the memory tag (13) is powered by a reader device (11), the additional functional device (10) is also powered by the reader device (11) and carries out its function.

Claims

1. An inductively powered device comprising a memory tag and an additional functional device for powering by and communication with a reader device emitting radio frequency signals, adapted such that when the memory tag is powered by a reader device, the additional functional device is also powered by the reader device and carries out its function.

2. An inductively powered device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional functional device is an output device.

3. An inductively powered device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the additional functional device is a display, and the display carries out the function of displaying data transmitted to it by the reader device.

4. An inductively powered device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the data transmitted to the display is derived from data stored on the memory tag.

5. An inductively powered device as claimed in claim 3, wherein an image displayed by the display is provided only while the display is powered by the reader device.

6. An inductively powered device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the display is a bistable or multistable display and the image displayed by the display is provided only while the display is powered by the reader device.

7. An inductively powered device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional functional device is an input device.

8. An inductively powered device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional functional device is a biometric reader which takes a measurement while the biometric reader is powered by the reader device.

9. An inductively powered device as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least some data in the memory tag is only provided to the reader if the reader provides the measurement from the biometric reader and the measurement meets predefined criteria.

10. An inductively powered device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the biometric reader is a fingerprint reader.

11. A display device powered by radio frequency communication, the display device comprising:

an antenna and an induction circuit for obtaining power from radio frequency transmissions provided by a powering device;

display driver circuitry for providing a display data signal to a display; and

a display for displaying an image according to the display data signal.

12. A display device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the display device comprises a memory, and wherein the display data signal is derived from data stored in the memory.

13. A display device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the powering device provides data as well as power in the radio frequency transmissions, and this data is written to the memory.

14. A display device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the image is displayed only while the display device is powered by the powering device.

15. A display device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the display is a bistable or a multistable display, wherein the image may be changed only when the display device is powered by the powering device but is still displayed even when the display device is not powered by the powering device.

16. A bistable or multistable display device comprising an antenna, an induction circuit for obtaining power and data from radio frequency signals, a display driver for producing display data signals from the data, and a bistable or multistable display for displaying an image and for modifying the image in response to the display data signals, wherein the image is displayed whether or not the bistable or multistable display device is powered but is modified only when the bistable or multistable display device is powered.

17. A bistable or multistable display device as claimed in claim 16 and further comprising a memory, wherein the data is written into the memory from the induction circuit and provided to the display driver from the memory, whereby the image displayed by the bistable or multistable display corresponds to the data held in the memory.

18. A method of displaying data stored in a memory of an inductively powered memory tag, comprising:

a reader device providing radio frequency signals to the inductively powered tag with to power the inductively powered tag and to read data from the memory;

the reader device powering an inductively powered display device and providing data for display derived from the data read from the memory to the inductively powered display device, whereby an image is displayed on the inductively powered display derived from the data in the memory.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the image is displayed only while the reader device is powering the inductively powered display device.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the inductively powered display device is a bistable or multistable inductively powered display device and the image is displayed whether or not the reader device is powering the inductively powered display device but is changed only when reader device is powering the inductively powered display device.

21. A method of providing authenticated access to data stored in a memory of an inductively powered memory tag, comprising:

a reader device powering an inductively powered biometric reader which takes a measurement while the biometric reader is powered by the reader device and provides the measurement to the reader device;

the reader device providing radio frequency signals to the inductively powered tag with to power the inductively powered tag, to provide data derived from the measurement to the inductively powered tag and to read certain of the data from the memory if the data derived from the measurement matches predefined criteria.