Systems and methods for automated programming of RFID tags using machine readable indicia

• US 20070188306A1
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Warsaw Orthopedic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: SDGI Holdings Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Varner, Robert, Tethrake, Steven, Nycz, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,772,964 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.510
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/18 by transferring data from one type of record carrier on to another type of record carrier, e.g. from magnetic tape to punched card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices

Abstract

Methods and systems for automatically programming an RFID tag using machine readable indicia. A dual mode device performs a bar code scan of a bar coded label. Information obtained from the bar code scan is stored. This information may be used to query a database indexed by the bar code information that contains detailed product information. The bar code information as well as the detailed information may be transmitted in an RF signal by the dual mode device to an RFID tag to be stored in a memory structure in the tag. The dual mode device may perform a read operation on the tag after the write operation to confirm that the data was successfully stored and provide an indication thereof. The indication may be a visual indication, a textual indication, an audible indication or combinations of these.

Claims

1. A method of programming an RFID tag comprising:

reading a bar code label with a bar code reader;

storing information read from the bar code label in a memory structure of a data processing system;

transmitting a radio frequency (RF) signal including the stored information to an RFID tag; and

storing the information contained in the RF signal in a memory device in the RFID tag.

2. The method according to claim 1, where reading a bar code label comprises converting a reflection pattern generated by illuminating the bar code with a light beam from the bar code reader into a number.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising using the number to index a database that contains additional information stored in association with the number and retrieving at least some of the additional information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein sending an RF signal containing the stored information comprises sending an RF signal containing the number and the additional information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps of reading and sending are performed with the same device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein sending an RF signal containing the stored information comprises automatically transmitting an RF signal including the stored information upon successfully reading a bar code label.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising after storing the information received at the RFID tag in a memory structure in the tag, performing a read operation on the RFID tag to confirm that the information has been successfully written to the tag'"'"'s memory.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising providing an indication of whether the information was successfully written to the tag.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein providing an indication comprises providing an indication selected from the group consisting of a visual indication, a text alert, an audible indication and combinations thereof.

10. A method of automatically programming an RFID tag comprising:

scanning a bar code with a computing device to obtain information encoded therein;

storing the obtained information in the computing device;

transmitting an RF signal from the computing device to an RFID tag that contains the obtained information; and

storing the information received at the RFID tag in a memory structure in the tag.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein storing the obtained information comprises indexing a database containing additional information associated with the encoded information, retrieving at least some of the additional information, and storing the additional information with the obtained information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein transmitting an RF signal that contains the obtained information comprises transmitting an RF signal that contains both the encoded information and the additional information.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the computing device is a handheld combination barcode reader and RFID reader/writer device.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the computing device is a desktop combination barcode reader and RFID reader/writer device.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein sending an RF signal containing the stored information comprises automatically sending an RF signal to an RFID tag upon successfully reading the bar code label.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising after storing the information received at the RFID tag in a memory structure in the tag, performing a read operation on the RFID tag to confirm that the information has been successfully written to the tag'"'"'s memory.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising providing an indication of whether the information was successfully written to the tag.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein providing an indication comprises providing an indication selected from the group consisting of a visual indication, a text indication, an audible indication and combinations thereof.

19. A system for automated programming of RFID tags comprising:

a dual purpose bar code scanner and RFID reader/writer device; and

a series of computer readable instructions stored in the dual purpose device adapted to cause the device to;

activate a bar scanner operable to scan a bar code label obtain a bar code input from the bar code label;

store the bar code input; and

transmit an RF write signal containing the bar code input.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the series of computer readable instruction are further adapted to cause the device to query a database of product information that is indexed by the bar code input, to retrieve at least a portion of the product information, and to transmit an RF write signal containing the portion of the product information along with the bar code input to an RFID transponder tag.

21. The system according to claim 19, the series of computer readable instructions further comprising instructions adapted to cause the device to transmit an RF read signal to an RFID transponder tag to confirm that the bar code input was successfully written to the tag.

22. The system according to claim 21, the series of computer readable instructions further comprising instructions adapted to cause the device to activate an indicator indicating whether the bar code input was successfully written to the tag.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein instructions adapted to cause the device to activate an indicator comprise instructions adapted to cause the device to activate an selected from the group consisting of a visual indicator, a textual indicator, an audible indicator and combinations thereof.