Radio frequency identification for asset management

• US 20070205894A1
• Filed: 03/01/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Bivona, Robert, Nelson, Dean
• Application Number:
  US11/364,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20070205894A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method and apparatus for radio frequency identification for asset management are disclosed. The method includes providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to an asset to be tracked via an asset management system, activating the RFID tag, transmitting from the RFID tag identification information of the asset to the asset management system, and tracking the asset from the RFID tag identification information with the asset management system. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to an asset to be tracked via an asset management system;

activating the RFID tag;

transmitting from the RFID tag identification information of the asset to the asset management system; and

tracking the asset from the RFID tag identification information with the asset management system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the asset is an information technology (IT) asset of an organization.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the asset is not communicatively connected to any networks of the organization.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is offset from the asset to reduce interference from the asset with the RFID tag.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is a passive tag and activating the passive RFID tag further comprises sending a signal to the RFID tag from a handheld RFID tag reader to power the RFID tag to send the identification information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the RFID tag further comprises sending a signal from a strip antenna to the RFID tag to power the RFID tag to send the identification information, the strip antenna situated on an apparatus containing the asset.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the strip antenna is controlled from a remote central unit that manages the collection of the identification information of the asset.

8. An article of manufacture, comprising a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to an asset to be tracked via an asset management system;

activating the RFID tag;

transmitting from the RFID tag identification information of the asset to the asset management system; and

tracking the asset from the RFID tag identification information with the asset management system.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the asset is an information technology (IT) asset of an organization.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the asset is not communicatively connected to any networks of the organization.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the RFID tag is offset from the asset to reduce interference from the asset with the RFID tag.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein activating the RFID tag further comprises sending a signal to the RFID tag from a handheld RFID tag reader to power the RFID tag to send the identification information.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein activating the RFID tag further comprises sending a signal from a strip antenna to the RFID tag to power the RFID tag to send the identification information, the strip antenna situated on an apparatus containing the asset.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein the strip antenna is controlled from a remote central unit that manages the collection of the identification information of the asset.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

an asset of an organization to be tracked via an asset management system; and

an RFID tag connected to the asset to identify the asset to the asset management system by transmitting a signal to the asset management system when the RFID tag is activated.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the asset is not communicatively coupled to any networks of an organization controlling the asset.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the RFID tag is activated by sending a signal to the RFID tag from a handheld RFID tag reader to power the RFID tag to send the identification information.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a strip antenna on a unit that contains the asset, the strip antenna to activate the RFID tag by sending a signal from the strip antenna to the RFID tag to power the RFID tag to send the identification information.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a remote central unit to control the strip antenna in order to manage the collection of the identification information from the RFID tag of the asset.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a collection element connected to the unit that contains the asset, the collection unit to gather the identification information of the asset in order to transmit the identification unit to the asset management system.