AUTOMATIC DATA COLLECTION DEVICE, METHOD AND ARTICLE

• US 20080011822A1
• Filed: 07/09/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Hunt, Jeffrey, Ackley, Sprague
• Granted Patent: US 8,002,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A first machine-readable data carrier comprises an embedded command to control communication with a second machine-readable data carrier. An automatic data collection system is configured to extract the embedded command from the first machine-readable data carrier and to execute the command with respect to the second machine-readable data carrier.

Claims

1. A method of operating an automatic data collection system, comprising:

extracting a command encoded in a first machine-readable data carrier;

associating the command with a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

encoding the command in an out-of-channel message of the first data carrier.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein extracting the command comprises reading a machine-readable symbol.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein extracting the command comprises interpreting an extended-channel portion of the machine-readable symbol.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein extracting the command comprises interpreting a character in the extended-channel portion of the machine-readable symbol.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein extracting the command comprises interpreting a character in the machine-readable symbol.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the machine-readable symbol is a bar code.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the command comprises forwarding the command to a radio-frequency interrogator.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting information related to the second machine-readable data carrier from the first machine-readable data carrier.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein,

the command comprises a read command;

the information includes a radio-frequency identification device identifier;

associating the command with the data payload of the second machine-readable data carrier comprises activating a reader to identify a radio-frequency identification device associated with the radio-frequency identification device identifier; and

executing the command comprises reading the data payload of the identified radio-frequency identification device.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein,

the command comprises a private/public keyed write command;

the information includes a public key; and

executing the command comprises;

retrieving a private key; and

writing data to the data payload of the second machine-readable data carrier.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the command comprises a retrieve a private key command.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the command comprises a write command.

14. A first machine-readable data carrier, comprising:

a machine-readable data payload; and

an embedded command to control communication with a second machine-readable data carrier.

15. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 14, further comprising:

an extended-channel portion, wherein the command is embedded in a character in the extended-channel portion.

16. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 15 wherein the extended-channel portion comprises a different character identifying the second machine-readable data carrier.

17. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 14 wherein a format of the first machine-readable data carrier comprises a machine-readable symbol format.

18. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 17 wherein the format is a bar code format.

19. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 14 wherein the command is embedded in the machine-readable data payload of the first machine-readable data carrier.

20. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 14, further comprising:

a memory, wherein the machine-readable data payload of the first machine-readable data carrier is stored in the memory.

21. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 14 wherein the embedded command is a read command.

22. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 14 wherein the embedded command is a write command.

23. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 14 wherein the embedded command comprises a retrieve a private key command.

24. An automatic data collection system, comprising:

means for extracting from a first machine-readable data carrier a command to control communication with a second machine-readable data carrier; and

means for executing the extracted command communicatively coupled to the means for extracting the command.

25. The automatic data collection system of claim 24, further comprising:

means for embedding the command in the first machine-readable data carrier.

26. The automatic data collection system of claim 24 wherein the means for extracting comprises a symbol reader.

27. The automatic data collection system of claim 26 wherein the symbol reader is a bar code reader.

28. The automatic data collection system of claim 26 wherein the means for executing comprises a radio-frequency interrogator communicatively coupled to the symbol reader.

29. The automatic data collection system of claim 24 wherein the means for extracting comprises a radio-frequency interrogator.

30. The automatic data collection system of claim 24 wherein the means for executing comprises a symbol reader.

31. A computer-readable memory medium that stores instructions for causing a processor to operate an automatic data collection system by,

extracting a command encoded in a first machine-readable data carrier;

associating the command with a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command.

32. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 31 wherein the instructions cause the processor to extract information identifying the second machine-readable data carrier from the first machine-readable data carrier.

33. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 31 wherein the instructions cause the processor to extract the command from an out-of-channel portion of the first machine-readable data carrier.

34. A method of tracking an object, comprising:

storing, in a first machine-readable data carrier, a command related to a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier; and

storing, in the second machine-readable data carrier, a first message related to the object.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

storing, in the first machine-readable data carrier, a second message related to the object.

36. The method of claim 34 wherein storing the command comprises printing a bar code symbol.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein storing the first message comprises programming a radio-frequency identification device.

38. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

storing, in the first machine-readable data carrier, additional information related to the command.

39. The method of claim 34 wherein storing the command comprises programming a radio-frequency identification device.

40. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

extracting the command from the first machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein executing the command comprises reading the first message.

42. The method of claim 34 wherein storing the command comprises storing the command in an out-of-channel portion of the first machine-readable data carrier.

43. A method of operating an automatic data collection system, comprising:

extracting a command encoded in a machine-readable data carrier;

associating the command with a data payload of the machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the command comprises a kill command.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein the command comprises a write command.

46. The method of claim 43 wherein the machine-readable data carrier is a radio-frequency identification device.