RF tag reader and method

• US 20080068134A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kimura, Shigekazu
• Application Number:
  US11/882,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068134A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1838 for semi-reliable protocols, e.g. for less sensitive applications such as streaming video buffer level management for video bitstream receiver H04N21/44004

Abstract

A disclosed RF tag reader receives, from an RF tag, data including at least identification information; replaces part of the identification information with predetermined information; determines whether an error can be detected in the data including the partially-replaced identification information; and transmits a request to the RF tag to resend the data in the event that an error is detected in the data including the partially-replaced identification information.

Claims

1. An RF tag reader comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, from an RF tag, data comprising at least identification information;

a replacing unit configured to replace part of the identification information with predetermined information, thereby turning the identification information into partially-replaced identification information;

an error determining unit configured to determine whether an error can be detected in the data comprising the partially-replaced identification information; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a request to the RF tag to resend the data in the event that an error is detected in the data comprising the partially-replaced identification information.

2. The RF tag reader according to claim 1, wherein:

the identification information comprises at least individual information that is unique to a specific management object accompanied by the RF tag and individual classification information that is common to unspecified management objects.

3. The RF tag reader according to claim 2, wherein:

all or part of the individual classification information received from the RF tag is replaced with the predetermined information.

4. The RF tag reader according to claim 3, wherein:

a number of bits in the individual classification information, which bits are replaced with the predetermined information, is variable.

5. The RF tag reader according to claim 1, wherein:

a series of bits in the identification information received from the RF tag is replaced with the predetermined information.

6. The RF tag reader according to claim 1, wherein:

an intermittent series of bits in the identification information received from the RF tag is replaced with the predetermined information.

7. The RF tag reader according to claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined information comprises known information stored in a memory.

8. The RF tag reader according to claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined information comprises information generated by the RF tag reader.

9. The RF tag reader according to claim 1, wherein:

the error determining unit determines whether an error can be detected by a cyclic redundancy check method.

10. The RF tag reader according to claim 1, wherein:

the identification information comprises at least a serial number of a management object, a type of the management object, and a company code.

11. A method employed by an RF tag reader, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from an RF tag, data comprising at least identification information;

replacing part of the identification information with predetermined information, thereby turning the identification information into partially-replaced identification information;

determining whether an error can be detected in the data comprising the partially-replaced identification information; and

transmitting a request to the RF tag to resend the data in the event that an error is detected in the data comprising the partially-replaced identification information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein:

the identification information comprises at least individual information that is unique to a specific management object accompanied by the RF tag and individual classification information that is common to unspecified management objects.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

all or part of the individual classification information received from the RF tag is replaced with the predetermined information.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

a number of bits in the individual classification information, which bits are replaced with the predetermined information, is variable according to an environment in which the data is received.