METHODS FOR UTILIZING RF TAGS TO COLLECT DATA CONCERNING POST-CONSUMER RESOURCES

• US 20080069641A1
• Filed: 11/20/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hodges, Donna, Kreiner, Barrett
• Granted Patent: US 7,934,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 405/129.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A post-consumption item that has a Radio Frequency (RF) tag associated therewith is disposed of by reading the RF tag to obtain information stored thereon and selecting a manner to dispose of the post-consumption item based on the obtained information. An inventory of post-consumption items that have RF tags associated therewith, respectively, is maintained by reading the RF tags to obtain categorization information stored thereon and maintaining the inventory of the post-consumption items based on the obtained categorization information.

Claims

1. A method of disposing of a post-consumption item that has a Radio Frequency (RF) tag associated therewith, comprising:

reading the RF tag to obtain information stored thereon; and

selecting a manner to dispose of the post-consumption item based on the obtained information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the post-consumption item is held in a container that has the RF tag associated therewith.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the post-consumption item is associated with a landmark that locates the post-consumption item, the landmark being associated with the RF tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the post-consumption item is commingled with a plurality of post-consumption items;

wherein reading the RF tag comprises;

reading a plurality of RF tags associated with the plurality of post-consumption items, respectively, to obtain information; and

wherein selecting the manner to dispose of the post consumption item comprises;

selecting the manner to dispose of the post-consumption item based on the obtained information from the plurality of RF tags.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the manner to dispose of the post-consumption item comprises:

determining that the post-consumption item comprises a hazardous material based on the obtained information; and

sending the hazardous material to a hazardous material processing facility based on the determination that the post-consumption item is a hazardous material.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the manner to dispose of the post-consumption item comprises:

determining that the post-consumption item comprises a recyclable material based on the obtained information; and

sending the recyclable material to a recycling facility based on the determination that the post-consumption item is a recyclable material.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the manner to dispose of the post-consumption item comprises:

determining that the post-consumption item comprises material that can be sold; and

selling the material of the post-consumption item to a purchaser.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein disposing of the post-consumption item comprises:

quantifying an amount of the post-consumption item based on the obtained information; and

selecting the manner to dispose of the post-consumption item based on the quantified amount.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the quantified amount is a count, a weight, and/or a volume.

10. A method of maintaining an inventory of post-consumption items, the post-consumption items having Radio Frequency (RF) tags associated therewith, respectively, the method comprising:

reading the RF tags respectively associated with the post-consumption items to obtain categorization information stored thereon; and

maintaining the inventory of the post-consumption items based on the obtained categorization information.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing at least a portion of the categorization information on at least one of the RF tags.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises recyclability information.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises hazard information.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises biodegradability information.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises recall information.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises serial number information.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises production lot information.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises location information.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises date information.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises weight and/or volume information.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises composition and/or subcomponent information.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises RF reader information and/or RF reader owner information.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises disposal company information.

24. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises shelf life information.

25. The method of claim 10, wherein the categorization information comprises product group information.