Tracking systems, passive RFIDs, methods of locating and identifying RFIDs, and methods of tracking items

• US 20080111675A1
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Tuttle, John R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,855,643 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/505
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07703 the interface being visual

Abstract

Some embodiments include observable properties triggered upon interrogation of RFIDs. The RFIDs can be passive RFIDs, and the observable properties can be visible changes that require little power to generate, and little or no power to maintain. The visible information can include information about items tracked with the RFIDs, such as shipping information. Some embodiments include passive RFIDs utilizing a single antenna to power an integrated-circuit chip and a visual identifier. Some embodiments include methods of locating interrogated RFIDs. Some embodiments include methods of tracking items.

Claims

1. A tracking system, comprising:

a plurality of interrogators;

a plurality of RFIDs, said plurality of RFIDs including a first subset of the RFIDs and a second subset of the RFIDS;

a first of said plurality of interrogators and said first subset of RFIDs configured for selective interrogation of the first subset of the RFIDs, said first subset of the RFIDs being configured to change a first observable property responsive to interrogation; and

a second of said plurality of interrogators and said second subset of RFIDs configured for selective interrogation of the second subset of the RFIDs, said second subset of the RFIDs being configured to change a second observable property responsive to interrogation.

2. The tracking system of claim 1 wherein the RFIDs are passive RFIDs.

3. The tracking system of claim 2 wherein the changes in the first and second observable properties cease without power input.

4. The tracking system of claim 2 wherein the changes in the first and second observable properties are transient changes having a duration of less than 0.5 seconds.

5. The tracking system of claim 2 wherein the changes in the first and second observable properties are stable without power input.

6. The tracking system of claim 2 wherein the changes in the first and second observable properties are visual changes.

7. The tracking system of claim 1 wherein the changes in the first and second observable properties are the same as one another.

8. The tracking system of claim 1 wherein the changes in the first and second observable properties are different from one another.

9. A tracking system, comprising:

an interrogator; and

a plurality of passive RFIDs, at least one of the passive RFIDs being configured to change an observable visible property responsive to interrogation by the interrogator;

the observable visible property being a transient change that ceases without power input.

10. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

12. A tracking system, comprising:

an interrogator; and

a plurality of RFIDs configured to change an observable property in the same way upon being interrogated by the interrogator.

14. The tracking system of claim 12 wherein:

the RFIDs are passive RFIDs;

the observable property is a visible property; and

the changed visible property is stable without power input from the interrogator.

13. (canceled)

15-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A tracking system, comprising:

an interrogator; and

at least one RFID which is configured to display a bar code responsive to interrogation by the interrogator.

19. The tracking system of claim 18 wherein the at least one RFID comprises a plurality of RFIDs configured to display bar codes responsive to interrogation by the interrogator.

20. The tracking system of claim 19 wherein at least two of the RFIDs of the plurality are configured to display the same bar code as one another.

21. The tracking system of claim 19 wherein at least two of the RFIDs of the plurality are configured to display different bar codes from one another.

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. A tracking system, comprising:

an interrogator; and

at least one RFID which is configured to display shipping information responsive to interrogation by the interrogator.

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. A passive RFID, comprising:

only one antenna, the antenna configured to provide power upon being interrogated by an interrogator;

an integrated-circuit chip configured to be powered with the power from the antenna; and

a visual identifier configured to be altered with the power from the antenna.

28. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

30. A method of locating particular RFIDs within a group of RFIDs, comprising:

providing a system comprising a plurality of RFIDs, and comprising an interrogator configured to interrogate a first subset of the RFIDs responsive thereto without interrogating a second subset of RFIDs within the group, said first subset of the RFIDs being configured to change an observable property responsive to interrogation;

simultaneously exposing the first and second subsets of the RFIDs to interrogation by said interrogator to cause the RFIDs of the first subset to change the observable property; and

distinguishing the RFIDs exhibiting the changed observable property from the RFIDs not exhibiting a change in the observable property to locate the first subset of the RFIDs.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein the interrogator is a first interrogator and wherein the observable property is a first observable property, and further comprising:

providing the system to include a second interrogator configured to interrogate the second subset of the RFIDs responsive thereto without interrogating the first subset of the RFIDs, said second subset of the RFIDs being configured to change a second observable property upon interrogation by the second interrogator;

simultaneously exposing the first and second subsets of the RFIDs to interrogation by the second interrogator to cause the RFIDs of the second subset to change the second observable property; and

distinguishing the RFIDs exhibiting the changed second observable property from the RFIDs not exhibiting a change in the second observable property to locate the second subset of the RFIDs.

31. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

34. A method of locating interrogated RFIDs, comprising:

providing an interrogator and a plurality of passive RFIDs;

at least one of the passive RFIDs being configured to change an observable visible property responsive to interrogation by the interrogator;

the observable visible property change being a transient change that has a duration of less than 0.5 seconds; and

interrogating said at least one of the passive RFIDs with the interrogator to trigger the observable visible property.

35. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

37. A method of identifying interrogated RFIDs, comprising:

providing an interrogator and a plurality of RFIDs;

all of said RFIDs being configured to change an observable property in the same way upon being interrogated by the interrogator; and

interrogating at least some of the RFIDs to trigger the observable property change within all of the interrogated RFIDs.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein only some of the RFIDs are interrogated, and further comprising observing the triggered observable property change to ascertain an antenna power pattern of the interrogator.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein the interrogating to trigger the observable property change comprises triggering a visible property change.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the providing the RFIDs comprises providing RFIDs which include visible identification regions comprising at least one of electronic ink, electronic paper, ferroelectric material, and polymer electrochromic material;

and wherein the triggering the visible property change includes triggering an observable change in the at least one of electronic ink, electronic paper, ferroelectric material, and polymer electrochromic material.

41. The method of claim 37 wherein:

the providing the RFIDs comprises providing passive RFIDs;

the interrogating to trigger the observable property change comprises triggering a visible property change; and

the triggered visible property change remains without power input after the triggering.

42. (canceled)

43. (canceled)

44. A method of tracking items, comprising:

providing an interrogator;

providing RFIDs associated with the items; and

interrogating the RFIDs to cause the RFIDS to display bar codes which provide information regarding the items associated with the RFIDs.

45-49. -49. (canceled)

50. A method of tracking items, comprising:

providing an interrogator;

providing RFIDs associated with the items; and

interrogating the RFIDs to cause the RFIDS to display shipping information pertaining to the associated items.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein the providing the RFIDs comprises providing RFIDs which include visible identification regions comprising at least one of electronic ink, electronic paper, ferroelectric material, and polymer electrochromic material;

and wherein the causing the RFIDs to display shipping information includes causing a change in the at least one of electronic ink, electronic paper, ferroelectric material, and polymer electrochromic material.

52. The method of claim 50 wherein the RFIDs include passive RFIDs.

53. The method of claim 50 wherein the RFIDs include active RFIDs.