RFID INVENTORY DEVICE

• US 20080157967A1
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory J., Jones, Andrew R., McConnell, Kevin C., Hamilton, Rick A., Smith, Donnie A.
• Application Number:
  US11/617,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20080157967A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 15/00 Arrangements for check-weighing of materials dispensed into removable containers packaging aspects B65B; electric measuring arrangements involving comparison with a reference value G01R17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/42 for counting by weighing G01G19/387 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/3728 with wireless means
• 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 17/0029 the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) inventory device attached to a container for tracking quantities of objects stored in the container having an antenna supporting wireless interrogation by an external RFID reader, a RFID chip coupled to the antenna having an embedded unique identifier and a memory element, where the RFID chip is adapted to store in the memory element at least one quantity value and to allow an external reader to wirelessly collect the identifier and at least one quantity value in response to said wireless interrogation, and one or more sensors coupled to the RFID chip, where the sensors are configured to send at least one signal to the RFID chip in response to a change in quantities of objects in the container and where the RFID chip is configured to update at least one quantity value stored in response to a signal from the sensors.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) inventory device for use with one or more containers, the device comprising:

an antenna supporting wireless interrogation by an external RFID reader;

a RFID chip coupled to said antenna having an embedded unique identifier and a memory element, wherein said RFID chip is adapted to store in said memory element at least one quantity value associated with said objects stored in said one or more containers, wherein said RFID chip is adapted to allow said external reader to wirelessly collect said identifier and said at least one quantity value in response to said wireless interrogation; and

one or more sensors coupled to said RFID chip, wherein said one or more sensors are configured to send at least one signal to said RFID chip in response to a change in said quantities of said objects in said one or more containers;

wherein said RFID chip is configured to update said at least one quantity value stored in said memory element in response to said at least one signal from said one or more sensors.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises one or more activating devices coupled to one or more corresponding signaling devices, wherein said activating devices are configured to respond to a change in said quantities of objects stored in said one or more containers and activate said corresponding signaling devices.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises one or more manual activating devices coupled to one or more corresponding signaling devices, wherein a manual activation of said manual activating devices by a user in response to a change in said quantities of objects stored in said one or more containers activates said corresponding signaling devices.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein at least one of said activating devices comprises at least one among a mechanical switch, a pressure sensing device, and a photo-detector device.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein a signal produced by at a first of said signaling devices is different from a signal produced by a second one of said signaling devices.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors comprises an RFID sensor, wherein said RFID sensor is configured to send a signal to said RFID chip to response to a change in said quantities of objects stored in said one or more containers responding to a wireless interrogation from said RFID sensor.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said RFID chip is adapted to store said at least one quantity value only after the occurrence of an update event.

8. A method for updating at least one quantity value stored in an RFID inventory device associated with a container, the method comprising the steps of:

sending at least one signal from one or more sensors in said container to an RFID chip of said RFID inventory device in response to a change in quantities of objects stored in said container; and

updating at least one quantity value associated with said quantities of objects stored in said container in a memory element of said RFID chip in response to said RFID chip receiving said at least one signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said sensor comprises one or more activating devices coupled to one or more corresponding signaling devices, wherein said activating devices are configured to respond to a change in said quantities of objects stored in said container and activate said corresponding signaling devices.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said sensor comprises one or more manual activating devices coupled to one or more corresponding signaling devices, wherein a manual activation of said manual activating devices by a user in response to a change in said quantities of objects stored in said container activates said corresponding signaling devices.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of said activating devices comprises at least one among a mechanical switch, a pressure sensing device, and a photo-detector device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a signal produced by at a first of said signaling devices is different from a signal produced by a second one of said signaling devices.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein said RFID chip is adapted to update said at least one quantity value only after the occurrence of an update event.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of said sensors comprises an RFID sensor, wherein said RFID sensor is configured to send a signal to said RFID chip to response to a change in said quantities of objects stored in said container responding to a wireless interrogation from said RFID sensor.

15. A machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

receiving at least one signal from one or more sensors of a container for storing objects in response to a change in quantities of objects stored in said container;

updating at least one quantity value in a memory element associated with said quantities of objects stored in said container in response to receiving said at least one signal;

receiving at least one wireless interrogation from an external reader using an antenna; and

transmitting a response to said at least one wireless interrogation, said response comprising an embedded unique identifier and said at least one quantity value.

16. The machine-readable of claim 15, wherein said sensor comprises one or more activating devices coupled to one or more corresponding signaling devices, wherein said activating devices are configured to respond to a change in said quantities of objects stored in said container and activate said corresponding signaling devices.

17. The machine-readable of claim 15, wherein said sensor comprises one or more manual activating devices coupled to one or more corresponding signaling devices, wherein a manual activation of said manual activating devices by a user in response to a change in said quantities of objects stored in said container activates said corresponding signaling devices.

18. The machine-readable of claim 16, wherein at least one of said activating devices comprises at least one among a mechanical switch, a pressure sensing device, and a photo-detector device.

20. The machine-readable of claim 15, wherein at least one of said sensors comprises an RFID sensor, wherein said RFID sensor is configured to send a signal in response to a change in said quantities of objects stored in said container responding to a wireless interrogation from said RFID sensor.

19. The method of machine-readable 16, wherein a signal produced by at a first of said signaling devices is different from a signal produced by a second one of said signaling devices.