RFID READER ENCLOSURE AND MAN-O-WAR RFID READER SYSTEM

• US 20080224875A1
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Promega Corporation
• Original Assignee: Promega Corporation
• Inventors: Tinnell, Kenneth Andrew, Salvo, Adam, Phillips, Travis A., Doeden, Robert Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,710,275 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.8
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An apparatus including an enclosure for an RFID reader to be affixed to a storage container; an RFID reader that scans a first storage container using a first antenna and a second storage container using a second antenna; and a networked system of RFID apparatuses including a primary RFID apparatus and secondary RFID apparatuses that are controlled by the primary RFID apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an enclosure; and

an RFID reader disposed in said enclosure,

wherein said enclosure is configured to be mounted on an exterior surface of a storage container,

wherein said RFID reader is configured to perform RFID reading for an area inside the storage container using an RFID antenna external to said enclosure,

wherein the RFID antenna is disposed in the storage container,

wherein said enclosure has an opening on a side of said enclosure, and

wherein an electrical connection between said RFID reader and the RFID antenna extends through the opening of the enclosure in such a manner that the electrical connection is not externally accessible when said enclosure is mounted on the exterior surface of the storage container.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises a human-machine interface including a display screen.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises a controller that is configured to (a) send an instruction to said RFID reader to perform RFID reading, (b) receive a RFID scanning result comprising a list of tags read from said RFID reader, and (c) send information in response to the RFID scanning result to a database system via a network connection.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the RFID antenna is disposed within a wall of the storage container.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage container is a cabinet.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the cabinet is a refrigerated cabinet.

7. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the human-machine interface for said apparatus uses a display provided separately from said enclosure.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening of said enclosure communicates with an opening on the exterior surface of the storage container when said enclosure is mounted on the exterior surface of the storage container.

16. A system comprising:

three of said apparatuses according to claim 9; and

three pairs of cabinets, each pair of cabinets being scanned by a corresponding one of said three apparatuses.

27. A system according to claim 16, wherein each of said three apparatuses has one of said cabinets attached to the top of said apparatus and one of said cabinets attached to the bottom of said apparatus.

28. A system according to claim 16, wherein only one of said apparatuses comprises a controller that generates commands to RFID readers in said apparatuses to initiate RFID scanning.

29. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein software used by said apparatus comprises software implemented using an abstract base class that interfaces with a concrete class particular to a given item of hardware of said apparatus.

30. An apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the given item of hardware is said RFID reader.

9. An apparatus comprising:

an RFID reader configured (a) to perform RFID reading for an area within a first storage container using a first antenna and (b) to perform RFID reading for an area within a second storage container using a second antenna.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said apparatus is connected to the first storage container and the second storage container.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said apparatus is disposed between the first storage container and the second storage container.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said apparatus is connected to the first storage container and the second storage container so that an electrical connection between said RFID reader and the first antenna is not externally exposed and an electrical connection between said RFID reader and the second antenna is not externally exposed.

13. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first storage container is a cabinet and the second storage container is a cabinet.

14. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first storage container is a refrigerated cabinet and the second storage container is a refrigerated cabinet.

15. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first storage container is an ambient cabinet and the second storage container is an ambient cabinet.

26. An application according to claim 9, wherein the first storage container is an ambient cabinet and the second storage container is a refrigerated cabinet.

17. A method comprising:

performing RFID reading for an area within a first storage container and an area within a second storage container using an RFID reader connected both to a first antenna and a second antenna, the first antenna being used for performing reading for the area within the first storage container and the second antenna being used for performing reading for the area within the second storage container.

18. A system comprising:

a first apparatus comprising a first RFID reader configured to perform RFID reading using a first antenna; and

a second apparatus comprising (a) a second RFID reader configured to perform RFID reading using a second antenna, and (b) a controller configured to (i) control said first RFID reader and said second RFID reader and (ii) communicate via a network connection with an inventory management system.

19. A system according to claim 18, wherein said first apparatus and said second apparatus are connected via a local area network, and said second apparatus further comprises a network connection between said second RFID reader and said controller.

20. A system according to claim 18, wherein said controller comprises a user interface for controlling said first RFID reader and said second RFID reader.

21. A system according to claim 18, wherein said controller is configured to control said first RFID reader to perform plural RFID scans, to obtain a first RFID scanning result in accordance with the plural RFID scans by said first RFID reader, to control said second RFID reader to perform plural RFID scans, to obtain a second RFID scanning result in accordance with the plural scans by said second RFID reader, and to communicate with the inventory management system in accordance with the first RFID scanning result and the second RFID scanning result.

22. A system according to claim 21, wherein the first RFID scanning result is based on a difference between plural RFID scans.

23. An apparatus comprising:

means for attaching an apparatus comprising an RFID reader to an exterior surface of a refrigerator so that wiring between the RFID reader and an RFID antenna in the refrigerator is not externally exposed.

24. A system comprising:

a master RFID reading apparatus comprising an RFID reader; and

one or more secondary RFID reading apparatuses each comprising a respective RFID reader,

wherein said master RFID reading apparatus further comprises control means for controlling (a) said RFID reader of said master RFID reading apparatus and (b) via networking between said master RFID reading apparatus and said one or more secondary RFID reading apparatuses, said RFID reader of each of said one or more secondary RFID reading apparatuses.

25. A system according to claim 24, wherein said master RFID reading apparatus uses said RFID reader of said master RFID scanning apparatus to perform RFID scanning of a storage container, and wherein said one or more secondary RFID reading apparatuses use their respective RFID readers to perform RFID scanning of a respective plurality of other storage containers.