METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF RFID DEVICES AND MODIFYING THE SAME

• US 20080246611A1
• Filed: 04/04/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jill Zako, John King
• Original Assignee: Jill Zako, John King
• Inventors: King, John, Zako, Jill
• Application Number:
  US12/062,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20080246611A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.3
• 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: G06K 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device

Abstract

An apparatus for detecting and interacting with radio frequency identification devices, including a transceiver, a scanner operationally connected to the transceiver and tuned to scan a pre-selected set of frequencies typically associated with RFID tags, a microprocessor operationally connected to the transceiver, a user interface operationally connected to the microprocessor, and a power supply operationally connected to the microprocessor and to the transceiver. The apparatus may be selectively actuated to detect and interrogate RFID tags, to reprogram RFID tags, and/or to destroy RFID tags.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting and interacting with radio frequency identification devices, comprising:

a transceiver;

a scanner operationally connected to the transceiver and tuned to scan a pre-selected set of frequencies typically associated with RFID tags;

a microprocessor operationally connected to the transceiver;

a user interface operationally connected to the microprocessor;

a power supply operationally connected to the microprocessor and to the transceiver;

wherein the apparatus may be selectively actuated to detect and interrogate RFID tags;

wherein the apparatus may be selectively actuated to reprogram RFID tags; and

wherein the apparatus may be selectively actuated to destroy RFID tags.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising:

an signal generator operationally connected to the microprocessor;

wherein the apparatus generates a signal in response to the detection of an RFID device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the user interface further includes a visual display portion operationally connected to the microprocessor, a keypad portion operationally connected to the microprocessor, and an electronic interface portion operationally connected to the microprocessor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the scanner further includes a spectrum analyzer operationally connected to the transceiver, a modulation circuit operationally connected to the transceiver, and an antenna operationally connected to the transceiver.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interface portion further includes a visual display portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion, a keypad portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion, and an electronic interface portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the scanner portion further includes a spectrum analyzer portion operationally connected to the transceiver portion, a modulation portion operationally connected to the transceiver portion, and an antenna portion operationally connected to the transceiver portion.

5. A system for detecting and modifying radio frequency tags, comprising:

a transceiver portion;

a scanner portion operationally connected to the transceiver portion;

a microprocessor portion operationally connected to the transceiver portion;

a user interface portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion;

a power supply portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion and to the transceiver portion; and

a database portion for storing known encryptions;

wherein the database portion my be queried by the microprocessor;

wherein the scanner portion is tuned to scan a pre-selected set of frequencies typically associated with RFID tags;

wherein the system may be actuated to detect and interrogate RFID tags;

wherein the system may be selectively actuated to reprogram RFID tags; and

wherein the system may be selectively actuated to destroy RFID tags.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the database portion is remotely maintained and wherein the database portion is connected in electric communication to the microprocessor via the Internet.

7. The system of claim 5 and further comprising:

an signal generator portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion;

wherein the system generates a signal in response to the detection of an RFID device.

10. A method of detecting and modifying radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs), comprising:

a) scanning for the presence of RFIDs;

b) reporting the presence of discovered RFIDs;

c) querying discovered RFIDs; and

d) displaying information recovered from queried RFIDs;

11. The method of claim 10 and further comprising:

e) displaying a list of all RFIDs discovered;

f) selecting RFIDs from the list to be blocked; and

g) blocking selected RFIDs.

12. The method of claim 10 and further comprising:

h) displaying a list of all RFIDs discovered;

i) selecting RFIDs from the list to be destroyed; and

j) destroying selected RFIDs.

13. The method of claim 10 and further comprising:

k) displaying a list of all RFIDs discovered;

l) selecting RFIDs from the list to be reprogrammed; and

m) reprogramming selected RFIDs.

14. The method of claim 11 and further comprising:

n) displaying a list of all RFIDs discovered;

o) selecting RFIDs from the list to be unblocked; and

p) unblocking selected RFIDs.

15. The method of claim 10 and further comprising:

q) displaying a list of all RFIDs discovered;

r) selecting RFIDs from the list to be blocked;

s) blocking selected RFIDs;

t) selecting RFIDs from the list to be destroyed;

u) destroying selected RFIDs;

v) selecting RFIDs from the list to be reprogrammed; and

w) reprogramming selected RFIDs.

16. The method of claim 11 and further comprising:

x) searching for external RFID activation signals; and

y) generating an alarm signal in response to a detected RFID activation signal.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein steps a through d are carried out on a platform comprising:

a transceiver portion;

a scanner portion operationally connected to the transceiver portion;

a microprocessor portion operationally connected to the transceiver portion;

a user interface portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion;

a power supply portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion and to the transceiver portion; and

a database portion for storing known encryptions.

18. The method of claim 15 where steps a through d and q through w are carried out on a platform comprising:

a transceiver portion;

a scanner portion operationally connected to the transceiver portion;

a microprocessor portion operationally connected to the transceiver portion;

a user interface portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion;

a power supply portion operationally connected to the microprocessor portion and to the transceiver portion; and

a database portion for storing known encryptions.

19. The method of claim 10 and further comprising:

z) communicating information recovered from queried RFIDs for identification.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the communicated information recovered from queried RFIDs is also decoded.