Systems for and Methods of Assigning Priority to Reader Antennae
First Claim
1. A method of operating a plurality of reader antennae, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining a priority order of the plurality of reader antennae; and
setting a polling sequence for reading the plurality of reader antennae according to the priority order determined in said determining step.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, storage media, and systems for assigning priority to reader antennae are disclosed. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, reader antennae identify the location of an object by detecting a tag or other identifier associated with each object. Sensors can be provided to provide additional information regarding the environment of the objects or their surroundings. A priority order is assigned to the reader antennae based on the location and other characteristics of the objects and/or their environment. A polling sequence for reading the reader antennae is determined according to the priority order.
36 Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method of operating a plurality of reader antennae, the method comprising the steps of:
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determining a priority order of the plurality of reader antennae; and setting a polling sequence for reading the plurality of reader antennae according to the priority order determined in said determining step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of adjusting the priority order of a polling sequence for a plurality of RFID antennae, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing product support structures, wherein each product support structure is associated with at least one RFID antenna; placing a plurality of products on at least one of the product support structures, wherein each of the plurality of products is associated with an RFID tag; identifying the location of each of the plurality of products by detecting the associated RFID tags with the plurality of RFID antennae; assigning a priority order to the plurality of RFID antennae, wherein the priority order is determined by assigning a preference level to each of the plurality of RFID antennae; and assigning a polling sequence for reading the plurality of RFID reader antennae according to the priority order.
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19. For use in a system for reading identifying tags using a plurality of reader antennae, a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer executable program, the computer executable program comprising:
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identifying the location of a plurality of products with the plurality of reader antennae by detecting an identifying tag associated with each of the plurality of products; determining a priority order of the plurality of reader antennae; and setting a polling sequence for reading the plurality of reader antennae according to the priority order. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer executable program for adjusting the priority order of a polling sequence for a plurality of RFID antennae for use in monitoring a plurality of RFID tags, the computer executable program comprising the steps of:
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attempting to detect each of the plurality of RFID tags with the plurality of RFID antennae; assigning a priority order to the plurality of RFID antennae, wherein the priority order is determined by assigning a preference level to each of the plurality of RFID antennae; determining a polling sequence for reading the plurality of RFID reader antennae according to the priority order; and reading the plurality of RFID reader antennae according to the priority order.
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35. A system for prioritizing reader antennae, the system comprising:
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a controller; a reader coupled to the controller; and a plurality of reader antennae, coupled to the reader, wherein said reader interrogates said plurality of reader antennae to detect the presence of an object associated with an identifying tag. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37)
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Specification