SYSTEM AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR AUTOMATIC RFID ATTENTUATION AND RECOVERY

• US 20090051495A1
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christian L. Hunt, Gregory Carlyle Smith, Oriana J. Williams, Robin A. Radez, Vincent M. Padua, William A. Reichert III
• Original Assignee: Christian L. Hunt, Gregory Carlyle Smith, Oriana J. Williams, Robin A. Radez, Vincent M. Padua, William A. Reichert III
• Inventors: Smith, Gregory C., Reichert, William A. III, Padua, Vincent M., Williams, Oriana J., Radez, Robin A., Hunt, Christian L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,305,218 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• 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 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas

Abstract

The invention provides a system and program product for attenuating a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader. In one embodiment, the system includes optimizing a coverage area of an RFID reader.

Claims

1. A system for attenuating a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, the system comprising:

a system for automatically calibrating at least one antenna of a first RFID reader to a first calibration RFID tag,

wherein the system for automatically calibrating includes at least one of the following;

a system for optimizing a coverage area of the first RFID reader; and

a system for mitigating environmental interference within the coverage area of the first RFID reader.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a system for automatically calibrating at least one antenna of the first RFID reader to a second calibration RFID tag.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a system for automatically calibrating at least one antenna of a second RFID reader to a second calibration RFID tag,

wherein the system for automatically calibrating includes a system for minimizing reader collision between the first RFID reader and the second RFID reader.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first RFID reader is calibrated to read the first calibration RFID tag and the second RFID reader is calibrated to read the second calibration RFID tag.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first calibration RFID tag is located within a coverage area of a second RFID reader.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second RFID reader has failed.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the system for automatically calibrating includes a system for changing a pattern of the at least one antenna of the first RFID reader.

8. A program product stored on a computer-readable medium, which when executed, attenuates a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, the program product comprising:

program code for automatically calibrating at least one antenna of a first RFID reader to a first calibration RFID tag, including at least one of the following;

program code for optimizing a coverage area of the first RFID reader; and

program code for mitigating environmental interference within the coverage area of the first RFID reader.

9. The program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program code for automatically calibrating at least one antenna of the first RFID reader to a second calibration RFID tag.

10. The program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program code for automatically calibrating at least one antenna of a second RFID reader to a second calibration RFID tag, including program code for minimizing reader collision between the first RFID reader and the second RFID reader.

11. The program product of claim 10, wherein the first RFID reader is calibrated to read the first calibration RFID tag and the second RFID reader is calibrated to read the second calibration RFID tag.

12. The program product of claim 10, wherein the first calibration RFID tag is located within a coverage area of a second RFID reader.

13. The program product of claim 12, wherein the second RFID reader has failed.

14. The program product of claim 12, further comprising program code for changing a pattern of the at least one antenna of the first RFID reader.