ASSOCIATION OF RACK MOUNTED EQUIPMENT WITH RACK POSITION

• US 20090115613A1
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: PIAZZA, William J., HARPER, Richard E.
• Application Number:
  US11/934,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20090115613A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.800
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

System, method, and computer program for associating a piece of equipment mounted at a position on a rack with the rack and the position on the rack are provided. The system includes a rack comprising a plurality of positions at which pieces of equipment can be mounted on the rack, and a plurality of radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags attached to the rack, each of the plurality of RFID tags being attached to the rack at one of the plurality of positions on the rack and being operable to transmit information regarding the rack and the position on the rack at which the RFID tag is attached.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a rack, the rack comprising a plurality of positions at which pieces of equipment can be mounted on the rack; and

a plurality of radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags attached to the rack, wherein

each of the plurality of RFID tags attached to the rack is

attached to the rack at one of the plurality of positions on the rack, and

operable to transmit information regarding the rack and the position on

the rack at which the RFID tag is attached, and

one of the plurality of RFID tags attached to the rack is associated with an RFID tag not attached to the rack.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag not attached to the rack and associated with the one RFID tag attached to the rack is

attached to a piece of equipment mounted at the position on the rack at which the one RFID tag is attached to the rack, and

operable to transmit information regarding the piece of equipment.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the information regarding the piece of equipment comprises an identifier for the piece of equipment and a size of the piece of equipment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the rack and the position on the rack comprises an identifier for the rack and an identifier for the position on the rack at which the RFID tag is attached.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RFID tags attached to the rack and the RFID tag not attached to the rack are passive RFID tags.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a portable RFID tag reader operable to receive information transmitted by any RFID tag.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the portable RFID tag reader comprises a shield to ensure that no more than two RFID tags can be read together.

8. A method for associating a piece of equipment mounted at a position on a rack with the rack and the position on the rack, the method comprising:

reading a first radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag together with a second radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag, the first RFID tag being attached to the rack at the position on the rack at which the piece of equipment is mounted and the second RFID tag being attached to the piece of equipment mounted at the position on the rack, the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag being positioned such that the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag can be read together;

receiving information from the first RFID tag regarding the rack and the position on the rack at which the piece of equipment is mounted;

receiving information from the second RFID tag regarding the piece of equipment;

associating the information received from the first RFID tag with the information received from the second RFID tag; and

storing the association.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag are passive RFID tags.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving information from the first RFID tag comprises:

receiving an identifier for the rack and an identifier for the position on the rack at which the piece of equipment is mounted.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving information from the second RFID tag comprises:

receiving an identifier for the piece of equipment and a height of the piece of equipment.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein reading the first RFID tag together with the second RFID tag comprises:

reading the first RFID tag together with the second RFID tag using a portable RFID tag reader.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the portable RFID tag reader comprises a shield to ensure that no more than two RFID tags can be read together.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein storing the association comprises:

transmitting the association to a computer system; and

saving the association to a storage device of the computer system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the association comprises:

transmitting the association to the computer system via a wireless connection to the computer system.

16. A computer program product including a computer-readable medium encoded with a computer program for associating a piece of equipment mounted at a position on a rack with the rack and the position on the rack, the computer program comprising executable instruction for:

reading a first radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag together with a second radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag, the first RFID tag being attached to the rack at the position on the rack at which the piece of equipment is mounted and the second RFID tag being attached to the piece of equipment mounted at the position on the rack, the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag being positioned such that the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag can be read together;

receiving information from the first RFID tag regarding the rack and the position on the rack at which the piece of equipment is mounted;

receiving information from the second RFID tag regarding the piece of equipment;

associating the information received from the first RFID tag with the information received from the second RFID tag; and

storing the association.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein

receiving information from the first RFID tag comprises receiving an identifier for the rack and an identifier for the position on the rack at which the piece of equipment is mounted;

and

receiving information from the second RFID tag comprises receiving an identifier for the piece of equipment and a height of the piece of equipment.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein reading the first RFID tag together with the second RFID tag comprises:

reading the first RFID tag together with the second RFID tag using a portable RFID tag reader.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein storing the association comprises:

transmitting the association to a computer system; and

saving the association to a storage device of the computer system.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein transmitting the association comprises:

transmitting the association to the computer system via a wireless connection to the computer system.