METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A DEPLOYABLE RADIO-FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION PORTAL SYSTEM

• US 20090267743A1
• Filed: 04/29/2009
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quake Global, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quake Global, Inc.
• Inventors: Sweeney, Patrick J. II, Faroe, Kiely Per, Fraser, Gordon Douglas, Fennig, Christoper Lee, Vetter, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,947,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a first assembly, a second assembly, and a coupling element coupled to the first assembly and the second assembly. The first assembly includes a processor, a memory, and a radiator module, the processor operatively coupled to the memory and the radiator module. The second assembly includes a radiator operatively coupled to the radiator module. The second assembly is movable relative to the first assembly about the coupling element between a first configuration and a second configuration. The processor is configured to interrogate a radio-frequency identification module via the radiator module and the radiator when the second assembly is in the second configuration.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first assembly including a processor, a memory, and a radiator module, the processor operatively coupled to the memory and the radiator module;

a second assembly including a radiator operatively coupled to the radiator module; and

a connection element coupled to the first assembly and the second assembly, the second assembly being movable relative to the first assembly about the connection element between a first configuration and a second configuration, the processor configured to interrogate a radio-frequency identification tag module via the radiator module and the radiator when the second assembly is in the second configuration.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an attachment device operatively coupled to the first assembly and configured to secure the second assembly in the first configuration relative to the first assembly.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first assembly includes a first coupling device configured to removably couple the first assembly to a first surface of a container; and

the second assembly includes a second coupling device configured to removably couple the second assembly to a second surface of the container.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radiator is a first radiator and the connection element is a first connection element,

the apparatus further comprising:

a third assembly including a second radiator operatively coupled to the radiator module;

a second connection element coupled to the first assembly and the third assembly, the third assembly being movable relative to the first assembly about the second connection element between a first configuration and a second configuration, the processor configured to interrogate a radio-frequency identification tag module via the radiator module and the radiator when the third assembly is in the second configuration.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a communications module operatively coupled to the processor, the communications module configured to receive a radio-frequency identification interrogation command and send a radio-frequency identification interrogation result,

the processor configured to interrogate the radio-frequency identification tag module in response to the radio-frequency identification interrogation command.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second assembly is a fabric radiator.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive an interrogation response from the radio-frequency identification tag module via the radiator module,

the processor is configured to store at the memory at least a portion of the interrogation response,

the processor is configured to receive a request for access to the at least a portion of the interrogation response, the request for access including a credential,

the processor is configured to determine that the credential is not authorized to access the at least a portion of the interrogation response based on an access permission associated with the radio-frequency identification tag module, and

the processor is configured to remove from the memory the at least a portion of the interrogation response.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor module including a communications interface, the processor module configured to send an interrogation signal via the communications interface;

a first radiator module in communication with the processor module and a first plurality of radiator modules, the first radiator module and the first plurality of radiator modules configured to interrogate a radio-frequency identification tag module in response to the interrogation signal; and

a second radiator module in communication with the processor module and a second plurality of radiator modules, the second radiator module and the second plurality of radiator modules configured to interrogate the radio-frequency identification tag module in response to the interrogation signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the first radiator module is in communication with the processor module via a wireless communication link;

the first radiator module is in communication with the first plurality of radiator modules via a wired communication link;

the second radiator module is in communication with the processor module via a wireless communication link; and

the second radiator module is in communication with the second plurality of radiator modules via a wired communication link.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor module is configured to be magnetically coupled to a first inside wall of a container, the first radiator module is configured to be magnetically coupled to a second inside wall of the container, the second radiator module is configured to be magnetically coupled to a third inside wall of the container,

the system further comprising an antenna operatively coupled to the communications module and configured to be coupled to an outside wall of the container.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the interrogation signal is a first interrogation signal,

the system further comprising:

a third radiator module in communication with the first radiator module and a third plurality of radiator modules,

the first radiator module configured to send a second interrogation signal to the third radiator module in response to the first interrogation signal, the third radiator module and the third plurality of radiator modules configured to interrogate the radio-frequency identification tag module in response to the second interrogation signal.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the processor module includes a first coupling device configured to removably couple the processor module to a first inside surface of a container;

the first radiator module includes a second coupling device configured to removably couple the first radiator module to a second inside surface of a container; and

the second radiator module includes a third coupling device configured to removably couple the second radiator module to a third inside surface of a container.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein

the first radiator module is configured to interrogate a radio-frequency identification tag module in response to the interrogation signal at a first time;

the first radiator module is configured to send a first interrogation response from the radio-frequency identification tag module to the processor module;

the second radiator module is configured to interrogate a radio-frequency identification tag module in response to the interrogation signal at a second time after the first time;

the second radiator module is configured to send a second interrogation response from the radio-frequency identification tag module to the processor module; and

the processor module is configured to determine a location of the radio-frequency identification tag module based on the first interrogation response and the second interrogation response.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor module is configured to receive an interrogation response from the radiator module from the first plurality of radiator modules,

the processor module is configured to store at a memory at least a portion of the interrogation response,

the processor module is configured to receive a request for access to the at least a portion of the interrogation response, the request for access including a credential,

the processor module is configured to determine that the credential is authorized to access the at least a portion of the interrogation response based on an access permission associated with the radio-frequency identification tag module, and

the processor module is configured to provide access to the at least a portion of the interrogation response based on the credential.

15. A method, comprising:

calculating a geographic location of a processor module;

interrogating a radio-frequency identification tag module when the geographic location is within a predefined geographic region; and

sending, from the processor module, an interrogation result via a communications interface.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining at the processor module that the geographic location is within the predefined geographic region.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving, before the calculating and the determining, an interrogation command at the processor module via a communications module, the calculating and the determining being in response to the receiving.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending a disable instruction to the radio-frequency identification tag module when the geographic location is not within a predefined geographic region.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, before the calculating and the determining, an interrogation command at the processor module via a communications module, the interrogation command including an identifier, the calculating and the determining being in response to the receiving;

receiving an interrogation response from the radio-frequency identification tag module after the interrogating, the interrogation response including an identifier associated with the radio-frequency identification tag module; and

the interrogation result being based on the determining whether the identifier included in the interrogation command is the same as the identifier associated with the radio-frequency identification tag module.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising sending a delete command to a memory operatively coupled to the processor module when the geographic location is not within a predefined geographic region.