INTERACTIVE RADIO FREQUENCY TAGS

• US 20110095890A1
• Filed: 10/21/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interval Licensing LLC
• Original Assignee: Interval Licensing LLC
• Inventors: Kerr, Bernard J., McCabe, Mark A., Smith, Geoffrey M., Bayley, Oliver T., Ananny, John M., Dishman, James E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,054,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches

Abstract

Interactive radio frequency tags that are responsive to external stimuli to change state are disclosed. The tags preferably include a passive radio frequency transponder, having an antenna, an interface for receiving an external stimulus, and one or more integrated circuits responsive to the external stimulus received at the interface to change the state of the transponder. Also disclosed is a “sensor tag” which changes state in response to a particular environmental stimulus. In addition, either of these “button” or “sensor” features may be combined with an output feature which visually, audibly, tactilely or otherwise signals the state or change of state of an RF tag, or the tag may be designed to produce an output in response to the external stimulus of the RF signal received at the tag'"'"'s antenna.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. An interactive radio frequency tag apparatus, comprising:

a passive radio frequency transponder, including,

an antenna;

an interface for receiving an external stimulus, wherein the interface comprises—

one or more buttons, wherein the one or more buttons may be manually selectable by a user, and

at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor detects light;

at least one output device, wherein the output device generates a visible, audible or tactile signal to be perceived by a person; and

one or more integrated circuits, coupled to the antenna, to the interface, to the at least one sensor, and to the at least one output device,

wherein the one or more integrated circuits are responsive to an external stimulus received at the interface to change the state of the passive radio frequency transponder.

22. The interactive radio frequency tag apparatus of claim 21 wherein the at least one sensor includes a temperature sensor.

23. The interactive radio frequency tag apparatus of claim 21 wherein the at least one sensor includes a pressure sensor.

24. An interactive card for accessing web sites, the interactive card comprising:

a card surface carrying human-readable indicia,

wherein the human-readable indicia include indications of multiple web sites;

a radio frequency transponder including—

an integrated circuit with memory storing multiple data items,

wherein at least some of the multiple data items are associated with the multiple human-readable indicia, and

wherein the data items include URL references to the multiple web sites; and

an antenna that receives an incident signal, wherein the antenna is coupled to the integrated circuit; and

multiple human-selectable switches electrically coupled to the integrated circuit and carried by the card,

wherein each human-selectable switch, when selected by a human, is configured to cause the integrated circuit to provide to the antenna an output signal for an associated stored data item when the antenna receives the incident signal,

wherein the output signal permits access one of the multiple websites via one of the URL references.

25. The interactive card of claim 24 further comprising an output device for emitting light from the interactive card.

26. The interactive card of claim 24 further comprising an output device for emitting sound from the interactive card.

27. The interactive card of claim 24 wherein the human-selectable switches include controls for controlling a browser.

28. An interactive card for providing output to a user, the interactive card comprising:

a card base carrying a picture or human-readable indicia;

an audio input device carried by the base;

an audio output device carried by the base;

a radio frequency transponder carried by the base and coupled to the audio input device and to the audio output device, wherein the radio frequency transponder includes—

an integrated circuit with memory storing multiple data items, wherein each of the multiple data items corresponds to an item of stored audio information; and

an antenna that receives an incident signal; and

multiple human-selectable switches coupled to the integrated circuit,

wherein at least one of the multiple human-selectable switches, when selected by a human, is configured to cause the integrated circuit to receive input audio data via the audio input device and store it in the memory, when the antenna receives the incident signal, and,

wherein at least another of the multiple human-selectable switches, when selected by a human, is configured to cause the integrated circuit to play the input audio data stored in the memory via the audio output device, when the antenna receives the incident signal.

29. The interactive card of claim 28, wherein the card base carries at least one photograph, postcard or vacation souvenir.

30. The interactive card of claim 28, wherein the multiple data items further include a reference to a website.

31. The interactive card of claim 28, wherein the audio input device is a microphone and the audio output device is a speaker.

32. The interactive card of claim 28, wherein the memory includes prerecorded audio messages.