METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING READ ZONE OF RFID READER

• US 20110130085A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Bellows, David E., Austin, Timothy B., Wulff, Thomas E., Duron, Mark W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,421,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/1
• 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: G08B 13/246 Check out systems combined with EAS, e.g. price information stored on EAS tag anti-theft systems in point of sale systems G07G3/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/20 for contactless carriers, e.g. RFID carriers record carriers with integrated circuit chips including means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or to record carriers by hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07318; arrangements for sensing record carriers including arrangements for protecting the interrogation against piracy attacks G06K7/10257
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/68 using passive jamming, e.g. by shielding or reflection shielding of apparatus or components against electric or magnetic field H05K9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/86 related to preventing deceptive jamming or unauthorized interrogation or access, e.g. WLAN access or RFID reading record carriers with integrated circuit chips including means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or to record carriers by hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07318; arrangements for sensing record carriers including arrangements for protecting the interrogation against piracy attacks G06K7/10257

Abstract

An apparatus and method for identifying the read zone of an RFID reader. The apparatus includes a supporting sheet, a reader-position mark on the supporting sheet to indicate a recommended location to position an RFID reader, and a zone-boundary mark on the supporting sheet to indicate a read zone of the RFID reader with a predetermined field strength.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a supporting sheet;

a reader-position mark on the supporting sheet to indicate a recommended location to position an RFID reader; and

a zone-boundary mark on the supporting sheet to indicate a read zone of the RFID reader with a predetermined field strength.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reader-position mark includes an outline representing a footprint of the RFID reader.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the zone-boundary mark includes a contour representing multiple positions on the supporting sheet, wherein the field strength at each of the multiple positions is substantially equal to the predetermined field strength.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a parameter barcode associated with the contour, the parameter barcode storing one or more RFID parameters for being read upon by the RFID reader to change the settings of the RFID reader.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the zone-boundary mark is the edge of the supporting sheet.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a parameter barcode associated with the edge of the supporting sheet, the parameter barcode storing one or more RFID parameters for being read upon by the RFID reader to change the settings of the RFID reader.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the zone-boundary mark includes light indicators distributed at multiple positions on the supporting sheet, wherein the field strength at each of the multiple positions is substantially equal to the predetermined field strength.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a light indicator includes a light emitting diode.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a light indicator includes a light emitting diode powered by RF radiation from the RFID reader.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the zone-boundary mark includes light indicators distributed at multiple positions on the supporting sheet, wherein a light indicator at a given position is configured to emit visible light when the field strength at the given position exceeds the predetermined field strength.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of RFID jammers to prevent RFID tags located near the RFID jammers from being effectively read by the RFID reader.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of RFID jammers are distributed on the supporting sheet.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a shield of an RF reflective material to prevent RFID tags located at one side of the shield from being effectively read by the RFID reader.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a supporting sheet;

a reader-position mark on the supporting sheet to indicate a recommended location to position an RFID reader; and

a plurality of zone-boundary marks on the supporting sheet to indicate read zones of the RFID reader, wherein each zone-boundary mark indicates a corresponding read zone having a predetermined field strength associated therewith.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the reader-position mark includes an outline representing a footprint of the RFID reader.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each given zone-boundary mark includes a contour representing multiple positions on the supporting sheet, wherein the field strength at each of the multiple positions is substantially equal to the predetermined field strength associated with the read zone corresponding to the given zone-boundary mark.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a plurality of parameter barcodes on the supporting sheet, each parameter barcode being associated with a contour of a zone-boundary mark, the parameter barcode storing one or more RFID parameters for being read upon by the RFID reader to change the settings of the RFID reader.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein one of the zone-boundary marks is the edge of the supporting sheet.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a parameter barcode associated with the edge of the supporting sheet, the parameter barcode storing one or more RFID parameters for being read upon by the RFID reader to change the settings of the RFID reader.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each given zone-boundary mark includes light indicators distributed at multiple positions on the supporting sheet, wherein the field strength at each of the multiple positions is substantially equal to the predetermined field strength associated with the read zone corresponding to the given zone-boundary mark.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein a light indicator includes a light emitting diode.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein a light indicator includes a light emitting diode powered by RF radiation from the RFID reader.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each given zone-boundary mark includes light indicators distributed at multiple positions on the supporting sheet, wherein a light indicator at a given position is configured to emit visible light when the field strength at the given position exceeds the predetermined field strength associated with the read zone corresponding to the given zone-boundary mark.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a plurality of RFID jammers to prevent RFID tags located near the RFID jammers from being effectively read by the RFID reader.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the plurality of RFID jammers are distributed on the supporting sheet.

26. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a shield of an RF reflective material to prevent RFID tags located at one side of the shield from being effectively read by the RFID reader.

27. A method comprising:

placing a reader-position mark on a supporting sheet to indicate a recommended location to position an RFID reader; and

placing at least one zone-boundary mark on the supporting sheet to indicate a read zone of the RFID reader with a predetermined field strength.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the placing at least one zone-boundary mark on the supporting sheet comprises:

marking a contour on the supporting sheet to represent multiple positions each having a field strength thereof substantially equal to the predetermined field strength.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

setting one or more RFID parameters of the RFID reader by reading a parameter barcode associated with the contour on the supporting sheet.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

setting one or more RFID parameters of the RFID reader by reading a parameter barcode on the supporting sheet placed in the vicinity of a segment of the contour.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the placing at least one zone-boundary mark on the supporting sheet comprises:

placing light indicators on the supporting sheet at multiple positions each having a field strength thereof substantially equal to the predetermined field strength.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

preventing RFID tags located near the RFID jammers from being effectively read by the RFID reader with a plurality of RFID jammers

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the preventing step comprises:

placing the plurality of RFID jammers on the supporting sheet.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

using a shield of an RF reflective material to prevent RFID tags located at one side of the shield from being effectively read by the RFID reader.

35. An apparatus for indicating a read zone of an RFID reader comprising:

a supporting sheet;

a plurality of light indicators distributed on the supporting sheet, each light indicator being associated with a threshold field strength, wherein a given light indicator at a given position is configured to emit visible light when the field strength at the given position exceeds the threshold field strength associated with the given light indicator.