SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RFID TAG ARBITRATION WHERE RFID TAGS GENERATE MULTIPLE RANDOM NUMBERS FOR DIFFERENT ARBITRATION SESSIONS
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A radio frequency identification device (RFID) tag comprising:
- a processor;
a memory configured to store an identification number that distinguishes the tag from other tags;
a transponder coupled to the memory and the processor, the tag being configured to arbitrate by selecting a random number, in response to an inventory query from a reader, and to respond to the reader depending on the random number selected, the tag being further configured for multiple concurrent inventory session arbitrations with multiple readers by separately storing random numbers for respective inventory session arbitrations.
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Abstract
A radio frequency identification device (RFID) tag includes a processor, a memory configured to store an identification number that distinguishes the tag from other tags, and a transponder coupled to the memory and the processor. The tag arbitrates by selecting a random number in response to an inventory query from a reader. The tag responds to the reader depending on the random number selected. The tag is configured for multiple concurrent inventory session arbitrations with multiple readers by separately storing random numbers for respective inventory session arbitrations.
9 Citations
56 Claims
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1. A radio frequency identification device (RFID) tag comprising:
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a processor; a memory configured to store an identification number that distinguishes the tag from other tags; a transponder coupled to the memory and the processor, the tag being configured to arbitrate by selecting a random number, in response to an inventory query from a reader, and to respond to the reader depending on the random number selected, the tag being further configured for multiple concurrent inventory session arbitrations with multiple readers by separately storing random numbers for respective inventory session arbitrations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An RFID reader configured to use arbitration to singulate unknown radio frequency identification tags in a field, different tags having different electronic product codes, the RFID reader comprising:
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a transponder; a processor; and a memory configured to store, for respective inventory session arbitrations, handles for previously singulated tags, each handle being a nickname for a tag and being different from the tag'"'"'s electronic product code, wherein, if an arbitration is interrupted, the reader is able to resume the arbitration without a need to cause singulated tags to generate new handles, even if another reader performs another arbitration session and causes tags to generate handles. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system comprising:
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a plurality of RFID tags, each of the RFID tags including; a first processor; a first memory configured to store an identification number that distinguishes the tag from other tags; and a first transponder coupled to the first memory and the first processor, the tag being configured to arbitrate by selecting a random number, in response to an inventory query from a reader, and to respond to the reader depending on the random number selected, the tag being further configured for multiple concurrent inventory session arbitrations with multiple readers by separately storing random numbers for respective inventory session arbitrations; and a plurality of RFID readers configured to use arbitration to singulate radio frequency identification tags, each of the RFID readers including; a second transponder; a second processor; and a second memory configured to store, for respective arbitration sessions, handles for singulated tags, the handles being nicknames for tags and being different from a tag'"'"'s identification number, wherein, if an arbitration is interrupted for one of the readers, that reader is able to resume and continue the arbitration without a need to cause singulated tags to generate new handles, even if another of the readers performs another arbitration and causes tags to generate handles. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A system comprising:
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a plurality of RFID tags, each of the RFID tags including; a first processor; a first memory configured to store an identification number that distinguishes the tag from other tags; and a first transponder coupled to the first memory and the first processor, the tags being configured to arbitrate by selecting a random number, in response to an inventory query from a reader, and to respond to the reader depending on the random number selected, the tags being further configured to separately store random numbers for respective inventory session arbitrations; and a plurality of RFID readers configured to use arbitration to singulate radio frequency identification tags, each of the RFID readers including; a second transponder; a second processor; and a second memory configured to store, for respective arbitration sessions, handles for singulated tags, the handles being nicknames for tags and being different from a tag'"'"'s identification number, wherein, if an arbitration is interrupted for a first reader, the first reader is able to resume and continue the arbitration without causing singulated tags to generate new handles, even if a second reader performs another arbitration and causes tags to generate handles, wherein a third reader is configured to selectively complete an arbitration started by a fourth reader in response to having information from the inventory started by the fourth reader passed to the third reader. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method comprising:
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beginning a first RFID inventory session using a first RFID reader, the first RFID reader being configured to store random numbers for tags that have been singulated; interrupting the first RFID inventory session; beginning a second RFID inventory session using a second RFID reader, and causing RFID tags to generate new random numbers for the second RFID inventory session, the RFID tags being configured to store the random numbers from the first inventory session during the second RFID inventory session; and resuming the first RFID inventory session by the first RFID reader using the stored random numbers from the first RFID inventory session. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44)
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45. A method comprising:
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providing a plurality of RFID tags, each of the RFID tags including; a first processor, a first memory configured to store an identification number that distinguishes the tag from other tags, and a first transponder coupled to the first memory and the first processor, the tag being configured to arbitrate by selecting a random number, in response to an inventory query from a reader, and to respond to the reader depending on the random number selected, the tags being further configured to separately store random numbers for respective inventory session arbitrations; providing a plurality of RFID readers configured to use arbitration to singulate radio frequency identification tags, each of the RFID readers including; a second transponder, a second processor, and a second memory configured to store, for respective arbitration sessions, handles for singulated tags, the handles being nicknames for tags and being different from a tag'"'"'s identification number; interrupting an arbitration for a first RFID reader by a second RFID reader; and resuming and continuing the arbitration for the first RFID reader using the stored handles without a need to cause singulated tags to generate new handles. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. An RFID reader comprising:
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memory configured to store a session number, and to store a last size of a slot counter and a last handle received from a tag in an arbitration session; and a transponder coupled to the memory and configured to selectively send a command to the tag to resume an interrupted arbitration session, the command including parameters for the session number, a last size of the slot counter, and a last handle received from the tag by a reader.
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Specification