Temperature Tracking Device and Method Using Same

• US 20120009872A1
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dean Brotzel, Graham R. William, Lane T. Randall
• Original Assignee: Dean Brotzel, Graham R. William, Lane T. Randall
• Inventors: Lane, T. Randall, Brotzel, Dean, Graham, R. William
• Granted Patent: US 9,104,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 5/026 with return letter or return card
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/00 Thermometers giving results other than momentary value of temperature G01K7/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag

Abstract

A device for monitoring conditions within an environment in which an item is disposed includes a environment monitoring tag operably disposed adjacent an article to sense environment surrounding said article and store environmental data sensed, wherein said tag is equipped with software and hardware to communicate said data using Near Field Communication and a hand held communication device equipped with software and hardware to communicate using Near Field Communication to receive environmental data sensed by said tag and analyze said data.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring conditions within an environment in which an item is disposed, which includes:

an environment monitoring tag operably disposed adjacent an article to sense environment surrounding said article and store environmental data sensed, wherein said tag is equipped with software and hardware to communicate said data using Near Field Communication; and

a hand held communication device equipped with software and hardware to communicate using Near Field Communication to receive environmental data sensed by said tag and analyze said data.

2. The device for monitoring of claim 1, wherein said hand held device includes one of a smart reader, PDA or cell phone equipped with NFC hardware and software to enable retrieving and analyzing the data sensed by said tag.

3. The device for monitoring of claim 1, wherein said tag equipped is equipped to monitor one of temperature, vibration, pressure, radiation, shock, light, position and atmosphere.

4. The device for monitoring of claim 1, wherein said hand held communication device is equipped to identify and control operation of said tag.

5. The device for monitoring of claim 1, wherein said hand held communication device is equipped to control at least one said tag'"'"'s start and stop time, log time, and excursion temperature which is rendered storable data on said tag.

6. The device for monitoring of claim 1, wherein said hand held communication device is equipped to generate a report based on said environmental data.

7. The device for monitoring of claim 5, wherein said hand held communication device is equipped to generate a report based on said data.

8. The device for monitoring of claim 1, wherein said hand held communication device is equipped to communicate and store data for a plurality of environment monitoring tags using Near Field Communication.

9. The device for monitoring of claim 1, wherein said tag is operably disposed between within opposing substrates which are sealably connected to form a postcard and includes an outer surface having preprinted return address indicia to enable the device to be placed into the mail for purposes of the same to be returned for reuse.

10. The device for monitoring of claim 1, which includes an RFID receiver operably connected to said tag for obtaining one of a serial number, a lot number and a product ID of said article in a predetermined definable range, wherein said article is equipped with an RFID chip.

16. The device for monitoring of claim 10, wherein said electronic reader electronic reader is equipped to generate a report based on said environmental data.

17. The device for monitoring of claim 16, wherein said hand held communication device is equipped to generate a report based on said data.

11. A system for monitoring conditions within an environment in which an item is disposed, which includes:

an environment monitoring tag operably disposed adjacent an item to be monitored, said tag equipped to sense and store surrounding environmental conditions thereof, wherein said tag is equipped with software and hardware to communicate said data using Near Field Communication; and

an electronic reader electronic reader which upon receipt of the tag therein in a predetermined range employs Near Field Communication hardware and software to receive environmental data sensed and stored by said tag and includes software for analyzing the data sensed by said tag for purposes of generating a report of whether a critical condition as been detected.

12. The device for monitoring of claim 11, wherein said electronic reader electronic reader includes one of a smart reader, PDA or cell phone equipped with NFC hardware and software to enable retrieving and analyzing the data sensed by said tag.

13. The device for monitoring of claim 11, wherein said tag equipped is equipped to monitor one of temperature, vibration, pressure, radiation, shock, light, position and atmosphere.

14. The device for monitoring of claim 11, wherein said electronic reader electronic reader is equipped to identify and control operation of said tag.

15. The device for monitoring of claim 11, wherein said electronic reader electronic reader is equipped to control at least one said tag'"'"'s start and stop time, log time, and excursion temperature which is rendered storable data on said tag.

18. The device for monitoring of claim 11, wherein said electronic reader electronic reader is equipped to communicate and store data for a plurality of environment monitoring tags using Near Field Communication.

19. The system for monitoring of claim 11, wherein said tag is operably disposed between within opposing substrates which are sealably connected to form a postcard which has an outer surface printed address with printed indicia to enable said tag returned via mail.

20. A method for monitoring conditions within an environment in which an item is disposed, which includes the steps of:

(a) providing an environment monitoring tag adjacent the item in a manner to sense surrounding environment of the item wherein said tag is equipped with software and hardware to communicate said data using Near Field Communication;

(b) transporting the tag and item to a recipient; and

(c) upon receipt of the tag and item, stopping further sensing and receiving said data using a second Near Field Communication device from the tag.

21. The method for monitoring of claim 20, which further includes employing the second Near Field Communication device for analyzing said data.

22. The method for monitoring of claim 20, wherein said tag is operably disposed between within opposing substrates which are sealably connected to form said postcard and includes an outer surface having printed address indicia to enable the device to be placed into the mail for purposes of the same to be returned.

23. The method for monitoring of claim 20, wherein said tag equipped is equipped to monitor one of temperature, vibration, pressure, radiation, shock, light, position and atmosphere.

24. The method for monitoring of claim 22, which subsequent to step of reinitializing the tag and repeating steps (a)-(c).

25. The method of claim 20, which includes providing an RFID receiver operably connected to said tag for obtaining one of a serial number, a lot number and a product ID of said article in a predetermined definable range, and wherein said article is equipped with an RFID chip.