System and Method for Bulk RFID Tag Encoding

• US 20130141222A1
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: GARCIA, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 9,852,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0025 the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0029 the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/01 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10039 interrogator driven, i.e. synchronous
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10326 the antenna being of the very-near field type, e.g. capacitive
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10435 the interrogation device being positioned close to a conveyor belt or the like on which moving record carriers are passing conveying in accordance with bodily destination marks, see B65G47/46, sorting of objects carrying identity markings, see B07C5/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10445 the record carriers being fixed to further objects, e.g. RFIDs fixed to packages, luggage, mail-pieces or work-pieces transported on a conveyor belt

Abstract

A method for bulk encoding of RFID tags. The method may include printing a plurality of unencoded RFID labels, coupling each of the plurality of unencoded RFID labels to each of a plurality of products, packaging like products from the plurality of products coupled with the unencoded RFID labels together in a container, scanning the container holding the products with an RFID antenna, and encoding each of the unencoded RFID labels coupled to each of the plurality of like products in a container simultaneously with identical information for each container.

Claims

1. A method of bulk encoding RFID tags, comprising:

printing a plurality of unencoded RFID tags;

coupling each of the plurality of unencoded RFID tags to each of a plurality of products;

packaging like products from the plurality products coupled with the unencoded RFID tags together in a container;

scanning the container holding the plurality of products with at least one RFID antenna; and

encoding each of the unencoded RFID tags coupled to each of the plurality of like products in a container simultaneously with identical information for each container.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing the plurality of unencoded RFID tags at a first location; and

transferring the plurality of unencoded RFID tags to a second location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first location is an RFID tag manufacturing location; and

the second location is a product manufacturer, a distributor, a reseller, or a retail location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing desired indicia on the plurality of unencoded RFID tags, the indicia corresponding to desired product or manufacturer information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the products are apparel products.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unencoded RFID tags are sewn into the product.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the unencoded RFID tags are RFID labels.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the unencoded RFID tags are hard RFID tags.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sorting the products such that only like products are packaged in each container.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

testing encoded RFID tags within each container via bulk scanning so as to determine that all RFID tags within the container are encoded with identical information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating information about the products within a container to the RFID antenna such

that that the information encoded by the RFID encoding antenna corresponds to the products within a particular container.

12. A system for encoding RFID tags in a container with uniform information, comprising:

a plurality of unencoded RFID tags,

a plurality of products;

a plurality of containers; and

at least one RFID antenna;

wherein each of the plurality of unencoded RFID tags are coupled to each of the plurality of products and each of the plurality of products are placed with similar products in each of the plurality of

containers, and each of the plurality of unencoded RFID tags in each container is simultaneously encoded with identical data by the at least one RFID antenna.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a pair of RFID antennas arranged opposite each other such that a container can be disposed between the antennas.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a sorting mechanism for packaging sorting products such that each of the plurality of containers contains like products.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a conveyor for transporting the plurality of containers past the at least one RFID antenna.

16. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a quality control unit for testing the plurality of encoded RFID tags within each container of the plurality of containers for a uniform response.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the conveyor is adapted to transport the plurality of containers at a speed of between 0 feet per minute and approximately 600 feet per minute.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the antenna is disposed at a distance of approximately 1 foot to approximately 5 feet from a container.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of containers contains between approximately 10 and approximately 20 products.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the products are apparel or garments.

21. A method of bulk encoding RFID tags, comprising:

printing a plurality of unencoded RFID tags;

coupling each of the plurality of unencoded RFID tags to each of a plurality of products;

advancing like products from the plurality products coupled with the unencoded RFID tags along a length of a conveyor;

scanning each of the products with at least one RFID antenna; and

encoding each of the unencoded RFID tags coupled to each of the plurality of like products with identical information sequentially one after another while on the length of the conveyor.

22. A system for encoding RFID tags with uniform information, comprising:

a plurality of unencoded RFID tags,

a plurality of products; and

at least one RFID antenna;

wherein each of the plurality of unencoded RFID tags are coupled to each of the plurality of products, and

each of the plurality of unencoded RFID tags is substantially simultaneously encoded one after another with identical data by the at least one RFID antenna.