RFID DRIVE MANAGEMENT FACILITY

• US 20130176115A1
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Original Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Inventors: Puleston, David, Butler, Timothy P., Berrios, Javier, Beckhardt, Steve, Hamlin, Robert W., Moore, Larry, Mats, Leonid
• Granted Patent: US 8,988,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3225 of memory devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• 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 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: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for managing RFID tags, where an RFID tag and associated RFID tag data are presented to a computing device through an RFID drive management facility as a seamless extension of a logical file system within the computing device such that the RFID tag and associated RFID tag data can be managed in a manner that is consistent with other items within the file system.

Claims

1. A method of managing RFID tags, comprising:

presenting an RFID tag and associated RFID tag data to a computing device through an RFID drive management facility as a seamless extension of a logical file system within the computing device such that the RFID tag and associated RFID tag data can be managed in a manner that is consistent with other items within the file system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is mounted as a file system element accessible within the local and network file system available to the computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the file system element is at least one of a drive, folder, network share, and uniform resource location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identity of the RFID tag is changeable by changing the name of the at least one of drive, folder, network share, and uniform resource location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID drive management facility operates autonomously and transparently to the user with minimal interaction, such that the user interface for reading and writing data is the same as the file system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer device is at least one of a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computing device, and a smart phone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising editing the RFID tag data on the computing device and transferring the edited RFID tag data to the RFID tag.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the editing is provided within at least one of the operating system and a user interface environment.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the editing is provided by changes to file system elements by at least one of an application and run time system within the computing device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the editing allows an existing application to read and write data to and from tags through its conventional file-handling interface.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring the RFID tag data from the computer device to at least one of a server-based cloud and local area network storage facility, wherein the RFID tag data is made available to a second computer device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag data is stored on the RFID tag in one-time programmable (OTP) memory.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the OTP memory is configured as emulated multiple-time programmable (eMTP) memory.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID drive management facility provides a mapping of an RFID data format to a computer file format.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the RFID drive management facility simultaneously provides mapping to a plurality of computer file formats.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID drive management facility identifies an RFID tag data format and assigns a converter to translate and convert between the file format within the computer system and the data format within the RFID tag.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID drive management facility provides a data format within the RFID tag with additional processing to convert between the RFID tag data format and the computing system format.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein control functionality for the RFID drive management facility is accessed from at least one of a control and status icon within the user desktop.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID drive management facility is integrated with and managed by network management software.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising an RFID interrogator interfaced to the RFID drive management facility via a dedicated connection.

21. A method of managing RFID tags, comprising:

providing an RFID drive management facility on a computer system, the computer system communicating with an RFID tag and having a logical file system;

with the drive management facility presenting an RFID tag as an extension of the logical file system; and

with the drive management facility providing the ability to manage data on the RFID tag in the logical file system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the communication is provided wirelessly through an RFID interrogator device.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the communication is provided across a network to an RFID interrogator device that wirelessly communicates with the RFID tag.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the RFID tag is mounted as a file system element accessible within the local and network file system available to the computer system.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the receiving of data is provided wirelessly through an RFID interrogator device.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the receiving of data is provided across a network to an RFID interrogator device that wirelessly communicates with the RFID tag.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the RFID tag is mounted as a file system element accessible within the local and network file system available to the computer system.

25. A computer implemented system of managing RFID tags, comprising:

an RFID tag;

a memory comprising instructions;

a processor receiving data from the RFID tag and that, upon executing the instruction, performs the steps of;

providing a RFID drive management facility on the computer system, the computer system having a logical file system;

presenting an RFID tag as an extension of the logical file system;

providing the ability to manage data on the RFID tag in the logical file system