STACKED TIRE RFID READER SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20140049375A1
• Filed: 08/20/2012
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Jennifer Kaye Flowers, John Michael Fenkanyn, Joseph Paul Sr. Batcho, Mario Vincent Orosa
• Inventors: Fenkanyn, John Michael, Orosa, Mario Vincent, Batcho, Joseph Paul Sr., Flowers, Jennifer Kaye
• Granted Patent: US 8,963,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07764 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier attachable to a tire tire temperature or pressur control arrangements, see B60C23/00

Abstract

A product management system and method for reading electronic identification tags from a vertical stack of tires. Each tire has an electronic identification tag secured at a position to operative to electronically transmit data to an antenna element positioned internally within a toroidal opening of each tire in the stack. An elongate read wand is positioned in a substantially vertical orientation within the aligned toroidal openings of the tires. The antenna element is carried by the read wand and is thus positioned by the read wand to receive an electronic transmission from each electronic identification tag in the aligned tire stack. The read wand may be ceiling-mounted, floor mounted, or hand held.

Claims

1. A toroidal product management system for reading an electronic identification tag, comprising:

at least one toroidal manufactured product having the electronic identification tag secured to the one product, the identification tag positioned to operatively electronically transmit data to an antenna element positioned within a toroidal opening of the manufactured product;

a read station positioned to accept the one manufactured product therein,

an elongate read wand positioned within the read station in a substantially vertical orientation, the read wand sized to operatively extend into the toroidal opening of the manufactured product within the read station;

the antenna element secured to the read wand and positioned by the read wand within the toroidal opening at a location operative to receive an electronic transmission from the electronic identification tag.

2. The toroidal product management system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic identification tag comprises an RFID identification tag.

3. The toroidal product management system according to claim 1, wherein further comprising an electronic reader coupled to receive the electronic transmission from the antenna element.

4. The toroidal product management system according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element selectively moves in and out of the toroidal opening.

5. The toroidal product management system according to claim 4, wherein the antenna element means is composed of a conductive material composition.

6. The toroidal product management system according to claim 5, wherein the read wand and antenna element have a complementarily elongate configuration of a length sufficient to substantially ensure establishment of a proximal reading relationship between the antenna element and the electronic identification tag within the toroidal opening.

7. The toroidal product management system according to claim 6, wherein the read wand comprises:

an elongate carrier body having a longitudinal axis, the antenna element being secured to the carrier body; and

the read wand further comprising electrical conductors coupled to the antenna element.

8. The toroidal product management system according to claim 7, wherein the longitudinal axis of the elongate read wand carrier body is positioned in a substantially vertical orientation within the read station by alternative positioning fixtures, the positioning fixtures taken from a group consisting:

(A) an overhead fixture suspending the carrier body lengthwise into the read station;

(B) a floor-mounted fixture supporting the carrier body to extend lengthwise upward from a floor surface into the read station; and

(C) a handheld handle means operative to enable a user to carry the carrier body in and out of the toroidal opening by hand.

9. The toroidal product management system according to claim 8, wherein the read wand carrier body is alternatively configured from a group consisting:

(A) a flexible strip in which the antenna element is at least partially embedded; and

(B) an elongate substantially rigid body supporting the antenna element.

10. The toroidal product management system of claim 9, wherein the one product comprises one of a plurality of substantially like-configured toroidal products aligned as a vertical stack, each of the products having an electronic identification tag secured thereto and co-aligned toroidal openings within the stack, the read wand having an elongate length and configuration operative to substantially ensure a reading proximity within the co-aligned toroidal openings whereby a transmission coupling is established between the antenna element and the electronic identification tags of the stacked products.

11. A method of managing toroidal product identification by reading an electronic identification tag, comprising:

attaching an electronic identification tag secured to a toroidal product at a position operative to electronically transmit data to an antenna element, the toroidal product having toroidal opening;

positioning a read station to accept the toroidal product therein;

positioning an elongate read wand within the read station, the read wand having an antenna element secured thereto to receive an electronic transmission from the electronic identification tag;

positioning the read wand within the toroidal opening of the product; and

placing the antenna element of the read wand into a reading proximity with the identification tag of the product.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising moving the antenna element selectively in and out of the toroidal opening by means of the read wand.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising moving the toroidal product to receive the read wand into the toroidal opening.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising aligning the toroidal opening over the read wand;

and lowering the product over the read wand to place the read wand within the toroidal opening.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising

placing the one product with a plurality of substantially like-configured toroidal products to form an aligned vertical stack, each of the products having an electronic identification tag secured thereto and the vertical stack of products having co-aligned toroidal openings within the stack;

and

positioning the antenna element attached to the read wand into a reading proximity within the co-aligned toroidal openings whereby a transmission coupling is established between the antenna element and the electronic identification tags of the stack of products.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein further comprising moving the antenna element selectively in and out of the aligned toroidal openings of the stack of products by means of the read wand.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising aligning the toroidal openings of the products over the read wand;

and lowering the product over the read wand to place the read wand within the toroidal openings of the vertical stack of the products.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising aligning the aligned toroidal openings of the products beneath the read wand;

and raising the stack of products to place the read wand within the aligned toroidal openings of the products.