Scanning station utilizing passive near-field communication RF coupling system for scanning RFID tags
First Claim
1. A scanning station system, comprising:
- a device holder for holding an NFC transceiver device;
an active scanning area for scanning of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags; and
a radio frequency (“
RF”
) coupling system, comprising a primary NFC antenna and a secondary NFC antenna for coupling the NFC transceiver device to the active scanning area.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for scanning medical items having RFID tags in a medical care facility using a passive Near-Field Communication (“NFC”) RF coupling system within a scanning station. The RF coupling system forms a communications link between a primary NFC device acting as an RFID reader, such as a mobile device, and a secondary NFC device, an RFID tag attached to a medical item. The RF coupling system has a primary NFC antenna and a secondary NFC antenna connected by a transmission line. Using the RF coupling system, the scanning station relocates the active scanning area from the back of the mobile device to the secondary NFC antenna. The RF coupling system enables an effective distance between the primary and secondary NFC devices on the order of meters, corresponding to the wavelength of passive NFC devices operating at 13.56 Mhz, instead of 2-4 centimeters.
22 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A scanning station system, comprising:
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a device holder for holding an NFC transceiver device; an active scanning area for scanning of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags; and a radio frequency (“
RF”
) coupling system, comprising a primary NFC antenna and a secondary NFC antenna for coupling the NFC transceiver device to the active scanning area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A scanning station system, comprising:
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a device holder for holding an NFC transceiver device; an active scanning area for scanning an NFC receiving device; and a radio frequency (“
RF”
) coupling system, comprising a primary NFC antenna and a secondary NFC antenna for coupling the NFC transceiver device to the active scanning area. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A method of operation of a scanning station, comprising a device holder, an active scanning area, and a radio frequency (“
- RF”
) coupling system comprising a primary NFC antenna and a secondary NFC antenna, the method comprising;holding an NFC transceiver device; scanning of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in the active scanning area; and coupling the NFC transceiver device to the active scanning area. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
- RF”
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26. A method of operation of a scanning station, comprising a device holder, an active scanning area, and a radio frequency (“
- RF”
) coupling system comprising a primary NFC antenna and a secondary NFC antenna, the method comprising;holding an NFC transceiver device; scanning an NFC receiving device in the active scanning area; and coupling the NFC transceiver device to the active scanning area.
- RF”
Specification