DUAL RFID MODULES IN AN RFID PRINTER/ENCODER/VERIFICATION SYSTEM

• US 20160189019A1
• Filed: 10/13/2015
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Inventors: DUCKETT, Jeanne F., NEUHARD, Lance D., WIMMERS, David J., Wirrig, Richard D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,599,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/066 using ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/00 Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in continuous form, e.g. webs
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/335 Structure of thermal heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/36 Print density control
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/13 Cases or covers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/50 Mechanisms producing characters by printing and also producing a record by other means , e.g. printer combined with RFID writer
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0052 by thermal printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0094 by thermal printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/00 Methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/20 Simultaneous marking of record carrier and printing-out of data, e.g. printing-punch
• 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 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 19/0725 the arrangement being a circuit for emulating a plurality of record carriers, e.g. a single RFID tag capable of representing itself to a reader as a cloud of RFID tags
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10198 setting parameters for the interrogator, e.g. programming parameters and operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10227 loading programming parameters or programs into the interrogator, e.g. for configuring the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications

Abstract

A high speed tabletop and industrial printer is disclosed with integrated high speed RFID encoding and verification at the same time. The industrial printer simultaneously prints on and electronically encodes/verifies RFID labels, tags, and/or stickers attached to a continuous web. The industrial printer comprises a lighted sensor array for indexing the printing to the RFID tags; and a cutter powered from the industrial printer for cutting the web that the RFID tags are disposed on. The industrial printer comprises two RFID reader/writers that are individually controlled. Specifically, one of the RFID reader/writers comprises the ability to electronically encode the RFID tags while the web is moving; and the second RFID reader/writer uses an additional RFID module and antenna on the printer for verifying the data encoded to the RFID tags.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) printer device for electronically encoding and verifying radio frequency identification (RFID) labels, tags, or other construction media, comprising:

a print head capable of printing on the RFID tags;

a first RFID reader/writer module that electronically encodes the RFID tags with data;

a second RFID reader/writer module that verifies the data encoded to the RFID tag; and

a processor for communicating with the first and the second RFID reader/writer modules; and

wherein the printer device can encode and verify simultaneously via the first and the second RFID read/writer modules.

2. The printer device of claim 1, wherein the first and the second RFID reader/writer modules cooperate with each other and operate independently encoding and verifying RFID transponders within the RFID labels, tags, or other construction media.

3. The printer device of claim 2, wherein the RFID tags each comprise an RFID transponder.

4. The printer device of claim 3, wherein the first RFID reader/writer module encodes data to an RFID transponder when the RFID transponder reaches an encoding location.

5. The printer device of claim 4, wherein the second RFID reader/writer module reads the RFID transponder and compares the read data with data provided by a printer controller.

6. The printed device of claim 5, wherein if the compared read data does not match the data provided by the printer controller the RFID transponder is defective and marked with a visual indication.

7. The printer device of claim 1, wherein the RFID tags are arranged in a continuous web so that the RFID tags can be printed or encoded as part of a continuous process.

8. The printer device of claim 7, further comprising a cutter to cut the continuous web being printed on.

9. The printer device of claim 1 may optionally use a shield between multiple RFID units to improve performance and minimize cross talk.

10. The printer device of claim 1, wherein the RFID transponder status and data can be communicated by I²C NFC transponder embedded in the printer.

11. The printer device of claim 10, wherein the print head can accept input information from Java Script Object Notation (JSON), Document Format (PDF) or Personalized Print Markup Language (PPM L).

13. A process for encoding, and verifying RFID products, using a printer device of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

feeding a label in position;

encoding desired data to an RFID transponder when the RFID transponder reaches an encoding location via a first RFID reader/writer module;

reading the RFID transponder; and

comparing the read data with data provided by the printer controller via a second RFID reader/writer module.

14. The process of claim 13, further comprising operating the first and the second RFID reader/writer modules independently.

15. The process of claim 14, further comprising simultaneously encoding and verifying RFID transponders within the RFID labels via the first and the second RFID reader/writer modules.

16. The process of claim 15, further comprising determining whether the RFID tag contains a failed RFID.

17. The process of claim 16, wherein if the compared read data does not match the data provided by the printer controller it is determined that the RFID tag contains a failed RFID.

18. The process of claim 17, wherein if the RFID tag contains a failed RFID, then marking the failed RFID via a print mechanism.

19. The process of claim 18, wherein the failed RFID is marked with a visual indication.

20. The process of claim 19, further comprising sending the failed RFID to a host for data logging purposes.

12. A radio frequency identification (RFID) printer device for electronically encoding and verifying radio frequency identification (RFID) labels, tags, or other construction media, comprising:

a print head capable of printing on the RFID tags, wherein each of the RFID tags comprises an RFID transponder;

a first RFID reader/writer module that electronically encodes data to an RFID transponder when the RFID transponder reaches an encoding location;

a second RFID reader/writer module that reads the RFID transponder and compares the read data with data provided by a printer controller; and

a processor for communicating with the first and the second RFID reader/writer modules; and

wherein the first and the second RFID reader/writer modules cooperate with each other and operate independently, simultaneously encoding and verifying RFID transponders within the RFID labels, tags, or other construction media; and

wherein the RFID tags are arranged in a continuous web so that the RFID tags can be printed or encoded as part of a continuous process.