RF TAG NETWORK CONNECTIVITY THROUGH GATEWAY FACILITY

• US 20180068211A1
• Filed: 11/07/2017
• Published: 03/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Original Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Inventors: Butler, Timothy P., Puleston, David, Berrios, Javier, Hamlin, Robert W., Mats, Leonid, Benoit, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 10,430,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07309 Means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or onto record carriers
• 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 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• 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 disclosure improved capabilities are described for a method and system for a radio frequency (RF) tag configured to communicate with a network through a gateway facility, the RF tag comprising (i) an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RF signal, (ii) a data processing and controller block for digital information processing, (iii) a memory store, and (iv) a communication facility, wherein the RF tag is at least in part powered by an external RF signal received by the RF and analog block, and wherein the communication facility transfers data from the RF tag to the gateway facility or transfers data from the gateway facility to the RF tag.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) tag configured to communicate with a network through a gateway facility, the RF tag comprising (i) an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RF signal, (ii) a data processing and controller block for digital information processing, (iii) a memory store, and (iv) a communication facility, wherein the RF tag is at least in part powered by an external RF signal received by the RF and analog block,

wherein the communication facility transfers data from the RF tag to the gateway facility or transfers data from the gateway facility to the RF tag.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is one of a local area network, a wide area network, a peer-to-peer network, an intranet, or an internet.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection between the communication facility and the gateway facility is a wired connection.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the wired connection is a serial digital electrical interface, parallel digital electrical interface, analog electrical interface, voltage source electrical interface, current source electrical interface, or differential electrical interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the connection between the communication facility and the gateway facility is a wireless connection.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless connection is a WiFi wireless connection, a Bluetooth wireless connection, a wireless USB connection, or an ultra-wideband wireless connection.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF tag communicates information to and from the network by transferring data across the gateway facility.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the RF tag is considered a computing device on the network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein information from the network is stored on the gateway facility and transferred to the RF tag when the RF tag is powered up by the external RF signal.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein information is stored in the memory of the RF tag and transferred to the gateway facility when the RF tag is powered up by the external RF signal.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising the RF tag communicating with a cellular network connection through the communication facility.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein connection to the network is available through either the gateway facility or the cellular network.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor connected to the communication facility.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein sensor data is collected from the sensor and transferred to the gateway facility.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the transfer occurs when the RF tag is powered up by the external RF signal.

16. A method, comprising:

providing a radio frequency (RF) tag configured to communicate with a network through a gateway facility, the RF tag comprising (i) an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RF signal, (ii) a data processing and controller block for digital information processing, (iii) a memory store, and (iv) a communication facility, wherein the RF tag is at least in part powered by an external RF signal received by the RF and analog block,

wherein the communication facility transfers data from the RF tag to the gateway facility or transfers data from the gateway facility to the RF tag.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the network is one of a local area network, a wide area network, a peer-to-peer network, an intranet, or an internet.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the connection between the communication facility and the gateway facility is a wired connection.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the connection between the communication facility and the gateway facility is a wireless connection.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the RF tag communicates information to and from the network by transferring data across the gateway facility.