Identification system
First Claim
1. In combination for generating information,a reader disposed at a first position,a transponder disposed at a second position displaced from the first position,means magnetically coupling the reader and the transponder,means in the reader for producing magnetic pulses to initiate a sequence of cyclic inter-actions between the reader and the transponder,means in the transponder for providing a binary code indentifying the information,means in the transponder for producing in each of the cyclic inter-actions signals having each of first and second frequencies in a sequence dependent upon the binary code in the transponder, andmeans responsive to the signals produced by the transponder at one of the first and second frequencies in each of the cyclic inter-actions for producing a pulse in the magnetically coupling means to initiate in the reader the signals in the other one of the first and second frequencies in such cyclic inter-actions.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A reader identifies information, such as the identity of an object at a transponder, provided in binary form by the transponder. The reader initially generates a pulse which activates the transponder into transmitting a series of signals, such as by magnetic induction, to the reader. Upon each count of a particular number of signals in the reader, the reader generates an additional pulse which causes the transponder to transmit a new series of signals to the reader. The generation of the pulses by the reader may occur through the charge and discharge of energy in a storage member such as a capacitance. The series of signals produced by the transponder may have either a first frequency or a second frequency. The signals may be generated in each sequence at the first and second frequencies in an order dependent upon (a) the binary code identifying the object at the transponder and (b) the polarity of the pulse produced by the transponder in such sequence. The reader then identifies the information by demodulating the signals received by it at the first and second frequencies. The reader is able to interrupt at any time the generation of the sequence of signals at the transponder when it does not receive the signals transmitted by the transponder. The reader then operates on a free running basis to generate pulses of opposite polarity at a relatively low frequency.
71 Citations
47 Claims
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1. In combination for generating information,
a reader disposed at a first position, a transponder disposed at a second position displaced from the first position, means magnetically coupling the reader and the transponder, means in the reader for producing magnetic pulses to initiate a sequence of cyclic inter-actions between the reader and the transponder, means in the transponder for providing a binary code indentifying the information, means in the transponder for producing in each of the cyclic inter-actions signals having each of first and second frequencies in a sequence dependent upon the binary code in the transponder, and means responsive to the signals produced by the transponder at one of the first and second frequencies in each of the cyclic inter-actions for producing a pulse in the magnetically coupling means to initiate in the reader the signals in the other one of the first and second frequencies in such cyclic inter-actions.
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4. In combination for generating information,
a reader disposed at a first position, a transponder disposed at a second position displaced from the first position, means at the reader for producing a first pulse, means responsive at the transponder to the first pulse from the reader for producing a series of signals having an individual one of first and second frequencies dependent upon the polarity of the first pulse and upon the information being generated, means responsive at the reader to the series of signals of the individual one of the first and second frequencies from the transponder for producing a pulse of an opposite polarity to the first pulse produced by the reader, and means responsive at the transponder to the pulse of the opposite polarity for producing signals with the other one of the first and second frequencies in the sequence, the pulse means and the signal means specified above being operative to obtain the generation of successive sequences of the signal with the first and second frequencies to identify the information.
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7. In combination for identifying an object,
a reader displaced from the object, a transponder at the object, first means at the reader for producing a pulse, second means at the transponder for providing indications in binary form to identify the object, third means responsive at the transponder to the indications from the second means and to the pulse for obtaining the production of signals having an individual one of first and second frequencies, fourth means responsive at the reader to the signals at the individual one of the first and second frequencies for producing a pulse having a polarity opposite to that of the first pulse, and fifth means responsive at the transponder to the pulse of opposite polarity for obtaining the production of the signals at the other one of the first and second frequencies.
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10. In combination for identifying an object,
a transponder at the object, a reader displaced from the object, means at the transponder for providing in binary coded form a sequence of binary coded indications in a unique pattern indentifying the object, means at the reader for producing a pulse, means responsive at the transponder to each pulse from the reader for producing a plurality of signals having one of two individual frequencies, means responsive at the reader to each plurality of signals from the transponder for producing a pulse of a polarity opposite to the polarity of the previous pulse produced at the reader, and means responsive to the polarity of each pulse from the reader and to each binary coded indication in the sequence for providing controlled productions of signals at the two individual frequencies in each sequence in an order representative of the binary coded indications.
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13. In combination at a transponder for identifying an object in accordance with a sequence of pulses of opposite polarities from a reader,
means responsive to the pulses from the reader for identifying the polarities of the pulses, means for providing a code identifying the object in binary coded form, means responsive to the pulses from the reader for generating a plurality of signals at a first frequency, a capacitance, switching means having first and second states of operation and connected to the signal-generating means and the capacitance for operation of the switching means between the first and second states to obtain a change in the frequency of the generated signals to a second frequency different from the first frequency, and means responsive to the identifying code and to the polarity of each of the pulses from the reader for controlling the operation of the switching means to the first and second states to obtain the generation of signals at the first and second frequencies in sequences indicative of the identifying code.
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16. In combination at a reader for use with a transponder in identifying an object where the transponder produces sequences of signals at first and second frequencies,
means at the reader for generating a pulse, means responsive at the reader to the sequences of signals produced in the transponder at each of the first and second frequencies for counting the numbers of signals at such one of the first and second frequencies, means responsive at the reader to a particular count in the number of signals at each of the first and second frequencies in each sequence for obtaining the generation at the reader of a pulse having a polarity opposite to that of the previous pulse, means at the reader for demodulating the signals at each of the first and second frequencies to obtain an identification of the object, and means at the reader for obtaining a transmission of the pulses to the transponder to control the generation of the signals at each of the first and second frequencies at the transponder.
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19. In combination at a reader for use with a transponder in identifying an output member at the transponder where the transponder produces sequences of signals at first and second frequencies,
energy storage means, switching means having first and second operative relationships, means including the energy storage means and the switching means for providing a storage of energy in the energy storage means in the first operative relationship of the switching means and for providing a discharge of the energy in the energy storage means in the second operative relationship of the switching means, means for producing a pulse of a first polarity for transmission to the transponder upon each charge of energy in the energy storage means and for producing a pulse of a second polarity for transmission to the transponder upon each discharge of the energy storage means, and means responsive to the signals of the first and second frequencies for obtaining an operation of the switching means alternately in the first and second relationships.
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22. In combination at a reader for use with a transponder in identifying an object at the transponder where the transponder produces sequences of signals at first and second frequencies,
energy storage means, switching means having first and second operative relationships, means including the energy storage means and the switching means for providing for a storage of energy in the energy storage means in the first operative relationship of the switching means and for providing for a discharge of the energy in the energy storage means in the second operative relationship of the switching means, means for producing a pulse of a first polarity for transmission to the transponder upon each charge of energy in the energy storage means and for producing a pulse of a second polarity upon each discharge of energy in the energy storage means, a stable multivibrator means operatively coupled to the switching means and associated with the switching means for alternately obtaining the operation of the switching means in the first and second operative relationship, means responsive at the reader to the signals at the first and second frequencies from the transponder in the coupled relationship with the transponder for producing signals at such frequencies at the reader, the astable multivibrator means being operative in response to the signals at the first and second frequencies at the reader during the coupling of the transponder to the reader to obtain the alternate operation of the switching means in the first and second operative relationships at a particular rate, means associated with the switching means and the astable multivibrator means to obtain the operation of the switching means alternately in the first and second operative relationships, in the absence at the reader of the signals at the first and second frequencies, at a rate less than the particular rate, and means for identifying the object at the transponder in accordance with the relative times between the generation at the reader of the successive pulses during the coupling of the transponder to the reader.
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25. In combination for providing an identification of an object,
a reader, a transponder displaced from the reader, a first coil at the reader, the first coil being constructed to provide a considerable damping in pulses produced by such coil, a second coil disposed at the transponder in magnetically coupled relationship to the first coil, the second coil being constructed to respond to each pulse from the first coil to generate a series of signals at a particular one of first and second frequencies, means at the reader for producing pulses in the first coil to obtain a generation of series of signals in the transponder at the first and second frequencies, means responsive to each generation of a series of signals by the second coil for obtaining the generation of the next pulse by the first coil, means operatively coupled at the transponder to the second coil for obtaining the generation of the series of signals individual ones of the first and second frequencies, means for providing in binary form at the transponder a code identifying the object, means responsive at the transponder to the binary code for controlling the sequences in which the series of signals are generated at the first and second frequencies at the transponder, and means responsive at the reader to the sequences of signals at the first and second frequencies for demodulating the signals to identify the object.
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28. In combination for identifying an object,
a reader, a transponder displaced from the reader and disposed at the object, first means disposed at the reader and including an E-shaped core and a coil wound on the core, the first means being constructed to provide a damped generation of pulses, second means disposed at the transponder and including an E-shaped core and a coil wound on the core, the second means being constructed to be disposed in magnetically coupled relationship to the E-shaped core at the reader, the second means being constructed to generate a series of signals in response to each pulse from the first means, means disposed at the transponder and responsive to the pulses generated by the first means for obtaining the production of signals by the second means at individual ones of first and second frequencies, means at the transponder for providing a binary code identifying the object, means disposed at the transponder and responsive to the binary code for controlling the generation of the signals at the individual ones of the first and second frequencies in each sequence, means disposed at the reader and responsive to the generation of the signals at the individual ones of the first and second frequencies in each sequence for obtaining the generation of the pulses by the first means, and means disposed at the reader and responsive to the signals at the individual ones of the first and second frequencies in each sequence for recovering the binary code.
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31. In combination for providing an identification of an object,
a reader, a transponder displaced from the reader in an operatively coupled relationship to the reader, means at the reader for generating a series of pulses in the reader, means disposed at the transponder and responsive to each pulse generated at the reader for generating a series of signals in the transponder at an individual one of first and second frequencies, means disposed at the reader and responsive to each generation of the series of signals in the transponder at the individual one of the first and second frequencies for obtaining the generation of another pulse in the series, means for providing in binary form at the transponder a code identifying the object, means responsive at the transponder to the binary code for controlling the generation of the signals at the individual ones of the first and second frequencies in each sequence, and means responsive at the reader to the sequences of signals generated at the individual ones of the first and second frequencies in each sequence for demodulating the signals to identify the object.
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34. In combination at a reader for use with a transponder in identifying information where the transponder produces, at a first rate, signals alternately at first and second freqeuncies to identify the object,
means at the reader for obtaining a generation of pulses having a second rate less than the first rate, means associated at the reader with the pulse-generating means for transmitting the pulses at the first rate to the transponder and for receiving the signals at the first and second frequencies from the transponder, means responsive at the reader to the signals at the first and second frequencies from the transponder for adapting the operation of the pulse-generating means to obtain a generation of the pulses at the first rate, means responsive at the reader to the signals received at the first and second frequencies for demodulating such signals to obtain an identification of the information, and means for producing the pulses at the second rate when the reader fails to receive the signals from the transponder.
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37. In combination at a transponder for generating information in accordance with a sequence of pulses of alternating polarity from a reader,
means for receiving the pulses from the reader and for generating a plurality of signals in response to each of such received signals, means responsive to the received pulses for indicating the polarity of such received pulses, means for providing in binary coded form signals identifying the information, and means responsive to the signals in the coded form and to the indications of the polarity of the received pulses for producing, in successive sequences, signals at first and second frequencies in an order dependent upon the binary code and the polarity of the received pulses, the pulse-receiving means also being operative at the transponder to transmit the signals at the individual ones of the first and second frequencies to the reader.
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40. In combination at a transponder for identfying an object in accordance with a sequence of pulses from a reader, the transponder including a coil for receiving the pulses from the reader and for generating a plurality of signals at an individual one of a first frequency and a second frequency upon each generation of a pulse at the reader,
an integrated circuit chip, means disposed on the integrated circuit chip for identifying the polarity of the pulses received by the coil at the transponder, means disposed on the integrated circuit chip for identifying the object in a binary coded, and means disposed on the integrated circuit chip and responsive to the polairty of the received pulses and the binary code for controlling the generation of the signals at the individual ones of the first and second frequencies in sequences identifying the object.
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44. In combination at a reader for use with a transponder in identifying an object where the transponder generates signals at first and second frequencies and where the reader includes a coil for generating pulses and for receiving the signals generated at the first and second frequencies,
an integrated circuit chip, means disposed on the integrated circuit chip for counting the number of signals received by the reader at each of the first and second frequencies, a capacitance, means disposed on the integrated circuit chip for obtaining a charging of the capacitance, means disposed on the integrated circuit chip for obtaining a discharge of the capacitance, means disposed on the integrated circuit chip for controlling the charge and discharge of the capacitance, and means responsive to each particular count of the signals at the first and second frequencies for changing the operation of the controlling means to obtain alternately a charge and a discharge of the capacitance.
Specification