Flexible tag agitator

• US 6,157,300 A
• Filed: 01/05/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Quaderer, James Gerard, Vega, Victor Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): SWANN III, GLEN R
• Application Number:
  US09/225,408
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/825.34, 340/825.35, 340/676, 340/674, 226/1, 226/8, 226/9, 226/100, 198/341, 198/349, 198/464.1, 414/787, 414/786
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• 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 19/07788 the antenna being of the capacitive type
• 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 7/10069 the collision being resolved in the frequency domain, e.g. by hopping from one frequency to the other frequency hopping or spread spectrum techniques H04B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10326 the antenna being of the very-near field type, e.g. capacitive
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10425 the interrogation device being arranged for interrogation of record carriers passing by the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10435 the interrogation device being positioned close to a conveyor belt or the like on which moving record carriers are passing conveying in accordance with bodily destination marks, see B65G47/46, sorting of objects carrying identity markings, see B07C5/34
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip

Abstract

Flexible tags are secured to parcels moving upon a conveyor belt. The flexible tags each contain a transponder circuit in electrical communication with a transponder antenna. The transponder circuit contains a unique digital code containing data relating to the parcel. A reader circuit located in proximity to the conveyor is in electrical communication with a reader antenna. The reader circuit generates a signal in the presence of a flexible tag, which is transmitted to the transponder antenna located on the flexible tag. The signal energizes the transponder circuit in the flexible tag, which sends a unique digital code via the transponder antenna back to the reader antenna. The digital code is transmitted from the reader antenna to the reader circuit, where the digital code is analyzed to identify the contents of the parcel. The flexible tags are agitated by forced air from a fan to orient the flexible tags in non-parallel alignment in relation to the reader antenna as they move along a conveyor.

Claims

1. A flexible tag agitator apparatus, comprising:

a) a conveyor for moving a plurality of parcels thereon, said parcels each having a flexible tag secured thereto;

b) a reader antenna having a reader circuit, the reader antenna positioned in proximity to said conveyor;

c) each flexible tag having a transponder antenna with a transponder circuit therein;

d) a fan positioned in proximity to said conveyor, said fan positioned to agitate said flexible tag(s) and to orient said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with said reader antenna so that data transmitted by the transponder antenna may be more easily read by the reader antenna to identify the contents of the parcel.

2. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fan is a radial fan.

3. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fan is an axial fan.

4. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveyor has a conveyor belt with a plurality of apertures extending through the conveyor belt, and said fan is positioned beneath said conveyor belt to force air upwardly through said apertures in said conveyor belt, to agitate the flexible tags upon the parcels located upon the conveyor.

5. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 1, wherein said conveyor includes a plurality of rollers, and at least one reader antenna is positioned for alignment between said rollers, and said fan is positioned beneath the rollers to force air upwardly through said apertures in said conveyor belt.

6. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 5, wherein said rollers are made of a non-conductive material.

7. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fan is positioned on at least one side of said conveyor to forcefully agitate said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with said reader antenna located in proximity to said conveyor.

8. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fan is positioned above said conveyor to forcefully agitate said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with reader antenna located to at least one side of said parcels.

9. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 1, wherein opposing fans are located upon opposing sides of the conveyor to forcefully agitate said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with reader antenna located on opposing sides of the conveyor.

10. A flexible tag agitator apparatus, comprising:

a) a conveyor for moving a plurality of parcels thereon, said parcels each having a flexible tag secured thereto;

b) a reader antenna having a reader circuit, the reader antenna positioned in proximity to said conveyor;

c) each flexible tag having a transponder antenna with a transponder circuit incorporated therein;

d) a radial fan positioned in proximity to said conveyor, said radial fan positioned to agitate said flexible tag(s) and to orient said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with said reader antenna so that data transmitted by the transponder antenna may be more easily read by the reader antenna to identify the contents of the parcel.

11. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 10, wherein the conveyor has a conveyor belt with a plurality of apertures extending through the conveyor belt, and said radial fan is positioned beneath said conveyor belt to force air upwardly through said apertures in said conveyor belt, to agitate the flexible tags upon the parcels located upon the conveyor.

12. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 10, wherein said conveyor includes a plurality of rollers, and at least one reader antenna is positioned for alignment between said rollers, and said radial fan is positioned beneath the rollers to force air upwardly through said apertures in said conveyor belt.

13. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one said roller is driven by one of a belt, chain or motor to move said parcels along said conveyor.

14. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 13, wherein said rollers are made of a non-conductive material.

15. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 10, wherein said radial fan is positioned on at least one side of said conveyor to forcefully agitate said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with said reader antenna located in proximity to said conveyor.

16. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 10, wherein said radial fan is positioned above said conveyor to forcefully agitate said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with reader antenna located on at least one side of said parcels.

17. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 10, wherein opposing radial fans are located upon opposing sides of the conveyor to forcefully agitate said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with reader antenna located on opposing sides of the conveyor.

18. A flexible tag agitator apparatus, comprising:

a) a conveyor for moving a plurality of parcels thereon, said parcels each having a flexible tag secured thereto;

b) a reader antenna cooperating with a reader circuit, the reader antenna positioned in proximity to said conveyor;

c) each flexible tag having a transponder antenna with a transponder circuit incorporated therein;

d) an axial fan positioned in proximity to said conveyor, said axial fan positioned to agitate said flexible tag(s) and to orient said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with said reader antenna so that data transmitted by the transponder antenna located in each said flexible tag may be more easily read by the reader antenna to identify the contents of the parcel.

19. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 18, wherein the conveyor has a conveyor belt with a plurality of apertures extending through the conveyor belt, and said axial fan is positioned beneath said conveyor belt to force air upwardly through said apertures in said conveyor belt, to agitate the flexible tags upon the parcels located upon the conveyor.

20. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 18, wherein said conveyor includes a plurality of rollers, and at least one reader antenna is positioned for alignment between said rollers, and said axial fan is positioned beneath the rollers to force air upwardly through said apertures in said conveyor belt.

21. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 20, wherein said rollers are made of a non-conductive material.

22. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 18, wherein said axial fan is positioned on at least one side of said conveyor to forcefully agitate said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with said reader antenna located in proximity to said conveyor.

23. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 18, wherein said axial fan is positioned above said conveyor to forcefully agitate said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with reader antenna located above said parcels.

24. The flexible tag agitator apparatus of claim 18, wherein opposing axial fans are located upon opposing sides of the conveyor to forcefully agitate said flexible tags into non-parallel alignment with reader antenna located on opposing sides of the conveyor.