Industrial data capture system including a choke point portal and tracking software for radio frequency identification of cargo

• US 6,825,766 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Genei Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Genei Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Parrent, Travis M., Genei, Martin, Hewitt, Matthew C., Hobson, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US10/029,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20030117268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.7, 340/572.1, 340/5.92, 705/22, 705/28, 235/385
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) capture system for identifying and recording information parameters associated with cargo items. A choke point portal defines a doorway through which passes a plurality of the cargo items in transit from a first location to a second location. The portal includes a radio frequency scanner and a plurality of antennas mounted at specified locations along said portal and in operative communication with said scanner for issuing a radio frequency signal scan across a three dimensional space preceding the portal doorway. A plurality of radio frequency sensitive labels are affixed to selected cargo items. A processor based operating system is in interfacing communication with the portal scanner. In response to each of the labels signaling a selected portal antenna and processor, the processor system captures the information from scanner and, upon comparing the information with an inventory manifest held in a computer readable medium, records the transport of the cargo item.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) capture system for identifying and recording information parameters associated with cargo items, said system comprising:

a choke point portal defining a doorway through which passes a plurality of the cargo items in transit from a first location to a second location, said portal including at least one radio frequency scanner and at least one antenna in operative communication with said scanner for issuing a radio frequency signal;

a plurality of radio frequency sensitive labels, each of said labels being affixed to a selected one of the cargo items; and

a processor based operating system in interfacing communication with said portal scanner and, in response to each of said labels emitting a signal detectable by said antennas as the cargo items are transported to the second location, a processor in operative communication with said antennas capturing and comparing information derived from said labels with an inventory manifest held in a computer readable medium and for authorizing shipping of the cargo items upon reading a correct number of labels.

2. The RFID capture system as described in claim 1, said portal further comprising first and second spaced apart and upwardly extending sides, a top extending in crosswise and interconnecting fashion between said upwardly extending sides, a plurality of antennas being located along said sides and top and, in combination, scanning a three dimensional space preceding said portal doorway.

3. The RFID capture system as described in claim 1, said processor based operating system further comprising a software program incorporated into a location situated server.

4. The RFID capture system as described in claim 3, further comprising a remote terminal interfacing with said location situated server.

5. A radio frequency identification (REID) capture system for identifying and recording information parameters associated with cargo items, said system comprising:

a choke point portal defining a doorway through which passes a plurality of the cargo items in transit from a first location to a second location, said portal further comprising first and second spaced apart and upwardly extending sides, a top extending in crosswise and interconnecting fashion between said upwardly extending sides;

said portal including at least one radio frequency scanner and a plurality of antennas located along said sides and said top and in operative communication with said scanner for issuing a radio frequency signal, said plurality of antennas further comprising a first sub-plurality of three antennas mounted in an array along said first upwardly extending side, a second plurality of three antennas mounted in an array along said second upwardly extending side, and a third sub-plurality of three antennas mounted in an array along said interconnecting top so that said antennas scan a three-dimensional space preceding said portal doorway;

a plurality of radio frequency sensitive labels, each of said labels being affixed to a selected one of the cargo items; and

a processor based operating system in interfacing communication with said portal scanner and, in response to each of said labels emitting a signal detectable by said antennas, a processor in operative communication with said antennas capturing and comparing information derived from said labels with an inventory manifest held in a computer readable medium.

6. The RFID capture system as described in claim 5, at least one of said sub-pluralities of antennas being arranged at offsetting angular increments relative to one another.

7. The RFID capture system as described in claim 5, said portal further comprising a power supply and a serial port connection for communicating with said processor based operating system.

8. The RFID capture system as described in claim 5, said portal further comprising a power source and a central processor unit (CPU), with output serial port, said CPU being networked to a server to communicate with the processor based operating system.

9. A radio frequency identification (RFID) capture system for identifying and recording information parameters associated with cargo items, said system comprising:

a choke point portal defining a doorway through which passes a plurality of the cargo items in transit from a first location to a second location, said portal including at least one radio frequency scanner and at least one antenna in operative communication with said scanner for issuing a radio frequency signal;

a plurality of radio frequency sensitive labels, each of said labels being affixed to a selected one of the cargo items;

a processor based operating system comprising a software program incorporated into a location situated server, a remote terminal interfacing with said location situated server, said remote terminal further comprising a portable processor device including a touch screen, said device being mounted upon an intermediate cargo transport vehicle; and

said operating system in interfacing communication with said portal scanner and, in response to each of said labels emitting a signal detectable by said antennas, a processor in operative communication with said antennas capturing and comparing information derived from said labels with an inventory manifest held in a computer readable medium.

10. The RFID capture system as described in claim 9, said remote terminal further comprising an operator key entry screen for inputting a quantity of cargo to be transported by said cargo transport vehicle.

11. The RFID capture system as described in claim 9, said remote terminal further comprising manual override capability in the event of an improper reading of said plurality of labels.

12. The RFID capture system as described in claim 11, said software program further comprising a remote portal scanning interface (RPSI) module, interfacing said remote located terminal with a portal scanning interface (PSI) module, and thereby allowing an operator of the intermediate cargo transport vehicle to remotely control the portal.

13. The RFID capture system as described in claim 12, said software program further comprising a customer order interface (COI) allowing orders to be entered into said operating system and which can then be selected from said PSI or RPSI modules for filling.

14. The RFID capture system as described in claim 9, said software program further comprising a unit load evaluation (ULE) subroutine for automatically identifying said labels and standard loads associated with said labels and which are stored within said inventory manifest.

15. The RFID capture system as described in claim 9, said software program further comprising an integrated shipping solution (ISS) subroutine for compiling, into a file, information corresponding to a given quantity of cargo.

16. The RFID capture system as described in claim 15, said file capable of being exported to third party programs and applications.

17. A radio frequency identification (RFID) capture system for identifying and recording information parameters associated with cargo items, said system comprising:

a choke point portal defining a doorway through which passes a plurality of the cargo items in transit from a first location to a second location, said portal including at least one radio frequency scanner and at least one antenna in operative communication with said scanner for issuing a radio frequency signal;

a plurality of radio frequency sensitive labels, each of said labels being affixed to a selected one of the cargo items;

a processor based operating system comprising a software program incorporated into a location situated server, said program further comprising subroutines for designating a first inactive condition, a second succeeding and ready condition, a third succeeding and label scanning/reading condition and a fourth completed condition; and

said operating system in interfacing communication with said portal scanner and, in response to each of said labels emitting a signal detectable by said antennas, a processor in operative communication with said antennas capturing and comparing information derived from said labels with an inventory manifest held in a computer readable medium.

18. The RFID capture system as described in claim 17, further comprising a traffic lamp signal in proximate location to said portal and communicable by said processor operating system, said lamp signal including first, second, third and fourth individually colored light portions which correspond, respectively, to each of said first, second third and fourth subroutine conditions.