RF identification tag for communicating condition information associated with an item

• US 7,091,861 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2003
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sensitech Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sensitech Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmidtberg, Rupert A., Schultz, Eric B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung T.
• Application Number:
  US10/702,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20040145472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5728, 340/539.27, 340/539.1, 235/383, 235/492
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/007 Data loggers attached to transport containers for perishable products, e.g. food or medicines
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• 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 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• 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: G08C 17/04 using magnetically coupled devices

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention is directed to a radio-frequency (RF) identification tag configured to transmit at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) associated with at least one item, the at least one dynamic EPC configured to include at least one portion that is variable based at least in part on at least one detectable condition associated with the at least one item.

Claims

1. A radio-frequency (RF) identification tag, comprising:

at least one storage element to store at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC);

at least one processor coupled to the at least one storage element and configured to at least occasionally monitor information related to at least one detectable condition, process information related to the at least one detectable condition, and update the at least one dynamic EPC based at least in part on the processed information;

wherein the RE identification tag is configured to transmit the at least one dynamic EPC associated with at least one item, the at least one dynamic EPC configured to include at least one portion that is variable based at least in part on the at least one detectable condition associated with the at least one item.

2. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein the at least one dynamic EPC further includes a fixed portion including at least one of:

a first identifier related to a source of the at least one item;

a second identifier related to a product type of the at least one item; and

a third identifier related to a serial number of the at least one item.

3. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein the at least one detectable condition includes at least one temperature associated with the at least one item, and wherein the at least one variable portion of the at least one dynamic EPC includes at least one representation of the at least one temperature.

4. The RF identification tag of claim 3, wherein the at least one detectable condition includes at least one refrigeration condition associated with the at least one item, and wherein the at least one variable portion of the at least one dynamic EPC includes at least one representation of the at least one refrigeration condition.

5. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein the at least one detectable condition relates to a shelf life of the at least one item, and wherein the at least one variable portion of the at least one dynamic EPC includes at least one representation relating to the shelf life.

6. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein the at least one detectable condition relates to at least one impact sustained by the at least one item, and wherein the at least one variable portion of the at least one dynamic EPC includes at least one representation relating to the at least one impact.

7. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein the at least one storage element is configured to store the at least one dynamic EPC as a variable binary number.

8. The RF identification tag of claim 7, wherein the variable binary number includes at least 64 bits.

9. The RF identification tag of claim 7, wherein the variable binary number includes at least 96 bits.

10. The RF identification tag of claim 7, wherein the variable binary number includes at least 128 bits.

11. The RF identification tag of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to periodically monitor the information related to the at least one detectable condition.

12. The RF identification tag of claim 11, wherein the at least one variable portion of the at least one dynamic EPIC includes at least a first field to include at least one representation of an alarm condition.

13. The RF identification tag of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine if the alarm condition has occurred based on the processed information and provide an indication in the first field based on the alarm condition.

14. The RF identification tag of claim 13, wherein the at least one variable portion of the at least one dynamic EPC includes a second field to include at least one representation of a counter relating to at least one time-based parameter associated with the at least one item.

15. The RF identification tag of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to update the at least one representation of the counter based on the processed information.

16. The RF identification tag of claim 11, further including at least one sensor, coupled to the at least one processor, to provide the information related to the at least one detectable condition.

17. The RF identification tag of claim 16, further including RF interface circuitry coupled to the at least one processor and configured to generate at least one RF signal to transport the at least one dynamic EPC via wireless transmission.

18. The RF identification tag of claim 17, wherein the tag is configured as an integrated circuit chip.

19. The RF identification tag of claim 18, in combination with the at least one item.

20. The combination of claim 19, wherein the RF identification tag is integrated with the at least one item.

21. The combination of claim 20, wherein the RF identification tag is attached to the at least one item.

22. The combination of claim 19, wherein the RF identification tag is embedded in the at least one item.

23. A radio-frequency (RF) identification tag signal processing system, comprising:

at least one processor configured to process at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC) associated with at least one item, the at least one dynamic EPC configured to include at least one portion that is variable based at least in part on at least one detectable condition associated with the at least one item;

wherein the at least one processor includes a Physical Markup Language (PML) resolver to decode the at least one dynamic EPC and obtain information relating to the at least one detectable condition associated with the at least one item;

wherein the PML resolver is configured to be identified via at least one address, wherein the at least one dynamic EPC includes at least one fixed portion relating to the at least one address of the PML resolver, and wherein the system further comprises;

at least one RF identification tag reader to receive at least one signal transporting the at least one dynamic EPC;

an Object Name Service (ONS) resolver, coupled to the at least one RF identification tag reader, to decode at least part of the received at least one dynamic EPC to determine the at least one address of the PML resolver; and

at least one router to direct the at least one dynamic EPC to the PML resolver based on the at least one address determined by the ONS resolver.

24. A radio frequency identification tag, comprising:

at least one storage device storing at least one dynamic identifier associated with at least one item, the at least one dynamic identifier configured to include at least one variable portion that has at least one of a variable content and a variable length based at least in part on at least one detectable condition associated with the at least one item, wherein the at least one dynamic identifier includes at least one dynamic electronic product code (EPC);

the at least one storage device is configured to be updated periodically so as to refresh the at least one dynamic EPC based on at least one change in the at least one detectable condition associated with the at least one item;

the at least one detectable condition includes at least one temperature associated with the at least one item;

the at least one variable portion of the at least one dynamic EPC includes at least one representation of the at least one temperature;

the at least one dynamic EPC further includes a fixed portion including at least one of;

a first identifier related to a source of the at least one item;

a second identifier related to a product type of the at least one item; and

a third identifier related to a serial number of the at least one item;

the at least one storage device is configured to store the at least one dynamic EPC as a variable binary number; and

the variable binary number includes at least 64 bits.