Applications for radio frequency identification systems

• US 7,113,094 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2005
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Nash, James E., Grunes, Mitchell B., Gonzalez, Bernard A., Lindahl, Richard W., Garber, Sharon R., Karel, Gerald L., Jackson, Richard H., Kruse, John M., Piotrowski, Chester, Yorkovich, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US11/296,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20060145854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 299 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.3, 340/572.4, 340/10.1, 340/10.6, 340/5.92, 209/546, 209/552, 235/385, 705/28, 700/225
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07786 the antenna being of the HF type, such as a dipole
• 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 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2408 using ferromagnetic tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2411 Tag deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2431 Tag circuit details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2457 Lending systems using EAS tags wherein the tags are reusable, e.g. they can be activated and deactivated more than once, e.g. for a library
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2485 Simultaneous detection of multiple EAS tags
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 : used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 : used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/364 : using a particular conducting material, e.g. superconductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 : Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 : Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

The present invention relates to RFID devices, including handheld RFID devices, and applications for such devices. The devices and applications may be used in connection with items that are associated with an RFID tag, and optionally a magnetic security element. The devices and applications are described with particular reference to library materials such as books, periodicals, and magnetic and optical media.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving from a user a set of items to be processed, wherein each of the items has an associated radio frequency identification (RFID) element;

interrogating the RFID elements to obtain information including a type of media associated with each of the items;

prior to performing a check-in or check-out process on the items, determining whether the set of items contains two or more types of media that should not be processed together; and

outputting a prompt based on the determination to prompt the user to segregate the items into one or more groups.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the check-in or check-out process when the set of items contains items belonging to one or more types of media that can be processed together.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising separately performing the check-in or check-out process on the groups after the user has segregated the items in response to the prompt.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first one of the groups includes books and magazines and a second one of the groups includes video and audio tapes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a magnetization operation on magnetic security elements associated with the items to check-in or check-out the items.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a database during the check-in or check-out process to include information as to the items.

7. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising:

an RFID reader to interrogate RFID elements associated with a set of items to obtain information including a type of media associated with each of the items, wherein, prior to performing a check-in or check-out process on the items, the RFID reader determines whether the set of items contains two or more types of media that should not be processed together; and

a display to prompt a user to segregate the items into one or more groups based on the determination.

8. The RFID system of claim 7, wherein the RFID reader permits the user to perform the check-in or check-out process when the set of items contains items belonging to one or more types of media that can be processed together.

9. The RFID system of claim 7, wherein one group includes books and magazines and a second group includes video and audio tapes.

10. The RFID system of claim 7, further comprising a database updated by the RFID reader when performing the check-in or check-out process, wherein the database stores information as to the items.

11. The RFID system of claim 7, wherein the RFID system includes an interrogation source that produces a magnetic interrogation field to perform the check-in or check-out process.

12. The RFID system of claim 11, wherein the interrogation source performs a magnetization operation on magnetic security elements associated with the items.

13. The RFID system of claim 7, wherein each of the RFID elements comprises a combination tag that combines a magnetically-responsive element with an RF-responsive element.