Methods and apparatuses to identify devices

• US 7,262,686 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2005
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RUIZHANG TECHNOLOGY LIMITED COMPANY
• Original Assignee: Alien Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Stewart, Roger G., Smith, John Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): AU, SCOTT D
• Application Number:
  US11/132,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20050211787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.41, 340/10.32, 235/492, 235/462.13, 235/385
• US Class Current: 340/10.41
• 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 7/08 by means detecting the change of an electrostatic or magnetic field, e.g. by detecting change of capacitance between electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10049 binary tree

Abstract

A reader identifies tags without requiring or determining whether a response to an interrogation was a single response from a single tag or multiple responses from multiple tags. A method is performed by a tag in an identification system, and the method includes receiving a first data from a reader, and correlating the first data with a first corresponding portion of the tag'"'"'s identification code, and specifying a match if the first data matches the first corresponding portion, and receiving second data which, combined with the first data, is correlated with a second corresponding portion of the tag'"'"'s identification code.

Claims

1. A reader, comprising:

a transmitter to transmit, in one command, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code; and

a receiver to receive a response from a tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

2. The reader of claim 1, wherein the command further comprises information indicating a position of said portion in an identification code;

and said information comprises one of;

a mask; and

a bit position pointer.

3. A tag, comprising:

a receiver to receive, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code; and

a transmitter to transmit a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

4. The tag of claim 3, wherein the command further comprises a bit position pointer to indicate a position of said portion in an identification code.

5. The tag of claim 3, further comprising:

non-volatile memory coupled to at least one of the receiver or the transmitter.

6. The tag of claim 3, wherein the tag is disposed on a product in a store.

7. The tag of claim 3, wherein the tag is associated with a household appliance.

8. A reader, comprising:

means for transmitting, in one command, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code; and

means for receiving a response from a tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

9. A tag, comprising:

means for receiving, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code; and

means for transmitting a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

10. A reader, comprising:

a microcontroller to execute a program;

a transmitter coupled to the microcontroller to transmit, in one command, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code; and

a receiver coupled to the microcontroller to receive a response from a tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

11. The reader of claim 10, wherein the command further comprises information indicating a position of said portion in an identification code;

and the information comprises a bit position pointer.

12. The reader of claim 10, further comprising:

a network interface coupled to the microcontroller.

13. The reader of claim 12, further comprising:

a memory coupled to the microcontroller and the network interface, the network interface to receive data from at least one of the microcontroller or the memory.

14. The reader of claim 13, wherein the data is a list of tags identified in an interrogation.

15. A tag, comprising:

a receiver to receive, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code; and

a transmitter to transmit a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code;

wherein the tag has only one integrated circuit.

16. The tag of claim 15, wherein the command further comprises information indicating a position of said portion in an identification code;

and the information comprises a bit position pointer.

17. The tag of claim 15, wherein the integrated circuit is fabricated from a wafer comprising a plurality of integrated circuits.

18. The tag of claim 15, wherein the tag is fabricated through a fluidic self-assembly process.

19. The tag of claim 15, further comprising:

non-volatile memory coupled to at least one of the receiver or the transmitter.

20. The tag of claim 15, wherein the tag is disposed on a product in a store.

21. The tag of claim 15, wherein the tag is associated with a household appliance.

22. A reader, comprising:

a microcontroller to execute a program;

means for transmitting, in one command and under the control of the microcontroller, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code; and

means for receiving a response from a tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

23. A tag, comprising:

means for receiving, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code; and

means for transmitting a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code;

wherein the tag has only one integrated circuit.

24. A tag, comprising:

a receiver to receive, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code; and

a transmitter to transmit a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code;

wherein the tag includes an integrated circuit which is received by a substrate and which is connected with an antenna on the substrate.

25. A method performed by a reader, said method comprising:

transmitting, in one command, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code;

receiving a response from a tag, which has a match to said portion, wherein the response indicates at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code; and

communicating said tag'"'"'s identification code to a processing system over a network.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the reader comprises an Ethernet interface for the communicating.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the reader comprises a first antenna and a second antenna.