Electronic identification tag with electronic banding

• US 7,268,680 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RF Technologies (Actaris Capital SA)
• Original Assignee: RF Technologies, Inc. (Microwave Techniques LLC)
• Inventors: Gary, Wyndham F. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US10/872,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20050073419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 3405391-53925, 340/539.3, 340/573.3, 340/573.4, 455/100
• US Class Current: 340/539.15
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child

Abstract

A tag unit is disclosed. The tag unit comprises of transmitting unit and a banding material coupled to the transmitting unit. A radio frequency and identification (RFID) circuit is coupled to the transmitting unit and the banding unit.

Claims

1. A mother and infant matching and security system comprising:

a first tag unit adapted to be secured to an infant, the first tag unit being operable to transmit a first signal having a lower frequency for determining removal of the infant from a monitored area and a second signal having a higher frequency for indicating tampering of the first tag unit;

a second tag unit adapted to be secured to a mother of the infant, the second tag unit having a radio communication link with the first tag unit for identifying a match between the mother and the infant;

a communications protocol used by the first tag unit to communicate via the radio communications link with the second tag unit; and

a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) circuit coupled to at least one of the first and second tag units, wherein the first signal and the second signal are radio frequency signals, the radio frequency signals having a frequency below the infrared range.

2. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 1, wherein the radio communications link is established over the lower frequency.

3. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 2, wherein the lower frequency is in the range of 50 to 300 kHz.

4. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 1, wherein the RFID circuit is embedded in a banding material of at least one of the first and second tag unit.

5. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 4, wherein the banding material comprises at least two material layers.

6. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 1, wherein the RFID circuit is located on a band of the first tag unit.

7. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 1, wherein the RFID circuit is located on a band of the second tag unit.

8. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 1, wherein a conductor is embedded in a banding material of at least one of the first tag unit and the second tag unit.

9. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 8, wherein the conductor acts as an antenna for the RFID circuit.

10. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 8, wherein the conductor acts as an antenna for the tag unit to which it is attached.

15. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first communications network over which the communications protocol operates;

a server coupled to the first communications network and;

a tag unit receiver coupled to the first communications network;

for communicating with the first and second tag units wherein the tag unit receiver receives data from at least one of the first tag unit and the second tag unit.

16. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 15, further comprising a circuit, the circuit being radio frequency identification (RFID) integrated into a banding material of the first tag unit.

17. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 16, wherein the RFID unit stores information related to the infant.

18. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 16, wherein the banding material may be printed.

19. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second tag unit comprises:

a transmitting unit for transmitting the first signal and the second signal;

a banding material coupled to the transmitting unit;

a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) circuit coupled to the transmitting unit and the banding unit.

20. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 19, wherein the transmitting unit recieves signals.

21. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 19, wherein the banding material comprises at least two layers.

22. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 19, wherein the RFID circuit is embedded in the banding material.

23. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 19, wherein the RFID circuit communicates with the tag unit.

24. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 19, farther comprising a conductor coupled to the banding material to form a banding circuit.

25. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 24, wherein the conductor acts as an antenna for the transmitting unit.

26. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 24, wherein the conductor acts as an antenna for the RFID circuit.

27. The mother and infant matching and security system of claim 24, wherein the conductor is used to identify when the banding circuit is broken.

11. A method of identifying two matching persons or objects, the method comprising:

securing a first tag unit to a first person or object, the first tag unit having a transmitting unit and a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) circuit, the first transmitting unit transmits a first signal having lower frequency for determining removal of the first person or object from a monitored area and a second signal having a higher frequency for indicating tampering of the first tag unit, wherein the first signal and the second signal are radio frequency signals, the radio frequency signals having a frequency below the infrared range;

securing a second tag unit to a second person or object, the second tag unit having a radio communication link with the first tag unit;

communicating using a predefined communications protocol from the first tag unit to the second tag unit via a radio communications link; and

identifying a match of the first tag unit and the second tag unit based on the radio communications link.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing information relating to the person or object to the RFID circuit for storage therein.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first object or person is a unit of blood.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first object or person is an infant.