Device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item

• US 7,295,120 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Erickson, David P., Waldner, Michele A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass; Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAU, HOI CHING
• Application Number:
  US11/008,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20060139172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.7, 340/572.8, 340/572.1, 235/385
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/00 Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion G06K1/00; pattern recognition G06F18/00; arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding G06V10/00; character recognition, recognising digital ink or document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/00

Abstract

A device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item. One embodiment of the invention provides a device for verifying the location of an RFID tag on an item including: an item holder; and an RF antenna attached to the item holder, where the item holder includes a readable volume where the RF antenna can read or write to an RFID tag, and where the item holder includes a non-readable volume where the RF antenna cannot read or write to an RFID tag. The present invention also relates to methods of verifying the location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item.

Claims

1. A device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item, comprising:

an item holder;

an RF antenna attached to the item holder; and

a shielding layer that forms a non-readable volume of the item holder,

wherein the item holder includes a readable volume where the RF antenna can read or write to the RFID tag attached to an item, wherein the non-readable volume formed by the shielding prevents the RF antenna from reading or writing to the RFID tag attached to the item,

wherein when the RFID tag is within the readable volume of the item holder, then the RFID tag is properly located on the item, and wherein when the RFID tag is within the non-readable volume of the holder, the RFID tag is not properly located on the item.

2. The device of claim 1, further including an RFID reader in operative connection to the RF antenna, wherein the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to the RFID tags from the RFID reader.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device signals to a user if the RFID tag is properly located on the item.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the shielding layer further comprises metal.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor attached to the item holder, wherein when the sensor is activated, the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the item comprises a file having the RFID tag attached to the file.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein if the RFID tag is within the readable volume of the RF antenna, then the device verifies that the RFID tag is properly located on the item by;

signaling that the RFID tag is in a proper location on the item when the RFID tag on the item is within the readable volume of the item holder; and

signaling that the RFID tag is not in a proper location on the item when the RFID tag on the item is not within the readable volume of the item holder.

19. The device of claim 18, further including an RFID reader in operative connection to the RF antenna, wherein the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to the RFID tag from the RFID reader.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the item holder further comprises metal that creates a non-readable volume where the RF antenna cannot read or write to the RFID tag.

21. The device of claim 18, further comprising a sensor attached to the item holder, wherein when the sensor is activated, the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein the item comprises a file having the RFID tag attached to the file.

7. A system for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item, comprising:

an item holder;

an RF antenna attached to the item holder,

a shielding layer that forms a non-readable volume of the item holder,

wherein the item holder includes a readable volume where the RF antenna can read or write to an RFID tag, and wherein the non-readable volume formed by the shielding prevents the RF antenna from reading or writing to the RFID tag attached to the item; and

an item having the RFID tag attached to the item associated with the item holder,

wherein if the RFID tag is within the readable volume of the item holder, then the system verifies that the RFID tag is properly located on the item, and wherein if the RFID tag is not within the readable volume of the item holder, then the system verifies that the RFID tag is not properly located on the item.

8. The system of claim 7, further including an RFID reader in operative connection to the RF antenna, wherein the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to the RFID tag from the RFID reader.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the system signals to a user if the RFID tag is properly located on the item.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the shielding layer further comprises metal.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising a sensor attached to the item holder, wherein when the sensor is activated, the RF antenna transimits read or write command signals to the RFID tags.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the item comprises a file having the RFID tag attached to the file.

13. A method of verifying the location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on an item, comprising:

providing a device for verifying a location of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with an item, comprising;

an item holder; and

an RF antenna attached to the item holder,

wherein the item holder includes a readable volume where the RF antenna can

read or write to the RFID tag, end wherein the item holder includes a non-readable

volume where the RF antenna cannot read or write to the RFID tag;

attaching the RFID tag to the item;

inserting the item into the item holer of the device;

transmitting write command signals to the RFID tag; and

verifying the proper location of the RFID tag on the item, if the signals were successfully read or written on the RFID tag by;

signaling that the RFlD tag is in a proper location on the item when the signals were successfully read or written on the RFID tag when the RFID tag on the item is within the readable volume of the item holder; and

signaling that the RFID tag is not in a proper location on the item when the RFID tag on the item is not within the readable volume of the item holder.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the device further comprises an RFID reader in operative connection to the RF antenna, wherein the transmitting step includes the RF antenna transmitting read or write command signals to the RFID tag from the RFID reader.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the item holder further comprises metal in the non-readable volume.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the device further comprises a sensor attached to the item holder, wherein when the sensor is activated, the RF antenna transmits read or write command signals to the RFID tags.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the attaching step comprises attaching the RFID tag to a file.