RFID bridge for RFID system administration

• US 7,501,949 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2006
• Issued: 03/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Shah, Mayur Suresh, Munjal, Sumant
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phung
• Application Number:
  US11/381,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/572.4, 340/10.3, 709/220, 709/224, 705/7, 705/28, 235/100, 235/375
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

An RFID bridge can provide a translation of management messages to SOAP messages for ALE units at multiple RFID edge servers. A console can use the RFID bridge to manage the multiple edge servers.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system comprising:

an RFID bridge providing a translation of management messages to SOAP messages for ALE units at multiple edge servers;

wherein the RFID bridge contains an RFID management service to do the translation of the management messages to the SOAP messages to the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service looking up which one of the edge servers to send a SOAP messages to and sending the SOAP message to an ALE unit at the one of the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service updating a repository based upon a response from the one of the edge servers and then forwarding a response to a requestor; and

a console that uses the RFID bridge to manage the multiple edge servers.

2. The computer implemented system of claims 1, wherein the management messages are sent to an ALE interface of the ALE messages.

3. The computer implemented system of claims 1, wherein the SOAP messages are sent to an ALE interface of the ALE unit.

4. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the console can produce a graphical display of operating metrics versus time.

5. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the RFID bridge interacts with a hierarchical data model that models RFID edge servers, their associated RFID readers and any EPC spec information associated with the RFID devices.

6. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the RFID bridge listens for telemetry data.

7. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the RFID bridge receives alert data related to the changes at the RFID edge servers.

8. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the RFID bridge polls the RFID edge servers for data.

9. The computer implemented system of claim 1, wherein the RFID bridge uses MBeans to store state information for the multiple RFID servers.

10. An RFID bridge to provide a translation of management messages to SOAP messages for ALE units at multiple RFID edge servers;

wherein the RFID bridge contains an RFID management service to do the translation of the management messages to the SOAP messages to the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service looking up which one of the edge servers to send a SOAP messages to and sending the SOAP message to an ALE unit at the one of the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service updating a repository based upon a response from the one of the edge servers and then forwarding a response to a requestor.

11. The RFID bridge of claim 10, wherein the management message are JMX messages.

12. The RFID bridge of claim 10, wherein the SOAP messages can be sent to an ALE interface of the ALE unit.

13. The RFID bridge of claims 10, wherein the console can produce a graphical display of operating metrics versus time.

14. The RFID bridge of claims 10, wherein the RFID bridge interacts with hierarchical data model that models RFID edge servers, their associated RFID readers and any EPC spec information associated with the RFID readers.

15. The RFID bridge of claim 10, wherein the RFID bridges listens for elementary data.

16. The RFID bridge of claim 10, wherein the receives alert data related to the changes at the RFID edge server.

17. The RFID bridge of claim 10, wherein the RFID bridge polls the RFID edge servers for data.

18. The RFID bridge of claim 10, wherein the RFID bridge uses Mbeans to store state information for the multiple RFID servers.

19. A computer readable storage medium containing code to do the steps of:

translating management messages to SOAP messages to be provided to ALE units at multiple RFID edge servers; and

translating SOAP messages from the ALE units to management messages;

wherein a RFID bridge contains an RFID management service to do the translation of the management messages to the SOAP messages to the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service looking up which one of the edge servers to send a SOAP messages to and sending the SOAP message to an ALE unit at the one of the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service updating a repository based upon a response from the one of the edge servers and then forwarding a response to a requestor.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the management messages are JMX messages.

21. A computer implemented system including a RFID bridge at an RFID edge server that translates management messages to SOAP messages for an ALE unit at the RFID edge server;

wherein the RFID bridge contains an RFID management service to do the translation of the management messages to the SOAP messages to the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service looking up which one of the edge servers to send a SOAP messages to and sending the SOAP message to the ALE unit at the one of the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service updating a repository based upon a response from the one of the edge servers and then forwarding a response to a requestor.

22. The computer implemented system of claims 21, wherein the management messages are sent to an ALE interface of the ALE messages.

23. The computer implemented system of claims 21, wherein the SOAP messages are sent to an ALE interface of the ALE unit.

24. The computer implemented system of claim 21, wherein the console can produce a graphical display of operating metrics versus time.

25. The computer implemented system of claim 21, wherein the RFID bridge receives alert data related to the changes at the RFID edge servers.

26. The computer implemented system of claim 21, wherein the RFID bridge uses MBeans to store state information for the multiple RFID servers.

27. A computer implemented system comprising:

an RFID bridge to provide management of RFID edge servers, the RFID bridge is hosted on any application server container or a standalone edge server;

wherein the RFID bridge provides management interfaces that can be scripted using standard scripting tools;

wherein the RFID bridge contains an RFID management service to do a translation of the management messages to SOAP messages to the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service looking up which one of the edge servers to send a SOAP messages to and sending the SOAP message to an ALE unit at the one of the multiple edge servers, the RFID management service updating a repository based upon a response from the one of the edge servers and then forwarding a response to a requestor.

28. The computer implemented system of claim 27, wherein the RFID bridge provides the translation of management messages to SOAP messages for ALE units at multiple RFID edge servers.

29. The computer implemented system of claim 27, wherein the RFID bridge interacts with a hierarchical data model that models RFID edge servers, their associated RFID devices and any ALE specific information associated with the RFID devices.

30. The computer implemented system of claim 27, wherein the management messages are JMX messages.