RFID ionosphere

• US 7,570,167 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mineral Lassen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: National Networks Limited LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Merrit, Edward, Fein, Gene
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US11/428,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20080001749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/539.1, 340/539.19, 340/531, 340/825.69, 340/5.91, 340/5.92, 340/5.61, 235/375, 235/383, 235/385, 235/487, 705/21, 705/23, 705/1, 705/10
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus are disclosed wherein an RFID transponder response signal is coupled with a data file as an identifier. The RFID transponder response signal is used in its raw, or a digitized version of its raw, state.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

operationally coupling an RFID tag response signal and a data file into a coupled file on a handheld wireless communication device;

querying a database with a portion of the coupled file; and

transmitting the coupled file to a supplier, wherein the supplier matches a signature of an RFID tag that is associated with an inventory item with the RFID tag response signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said operationally coupling the RFID tag response signal with the data file comprises operationally coupling the RFID tag response signal with at least one of an office automation related file, an e-commerce related file, a media related file, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupled file comprises a codec.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the coupled file as a codec to the supplier.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting the coupled file before transmitting the coupled file to the supplier.

6. A handheld wireless device, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an RFID tag signature and a data file;

a processor configured to generate a combined file by combining the RFID tag signature and the data file;

a transmitter configured to transmit the combined file to a supplier, wherein the supplier matches a signature of an RFID tag, which is associated with an inventory item, with the transmitted RFID tag signature; and

wherein the processor is further configured to query a supplier database for the signature of the RFID tag of the inventory item that matches the transmitted RFID tag signature prior to the transmitter transmitting the combined file.

7. The handheld wireless device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to encrypt the combined file before transmitting the combined file to the supplier.

8. The handheld wireless device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a reservation of the inventory item for pickup at a first location or to allow a purchase of the inventory item for automated delivery to a second location.

9. The handheld wireless device of claim 6, wherein the combined file comprises a codec.

10. The handheld apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for purchasing the inventory item.

11. The handheld apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for reserving the inventory item.

12. A handheld apparatus comprising:

means for reading an RFID tag signature;

means for combining the RFID tag signature with a data file;

means for querying a database with a portion of a combined file;

and means for wirelessly transmitting the combined file to a supplier for matching of the RFID tag signature portion of the transmitted combined file with a signature of an RFID tag that is associated with an inventory item.

13. The handheld apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

means for encrypting the combined file prior to file transmission.

14. The handheld apparatus of claim 13, further comprising means for querying a supplier database for a matching RFID tag signature prior to transmitting the encrypted file.

15. The handheld apparatus of claim 12, wherein the data file comprises at least one of office automation related data, e-commerce related data, media related data, sales data, purchase data, multimedia data, sound data, image data, inventory data, or combinations thereof.

16. The handheld apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for transmitting is configured to transmit the combined file to a supplier, wherein the supplier matches a signature of an RFID tag identifying an inventory item with the transmitted RFID tag signature.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said querying the database comprises querying a supplier database for a matching RFID tag response signal prior to transmitting the encrypted coupled file.

18. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions are executable by at least one handheld device, to cause the handheld device to:

receive an RFID tag signature and a data file;

combine the RFID tag signature and the data file;

transmit the combined file to a supplier, wherein the supplier matches a signature of an RFID tag identifying an inventory item with the transmitted RFID tag signature; and

wherein the instructions are executable to further cause the handheld device to query a supplier database for a matching RFID tag signature prior to transmitting the encrypted combined file.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the instructions are executable to further cause the handheld device to encrypt the combined file before transmitting the combined file to the supplier.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the instructions are executable to further cause the handheld device to compress the combined file before transmitting the combined file to the supplier.

21. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the combined filed comprises a codec.

22. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the instructions are executable to further cause the handheld device to transmit the combined file to a supplier using at least one of an internet transmission, a cell phone transmission, or a radio-frequency transmission.

23. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the instructions are executable to further cause the handheld device to facilitate purchase of the inventory item.

24. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the instructions are executable to further cause the handheld device to facilitate reservation of the inventory item.

25. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the instructions are executable to further cause the handheld device to read the RFID tag signature directly from an RFID tag.