Interactive radio frequency tags

• US 7,586,397 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vulcan Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Vulcan Patents LLC
• Inventors: Kerr, Bernard J., McCabe, Mark A., Smith, Geoffrey M., Bayley, Oliver T., Ananny, John M., Dishman, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown; Vernal U
• Application Number:
  US11/737,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20070194926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.4, 340/10.1, 340/10.6, 340/10.3, 340/572.1, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 235/447, 235/487
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches

Abstract

Interactive radio frequency tags that are responsive to external stimuli to change state are disclosed. The tags preferably include a passive radio frequency transponder, having an antenna, an interface for receiving an external stimulus, and one or more integrated circuits responsive to the external stimulus received at the interface to change the state of the transponder. Also disclosed is a “sensor tag” which changes state in response to a particular environmental stimulus. In addition, either of these “button” or “sensor” features may be combined with an output feature which visually, audibly, tactilely or otherwise signals the state or change of state of an RF tag, or the tag may be designed to produce an output in response to the external stimulus of the RF signal received at the tag'"'"'s antenna.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification system for transferring contact information, the system comprising:

a polling radio frequency transceiver;

a radio frequency tag configured as a business card, wherein the tag includes;

planar material with readable text, wherein the readable text includes items of contact information, wherein the items of contact information include at least two of;

a telephone number;

a fax number;

an email address; and

a URL;

a passive radio frequency transponder including;

an integrated circuit with memory, wherein the memory stores portions of contact information, wherein the stored contact information portions include at least two of;

a telephone number;

a fax number;

an email address; and

a URL; and

an antenna; and

at least two buttons, wherein each button is associated with an item of contact information and a stored contact information portion, and wherein each button is configured to cause the integrated circuit to provide to the antenna a signal indicating the stored contact information portion when depressed by a user in the presence of the polling radio frequency transceiver; and

a device coupled to the polling radio frequency transceiver and configured to receive the stored contact information portion and perform an operation.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the device is a telephone, the stored contact information portion includes a telephone number and the operation includes dialing the telephone number.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the device is a fax machine, the stored contact information portion includes a fax number and the operation includes faxing.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the device is a networked computer, the stored contact information portion includes an email address and the operation includes commencing an email.

5. The interactive business card system of claim 1 wherein the device is a networked computer, the stored contact information portion includes a URL and the operation includes accessing the URL.

6. An interactive card comprising:

a card base;

a passive radio frequency transponder carried by the card base and including;

an integrated circuit with memory that stores multiple data items;

at least one switch; and

an antenna; and

one or more manually-selectable interfaces carried by the card base, wherein each interface corresponds to a selectable one of the stored multiple data items, and wherein when a user in the presence of a polling radio frequency transceiver manually selects one of the manually-selectable interfaces, the interface is configured to operate the at least one switch and cause the integrated circuit to provide a signal to the antenna corresponding to a selected one of the stored multiple data items.

7. The interactive card of claim 6, wherein the stored data include at least one of a telephone number, a fax number, an email address, and a URL.

8. The interactive card of claim 6 wherein the stored data include a reference to data stored in a device other than the interactive card.

9. A method of receiving items of business-card information comprising:

polling an interactive device, wherein the interactive device includes;

a passive radio frequency transponder including;

an integrated circuit with memory that stores at least two items of business-card information;

a switch; and

an antenna; and

at least two buttons, wherein each button corresponds to a selectable one of the at least two items of business-card information and is configured to operate the switch and cause the integrated circuit to provide to the antenna a signal indicating a selected item of business-card information;

receiving from the interactive device the selected item of business-card information when a user presses one of the at least two buttons; and

performing an operation based upon the received item of business-card information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the received item of business-card information includes a telephone or fax number and the operation includes respectively dialing the telephone number or faxing the fax number.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the received item of business-card information includes an email address and the operation includes sending an electronic message to the email address.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the received item of business-card information includes a URL and the operation includes accessing the URL.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the received item of business-card information includes a reference to data and the operation includes accessing the data.

14. A passive radio frequency identification tag configured as a business card, the tag comprising:

means for receiving an incident radio frequency signal;

means for generating an output radio frequency signal;

means for storing items of business contact information associated with the business card;

means for selecting a stored item of business contact information, wherein when an incident radio frequency signal is received and a user selects a stored item of business contact information, an output radio frequency signal is generated indicating the selected stored item of business contact information; and

means for providing human-readable text items, wherein each human-readable text item corresponds to a stored item of business contact information and corresponds to respective means for selecting.

15. The passive radio frequency identification tag of claim 14 wherein the human-readable text items correspond to at least one of a telephone number, a fax number, an email address, and a URL.

16. The passive radio frequency identification tag of claim 14 wherein the stored items of business contact information include a reference to data stored in a device other than the passive radio frequency identification tag.

17. An interactive web card for controlling a web browser, the web card comprising:

a card surface with human-readable indicia;

a passive radio frequency transponder including;

an integrated circuit with memory storing data items, wherein at least one data item is associated with a human-readable indicium; and

an antenna that receives an incident radio frequency signal; and

one or more buttons, wherein each button is associated with a human-readable indicium and wherein each button when pressed by a user is configured to cause the integrated circuit to provide to the antenna an output radio frequency signal indicating the associated stored data item when the antenna receives the incident radio frequency signal.

18. The interactive web card of claim 17 wherein the human-readable indicia include web sites and the data include references to web sites.

19. The interactive web card of claim 17 wherein the human-readable indicia include controls for controlling a web browser.