System and method for inventorying multiple remote objects
First Claim
1. A system for tracking a plurality of objects stored in a containment device, comprising:
- a plurality of beam-powered passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, each of the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags configured for association with a corresponding object in the containment device, and each of the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags configured to derive power solely from an interrogation signal; and
an active RFID tag configured for association with the container, the active RFID tag configured to communicate with the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags, to store information received from at least one of the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags, and to respond to the interrogation signal to relay the stored information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method of inventorying multiple objects utilizing a multi-level or a chained radio frequency identification system. The system includes a master tag and a plurality of upper level tags and lower level tags associated with respective objects. The upper and lower level tags communicate with each other and the master tag so that reading of the master tag reveals the presence and absence of upper and lower level tags. In the chained RF system, the upper and lower level tags communicate locally with each other in a manner so that more remote tags that are out of range of some of the upper and lower level tags have their information relayed through adjacent tags to the master tag and thence to a controller.
35 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A system for tracking a plurality of objects stored in a containment device, comprising:
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a plurality of beam-powered passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, each of the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags configured for association with a corresponding object in the containment device, and each of the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags configured to derive power solely from an interrogation signal; and an active RFID tag configured for association with the container, the active RFID tag configured to communicate with the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags, to store information received from at least one of the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags, and to respond to the interrogation signal to relay the stored information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A system for tracking a plurality of objects stored in a containment device, comprising:
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a plurality of beam-powered passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags configured for association with corresponding objects in the containment device, each beam-powered passive RFID tag adapted to communicate with at least one other of the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags within its range and with at least one other of the plurality of RFID tags outside of its range through the at least one other of the plurality of RFID tags within its range to provide a chained communication link among all of the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags in the system to read and store information from all of the other beam-powered passive RFID tags, each beam-powered passive RFID tag adapted to send notice to the other beam-powered passive RFID tags when a communication link disappears; and an interrogator configured to query the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags by transmitting a signal, the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags configured to generate operating power solely from the signal transmitted from the interrogator, the interrogator configured to receive from any one of the plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags the information received from all of the other plurality of beam-powered passive RFID tags that have communicated with the beam-powered passive RFID tag queried by the reader. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. A method of inventorying remote objects stored in a defined area, comprising:
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associating a plurality of beam-powered passive asset radio frequency tags configured for read and write operations with a respective object, each tag communicating with other tags within its range and other tags outside of its range through the other tags within its range, the beam-powered passive asset tags generating operating power solely from a received radio frequency interrogation signal; providing an active master tag configured to store information regarding the status of the beam-powered passive asset tags associated with their respective objects, the master tag adapted to automatically communicate a notice of a missing communication link with at least one of the asset tags; and reading the master tag to determine the contents of the defined area. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. A system for tracking a plurality of objects stored in a containment device, comprising:
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a plurality of first radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, each first RFID tag configured for association with a corresponding object in the containment device, each first RFID tag configured to communicate with other first RFID tags within its range and with other first RFID tags outside its range through the other first RFID tags within its range so each first RFID tag communicates with all the other of the first RFID tags a notification of a changed condition without being first interrogated and upon sensing the changed condition or upon receiving notification of a changed condition from another of the plurality of first RFID tags, the changed condition including an absence of communication with at least one first RFID tag; and a second RFID tag configured as an active RFID tag for association with the container, the second RFID tag communicating with the plurality of first RFID tags to store information and to respond to an interrogation signal from a remote interrogator to relay the stored information. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A method of inventorying remote objects stored in a defined area, comprising:
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associating first radio frequency tags configured for read and write operations regarding a respective object, to store information about a condition of the first tags, and to transmit to other of the first tags within communications range of the first tags and transmit to all of the other of the first tags out of communications range through the other of the first tags within communications range a notification of a change in the condition and without being first interrogated wherein transmitting notification of the change in the condition includes transmitting notification of an absence of communication with another first radio frequency tag within communications range; providing a master active radio frequency tag configured to store information regarding the condition information stored in the first tags associated with their respective objects; and reading the master tag to determine the location condition of the remote objects in the defined area. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A system of inventorying multiple objects utilizing multi-level or chained radio frequency identification tags, the system comprising:
a master tag and a plurality of upper level tags and lower level tags associated with respective objects, the upper and lower level tags adapted to communicate with each other and the master tag so that reading of the master tag reveals the presence and absence of upper and lower level tags, the upper and lower level tags adapted to communicate locally with each other in a manner so that all remote tags that are out of range of some of the upper and lower level tags have their information relayed through adjacent tags to the master tag and thence to a controller, the upper and lower level tags adapted to store the information of all of the remote tags relayed through adjacent tags. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
Specification