Radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, portable terminal, and server for RFID tag

• US 7,737,824 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kazunori, Hashimoto, Fukushima, Shinichiro, Moritani, Masumi, Aikawa, Makoto, Takami, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thompson; Bradley E
• Application Number:
  US11/318,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20060145817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.4, 340/10.52, 340/5.8, 705/22
• 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 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

A hierarchical structure is established among a plurality of RFID tags, such that ID numbers can be read only from RFID tags which belong to a particular layer. RFID tag can control whether permission should be given to read its ID number therefrom to protect the ID number. Data held in the RFID tag can be read from the outside. RFID tag comprises a memory circuit having a function of holding data, and a logic circuit having a function of processing a control command received from outside. Memory circuit stores an own ID number for identifying the RFID tag itself, and a parent ID number for identifying a second RFID tag. When RFID tag receives an ID number read command which contains first data as a parameter from outside, the logic circuit outputs the own ID number to outside only when the first data matches the parent ID number.

Claims

1. An RFID tag which holds data that can be read therefrom from outside over the air, said RFID tag comprising:

a memory circuit for holding data; and

a logic circuit for processing a control command received from outside over the air;

wherein said memory circuit stores its own ID number for identifying said RFID tag itself, and stores one or more parent ID numbers for identifying at least one parent RFID tag, where said RFID tag and said at least one parent RFID tag are not the same tag; and

when said RFID tag receives an ID number read command which contains first data as a parameter from outside, said logic circuit outputs the own ID number to outside over the air only when the first data matches a parent ID number of said one or more parent ID numbers stored in said RFID tag.

2. A mobile terminal capable of reading and writing data held by a child RFID tag over the air, comprising:

an RFID tag communication unit for communicating with said child RFID tag over the air;

an information storage unit for storing data and a control program;

a radio communication unit having a function of communicating with a wide area communication network over the air; and

an information processing unit for controlling said mobile terminal in accordance with the control program;

wherein said child RFID tag stores a child ID number for identifying said child RFID tag itself, and stores one or more parent ID numbers for identifying at least one parent RFID tag, in a memory circuit, where said child RFID tag and said at least one parent RFID tag are not the same tag; and

wherein said control program causes said RFID tag communication unit to transmit, to said child RFID tag, an ID number read command which contains one parent ID number of a known parent RFID tag of said at least one parent RFID tag as a parameter, and causes said RFID tag communication unit to receive, from said child RFID tag, the child ID number of said child RFID tag, as a response to the ID number read command.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein said control program disables said RFID tag communication unit to make a communication over the air while said radio communication unit is communicating with said wide area communication network over the air, and enables said RFID tag communication unit to make a communication over the air when said radio communication unit is not making a communication over the air.

4. An RFID tag system comprising a first RFID tag attached to a first product, a second RFID tag attached to a second product, and a mobile terminal for reading over the air data stored in said first RFID tag and said second RFID tag, wherein:

said first RFID tag includes a memory circuit for holding a first own ID number for identifying said first RFID tag, and includes a first parent ID number for identifying a first parent RFID tag, where said first RFID tag and said first parent RFID tag are not the same tag;

said second RFID tag includes a memory circuit for holding a second own ID number for identifying said second RFID tag, and includes a second parent ID number for identifying a second parent RFID tag, where said second RFID tag and said second parent RFID tag are not the same tag;

when said first RFID tag receives an ID number read command from the outside, where said ID number read command contains first data of a parent ID number as a parameter, said first RFID tap outputs the first own ID number to outside over the air only when the parent ID number of the first data matches the first parent ID number held in said first RFID tag; and

when said second RFID tag receives an ID number read command from outside, where said ID number read command contains second data of a parent ID as a parameter, said second RFID tag outputs the second own ID number to outside over the air only when the parent ID number of the second data matches the second parent ID number held in said second RFID tag.

5. The RFID tag system according to claim 4, wherein:

said mobile terminal comprises an RFID tag communication unit for communicating with said first RFID tag and said second RFID tag over the air, an information storage unit for storing data and a control program, an radio communication unit for communicating with a wide area communication network over the air, and an information processing unit for controlling said mobile terminal in accordance with said control program;

said first parent ID number has the same value as the second own ID number, and said second parent ID number has the same value as an ID number for identifying a third parent RFID tag; and

said control program causes said RFID tag communication unit to transmit an ID number read command which contains the ID number of said third RFID tag as a parameter to acquire the ID number of said second RFID tag, and subsequently causes said RFID tag communication unit to transmit an ID number read command which contains the ID number of said second RFID tag as a parameter to acquire the ID number of said first RFID tag.