Object tracking in an enclosure

• US 7,753,272 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stanley Industrial and Automotive, LLC (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Winware Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: DeNise, Derry Thomas, Harper, Lawrence Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Seung H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marshall; Christle I
• Application Number:
  US11/622,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20070108273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 235/382, 235/385
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00936 for key cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00 Individual registration on entry or exit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/10 Casings or parts thereof, e.g. with means for heating or cooling

Abstract

Various embodiments of object tracking systems and related methods and devices are disclosed. One method embodiment, among others, includes scanning an interior space of an enclosure, the enclosure having at least one radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and at least one object associated with the at least one RFID tag, receiving an indication that a user is attempting access to the interior space, and responsive to receiving the indication, determining whether access to the interior space is permitted by the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

scanning an interior space of an enclosure, the enclosure having at least one radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with at least one switch, and at least one object associated with the at least one switch, the RFID tag configured to communicate at least one RFID signal to a reader; and

shielding the at least one RFID tag when the at least one object is removed from the at least one switch thereby substantially blocking RFID signal transmission between the RFID tag and the reader.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication that a user is attempting access to the interior space; and

responsive to receiving the indication, determining whether access to the interior space is permitted by the user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to determining that access is not permitted, denying entry to the interior space, wherein denying entry comprises effecting engagement between a lock and at least one access member through which access to the interior space is achieved; and

in response to determining that access is permitted, enabling entry to the interior space, wherein enabling access to the interior space comprises effecting disengagement between the lock and the at least one access member.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to determining that access is permitted, ceasing the scanning of the interior space.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining whether at least one access member through which access to the interior space is achieved is at least one of the following:

closed and locked.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

in response to determining that the at least one access member is at least one of the following;

closed and locked, resuming the scanning of the interior space.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

in response to resuming the scanning of the interior space;

determining whether the at least one object has been removed from the interior space; and

determining whether a second object has been returned to the interior space.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining whether the at least one object has been removed from the interior space comprises comparing information corresponding to the at least one RFID tag to information in a data structure, the data structure comprising information pertaining to objects expected in the enclosure, and wherein determining whether the second object has been returned to the interior space comprises comparing information corresponding to an associated RFID tag to information in the data structure.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving an indication comprises receiving user identification information.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining whether access to the interior space is permitted by the user comprises comparing the user identification information to user information in a data structure, the data structure comprising identification information corresponding to users authorized to access the interior space.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning the interior space comprises transmitting excitation signals to the at least one RFID tag and other RFID tags, receiving response signals from the at least one RFID tag and the other tags, and reading RFID tag identifying information corresponding to the response signals.

12. A system, comprising:

a reader configured to scan an interior space of an enclosure;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with an object in the enclosure, the RFID tag transmitting a signal to the reader;

a switch associated with the RFID tag, the switch shielding the RFID tag when the object is removed from the switch, thereby substantially blocking RFID signal transmission.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

an access member through which access to the enclosure is achieved; and

a processor configured to execute authentication logic configured to receive an indication that a user is attempting access the interior space and, responsive to receiving the indication, determine whether access to the interior space is permitted by the user;

wherein the authentication logic is configured to;

in response to determining that access is not permitted, deny entry through the access member to the interior space; and

in response to determining that access is permitted, enable entry to the interior space.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a lock configured to controllably permit opening and closing of the access member, wherein the processor is further configured with the authentication logic to deny entry by effecting engagement between the lock and the access member and enable entry by effecting disengagement between the lock and the access member.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

reader logic executed by the processor; and

transceiver control logic coupled to one or more antennas associated with the reader, wherein the processor is further configured with the reader logic and the transceiver control logic to;

implement a scan of the interior space, wherein the scan of the interior space comprises;

transmitting excitation signals to the RFID tag and other RFID tags;

receiving response signals from the RFID tag and the other tags; and

reading RFID tag identifying information corresponding to the response signals;

cease the scan in response to at least one of the following;

opening of the access member, unlocking of the access member, and permitted access; and

resume the scan in response to at least one of the following;

closing and locking of the access member.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein in response to resuming the scan of the interior space, the reader logic is further configured to cause a processor to perform at least the following:

determine whether the object has been removed from the interior space; and

determine whether a second object has been returned to the interior space.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising an object data structure, wherein the processor is further configured with the reader logic to determine whether the object has been removed from the interior space or whether the second object has been returned to the interior space by comparing information corresponding to the RFID tags associated with the object and the second object to information in the data structure, the data structure comprising information pertaining to objects that are expected to be found in the enclosure.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising a user interface coupled to the authentication logic, wherein the user interface comprises at least one of the following:

a touch-screen, graphical user interface (GUI), keypad entry interface, magnetic card reader, bar-code scanner, and biometric scanner, wherein the user interface is configured to receive user identification information corresponding to the indication.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising an authorized user data structure coupled to the authentication logic, wherein the processor is further configured with the authentication logic to determine whether access to the interior space is permitted by the user by comparing the user identification information to user information in the data structure, the authorized user data structure comprising identification information corresponding to users authorized to access the interior space.

20. A system, comprising:

means for scanning an interior space of an enclosure, the enclosure having at least one radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with at least one switch, and at least one object associated with the at least one switch, the RFID tag configured to communicate at least one RFID signal to a reader; and

means for shielding the at least one RFID tag when the at least one object is removed from the at least one switch thereby substantially blocking RFID signal transmission between the RFID tag and the reader.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for scanning comprises means for determining whether an object has been removed from or returned to the interior space.

22. An enclosure defining an interior space, the enclosure comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag configured to transmit a signal to a reader;

a switch associated with the RFID tag, the switch having a first position and a second position, wherein when the switch is in the first position the RFID tag is shielded thereby substantially blocking RFID signal transmission between the RFID tag and the reader,

wherein the enclosure is configured to include within the interior space an object coupled to the switch, wherein presence of the object in the enclosure adjacent to the switch can be associated with one of the first position and the second position.