Item-level access tracking using tag writing events

• US 7,777,627 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2007
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Vogt, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, JACK K
• Application Number:
  US11/698,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20080180252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.4
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• 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 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07798 part of the antenna or the integrated circuit being adapted for rupturing or breaking, e.g. record carriers functioning as sealing devices for detecting not-authenticated opening of containers electronic seals G09F3/03
• 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

Abstract

An electronic seal may be associated with a container and configured to detect an access event associated with the container, and may be further configured to output a notification of the access event in response thereto. A tag writer may be configured to receive the notification of the access event and further configured, in response, to write a data element to a write-once memory of a tag that is attached to an item within the container, the data element signifying the access event.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of electronic seals, each electronic seal associated with a container of a plurality of containers and configured to detect an access event associated with its respective container, and further configured to output a notification of the access event in response thereto;

a plurality of tag writers, each tag writer contained within a container of the plurality of containers and configured to receive the notification of the access event and further configured, in response, to write a data element to a write-once memory of a corresponding tag that is attached to an item within the respective container, the data element signifying the access event; and

at least one tag reader, the at least one tag reader configured to read the write-once memory of a currently-read tag attached to a currently-read item, the currently-read item and attached currently-read tag being included in a current container after having been re-packaged at least once from at least one previous container of the plurality of containers during a shipment of the currently-read item, and further configured to detect a recorded access event within the write-once memory and thereafter output an indication that the currently-read item was contained within a breached container during the shipment.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each electronic seal is configured to detect the access event based on a signal received from one or more sensors deployed at an access point of the corresponding container.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein each electronic seal comprises:

an interface configured to receive an authorization code in association with the access event; and

access logic configured to determine a receipt and/or validity of the authorization code.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein each electronic seal comprises status logic configured to provide a current status of the access event as authorized or unauthorized to a display.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein each tag writer is configured to receive, from the electronic seal and in conjunction with the notification of the access event, a notification of authorization to access the container, and further wherein each tag writer is configured to write the notification of authorization to the corresponding write-once memory as an authorization data element in association with the data element.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein each tag writer is configured to receive, from the corresponding electronic seal and in conjunction with the notification of the access event, a notification of non-authorization to access the corresponding container, and further wherein each tag writer is configured to write the notification of non-authorization to the corresponding write-once memory as a breach data element in association with the data element.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein each tag writer is configured to write the data element signifying the notification of the access event to each of a plurality of tags that are respectively associated with a plurality of items within the corresponding container, based on corresponding unique identifiers of the tags.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein each tag writer is configured to broadcast the data element signifying the notification of the access event to all of a plurality of tags that are respectively associated with a plurality of items within each container, including the tag and the item.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein each tag writer is configured to write information regarding a timing and/or type of the access event to the corresponding write-once memory in association with the data element.

10. The system of claim 1 comprising:

a tag reader within each container of the plurality of containers and configured to read the write-once memory and validate the writing of the data element to the write-once memory.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein each electronic seal is configured to receive the report of the corresponding tag reader and is configured to store the report including an identifier of the tag and/or the item.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the tag includes a Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) tag.

13. A method comprising:

reading, using a tag reader, a write-once portion of a memory of a tag attached to an item, the item and attached tag being included in a container after having been re-packaged at least once from at least one previous container during a shipment of the item;

detecting an access event associated with the tag, based on the reading of the write-once portion; and

outputting an indication that the item was contained within a breached container during the shipment, based on the detecting.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein reading the write-once portion of the memory of the tag including reading a second portion of the memory to determine an access history of the container and of the at least one previous container during the shipment.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the tag includes a Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) tag.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the outputting the indication includes displaying the indication using the tag reader.

17. A computer program product including instructions stored on non-transitory computer-readable storage media, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

cause a plurality of electronic seals, each electronic seal associated with a container of a plurality of containers, to detect an access event associated with its respective container, and to output a notification of the access event in response thereto;

cause a plurality of tag writers, each tag writer contained within a container of the plurality of containers, to receive the notification of the access event and, in response, to write a data element to a write-once memory of a corresponding tag that is attached to an item within the respective container, the data element signifying the access event; and

cause at least one tag reader to read the write-once memory of a currently-read tag attached to a currently-read item, the currently-read item and attached currently-read tag being included in a current container after having been re-packaged at least once from at least one previous container of the plurality of containers during a shipment of the currently-read item, and to detect a recorded access event within the write-once memory and thereafter output an indication that the currently-read item was contained within a breached container during the shipment.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to cause each electronic seal to detect the access event based on a signal received from one or more sensors deployed at an access point of the corresponding container.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein each electronic seal comprises:

an interface configured to receive an authorization code in association with the access event; and

access logic configured to determine a receipt and/or validity of the authorization code.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein each electronic seal comprises status logic configured to provide a current status of the access event as authorized or unauthorized to a display.