Decommissioning bin for automatic decommissioning of electronic tags

• US 7,791,485 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lahiri, Sandip
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sherwin; Ryan W
• Application Number:
  US11/842,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20090051536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.9, 340/5.92, 3405721-5729, 235/385, 700/236, 705/28, 705/29
• US Class Current: 340/572.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to electronic tag decommissioning and provide a method, system and computer program product for electronic tag decommissioning. In one embodiment of the invention, an electronic tag decommissioning system can be provided. The system can include a database housing link data associating a plurality of electronic tags with respective objects, and a decommissioning bin. The decommissioning bin can include an electronic tag reader coupled to decommissioning logic programmed to decommission the electronic tag in the database.

Claims

1. An electronic tag decommissioning system comprising:

a computer with at least one processor and memory;

a database coupled to the computer, the database comprising link data associating a plurality of electronic tags with respective objects;

decommissioning logic comprising program code executing in the memory of the computer by the at least one processor of the computer programmed to decommission individual ones of the electronic tags in the database; and

,

a decommissioning bin, the decommissioning bin comprising;

an entry compartment;

an exit compartment;

an electronic tag reader coupled to the decommissioning logic and configured to direct decommissioning of read tags in the bin by the decommissioning logic; and

,

a decommissioning compartment disposed between the entry and exit compartments, the decommissioning compartment comprising the electronic tag reader coupled to decommissioning logic programmed to decommission the electronic tag in the database.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the entry compartment comprises an entry chute, an entry chamber and an entry trap door.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the exit compartment comprises an exit chute, an exit chamber and an exit trap door.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the decommissioning compartment comprises a decommissioning chute, a decommissioning chamber, and a decommissioning trap door.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic tag is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

6. An electronic tag decommissioning method comprising:

detecting an electronic tag placed in a decommissioning compartment of a bin, wherein the decommissioning compartment is disposed between an entry compartment and an exit compartment;

reading the electronic tag;

accessing in a computer with at least one processor and memory, a database of records each record associating an electronic tag with an article;

locating a record in the database for the read electronic tag; and

disassociating the read electronic tag from a corresponding article in the database.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein reading the electronic tag, comprises reading a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein disassociating the read electronic tag from a corresponding article in the database, comprises removing link data associating the read electronic tag with the article.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein disassociating the read electronic tag from a corresponding article in the database, comprises deleting the record.

10. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium embodying computer usable program code for electronic tag decommissioning, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code detecting an electronic tag placed in a decommissioning compartment of a bin, wherein the decommissioning compartment is disposed between an entry compartment and an exit compartment;

computer usable program code reading the electronic tag,

computer usable program code accessing in a computer with at least one processor and memory, a database of records each record associating an electronic tag with an article;

computer usable program code locating a record in the database for the read electronic tag; and

computer usable program code disassociating the read electronic tag from a corresponding article in the database.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code for reading the electronic tag, comprises computer usable program code for reading a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code for disassociating the read electronic tag from a corresponding article in the database, comprises computer usable program code for removing link data associating the read electronic tag with the article.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the computer usable program code for disassociating the read electronic tag from a corresponding article in the database, comprises computer usable program code for deleting the record.