Rich object model for diverse auto-ID tags

• US 7,815,101 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shafer, Steven Arthur Nolan
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai; Thien T
• Application Number:
  US11/158,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20060289646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,945 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/492, 235/380, 235/376, 235/385, 235/494, 235/487, 340/572.1, 340/5.92, 340/5.61, 340/10.1, 340/10.51
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

A system and method allowing one application to implement diverse AutoID tags interchangeably, by unifying all AutoID technologies into a single object model. The single object model interacts with all AutoID technologies, with only a lowest level device tailored to the specific AutoID technology, the single object model thereby persisting through the middleware, up to an application, carrying all necessary information from any AutoID technology. The single object model can interact with a tag many times, as necessary to complete an operation. A reader interface allows an application to communicate with multiple readers of diverse AutoID tags, and to communicate with individual servers communicating with individual readers of diverse AutoID tags. The reader interface also provides a single interface for hardware communication with a radio, for an application interacting with an entire network of readers, sensors, interpretation steps, product lookup, and information storage providing a single virtual reader.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method for communicating information between a reader device and an application in a tagging system, the method comprising:

transmitting, via the processor, a scan instruction to a reader regarding one or more tags and receiving, in response from the reader, information regarding a plurality of tags scanned by the reader, the plurality of scanned tags being of diverse types comprising a first type and a second type different from the first type, the first type and the second type being selected from barcode, magnetic stripe, smartcard, RFID, BLUETOOTH compatible, 802.11 compatible, near field communications (NFC), or IR, each of the first and second types of tags employing a distinct communications protocol with respect to the other of the first and second types of tags to communicate with the reader and providing information to the reader according to a distinct information format;

retrieving, from a plurality of templates, a template associated with each type of tag scanned by the reader, each template stored in and retrieved from a repository separate and remote from the reader and corresponding to the distinct information format employed by the corresponding type of tag, the plurality of templates being representative of the plurality of diverse tag types of the tags scanned by the reader and by extension a plurality of types of tags that the reader can scan; and

transmitting a tag information report to the application, the report including the template associated with each type of tag scanned, the application receiving the tag information report and employing the template in the report associated with each type of tag scanned to interpret the information from each tag of the type, wherein;

a template is indicative of a format of information pertaining to characteristics of a respective scanned tag;

elements of tags of differing tag types are identifiable and manipulatable by the application;

the tag information report includes a respective pointer to a template respectively associated with each of the one or more tags scanned; and

the application is configured to internet all subsequent reports directed to a tag through use of the pointer that indicates the respective template identifying the tag type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each template has a name including a bit string that associates a respective tag type with the template.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each template of the plurality of templates includes information about a configuration of a respective tag type, and the application is configured for compatibility with the information pertaining to a respective type of tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is configured to interpret all subsequent reports directed to a type of tag associated with a respective received template.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the template is serialized into an XML description.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the template is stored in and retrieved from a standards body repository.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the template includes fields capable of storing data necessary to describe an ID tag although an initial scan of the ID tag only populates a subset of the fields due to pre-determined scanning time efficiencies desired.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fields unpopulated by the initial scan are populated upon later request by the application for additional data.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

transmitting a scan instruction to a reader regarding one or more tags and receiving, in response from the reader, information regarding a plurality of tags scanned by the reader, the plurality of scanned tags being of diverse types comprising a first type and a second type different from the first type, the first type and the second type being selected from barcode, magnetic stripe, smartcard, RFID, BLUETOOTH compatible, 802.11 compatible, near field communications (NFC), or IR, each of the first and second types of tags employing a distinct communications protocol with respect to the other of the first and second types of tags to communicate with the reader and providing information to the reader according to a distinct information format;

retrieving, from a plurality of templates, a template associated with each type of tag scanned by the reader, each template stored in and retrieved from a repository separate and remote from the reader and corresponding to the distinct information format employed by the corresponding type of tag, the plurality of templates being representative of the plurality of diverse tag types of the tags scanned by the reader and by extension a plurality of types of tags that the reader can scan; and

transmitting a tag information report to an application, the report including the template associated with each type of tag scanned, the application receiving the tag information report and employing the template in the report associated with each type of tag scanned to interpret the information from each tag of the type, wherein;

a template is indicative of a format of information pertaining to characteristics of a respective scanned tag;

elements of tags of differing tag types are identifiable and manipulatable by the application;

the tag information report includes a respective pointer to a template respectively associated with each of the one or more tags scanned; and

the application is configured to interpret all subsequent reports directed to a tag through use of the pointer that indicates the respective template identifying the tag type.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein each component of the tag object model has a corresponding component in the template.