Device configuration with RFID

• US 7,825,776 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Haehnel, Dirk, Smith, Joshua R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mullen; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/506,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20080041930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.51, 340/10.41, 340/572.1, 713/1, 713/100
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Various embodiments of the invention may use a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag with a writable non-volatile storage element to receive and store configuration parameters for a device connected to the RFID tag, even if the device itself is powered off. Upon power-up and startup of the device, the device may read the configuration parameters from the RFID tag and install them for its subsequent operation. Some embodiments may work in the opposite direction, by allowing the powered device to write its configuration data into the RFID tag'"'"'s storage element, whose contents may subsequently be transmitted by the RFID tag to an RFID reader, even if the device is unpowered at the time of transmission.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a device that is programmable with configuration data for the device;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag containing a writable non-volatile storage element to store the configuration data;

a non-wireless interface coupled between the device and the non-volatile storage element to transfer the configuration data between the device and the non-volatile storage element; and

wherein the device is to write the configuration data to the non-volatile storage element through the interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device is to read the configuration data from the non-volatile storage element through the interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag comprises a passive RFID tag.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is to wirelessly receive the configuration data from an RFID reader and is to write the received configuration data into the non-volatile storage element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is to read the configuration data from the non-volatile storage element and wirelessly transmit the configuration data to an RFID reader.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device is a device selected from a list consisting of:

a server computer;

a personal computer;

a laptop computer;

a personal data assistant; and

a cellular telephone.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the device is to read the configuration data from the non-volatile storage element during a startup process of the device; and

the device is to program its configuration with the configuration data.

8. A method comprising

transferring, through a non-wireless interface, configuration data between computer logic and a non-volatile storage element of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, wherein said transferring comprises writing the configuration data from the computer logic to the non-volatile storage element.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said transferring comprises reading the configuration data from the non-volatile storage element by the computer logic.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising using the configuration data to configure a computer system containing the computer logic.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said transferring and said using occur as part of a start-up process in the computer system.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising wirelessly transmitting the configuration data from the RFID tag to an RFID reader, subsequent to said writing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said transmitting occurs when the computer logic is powered off.

14. An article comprising

a tangible machine-readable medium that contains instructions, which when executed by one or more processors result in performing operations comprising

transferring configuration data between computer logic and a non-volatile storage element of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag coupled to the computer logic,

where the operation of transferring comprises writing the configuration data to the non-volatile storage element from the computer logic.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein the operation of transferring comprises reading the configuration data from the non-volatile storage element, and the operations further comprise an operation to configure a computer system with the configuration data subsequent to said reading.