Mobile radio frequency identification reader
First Claim
1. A mobile radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising:
- a wheeled cart;
a fixed RFID reader mounted to said wheeled cart;
a computer mounted to said wheeled cart and communicatively coupled to said RFID reader for operational control of said RFID reader;
a directional antenna capable of being communicatively coupled to said RFID reader, said directional antenna movably mounted to said wheeled cart for focusing of RF energy in a specific direction; and
at least one omni-directional antenna mounted to said wheeled cart and capable of being communicatively coupled to said RFID reader to provide a mass RFID tag interrogation capability, said computer configured to process data received from RFID tags associated with said system to provide an inventory of RFID tagged items and update the inventory as items are added and removed, and further configured to allow a user to selectively couple one or both of said at least one omni-directional antenna and said directional antenna to said RFID reader.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mobile radio frequency identification (RFID) system is described that includes a wheeled cart, a RFID reader mounted to the wheeled cart, a computer mounted to the wheeled cart and communicatively coupled to the RFID reader, and a directional antenna capable of being communicatively coupled to the RFID reader and movably mounted to the wheeled cart. The system also includes at least one omni-directional antenna mounted to the wheeled cart and capable of being communicatively coupled to the RFID reader. The computer is configured to process data received from the RFID tags and further configured to allow a user to selectively couple one or both of the at least one omni-directional antenna and the directional antenna to the RFID reader.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A mobile radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising:
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a wheeled cart; a fixed RFID reader mounted to said wheeled cart; a computer mounted to said wheeled cart and communicatively coupled to said RFID reader for operational control of said RFID reader; a directional antenna capable of being communicatively coupled to said RFID reader, said directional antenna movably mounted to said wheeled cart for focusing of RF energy in a specific direction; and at least one omni-directional antenna mounted to said wheeled cart and capable of being communicatively coupled to said RFID reader to provide a mass RFID tag interrogation capability, said computer configured to process data received from RFID tags associated with said system to provide an inventory of RFID tagged items and update the inventory as items are added and removed, and further configured to allow a user to selectively couple one or both of said at least one omni-directional antenna and said directional antenna to said RFID reader. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system comprising:
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a fixed RFID reader; a computer communicatively coupled to said RFID reader for operational control of said RFID reader; a directional antenna capable of being communicatively coupled to said RFID reader; and at least one omni-directional antenna capable of being communicatively coupled to said RFID reader, said computer configured for selectively coupling said at least one omni-directional antenna to said RFID reader to provide a mass RFID tag interrogation capability and said directional antenna to said RFID reader to focus RF energy in a specific direction said computer further configured to provide an inventory of RFID tagged items and update the inventory as the RFID items are added and removed. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method for activating, receiving data from, and utilizing the data associated with a plurality of RFID tags within an environment, the RFID tags activated and the data received utilizing an RFID reader, a directional antenna for focusing of RF energy in a specific direction, and at least one omni-directional antenna for providing a mass RFID tag interrogation capability, said method comprising:
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navigating the RFID reader and the antennas along a route; selectively coupling the directional antenna and at least one omni-directional antenna to the RFID reader, based on a varying configuration of the RFID environment along the route, to activate the RFID tags with the RFID reader; receiving data at the RFID reader from one or more activated RFID tags; and relating the received data to an inventory of respective RFID tagged items within the environment as part of an asset management process for the RFID tagged items. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification