Systems and methods for personal radio frequency identification tag creation and item inventorying

• US 8,102,265 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Billman, Bradly Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/235,023
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 340 101- 106, 340/5.92, 235/385, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A system for inventorying an item may comprise at least one subsystem that creates a mark on the item with a substance that comprises RFID tags, at least one subsystem that reads a plurality of the RFID tags on the mark, at least one subsystem that determines how many RFID tags were read on the mark, at least one subsystem that assigns an identifier for the item, and at least one subsystem that associates the identifier with how many RFID tags were read on the mark.

Claims

1. A device for identifying stored items, the device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to cause a system to;

create individual marks on items with a substance that comprises RFID tags;

store an inventory list of the items based upon identification of the items using the RFID tags;

place the items in a storage container;

determine which items are in the storage container by reading RFID tags on the individual marks while the items are in the storage container and cross referencing data read with the stored inventory list; and

identify the items by reading how many RFID tags are in each individual mark.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the RFID tags are read using an RFID tag reader integrated with a mobile computing device.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the items identified comprise items in a personal household goods move.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the system to print the stored inventory list of items.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the stored inventory list is printed using a mobile computing device integrated with an RFID tag reader used to read RFID tags on the marks.

6. The device of claim 4 wherein the processor is further configured to cause the system to place the stored inventory list on the exterior of the storage container.

7. A method for identifying stored items comprising:

creating individual marks on items with a substance that comprises RFID tags;

storing an inventory list of the items based upon identification of the items using the RFID tags;

placing the items in a storage container;

determining which items are in the storage container by reading RFID tags on the individual marks while the items are in the storage container and cross referencing data read with the stored inventory list; and

identifying the items by reading how many RFID tags are in each individual mark.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the reading the RFID tags is accomplished via an RFID tag reader integrated with a mobile computing device.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the items identified comprise items in a personal household goods move.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising printing out the stored inventory list of items.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the stored inventory list is printed out directly from a mobile computing device integrated with an RFID tag reader used to read RFID tags on the marks.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising placing the stored inventory list on the exterior of the storage container.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer readable instructions for identifying stored items stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors cause a system to:

create individual marks on items with a substance that comprises RFID tags;

store an inventory list of the items based upon identification of the items using the RFID tags;

place the items in a storage container;

determine which items are in the storage container by reading RFID tags on the individual marks while the items are in the storage container and cross referencing the data read with the stored inventory list; and

identify the items by reading how many RFID tags are in each individual mark.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the reading the RFID tags is accomplished via an RFID tag reader integrated with a mobile computing device.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the items identified comprise items in a personal household goods move.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the computer readable instructions are executed by the one or more processors causing the system to print the stored inventory list of items.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the stored inventory list is printed directly from a mobile computing device integrated with an RFID tag reader used to read RFID tags on the marks.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer readable instructions are executed by the one or more processors causing the system to place the stored inventory list on the exterior of the storage container.