Transient state information display in an RFID tag having a charge-induced pigment release medium

• US 8,164,420 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2008
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Doan, Christopher Hoang, Redpath, Richard, Miller, Steven Michael, Cherry, Gene Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Toan N
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIRMA, FEKADESELASS
• Application Number:
  US12/202,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20100052909A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/5.91
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor

Abstract

An RFID tag includes a sensor for determining a transient state or condition of a product to which the tag is associated, and a display. The tag may be passive, semi-passive, or active. In response to receipt at the tag of a read signal that includes a first value associated with the transient state or condition, a comparison is performed. The comparison compares the first value, with a second value generated by the sensor in response to receipt of the read signal. As a result of the comparison, an indication is provided on the display. The information displayed is a function of the comparison. In one embodiment, the display provides different color indications depending on the transient state or condition sensed. In an alternative embodiment, the RFID tag display includes an electrical or thermal charge-induced pigment release medium, e.g., an electronic ink, and the tag is used to communicate information about the state of a product to which the tag is associated.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information about a product, the product having a sensor, comprising:

associating a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag with the product, the RFID tag having a display, the display including a charge-induced pigment release medium that includes multiple overlapping layers of pigment release material;

in response to receipt, at the RFID tag, of a signal that includes a first value associated with a given characteristic associated with the product, comparing the first value to a second value generated by the sensor in response to receipt of the signal; and

applying a charge to the charge-induced pigment release medium to display an indication on the display that is a function of the comparison, the indication displaying a piece of information with overlapping indicia.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the given characteristic is one of a set of characteristics that include a temporal characteristic associated with the product, and a physical characteristic associated with the product.

3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the temporal characteristic is an age of the product.

4. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the first value is a current time and the second value is an expiration date.

5. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the physical characteristic associated with the product is one of:

temperature, weight, moisture content, volume and density.

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is one of:

a passive tag, a semi-passive tag, and an active tag.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the overlapping indicia indicates that the piece of information is no longer valid.

8. An RFID tag, comprising:

a sensor;

a display including a charge-induced pigment release medium that includes multiple overlapping layers of pigment release material;

a processor; and

a set of program instructions executable by the processor to perform the following method;

in response to receipt of a signal that includes a first value associated with a given characteristic of a product with which the RFID tag is associated, comparing the first value to a second value generated by the sensor in response to receipt of the signal; and

applying a charge to the charge-induced pigment release medium to display an indication on the display that is a function of the comparison, the indication displaying a piece of information with overlapping indicia.

9. The RFID tag as described in claim 8 wherein the given characteristic is one of a set of characteristics that include a temporal characteristic, and a physical characteristic.

10. The RFID tag as described in claim 9 wherein the physical characteristic is one of:

temperature, weight, moisture content, volume and density.

11. The method as described in claim 8 wherein the charge-induced pigment release medium comprises one of:

an electronic ink, and a thermochromic ink.

12. The method as described in claim 11 wherein the electronic ink comprises microcapsules suspended in a fluid, the microcapsules including positively charged particles of a first pigment and negatively charged particles of a second pigment.

13. An RFID system, comprising:

a reader that generates an interrogation signal; and

a set of RFID tags, at least one tag comprising;

a sensor;

a display including a charge-induced pigment release medium that includes multiple overlapping layers of pigment release material;

a processor; and

a set of program instructions executable by the processor to perform the following method;

in response to receipt of the interrogation signal that includes a first value associated with a given characteristic of a product with which the RFID tag is associated, comparing the first value to a second value generated by the sensor in response to receipt of the interrogation signal; and

applying a charge to the charge-induced pigment release medium to display an indication on the display that is a function of the comparison, the indication displaying a piece of information with overlapping indicia.

14. The RFID system as described in claim 13 wherein the charge-induced pigment release medium of the tag display comprises one of:

an electronic ink, and a thermochromic ink.

15. The RFID system as described in claim 14 wherein the electronic ink comprises microcapsules suspended in a fluid, the microcapsules including positively charged particles of a first pigment and negatively charged particles of a second pigment.

16. The RFID system as described in claim 13 wherein the given characteristic is one of a set of characteristics that include a temporal characteristic, and a physical characteristic.

17. The RFID system as described in claim 14 wherein the physical characteristic is one of:

temperature, weight, moisture content, volume and density.

18. An enterprise RFID system, comprising:

an RFID controller;

one or more RFID readers coupled to the RFID controller;

one or more RFID tags wirelessly coupled to a one of the RFID readers, at least one tag comprising;

a sensor;

a display including a charge-induced pigment release medium that includes multiple overlapping layers of pigment release material;

a processor; and

a set of program instructions executable by the processor to perform the following method;

in response to receipt of an interrogation signal from an RFID reader that includes a first value associated with a given characteristic of a product with which the RFID tag is associated, comparing the first value to a second value generated by the sensor in response to receipt of the interrogation signal; and

applying a charge to the charge-induced pigment release medium to display an indication on the display that is a function of the comparison, the indication displaying a piece of information with overlapping indicia.

19. The enterprise system as described in claim 18 further including an RFID premises server coupled to the RFID controller.

20. The enterprise system as described in claim 19 further including an RFID integration server coupled to the RFID premises server.

21. A computer program product stored in non-transitory computer readable medium including computer program instructions in an RFID tag for carrying out the following method steps in the RFID tag, the RFID tag having a sensor, and a display including a charge-induced pigment release medium that includes multiple overlapping layers of pigment release material;

in response to receipt of a signal that includes a first value associated with a given characteristic, comparing the first value to a second value generated by the RFID tag sensor in response to receipt of the signal; and

applying a charge to the charge-induced pigment release medium to display an indication on the display that is a function of the comparison, the indication displaying a piece of information with overlapping indicia.

22. The computer program product as described in claim 21 wherein the computer program instructions are stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium in a remote data processing system associated with an RFID reader, and wherein the computer program instructions were downloaded to the RFID tag over a wireless communication link from the remote data processing system.

23. The computer program product as described in claim 21 wherein the computer program instructions are stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system, and wherein the instructions are downloaded over a wireless communication link to data processing system within the RFID tag for use in a computer readable storage medium within the data processing system within the RFID tag.

24. An RFID tag, comprising:

a sensor;

a display including a charge-induced pigment release medium that includes multiple overlapping layers of pigment release material;

a processor; and

a set of program instructions executable by the processor to perform the following method;

in response to receipt of a signal that includes a first value associated with a given characteristic of a product with which the RFID tag is associated, comparing the first value to a second value generated by the sensor in response to receipt of the signal; and

applying a charge to the charge-induced pigment release medium to display an indication on the display that is a function of the comparison, the indication displaying a piece of information with overlapping indicia.

25. The RFID tag as described in claim 24 wherein the overlapping indicia indicates that the piece of information is no longer valid.

26. The RFID tag as described in claim 24 wherein the charge-induced pigment release medium also includes first and second areas of discrete pigment release material associated with one another, wherein the indication displaying the piece of information with overlapping indicia is located in one of the first and second areas.