Identification and surveillance device, system and method for individual item level tracking
First Claim
1. An identification and surveillance device attachable to an individual inventory item for tracking said item, said device comprising:
- an attaching device for attaching to said item; and
an active radio-frequency device securely mounted with said attaching device, said radio-frequency device comprising;
storing means for storing data therein, said data comprising individual tag-related information;
a transmitter;
an antenna; and
a power source for powering said active radio-frequency device;
wherein said active radio-frequency device, with the help of said transmitter, is able to communicate with a corresponding radio-frequency receiver for tracking said item and for providing loss prevention information in response to a potential loss event without requiring an interrogating signal, said loss prevention information including a time stamp, andwherein said attaching device and said active radio-frequency device are reusable.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
There are provided an identification and surveillance device, a system and a method using active RFID technology to accurately and automatically track inventory at the item-level across the supply chain in real-time and at a distance. The device is provided with an attaching device for attaching to the item and a radio-frequency device securely mounted with the attaching device. The radio-frequency device comprises storage for storing data therein, the data comprising individual tag-related information, a transmitter, an antenna and a power source for powering the device. The radio-frequency device, with the help of the transmitter, is able to communicate with a corresponding radio-frequency receiver for tracking the item.
33 Citations
25 Claims
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1. An identification and surveillance device attachable to an individual inventory item for tracking said item, said device comprising:
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an attaching device for attaching to said item; and an active radio-frequency device securely mounted with said attaching device, said radio-frequency device comprising; storing means for storing data therein, said data comprising individual tag-related information; a transmitter; an antenna; and a power source for powering said active radio-frequency device; wherein said active radio-frequency device, with the help of said transmitter, is able to communicate with a corresponding radio-frequency receiver for tracking said item and for providing loss prevention information in response to a potential loss event without requiring an interrogating signal, said loss prevention information including a time stamp, and wherein said attaching device and said active radio-frequency device are reusable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An identification and surveillance system for independently tracking a plurality of individual inventory items, said system comprising:
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a plurality of identification and surveillance devices, each of said devices being attachable to a respective one of said plurality of items and comprising; an attaching device for attaching to a corresponding item; and an active radio-frequency device securely mounted with said attaching device, said radio-frequency device comprising; storing means for storing data therein, said data comprising individual tag-related information; a transmitter; an antenna; and a power source for powering said active radio-frequency device; wherein each radio-frequency device, with the help of its transmitter, is able to communicate with a corresponding radio-frequency receiver for tracking one of said items and for providing loss prevention information in response to a potential loss event without requiring an interrogating signal, said loss prevention information including a time stamp, and wherein each attaching device and its active radio-frequency device are reusable; a radio-frequency receiver capable of communicating with each of said active radio-frequency devices for receiving each of said corresponding data; and a software product suite with application software loaded into a host computer and adapted to read, process and store each of said data with the help of said radio-frequency receiver for tracking each of said corresponding inventory items. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An identification and surveillance method for independently tracking a plurality of individual inventory items, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a plurality of identification and surveillance devices, each comprising; an attaching device for attaching to a corresponding item; and an active radio-frequency device securely mounted with said attaching device, said radio-frequency device comprising; storing means for storing data therein, said data comprising individual tag-related information; a transmitter; an antenna; and a power source for powering said active radio-frequency device; wherein each radio-frequency device, with the help of its transmitter, is able to communicate with a corresponding radio-frequency receiver for tracking one of said items and for providing loss prevention information in response to a potential loss event without requiring an interrogating signal, said loss prevention information including a time stamp, and wherein each attaching device and its active radio-frequency device are reusable; b) attaching each of said identification and surveillance devices to a respective one of said inventory items; c) providing a software product suite with application software loaded into a host computer and adapted to read, process and store each of said data with the help of a radio-frequency receiver for tracking each of said corresponding items; and d) tracking each of said inventory items. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification