Methods and systems of a multiple radio frequency network node RFID tag

• US 8,242,908 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2007
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Original Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Inventors: Butler, Timothy P., Berrios, Javier, Beckhardt, Steve, Hamlin, Robert W., Moore, Larry, Puleston, David, Mats, Leonid
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US11/926,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,752 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/10.4
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2431 Tag circuit details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/00 Alarms responsive to two or more different undesired or abnormal conditions, e.g. burglary and fire, abnormal temperature and abnormal rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tag that contains multiple Radio Frequency (RF) network nodes that may include memory storage for the RFID tag, the memory storage may include one time programmable (OTP) memory and many time programmable (MTP) memory and the storage of the information may be within the OTP and MTP memory.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the passive RFID tag comprising an RF network node, wherein the RF network node includes an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RFID reader signal, a data processing and controller block for digital information processing, a memory store, and a power management block for managing power requirements of the RF network node;

during operation of the RFID tag, using the power management block to dynamically control the distribution of power to and from the RF network node functional blocks by selecting between an extended operational time and an increase in available functionality;

storing information in the memory store, wherein the memory store includes a plurality of one time programmable (OTP) memory locations for the storage of information to be communicated from the passive RFID tag to an RFID reader in response to an interrogation from the RFID reader, and wherein the memory store further includes memory for storing memory location information that provides a memory location of information stored in the plurality of OTP memory locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory store used to store memory location information in the plurality of OTP memory locations is OTP memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory store used to store memory location information of the plurality of OTP memory locations is many time programmable (MTP).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the information stored in the memory store includes information stored in two or more OTP memory locations.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the OTP memory is expanded memory.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the OTP memory is redundant memory.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the OTP memory is distributed memory.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the OTP memory is public memory.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the OTP memory is private memory.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the OTP memory is encrypted memory.