Methods and apparatuses to identify devices

• US 8,284,034 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2007
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RUIZHANG TECHNOLOGY LIMITED COMPANY
• Original Assignee: Alien Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Stewart, Roger G., Smith, John Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam V
• Application Number:
  US11/781,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20070262851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.41, 340/10.32, 340/10.1, 235/492, 235/462.13, 235/385, 235/380, 370/442, 370/348, 707/2, 707 4- 6, 709/237
• US Class Current: 340/10.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/08 by means detecting the change of an electrostatic or magnetic field, e.g. by detecting change of capacitance between electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10049 binary tree

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for identifying devices, such as RF tags, are described. In one exemplary embodiment, a reader identifies tags without requiring or determining whether a response to an interrogation was a single response from a single tag or multiple responses from multiple tags. In another exemplary embodiment, a method is performed by a tag in an identification system, and the method includes receiving a first data from a reader, and correlating the first data with a first corresponding portion of the tag'"'"'s identification code, and specifying a match if the first data matches the first corresponding portion, and receiving second data which, combined with the first data, is correlated with a second corresponding portion of the tag'"'"'s identification code.

Claims

1. A method performed by a reader, said method comprising:

transmitting, in one command, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code; and

receiving a response from a tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting and receiving utilize the same antenna.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the reader comprises one antenna.

4. A method performed by a tag, said method comprising:

receiving, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code; and

transmitting a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein if there is no match to said portion, said tag does not transmit a response.

6. A reader, comprising:

a transmitter to transmit, in one command, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code; and

a receiver to receive a response from a tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

7. The reader of claim 6, wherein the position of said portion in the identification code is indicated by a bit position pointer.

8. The reader of claim 6 wherein the transmitter and receive share an antenna.

9. A tag, comprising:

a receiver to receive, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code; and

a transmitter to transmit a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

10. The tag of claim 9, wherein the position of said portion in the identification code is indicated by a bit position pointer.

11. A method performed by a reader, said method comprising:

transmitting, in one command and under control of a microcontroller executing a program, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code; and

receiving a response for processing by the microcontroller from a tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the position of said portion in the identification code is indicated by a bit position pointer.

13. A method performed by a tag, said method comprising:

receiving, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code; and

transmitting a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code;

wherein the tag has only one integrated circuit.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the command further comprises information indicating the position of said portion in the identification code;

said information comprises one of;

a mask; and

a bit position pointer.

15. A reader, comprising:

a microcontroller to execute a program;

a transmitter coupled to the microcontroller to transmit, in one command, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code; and

a receiver coupled to the microcontroller to receive a response from a tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code.

16. The reader of claim 15, wherein the command further comprises information indicating the position of said portion in the identification code;

and the information comprises a bit position pointer.

17. A tag, comprising:

a receiver to receive, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code; and

a transmitter to transmit a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code;

wherein the tag has only one integrated circuit.

18. The tag of claim 17, wherein the command further comprises information indicating the position of said portion in the identification code;

and the information comprises a bit position pointer.

19. A tag, comprising:

a receiver to receive, in one command from a reader, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code; and

a transmitter to transmit a response from the tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code;

wherein the tag includes an integrated circuit which is received by a substrate and which is connected to only one antenna.

20. A method performed by a reader, said method comprising:

transmitting, in one command, a portion of an identification code, the portion comprising a plurality of bits but not the entire identification code, wherein the command indicates a position of the portion in the identification code;

receiving a response from a tag, which has a match to said portion indicated at least one next bit in said tag'"'"'s identification code; and

communicating said tag'"'"'s identification code to a processing system over a network.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the reader comprises an Ethernet interface for the communicating.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the reader comprises a first antenna and a second antenna.