Coordinated storage system in a multiple radio frequency network node RFID tag

• US 8,421,630 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Original Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Inventors: Butler, Timothy P., Berrios, Javier
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US13/596,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20120319823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 231 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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: G06K 19/0724 the arrangement being a circuit for communicating at a plurality of frequencies, e.g. for managing time multiplexed communication over at least two antennas of different types
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• 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: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

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 provide enhanced memory capabilities, redundant functionality, and multiple frequency capabilities to the RFID tag using an inter-RF network node communication connection. The inter-RF network node communication may allow the coordination of RFID tag memory and functionality.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of RF network nodes mounted on a single radio frequency identification (RFID) tag substrate wherein each of the plurality of RF network nodes have an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RFID interrogation signal, a data processing and controller block for digital information processing, at least one memory location, and a power management block for managing power requirements of the RF network node, wherein

the plurality of RF network nodes are interconnected into a network topology with a communication bus for coordinating data communication among the plurality of RF network nodes to provide a coordinated storage facility from the at least one memory location of each of the plurality of RF network nodes,

the coordinated storage facility responds with coordinated data to an interrogation by an RFID interrogator, and

the operation of the plurality of RF network nodes coordinated with a master RF network node coupled to the communication bus.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data communicated from the RFID tag includes information stored in two or more of the memory stores.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data communicated from the RFID tag includes information stored across all of the memory stores of the plurality of RF network nodes.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordinated storage facility includes expanded memory.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordinated storage facility includes redundant memory.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordinated storage facility includes distributed memory.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordinated storage facility includes public memory.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordinated storage facility includes private memory.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the coordinated storage facility includes encrypted memory.

10. A system, comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag including a plurality of RF network nodes having an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RFID interrogation signal, a data processing and controller block for digital information processing, a memory, and a power management block for managing power requirements of the RF network node, wherein

the plurality of RF network nodes are interconnected into a network topology with a communication bus to provide a coordinated storage facility formed from the memory of each of the plurality of RF network nodes, where the plurality of RF network nodes of the RFID tag coordinate data retrieval activities from the coordinated storage facility of the plurality of RF network nodes and communicate information retrieved from the coordinated storage facility of the RFID tag to an RFID interrogator; and

the plurality of RF network nodes coordinating operations with a master RF network node coupled to the communication bus.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the data communicated from the RFID tag includes information stored in two or more of the memory stores.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the data communicated from the RFID tag includes information stored across all of the memory stores of the plurality of RF network nodes.

13. A system, comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag including a plurality of RF network nodes having an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RFID interrogation signal, a data processing and controller block for digital information processing, a memory, and a power management block for managing power requirements of the RF network node, wherein

the plurality of RF network nodes are integrated into a network topology with a communication bus to provide a coordinated storage facility formed from the memory of each of the plurality of RF network nodes, where the plurality of RF network nodes of the RFID tag retrieve data from the coordinated storage facility of the plurality of RF network nodes and formats the retrieved data into a single response to be communicated from the RFID tag to an RFID interrogator, and

the plurality of RF network nodes coordinating operations with a master RF network node coupled to the communication bus.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the data communicated from the RFID tag includes information stored in two or more of the memory stores.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the data communicated from the RFID tag includes information stored across all of the memory stores of the plurality of RF network nodes.