Causing RFID tag to change how many remaining commands it will comply with

• US 8,446,258 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Impinj, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Impinj, Inc.
• Inventors: Diorio, Christopher J., Khwaja, Omar, Hagen, Casey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBINIYI, PAULSON IDOWU
• Application Number:
  US12/035,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20090002132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 340/10.51, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07309 Means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or onto record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

RFID reader systems, readers, components, software and methods for causing a custom RFID tag to change how many remaining commands they will comply with. In a number of embodiments, this is achieved by causing a custom limiting command to be transmitted to the tag.

Claims

1. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, comprising:

at least one tag including;

a counter configured to adjust its count value in response to reader commands; and

a processing block operable to;

receive an Enable command;

in response to the Enable command, enable the counter to start counting;

receive a Reset command;

in response to the Reset command, perform one of;

set the counter to a preset count value, and

modify an amount by which the counter is adjusted;

receive a first command;

if a counter has not yet reached a predefined limit then;

comply with the first command, and

adjust the counter by a first adjustment amount;

if the counter has reached the predefined limit, then;

not comply with the first command, and

backscatter an Out_Of_Cycles reply;

receive a second command;

if the counter has not yet reached the predefined limit then;

comply with the second command, and

adjust the counter by a second adjustment amount, wherein the second adjustment amount is different from the first adjustment amount;

if the counter has reached the predefined limit, then;

not comply with the second command, and

backscatter an Out_Of_Cycles reply;

disable the counter in response to receiving a Disable command; and

a reader operable to transmit the Enable, the Reset, and the Disable commands to the tag.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the adjustment is one of an increment and a decrement.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the predefined count limit is zero.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the reader is further operable to:

receive an Out_Of_Cycles reply in response to transmitting a command subsequent to the counter reaching the predefined count limit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the reader is further operable to transmit a Restore command, and

the tag is further operable to set the counter to a preset count value in response to receiving the Restore command.

6. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, comprising:

at least one tag including;

a counter configured to adjust its count value in response to reader commands; and

a processing block operable to;

receive a Reset command;

in response to the Reset command, perform one of;

set the counter to a preset count value, and

modify an amount by which the counter is adjusted;

receive a Restore command;

in response to the Restore command, set the counter to another preset count value;

receive a first command;

if a counter has not yet reached a predefined limit then;

comply with the first command, and

adjust the counter by a first adjustment amount;

if the counter has reached the predefined limit, then;

not comply with the first command, and

backscatter an Out_Of_Cycles reply;

receive a second command;

if the counter has not yet reached the predefined limit then;

comply with the second command, and

adjust the counter by a second adjustment amount, wherein the second adjustment amount is different from the first adjustment amount;

if the counter has reached the predefined limit, then;

not comply with the second command, and

backscatter an Out_Of_Cycles reply;

disable the counter in response to receiving a Disable command; and

a reader operable to transmit the Reset, the Restore, and the Disable commands to the tag.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the adjustment is one of an increment and a decrement.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the predefined count limit is zero.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the reader is further operable to:

receive an Out_Of_Cycles reply in response to transmitting a command subsequent to the counter reaching the predefined count limit.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the reader is further operable to transmit an Enable command, and

the tag is further operable to enable the counter to start counting commands in response to receiving the Enable command.

11. A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, comprising:

at least one tag including;

a counter configured to adjust its count value in response to reader commands; and

a processing block operable to;

receive a Reset command;

in response to the Reset command, perform one of;

set the counter to a preset count value, and

modify an amount by which the counter is adjusted;

receive a first command;

if a counter has not yet reached a predefined limit then;

comply with the first command, and

adjust the counter by a first adjustment amount;

if the counter has reached the predefined limit, then;

not comply with the first command, and

backscatter an Out_Of_Cycles reply;

receive a second command;

if the counter has not yet reached the predefined limit then;

comply with the second command, and

adjust the counter by a second adjustment amount, wherein the second adjustment amount is different from the first adjustment amount;

if the counter has reached the predefined limit, then;

not comply with the second command, and

backscatter an Out_Of_Cycles reply;

disable the counter in response to receiving a Disable command; and

a reader operable to transmit the Reset and the Disable commands to the tag.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the adjustment is one of an increment and a decrement.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the predefined count limit is zero.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the reader is further operable to:

receive an Out_Of_Cycles reply in response to transmitting a command subsequent to the counter reaching the predefined count limit.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the reader is further operable to transmit an Enable command, and

the tag is further operable to enable the counter to start counting commands in response to receiving the Enable command.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the reader is further operable to transmit a Restore command, and

in response to receiving the Restore command, the tag is further operable to set the counter to the preset count value.