Manifest integrity management via radio frequency identification (RFID)

• US 8,570,159 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2009
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhadriraju, Vijay Kumar, Senegal, John Kenneth, Smith, Donnie Allen Jr., Hanis, Thomas Tim, Rowe, Frederick William
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, VERNAL U
• Application Number:
  US12/605,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20110095872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/505, 340/10.52, 340/10.4, 340/12.51, 235/383
• US Class Current: 340/10.52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/28 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading, distribution or shipping

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and computer program product for manifest integrity management via radio frequency identification (RFID). A manifest integrity management method can include scanning different RFID tags affixed to different objects for placement in a container. The method also can include determining both common data for all of the different RFID tags, and unique data for each of the different RFID tags. Finally, the method can include encoding an RFID tag for the container with an entry for the common data for the different RFID tags, and each unique data for each of the different RFID tags. In this way, a manifest can be created for the objects in the container.

Claims

1. A manifest integrity management method comprising:

scanning different radio frequency identification (RFID) tags affixed to different objects for placement in a container;

determining both common data for all of the different RFID tags, and unique data for each of the different RFID tags; and

,

encoding an RFID tag for the container with an entry for the common data for the different RFID tags, and each unique data for each of the different RFID tags, wherein encoding the RFID tag for the container with the entry for the common data for the different RFID tags, and each unique data for each of the different RFID tags, comprises;

creating a header for the RFID tag for the container comprising a length of the header, a number of the different RFID tags, a length of the unique data for each of the different RFID tags, and the common data;

combining the header with each unique data for each of the different RFID tags; and

,

writing the combination to an identification (ID) memory of the RFID tag for the container.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scanning different RFID tags affixed to different objects placed within the container, and also the RFID tag affixed to the container;

determining both common data for all of the different RFID tags affixed to the different objects placed within the container, and unique data for each of the different RFID tags affixed to the different objects placed within the container;

extracting common data from the RFID tag affixed to the container and also a sequence of unique data from the RFID tag affixed to the container; and

,

comparing the unique data for each of the different RFID tags affixed to the different objects placed within the container to the unique data extracted from the RFID tag affixed to the container to confirm a manifest defined by the RFID tag affixed to the container.

3. A radio frequency identification (RFID) data processing system configured for manifest integrity management, the system comprising:

at least one host computer with processor and memory;

an RFID reader;

an RFID data acquisition application coupled to the RFID reader and executing in memory of at least one host computer by a processor therein; and

,

a manifest management module coupled to the RFID data acquisition application and executing in memory of at least one host computer by a processor therein, the module comprising computer usable program code enabled to direct the RFID data acquisition application to scan different RFID tags affixed to different objects for placement in a container, to determine both common data for all of the different RFID tags, and unique data for each of the different RFID tags, and to encode an RFID tag for the container with an entry for the common data for the different RFID tags, and each unique data for each of the different RFID tags,

wherein to encode the RFID tag for the container with the entry for the common data for the different RFID tags, and each unique data for each of the different RFID tags, comprises computer usable program code enabled to create a header for the RFID tag for the container comprising a length of the header, a number of the different RFID tags, a length of the unique data for each of the different RFID tags, and the common data, to combine the header with each unique data for each of the different RFID tags, and to write the combination to an identification (ID) memory of the RFID tag for the container.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the manifest management further comprises computer usable program code enabled to direct the RFID data acquisition application to scan different RFID tags affixed to different objects placed within in the container, and also the RFID tag affixed to the container, to determine both common data for all of the different RFID tags affixed to the different objects placed within the container, and unique data for each of the different RFID tags affixed to the different objects placed within the container, to extract common data from the RFID tag affixed to the container and also a sequence of unique data from the RFID tag affixed to the container, and to compare the unique data for each of the different RFID tags affixed to the different objects placed within the container to the unique data extracted from the RFID tag affixed to the container to confirm a manifest defined by the RFID tag affixed to the container.

5. A computer program product comprising a

computer usable storage medium storing computer executable program code for manifest integrity management, the computer program product comprising:

computer executable program code for scanning different radio frequency identification (RFID) tags affixed to different objects for placement in a container;

computer executable program code for determining both common data for all of the different RFID tags, and unique data for each of the different RFID tags; and

,

computer executable program code for encoding an RFID tag for the container with an entry for the common data for the different RFID tags, and each unique data for each of the different RFID tags, wherein the computer executable program code for encoding the RFID tag for the container with the entry for the common data for the different RFID tags, and each unique data for each of the different RFID tags, comprises;

computer executable program code for creating a header for the RFID tag for the container comprising a length of the header, a number of the different RFID tags, a length of the unique data for each of the different RFID tags, and the common data;

computer executable program code for combining the header with each unique data for each of the different RFID tags; and

,

computer executable program code for writing the combination to an identification (ID) memory of the RFID tag for the container.

6. The computer program product of claim 5,

further comprising:

computer executable program code for scanning different RFID tags affixed to different objects placed within in the container, and also the RFID tag affixed to the container;

computer executable program code for determining both common data for all of the different RFID tags affixed to the different objects placed within the container, and unique data for each of the different RFID tags affixed to the different objects placed within the container;

computer executable program code for extracting common data from the RFID tag affixed to the container and also a sequence of unique data from the RFID tag affixed to the container; and

,

computer executable program code for comparing the unique data for each of the different RFID tags affixed to the different objects placed within the container to the unique data extracted from the RFID tag affixed to the container to confirm a manifest defined by the RFID tag affixed to the container.