Portable data tag reader device, system and method for identifying a location of a data tag using a read zone and location of the reader

• US 8,884,744 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Bellows, David E., Wulff, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghayour, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUSHING, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US13/339,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20130169415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 367/99, 235/385
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• 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

Abstract

A portable data tag method, device and system for identifying a location of a data tag. The method comprises reading the data tag by a portable data tag reader device; determining, by a processor in operative communication with the reader device, a location of the portable data tag reader device; determining, by the processor, a read zone of the portable data tag reader device, relative to the location of the portable data tag reader device; and determining, by the processor, the location of the data tag using the location of the portable data tag reader device and the read zone of the portable data tag reader device.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a location of a data tag, the method comprising:

reading the data tag by a data tag reader module of a portable data tag reader device that includes operatively coupled components comprising an ultrasonic transducer, the data tag reader module, an orientation module, a data transmission interface, a reader device processor, and a memory;

determining, by the reader device processor, a read zone of the portable data tag reader device relative to the portable data tag reader device at least in part using data from the orientation module;

transmitting, by the reader device processor and the data transmission interface, characteristics of the read zone;

receiving the characteristics of the read zone from the portable data tag reader device on a data reception interface of a server operatively coupled to the portable data tag reader device, wherein the server includes operatively coupled components comprising an ultrasonic module operatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer of the portable data tag reader device, the data reception interface, a server processor, and a memory;

determining, by the server processor, the location of the portable data tag reader device at least in part using the ultrasonic module; and

determining, by the server processor, the location of the data tag using the location of the portable data tag reader device and the read zone of the portable data tag reader device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the server processor operatively communicates with the portable data tag reader device using a communication system independent of a communication system used by the portable data tag reader to read the data tag, and wherein the independent communication system includes at least one of ultrasonic signaling or image based tracking technology.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the read zone of the portable data tag reader device is determined at least in part using an orientation of the portable data tag reader device, the orientation obtained by the processor using the independent communication system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an orientation of the portable data tag reader device is determined using at least one of a gyroscope, a camera, a compass and an accelerometer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data tag is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and the portable data tag reader device comprises a portable RFID reader device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the read zone of the portable RFID reader device is determined at least in part using an antenna or sensor pattern.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the read zone of the portable RFID reader device has an adjustable zoom.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data tag is a barcode or image and the portable data tag reader device comprises an optical sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading the data tag by the portable data tag reader device at a second location;

determining, by the processor, the second location of the portable data tag reader device;

identifying, by the processor, a second location of the data tag using the second location of the portable data tag reader device and the read zone of the portable data tag reader device; and

refining, by the processor, the location of the data tag using the second location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the portable data tag reader device is absolute or relative to another entity.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting, on a data interface, the location of the data tag.

12. A portable data tag reader device for identifying a location of a data tag, the portable data tag reader device comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer;

a data tag reader module;

an orientation module;

a data transmission interface;

a reader device processor operatively coupled to the data tag reader module, the orientation module and the data transmission interface; and

a memory operatively coupled to the reader device processor, wherein the memory includes computer readable program code components for;

reading the data tag by the data tag reader module;

determining a read zone of the portable data tag reader device relative to the portable data tag reader device at least in part using data from the orientation module; and

transmitting characteristics of the read zone on the data transmission interface to a data reception interface of a server operatively coupled to the portable data tag reader device, wherein the server includes operatively coupled components comprising an ultrasonic module operatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer of the portable data tag reader device, the data reception interface, a server processor, and a memory, the server processor operable for;

determining, using the read zone characteristics, a location of the portable data tag reader device at least in part using the ultrasonic module; and

determining the location of the data tag using the location of the portable data tag reader device and the read zone of the portable data tag reader device.

13. The portable data tag reader device of claim 12, wherein the portable data tag reader device includes a communication module operable using a second communication system independent from a first communication system to send the read zone characteristics defining a read zone of the portable data tag reader device relative to the server processor, wherein the second communication system includes at least one of an ultrasonic identification module or imaging system, for determining the location of the portable data tag reader device.

14. The portable data tag reader device of claim 13, further including at least one of a gyroscope, a camera, a compass and an accelerometer for determining an orientation of the data tag reader device, wherein the read zone of the portable data tag reader is determined using the orientation of the portable data tag reader, the orientation obtained by the processor using the second communication system.

15. The portable data tag reader device of claim 12, wherein the data tag reader module comprises:

an RFID transceiver; and

an RFID antenna operatively coupled to the RFID transceiver.

16. The portable data tag reader device of claim 12, wherein the data tag reader module comprises an optical sensor.

17. The portable data tag reader device of claim 12, further comprising computer readable program code components for:

reading the data tag a second time;

determining a second location of the portable data tag reader device based upon the reading of the data tag the second time;

identifying a second location of the data tag using the second location of the portable data tag reader device and the read zone of the portable data tag reader device; and

refining the location of the data tag using the second location.

18. The portable data tag reader device of claim 12, wherein the location of the portable data tag reader device is absolute or relative to another entity.

19. The portable data tag reader device of claim 12, further comprising a data output interface, for presenting the location of the data tag.

20. A system for identifying a location of a data tag, the system comprising:

a portable data tag reader device, the portable data tag reader device comprising;

an ultrasonic transducer;

a data tag reader module;

an orientation module;

a data transmission interface;

a reader device processor operatively coupled to the data tag reader module, the orientation module and the data transmission interface; and

a memory operatively coupled to the reader device processor, wherein the memory includes computer readable program code components for;

reading the data tag by the data tag reader module;

determining a read zone of the portable data tag reader device relative to the portable data tag reader device at least in part using data from the orientation module; and

transmitting characteristics of the read zone on the data transmission interface; and

a server operatively coupled to the portable data tag reader device, the server comprising;

an ultrasonic module operatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer of the portable data tag reader device;

a data reception interface;

a server processor operatively coupled to the ultrasonic module and the data reception interface; and

a memory operatively coupled to the server processor, wherein the memory includes computer readable program code components for;

receiving the characteristics of the read zone from the portable data tag reader device on the data reception interface;

determining the location of the portable data tag reader device at least in part using the ultrasonic module; and

determining the location of the data tag by using the location of the portable data tag reader device and the read zone of the portable data tag reader device.