Stacked tire RFID reader system and method

• US 8,963,688 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Original Assignee: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• Inventors: Fenkanyn, John Michael, Batcho, Joseph Paul Sr., Orosa, Mario Vincent, Flowers, Jennifer Kaye
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): MORTELL, JOHN F
• Application Number:
  US13/589,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20140049375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07764 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier attachable to a tire tire temperature or pressur control arrangements, see B60C23/00

Abstract

A product management system and method for reading electronic identification tags from a vertical stack of tires. Each tire has an electronic identification tag secured at a position to operative to electronically transmit data to an antenna element positioned internally within a toroidal opening of each tire in the stack. An elongate read wand is positioned in a substantially vertical orientation within the aligned toroidal openings of the tires. The antenna element is carried by the read wand and is thus positioned by the read wand to receive an electronic transmission from each electronic identification tag in the aligned tire stack. The read wand may be ceiling-mounted, floor mounted, or hand held.

Claims

1. A toroidal product management system for reading an electronic identification tag, comprising:

a plurality of toroidal manufactured products individually aligned within a moveable vertical stack, each manufactured product having the electronic identification tag secured to the manufactured product, the identification tag positioned to operatively electronically transmit data to an antenna element positioned within a toroidal opening of the manufactured product;

a read station positioned to accept the moveable vertical stack therein,

an elongate read wand positioned within the read station in a substantially vertical orientation, the read wand sized lengthwise to operatively simultaneously extend into the toroidal opening of each manufactured product within the read station;

the antenna element being secured to the read wand and positioned by the read wand within the toroidal openings at a location operative to receive an electronic transmission from the electronic identification tag of each manufactured product within the vertical stack.

2. The toroidal product management system according to claim 1, wherein the electronic identification tag comprises an RFID identification tag.

3. The toroidal product management system according to claim 1, wherein further comprising an electronic reader coupled to receive the electronic transmission from the antenna element.

4. The toroidal product management system according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element selectively moves in and out of the toroidal opening.

5. The toroidal product management system according to claim 4, wherein the read wand and antenna element have a complementarily elongate configuration of a length sufficient to extend from a top manufactured product to a bottom manufactured product within the vertical stack, whereby substantially ensuring establishment of a proximal reading relationship between the antenna element and the electronic identification tags with the antenna element located in a fixed reading position within the toroidal openings of the plurality of manufactured products within the vertical stack.

6. The toroidal product management system according to claim 5, wherein the read wand comprises:

an elongate carrier body having a longitudinal axis, the antenna element being secured to the carrier body; and

the read wand further comprising electrical conductors coupled to the antenna element.

7. The toroidal product management system according to claim 6, wherein the longitudinal axis of the elongate read wand carrier body is positioned in a substantially vertical orientation within the read station by alternative positioning fixtures, the positioning fixtures taken from a group consisting:

(A) an overhead fixture suspending the carrier body lengthwise into the read station;

(B) a floor-mounted fixture supporting the carrier body to extend lengthwise upward from a floor surface into the read station; and

(C) a handheld handle means operative to enable a user to carry the carrier body in and out of the toroidal opening by hand.

8. The toroidal product management system according to claim 7, wherein the read wand carrier body is alternatively configured from a group consisting:

(A) a flexible strip in which the antenna element is at least partially embedded; and

(B) an elongate substantially rigid body supporting the antenna element.

9. A method of managing toroidal product identification by reading an electronic identification tag, comprising:

attaching an electronic identification tag to each of a plurality of toroidal products at a position operative to electronically transmit data to an antenna element, the toroidal products each having a toroidal opening therethrough;

stacking the plurality of toroidal products into a vertical stack aligning the toroidal openings of the toroidal products;

positioning a read station to accept the vertical stack of toroidal products therein;

positioning an elongate read wand within the read station, the read wand having an antenna element secured thereto to receive an electronic transmission from the electronic identification tags of the plurality of toroidal products;

positioning the read wand within the toroidal openings of the toroidal products within the vertical stack, the read wand having a lengthwise dimension extending from an uppermost toroidal product within the vertical stack to a lowermost product within the vertical stack; and

placing the antenna element of the read wand into a reading proximity with the identification tags of the stacked toroidal products, with the antenna element located in a fixed reading position within the toroidal openings of the plurality of toroidal products within the vertical stack.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising moving the antenna element selectively in and out of the fixed reading position within the toroidal openings of the vertical stack by means of the read wand.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising moving the stacked toroidal products to receive the read wand into the toroidal openings of the stacked toroidal products.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising aligning the toroidal openings of the stacked toroidal products over the read wand;

and lowering the toroidal products over the read wand to place the read wand within the toroidal openings of the stacked toroidal products.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising aligning the aligned toroidal openings of the stacked toroidal products beneath the read wand;

and raising the stack of toroidal products to place the read wand within the aligned toroidal openings of the toroidal products.