RFID drive management facility

• US 8,988,223 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Original Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Inventors: Puleston, David, Butler, Timothy P., Berrios, Javier, Beckhardt, Steve, Hamlin, Robert W., Moore, Larry, Mats, Leonid
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US13/671,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3225 of memory devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• 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 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: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• 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

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for managing RFID tags, where an RFID tag and associated RFID tag data are presented to a computing device through an RFID drive management facility as a seamless extension of a logical file system within the computing device such that the RFID tag and associated RFID tag data can be managed in a manner that is consistent with other items within the file system.

Claims

1. A method of managing RFID tags, comprising:

presenting an RFID tag and associated RFID tag data to a computing device through an RFID drive management facility as an extension of a logical file system within the computing device such that the RFID tag and associated RFID tag data can be managed in a manner that is consistent with management of other items within the logical file system,

wherein the RFID tag comprises an RF network node, where the RF network node comprises;

(i) an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RDID interrogation signal,

(ii) a data processing and controller block for digital information processing,

(iii) a memory store, and

(iv) a power management block for managing power requirements of the RFID tag.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is provided as a file system element accessible within the logical file system available to the computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the logical file system element is at least one of a drive, folder, network share, and uniform resource locator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein an identity of the RFID tag is changeable by changing a name of the at least one of the drive, folder, network share, and uniform resource locator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is at least one of a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computing device, and a smart phone.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising editing the RFID tag data on the computing device and transferring an edited RFID tag data to the RFID tag.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the editing allows an application to read and write data to and from RFID tags through the logical file system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring the RFID tag data from the computing device to at least one of a server-based cloud storage facility and a local area network storage facility, wherein the RFID tag data is made available to a second computing device via a cloud or local area network.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag data is stored on the RFID tag in one-time programmable (OTP) memory.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the OTP memory is configured as emulated multiple-time programmable (eMTP) memory.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID drive management facility provides a mapping of an RFID data format to a computer file format.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the RFID drive management facility simultaneously provides mapping of an RFID data format to a plurality of computer file formats.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID drive management facility identifies an RFID tag data format and assigns a converter to translate between a file format within the computing device and a data format within the RFID tag.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID drive management facility provides a data format within the RFID tag for the RFID tag to convert between a RFID tag data format and a data format of the computing device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein control functionality for the RFID drive management facility is accessed from at least one of a control and status icon within a user desktop.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID drive management facility is managed by network management software.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising an RFID interrogator interfaced to the RFID drive management facility via a dedicated connection.

18. A method of managing RFID tags, comprising:

providing an RFID drive management facility on a computer system, the computer system communicating with an RFID tag and having a logical file system, wherein the RFID drive management facility presents the RFID tag as an extension of the logical file system, and wherein the RFID drive management facility provides the ability to manage data on the RFID tag in the logical file system,

wherein the RFID tag comprises an RF network node, where the RF network node comprises;

(v) an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RFID interrogation signal,

(vi) a data processing and controller block for digital information processing,

(vii) a memory store, and

(viii) a power management block for managing power requirements of the RFID tag.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the communication is provided wirelessly through an RFID interrogator device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the communication is provided across a network to an RFID interrogator device that wirelessly communicates with the RFID tag.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the RFID tag is provided as a file system element accessible within the logical file system available to the computer system.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving of data is provided wirelessly through an RFID interrogator device.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving of data is provided across a network to an RFID interrogator device that wirelessly communicates with the RFID tag.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the RFID tag is provided as a file system element accessible within the logical file system available to the computer system.

25. A computer implemented system of managing RFID tags, comprising:

an RFID tag comprising an RF network node, where the RF network node comprises;

(i) an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RFID interrogation signal,

(ii) a data processing and controller block for digital information processing,

(iii) a memory store, and

(iv) a power management block for managing power requirements of the RFID tag; and

a memory comprising instructions,

wherein a processor receiving data from the RFID tag and that, upon executing the instruction, performs the steps of;

providing a RFID drive management facility on the computer system, the computer system having a logical file system;

presenting the RFID tag as an extension of the logical file system; and

providing the ability to manage data on the RFID tag in the logical file system.