Method and system for the automated management of objects provided with RFID tags

• US 9,105,024 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IER Inc.
• Original Assignee: IER Inc.
• Inventors: Gentelet, Franck, Bouveresse, Jean-Clement
• Primary Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US13/822,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 705 3- 44, 235380-385
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• 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 7/10128 the step consisting of detection of the presence of one or more record carriers in the vicinity of the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/00 Alarm indicators, e.g. bells
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00

Abstract

An automated method is provided for managing objects each provided with an RFID tag having at least one item of identification data associated with the object, the method including a step of reading at least one item of identification data stored in at least one RFID tag arranged on at least one object positioned at the reading site, and further including a deactivation of at least one RFID tag the item of identification data of which has been read so that it is not detected during a fraud detection step.

A system implementing such a method is also provided.

Claims

1. An automated method for managing objects each provided with a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag comprising at least one item of identification data associated with said object, said method comprising the following steps performed by a computing device:

a step of reading, using an RFID reader, at least one item of identification data stored in at least one RFID tag arranged on at least one object positioned at a reading site;

a step of deactivation, using the computing device, of at least one RFID tag the item of identification data of which has been read so that it is not detected during a fraud detection step;

a step of calculation, using the computing device, of an item of data relating to all of the tags read by the RFID reader; and

a step of automated payment, using the computing device, according to said item of data relating to all of the tags read by the RFID reader,

wherein the deactivation step and the calculation step are carried out after the same single reading step using the at least one item of identification data.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of detection of the presence of at least one object at the reading site.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deactivation of at least one RFID tag is a functional deactivation.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of detection of at least one RFID tag the item of identification data of which has not been read.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the detection of at least one RFID tag the item of identification data of which has not been read comprises:

a step of interrogation of RFID tags and a step of detection of the emission of data by an active RFID tag following the interrogation, or

a step of reading an item of data of the tag relating to deactivation.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the reading step is a first reading step, the detection comprises:

a second step of reading at least one item of identification data of the active RFID tag, and

a step for determining whether the tag has been read during the first reading step, according to data relating to the tags, previously stored, in particular following the first reading step.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the detection step, in particular the determination step, comprises a comparison of an item of identification data of the active RFID tag with identification data previously read during the first reading step, said method comprising a step of storage of the identification data read during the first reading step.

8. The method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of activating a notice function when an unread RFID tag is detected.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of, for at least one item of identification data read during the first reading step, consulting at least one item of data associated with said item of identification data stored in a database.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of implementing for the automated payment for coffee capsules provided with RFID tags.

15. The method according to claim 3, wherein the functional deactivation is performed by sending a kill type request to the at least one RFID tag.

16. The method according to claim 3, wherein the functional deactivation is performed by allocating a bit in the at least one RFID tag.

17. The method according to claim 3, wherein the functional deactivation is performed by writing an item of data in a flag in the at least one RFID tag.

11. A computing device for the automated management of objects each provided with a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag comprising an item of identification data associated with said object, said computing device comprising:

a first RFID reader, for reading at least one item of identification data stored in at least one RFID tag arranged on at least one object positioned at a reading site;

means arranged for deactivating at least one RFID tag the item of identification data of which has been read;

means for determining at least one item of data relating to all of the tags read by the first RFID reader; and

automated payment means,

wherein the deactivating means and determining means are executed after the same single reading performed by the first RFID reader using the at least one item of identification data.

12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising means for detecting the presence of at least one object at a predetermined reading site.

13. The device according to claim 11, further comprising means for consulting, in a database, at least one item of data associated with at least one read item of identification data.

14. The device according to claim 11, further comprising means for utilizing the automated payment of object provided with RFID tags.