Automatic self-learning RFID reader configurator

• US 9,460,326 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2013
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Nicholaus Adam, Bourlon, Jarrod Lee, Stiefel, Thomas Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US13/862,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10227 loading programming parameters or programs into the interrogator, e.g. for configuring the interrogator

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a computer-implemented method of managing inventory performed by a processor includes receiving in a digital or analog format, from a first computing device, a first request for first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag data associated with a first plurality of RFID tags and receiving in a digital or analog format, from a second computing device, a second request for second RFID tag data associated with a second plurality of RFID tags. In response to the first request and the second request, the method further includes automatically selecting a selected one of a first interrogation mode and a second interrogation mode based on the first request and the second request, and automatically transmitting configuration information to an RFID reader to operate in the selected interrogation mode.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing inventory, comprising:

receiving at a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configurator in a digital or analog format, from a first computing device, a first request for first RFID tag data associated with a first plurality of RFID tags;

receiving at the RFID reader configurator in a digital or analog format, from a second computing device, a second request for second RFID tag data associated with a second plurality of RFID tags;

in response to receiving the first request and the second request, automatically selecting, by a programmable processor of the RFID reader configurator, a selected one of a first interrogation mode and a second interrogation mode for each of a plurality of RFID readers based on the first request and the second request; and

automatically transmitting configuration information from the RFID reader configurator to the each of the plurality of RFID readers to operate in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode to concurrently acquire at least a portion of the first RFID tag data associated with the first plurality of RFID tags and at least a portion of the second RFID tag data associated with the second plurality of RFID tags.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of RFID tags includes a portion of the first plurality of RFID tags, and wherein the second RFID tag data includes a portion of the first RFID tag data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode causes the RFID reader to read the first RFID tag data and the second RFID tag data using the fewest number of RFID tag read operations.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode causes the RFID reader to read the first RFID tag data and the second RFID tag data in the least amount of time.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first RFID tag data from the first plurality of RFID tags via the RFID reader while the RFID reader is operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode;

receiving the second RFID tag data from the second plurality of RFID tags via the RFID reader while the RFID reader is operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode;

transmitting the first RFID tag data to the first computing device; and

transmitting the second RFID tag data to the second computing device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode is automatically selected when the first request and the second request each include a request to receive RFID tag data via the RFID reader from a common subset of the plurality of RFID tags.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the common subset of the plurality of RFID tags includes previously read ones of the plurality of RFID tags.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising automatically configuring the RFID reader to operate in one of an Electronic Product Code (EPC) Gen2 standard-compatible session 0, 1, 2 and 3 and/or automatically configuring a pre-selection criterion filter of the RFID reader based on the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the RFID reader is a first RFID reader, the method further comprising automatically transmitting configuration information to a second RFID reader to operate in an interrogation mode different than the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the first RFID tag data from the first plurality of RFID tags via the first RFID reader while the first RFID reader is operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode; and

receiving the second RFID tag data from the second plurality of RFID tags via a second RFID reader while the second RFID reader is operating in the interrogation mode different than the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting the first RFID tag data to the first computing device; and

transmitting the second RFID tag data to the second computing device.

12. An inventory management system comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configurator having a programmable processor; and

the RFID reader configurator having a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

receive at the RFID reader configurator in a digital or analog format, from a first computing device, a first request for first RFID tag data associated with a first plurality of RFID tags;

receive at the RFID reader configurator in a digital or analog format, from a second computing device, a second request for second RFID tag data associated with a second plurality of RFID tags;

in response to receiving the first request and the second request, automatically select a selected one of a first interrogation mode and a second interrogation mode for each of a plurality of RFID readers based on the first request and the second request; and

automatically transmit configuration information from the RFID reader configurator to the each of the plurality of RFID readers to operate in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode to concurrently acquire at least a portion of the first RFID tag data associated with the first plurality of RFID tags and at least a portion of the second RFID tag data associated with the second plurality of RFID tags.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second plurality of RFID tags includes a portion of the first plurality of RFID tags, and wherein the second RFID tag data includes a portion of the first RFID tag data.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode causes the RFID reader to read the first RFID tag data and the second RFID tag data using the fewest number of RFID tag read operations.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode causes the RFID reader to read the first RFID tag data and the second RFID tag data in the least amount of time.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

receive the first RFID tag data from the first plurality of RFID tags via the RFID reader while the RFID reader is operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode;

receive the second RFID tag data from the second plurality of RFID tags via the RFID reader while the RFID reader is operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode;

transmit the first RFID tag data to the first computing device; and

transmit the second RFID tag data to the second computing device.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode is automatically selected when the first request and the second request each include a request to receive RFID tag data via the RFID reader from a common subset of the plurality of RFID tags.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the common subset of the plurality of RFID tags includes previously read ones of the plurality of RFID tags.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to automatically configure the RFID reader to operate in one of an Electronic Product Code (EPC) Gen2 standard-compatible session 0, 1, 2 and 3 and/or automatically configure a pre-selection criterion filter of the RFID reader based on the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to:

receive in a digital or analog format, from a first computing device, a first request for first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag data associated with a first plurality of RFID tags;

receive in a digital or analog format, from a second computing device, a second request for second RFID tag data associated with a second plurality of RFID tags;

in response to receiving the first request and the second request, automatically select a selected one of a first interrogation mode and a second interrogation mode for each of a plurality of RFID readers based on the first request and the second request; and

automatically transmit configuration information to the each of the plurality of RFID readers to operate in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode to concurrently acquire at least a portion of the first RFID tag data associated with the first plurality of RFID tags and at least a portion of the second RFID tag data associated with the second plurality of RFID tags.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode causes the RFID reader to read the first RFID tag data and the second RFID tag data using the fewest number of RFID tag read operations.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, further comprising instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

receive the first RFID tag data from the first plurality of RFID tags via the RFID reader while the RFID reader is operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode;

receive the second RFID tag data from the second plurality of RFID tags via the RFID reader while the RFID reader is operating in the selected one of the first interrogation mode and the second interrogation mode;

transmit the first RFID tag data to the first computing device; and

transmit the second RFID tag data to the second computing device.