Tracking radio frequency indentification tags

• US 20070152823A1
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: OrganicID, Inc. (Weyerhauser)
• Inventors: Lee, David, Hirahara, Edwin
• Granted Patent: US 7,579,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• 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: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00

Abstract

A container assembly for tracking a radio frequency identification tag (20) generally includes at least one container (22), an RFID tag (24) associated with the container, and an RFID signal transmitter (26) associated with the radio frequency identification tag. The RFID signal transmitter is capable of transmitting an RFID response signal (1044). The assembly further includes a tracking signal transmitter (28) associated with the RFID signal transmitter. The tracking signal transmitter is capable of transmitting a tracking signal (1046), and the tracking signal is different at least in part from the RFID signal.

Claims

1. A container assembly for tracking a radio frequency identification tag, comprising:

(a) a container having a container body;

(b) a first radio frequency identification tag associated with the container body;

(c) a first radio frequency signal transmitter associated with the first radio frequency identification tag, wherein the first radio frequency signal transmitter is capable of transmitting a first radio frequency signal; and

(d) a second radio frequency signal transmitter associated with the first radio frequency signal transmitter, wherein the second radio frequency signal transmitter is capable of transmitting a second radio frequency signal different at least in part from the first radio frequency signal.

2. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second radio frequency signals carry different data.

3. The container assembly of claim 2, wherein the first radio frequency signal carries identification data and the second radio frequency signal carries tracking data.

4. The container assembly of claim 3, wherein the tracking data is one-bit present/absent data.

5. The container assembly of claim 3, wherein the tracking data is counted and compared to the identification data.

6. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second radio frequency signals transmit at different frequencies.

7. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second radio frequency signals transmit at different signal strengths.

8. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein the second radio frequency signal transmitter is integrated with the first radio frequency signal transmitter in the first radio frequency identification tag.

9. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein the second radio frequency signal transmitter is integrated in a second radio frequency identification tag.

10. A method of tracking a radio frequency identification tag, comprising:

(a) obtaining a container having a container body;

(b) associating a first radio frequency identification tag with the container body;

(c) associating a first radio frequency signal transmitter with the first radio frequency identification tag, wherein the first radio frequency signal transmitter is capable of transmitting a first radio frequency signal; and

(d) associating a second radio frequency signal transmitter with the first radio frequency signal transmitter, wherein the second radio frequency signal transmitter is capable of transmitting a second radio frequency signal different at least in part from the first radio frequency signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first radio frequency signal carries identification data and the second radio frequency signal carries tracking data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the tracking data is one-bit present data.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising counting the tracking data and comparing the tracking data with the identification data.

14. In a container apparatus of the type having at least one radio frequency signal transmitter that transmits a first radio frequency signal associated with the container and a second radio frequency signal associated with the container, and a radio frequency reader that transmits a radio frequency interrogation signal, a method of determining the accuracy of the readability of the first radio frequency signal by the radio frequency reader, comprising:

(a) receiving the interrogation signal transmitted from the reader at the at least one radio frequency signal transmitter; and

(b) transmitting the second radio frequency signal at the at least one radio frequency signal transmitter.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one radio frequency signal transmitter is a first radio frequency signal transmitter and a second radio frequency signal transmitter.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first radio frequency signal carries identification data and the second radio frequency signal carries tracking data.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising counting the tracking data and comparing the tracking data with the identification data.