METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RFID COMMUNICATION

• US 20080061936A1
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Psion PLC (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Psion Teklogix (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: PARK, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,944,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• 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 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas

Abstract

A method and system for RFID communication is provided. The system includes a first RFID reader and an RFID read-write tag uniquely assigned to the first RFID reader. The RFID read-write tag receives information from RFID readers other than the first RFID reader and provides the information to the first RFID reader.

Claims

1. A system for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) communication, comprising:

a first RFID reader;

an RFID read-write tag uniquely assigned to the first RFID reader, the RFID read-write tag including;

an RF communication module for communicating with one or more than one second RFID reader using RF signals; and

tag circuitry for providing information received through the RF communication module to the first RFID reader through a circuit link.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first RFID reader includes reader circuitry for RFID read operations on tags including the RFID read-write tag, and wherein the RFID read-write tag is integrated into the reader circuitry.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the RFID read-write tag includes a memory, and wherein the reader circuitry cooperates with the RFID read-write tag to read the information from the memory.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first RFID reader and the second RFID reader communicate with the RFID read-write tag in dependence upon an identification uniquely assigned to the RFID read-write tag.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information provided by the second RFID reader through the RFID read-write tag includes information for a time dependent application or a control decision.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information provided by the second RFID reader through the RFID read-write tag includes information on configuration of the first RFID reader, a device communicating with the first RFID reader, or a combination thereof.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first RFID reader includes power supply for providing power to the first RFID reader and the RFID read-write tag.

8. A system for RFID communication, comprising:

a first RFID reader;

an RFID read-write tag uniquely assigned to the first RFID reader, the RFID read-write tag including;

an RF communication module for communicating with one or more than one second RFID reader and the first RFID reader using RF signals; and

tag circuitry for providing information received from the second RFID reader through the RF communication module to the first RFID reader through the RF communication module.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first RFID reader includes reader circuitry for RFID read operations on tags including the RFID read-write tag, and wherein the reader circuitry cooperates with the RFID read-write tag to read the information from a memory of the RFID read-write tag.

10. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first RFID reader communicates with the RFID read-write tag in dependence upon an identification uniquely assigned to the RFID read-write tag.

11. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the information provided by the second RFID reader through the RFID read-write tag includes information for a time dependent application or a control decision.

12. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the information provided by the second RFID reader through the RFID read-write tag includes information on configuration of the first RFID reader, a device communicating with the first RFID reader, or a combination thereof.

13. A method for RFID communication with a first RFID reader having an RFID read-write tag uniquely assigned to the first RFID reader, the method comprising:

at the RFID read-write tag, including the steps of;

providing an identification of the RFID read-write tag to a second RFID reader;

receiving information from the second RFID reader;

indicating to the first RFID reader that the RFID read-write tag has received the information; and

providing the information from the second RFID reader to the first RFID reader.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the step of:

at the RFID read-write tag, receiving a ping from the second RFID reader, the step of providing an identification being executed after the ping from the second RFID reader is received.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the step of:

at the RFID read-write tag, receiving a ping from the first RFID reader, the step of indicating being executed after the ping from the first RFID reader is received.

16. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprises the step of:

at the first RFID reader or a device communicating with the first RFID reader, processing the information read from the RFID read-write tag for a time dependent application or a control decision.

17. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the information provided by the second RFID reader through the RFID read-write tag includes information on configuration of the first RFID reader or a device communicating with the first RFID reader, and wherein the method further comprises the step of:

at the first RFID reader or the device communicating with the first RFID reader, implementing the configuration based on the configuration information provided by the second RFID reader.