Method and apparatus for locating and tracking documents and other objects

• US 6,127,928 A
• Filed: 07/26/1999
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: E-Tag Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: E-Tag Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Issacman, Marvin, McGreivy, Denis
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/361,636
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/568.1, 340/825.35, 340/825.49, 340/825.54
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/006 Automatic identification systems for animals, e.g. electronic devices, transponders for animals identification systems for access to feeding pens A01K1/0209; ear tags with electronic identification means A01K11/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

An apparatus and method are described for a radio frequency document control system that enables the location of documents, such as office files, to be automatically and rapidly identified. A host transceiver, controlled via a PC, transmits a coded RF signal, at a first frequency, to individually addressable, low cost, local exciters/transceivers located on shelves and/or in drawers. The local exciters, which may be sequentially addressed, retransmit the coded RF signal at a second frequency via an antenna. A passive radio frequency identification tag, containing the same code as that transmitted by the local exciter and attached to a document, such as a file folder, when in the vicinity of the antenna of the local exciter, is energized by the RF field and modulates the second frequency signal from the local exciter. The second frequency signal modulated by the energized tag is then directly received by the host transceiver. A PC, coupled to the host transceiver, enables the system to automatically and rapidly identify, down to a specific shelf or drawer, the location of tagged documents in an office environment.

Claims

1. A method for locating a particular object among a plurality of objects, each of the objects having a tag affixed thereto, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a first signal from one or more host transceivers to one or more exciters;

transmitting a second signal from the one or more exciters to the plurality of objects, wherein the second signal is received and modulated by the tag affixed to the particular object;

receiving the modulated second signal with one of the one or more host transceivers, wherein the location of the particular object is determined; and

coupling a computer to the one or more host transceivers, wherein the computer receives and sends data from and to the one or more host transceivers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of communicating data indicative of the location of the particular object to a computer, wherein the computer displays the location and characteristics of the particular object.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

storing data indicative of characteristics of the objects into a database accessed by the computer; and

storing identification codes for each of the tags into a database accessed by the computer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein data indicative of user access to the database is stored in the database, wherein data indicative of user queries for particular objects are stored in the database, wherein data is retained in the database such that it may be determined which users queried for particular objects.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

sequentially addressing the exciters to determine the location of each of the objects;

storing data indicative of the location of each of the objects in the database accessed by the computer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein an inventory of the objects is produced.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at a first time a first inventory of the objects is produced, wherein at a second time a second inventory of the objects is produced.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

comparing the first inventory and the second inventory;

generating a list of objects in either the first inventory or the second inventory but not the second inventory or the first inventory.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

sequentially addressing the exciters to determine the location of a second particular one of the objects;

storing data indicative of the location of the second particular one of the objects if a modulated second signal from the second particular one of the objects is received by the host transceiver; and

indicating a lost-object condition if all of the exciters are sequentially addressed and the modulated second signal from the second particular one of the objects is not received by the host transceiver.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein a list of lost objects is produced based on the inventory and data in the database.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of comparing the list of lost objects with data indicative of user queries for particular objects.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of generating a list of user(s) who have queried for lost objects.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the data indicative of characteristics of the objects are generated by optically scanning the objects.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

sequentially addressing the exciters to determine the location of each of the objects;

storing data indicative of the location of each of the objects in the database accessed by the computer.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein an inventory of the objects is produced.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein at a first time a first inventory of the objects is produced, wherein at a second time a second inventory of the objects is produced.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

comparing the first inventory and the second inventory;

generating a list of objects in either the first inventory or the second inventory but not the second inventory or the first inventory.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein a first exciter is coupled to the host transceiver, wherein the first exciter excites one or more of the tags and reads identification data from one or more of the tags.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein a first exciter coupled to the host transceiver, wherein the first exciter programs data into one or more of the tags.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise documents.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the method locates a particular document in an office or other document storage area.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise files, wherein the method locates a particular file in an office.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the office includes at least one area in which the objects are stored, wherein the one area has an entry through a user must pass to enter into or exit from the one area, wherein one or more independent, stand alone readers are coupled to the computer and are positioned in proximity to the entry, wherein a reader interrogates one or more of the tags and reads identification data from one or more of the tags as a user passes through the entry.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the reader also interrogates a tag that identifies the user passing through the entry.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a computer coupled to an independent reader or readers records which users passed through the entry and which objects passed through the entry with each user.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the computer accesses a database storing data indicative of the objects, wherein the database stores data indicative of the objects and which users removed or returned the objects from or to the area.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer is programmed so as to control the apparatus to perform a search cycle, wherein the particular object is located, wherein data representing the location of the particular object is stored by the computer.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise files or documents.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein tags are affixed in a peripheral portion of the files or documents.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein tags are affixed on a tab protruding from the files or documents.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein tags are affixed to a region of the file or document that is within a distance of one half of a wavelength of the second signal from an edge of the file or document, wherein the second signal is of a second frequency.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are stored in a container.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the container includes an aperture through which the second signal may pass.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the container comprises a filing cabinet.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the host transceiver incorporates a diversity antenna to maximize the reception of the signal generated by the excited tag.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein a frequency transmitted by the exciter is adjusted over a range to achieve frequency diversity and to improve the reception of the signal generated by the excited tag.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein a frequency transmitted by the exciter is monotonically related to a power supply voltage to enable monitoring of the condition of a battery supply power to the exciter.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the host transceiver autocorrelates the modulated signal from the excited tag, wherein the signal to noise ratio of the modulated signal from the tag is improved.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal is transmitted from the one or more host transceivers to the one or more exciters via a radio link.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal is transmitted from the one or more host transceivers to the one or more exciters via a hardware link.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal is transmitted from the one or more host transceivers to the one or more exciters via a hardware serial link.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more exciters comprise local exciters or desktop exciters.

43. A business environment in which a particular object may be located, comprising:

at least one area having a plurality of containers for storing a plurality of objects;

one or more host transceivers, wherein each host transceiver comprises a transmitter and a receiver;

one or more exciters, wherein at least one exciter is positioned within each of the containers, and wherein the one or more exciters receive a first signal from one of the one or more host transceivers, and, in response to the first signal, the one or more exciters selectively transmit a second signal to tags affixed to one or more of the objects, wherein the tag affixed to the particular object is excited by the second signal, wherein the excited tag selectively modulates the second signal and one or more of the host transceivers directly receives the signal modulated by the excited tag; and

a computer coupled to the host transceiver, wherein the computer receives and sends data from and to the one or more host transceivers, wherein the computer displays information indicative of the container containing the particular object.

44. The environment of claim 43, wherein the one or more exciters are coupled to one or more antennas positioned within the containers.

45. The environment of claim 43, wherein the one or more exciters comprise a microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller switches the one or more exciters between a low power stand-by mode and a normal reception mode.

46. The environment of claim 45, wherein the microcontroller includes a non-volatile memory, and wherein the microcontroller periodically wakes up from the low power stand-by mode.

47. The environment of claim 43, further comprising an optical reader for reading optical information from the one or more objects, wherein data corresponding to an identification code on the tag affixed to the particular object is stored in a database accessed by the computer, and wherein data corresponding to optical information read from the particular object is stored in the database.

48. The environment of claim 43, wherein the objects comprise documents.

49. The environment of claim 48, wherein a particular document is located in an office.

50. The environment of claim 43, wherein the objects comprise files, wherein a particular file is located in an office.

51. The environment of claim 43, wherein the computer is programmed so as to control the apparatus to perform a search cycle, wherein the particular object is located, wherein data representing the location of the particular object is stored by the computer.

52. The environment of claim 43, wherein the containers include an aperture through which the second signal may pass.

53. The environment of claim 43, wherein the containers comprise filing cabinets.

54. The environment of claim 53, wherein at least some of the filing cabinets are positioned around a centrally located host transceiver.

55. The environment of claim 43, wherein the host transceiver incorporates a diversity antenna to maximize the reception of the signal generated by the excited tag.

56. The environment of claim 43, wherein a frequency transmitted by the exciter is adjusted over a range to achieve frequency diversity and to improve the reception of the signal generated by the excited tag.

57. The environment of claim 43, wherein a frequency transmitted by the exciter is monotonically related to a power supply voltage to enable monitoring of the condition of a battery supply power to the exciter.

58. The environment of claim 43, wherein the host transceiver autocorrelates the modulated signal from the excited tag, wherein the signal to noise ratio of the modulated signal from the tag is improved.

59. The environment of claim 43, wherein the first signal is transmitted from the one or more host transceivers to the one or more exciters via a radio link.

60. The environment of claim 43, wherein the first signal is transmitted from the one or more host transceivers to the one or more exciters via a hardware link.

61. The environment of claim 43, wherein the first signal is transmitted from the one or more host transceivers to the one or more exciters via a hardware serial link.

62. The environment of claim 43, wherein the one or more exciters comprise local exciters or desktop exciters.