Wireless transceiver for communicating with tags

• US 6,400,272 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2000
• Issued: 06/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Presto Technologies, Inc. (Air Liquide SA)
• Original Assignee: Presto Technologies, Inc. (Air Liquide SA)
• Inventors: Mock, Jeff, Holtzman, Henry N.
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/539,768
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.2, 340/572.3, 340/572.4, 340/551, 361/56
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• 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 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00

Abstract

In general, in one aspect, the invention features a system and method for communicating with a RFID tag. The method includes receiving a signal from a RFID tag, and identifying the tag type from the RFID tag signal. In another aspect, the invention features a system and method for communicating tag receiver to a computer, and transmitting a receiver identifier from the tag information. The method includes transmitting tag information from a tag receiver to a computer.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with a RFID tag, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting an excitation signal to the RFID tag;

receiving a signal comprising RFID tag information from the RFID tag;

identifying the RFID tag type from the received signal;

sending a request for additional data to the RFID tag based on the identified tag type.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of parsing the received signal responsive to the identified tag type.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving information stored in the tag in response to the request additional data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving information stored in the tag in response to the request for additional data comprises:

receiving a second signal comprising information stored in the RFID tag from the RFID tag; and

identifying further the RFID tag type from the second signal;

parsing the second signal responsive to the further identified tag type to obtain the information stored in the RFID tag.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of communicating the received information to a computer.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of communicating a RFID tag reader identifier that uniquely identifies a RFID tag reader to the computer.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the method steps are performed by an RFID reader, and wherein the computer comprises a network node in communication with the RFID reader and a data network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the network node comprises a personal computer and the data network comprises the Internet.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag information comprises a RFID tag identifier.

7. A method for communicating RFID tag information, comprising:

illuminating by an RFID tag reader an RFID tag;

receiving a signal comprising tag information from the RFID tag;

transmitting the received tag information from the RFID tag reader to a network node in communication with a data network;

transmitting from the RFID tag reader to the network node a RFID tag reader identifier that uniquely identifies the RFID tag reader.

20. The method of claim 7 wherein the network node comprises a personal computer and the data network comprises the Internet.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of communicating, by the network node, the received tag information and the RFID tag reader identifier over the Internet to another network node.

8. An RFID tag reader system for communicating with a RFID tag, comprising:

an RFID tag exciter for transmitting an excitation signal to an RFID tag;

a receiver for receiving a signal comprising RFID tag information from a RFID tag;

an identification module for identifying the RFID tag type from the RFID tag signal; and

an RFID tag transmitter for transmitting a request for additional data to the RFID tag based on the RFID tag type.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the receiver is also for receiving a response from the RFID tag to the data request to the RFID tag for additional data, and for parsing the response from the RFID tag based on the tag type.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the receiver receives information stored in the tag in response to the request for additional data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the transmitter communicates a receiver identifier that uniquely identifies a RFID tag reader to the computer.

22. The method of claim 8 wherein the RFID tag information comprises a RFID tag identifier.

11. The system of claimed 10 further comprising a transmitter for communicating the received information to a computer.

23. The system of claim 11 wherein the computer comprises a network node in communication with a data network.

13. A RFID tag reader system for communicating RFID tag information, comprising:

an RFID tag exciter for transmitting an excitation signal to an RFID tag;

a RFID tag information receiver for receiving RFID tag information from a RFID tag in response to the excitation signal;

a RFID tag reader identifier that uniquely identifies a RFID tag reader; and

a transmitter for transmitting the RFID tag information and the RFID tag reader identifier from the RFID tag reader to a computer over a communication link between the RFID tag reader and the computer.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer is in communication with a data network, and wherein the computer receives the tag information and the reader identifier from the transmitter and communicates the tag information and the reader identifier over the data network.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the computer is a personal computer and the data network is the Internet.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the RFID tag information receiver is for requesting and receiving additional data from the RFID tag responsive to the RFID tag type.