Object tracking method and system using tags

• US 7,397,376 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Brignone, Cyril, Pradhan, Salil, Jam, Mehrban
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US11/265,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20070096907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/505, 340/506, 340/10.1, 705/28, 705/7, 235/376, 342/450, 342/451, 342/463
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method and system of tracking documents uses tags and a workflow. Initially, a workflow is developed for each document or type of documents using a state diagram. The workflow specifies a subset of one or more destinations that the document is allowed to travel and a sequence for this travel. A tag is associated with each document to enable tracking of the document as it passes the one or more readers in the various destinations. These tag readers in turn report back position information on the document to assist in locating the document. A comparison between the state diagram for the workflow and the position information gathered from the tag readers determines if the document is outside the desired workflow. An alert is generated when the document is outside the workflow and not being processed as intended.

Claims

1. A method of tracking an object, comprising:

developing a state diagram corresponding to a desired workflow of an object to a subset of one or more destinations;

associating one or more tags with an object to enable tracking the position of the object;

obtaining position information of the object as it passes in the proximity of one or more tag readers located nearby the one or more destinations; and

determining if the position of the object is outside the desired workflow according to the state diagram.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating an alert indicating that the object may be outside the desired workflow according to the determination and the state diagram.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein generating the alert further includes making an entry in a database record to indicate the time, date and transaction associated with the alert.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein generating the alert further comprises:

determining if a minimum threshold of alerts has occurred between a particular tag and reader combination;

omitting, when the minimum threshold of alerts has been met, the position information obtained from the particular tag and reader combination deemed to be not operating properly; and

indicating that the position of the object is considered within a desired workflow when the position information from the particular tag and reader combination is omitted.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

indicating that the desired workflow cannot be ensured as a result of the particular tag and reader combination deemed to be not operating properly.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein an object includes one or more objects selected from a set of objects including:

a document, a manufactured product, forensic evidence, equipment, medicines and hazardous wastes.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

indicating that the object has passed at least one destination in the subset of one or more destinations from the workflow and in accordance with the state diagram; and

transitioning in the state diagram according to the at least one destination passed.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein transitioning in the state diagram further depends on performing one or more actions associated with a transition between states in the state diagram.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the subset of one or more destinations is selected from a set of destinations including a building, a workroom having multiple desks, an office having an individual desk, an individual desk within a room and a file cabinet within a room.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the state diagram used for the desired workflow identifies one or more destinations combined with one or more actions to take place at the one or more destinations.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the one or more destinations include a doctor'"'"'s office and the one or more actions includes a medical procedure in view of the information in the object.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the one or more destinations include an attorney'"'"'s office and the one or more actions includes providing legal analysis in view of the information in the object.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more tag readers includes a local tag reader capable of detecting an object having a tag within an area generally associated with a particular person.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more tag readers further includes an area tag reader capable of detecting an object having a tag within an area associated with one or more people.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the local tag reader operates at a lower frequency and has a smaller coverage for detecting the position of the object compared with the area tag reader that operates at a higher frequency and has a larger coverage for detecting the position of the object.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more tags includes a first tag responsive to a lower frequency and a second tag responsive to a higher frequency.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the object is outside the desired workflow when an expected position for the object identified in the state diagram is different from the position for the object obtained by way of the one or more tag readers.

18. A system for tracking objects, comprising:

an object associated with a tag capable of being detected by one or more tag readers;

a processor capable of processing instructions;

a memory capable of holding instructions when executed on the processor that obtain position information of the object as it passes in the proximity of one or more tag readers located nearby one or more destinations, determines if the position of the object is outside a desired workflow according to a state diagram and generates an alert indicating that the object may be outside the desired workflow according to the determination and the state diagram.

19. An apparatus for tracking objects, comprising:

means for developing a state diagram corresponding to a desired workflow of an object to a subset of one or more destinations;

means for associating a tag with an object to enable tracking of the object;

means for obtaining position information of the object as it passes in the proximity of one or more tag readers located nearby the one or more destinations;

means for determining if the position of the object is outside the desired workflow according to the state diagram; and

means for generating an alert indicating that the object may be outside the desired workflow according to the determination and the state diagram.

20. A location detecting apparatus comprising:

a first reader operating at a higher frequency and capable of detecting an object having a first tag responsive to the higher frequency in a larger coverage;

a second reader operating at a lower frequency and capable of detecting an object having a second tag responsive to the lower frequency in a smaller coverage; and

a logic circuit that determines a position of the object by comparing the coverage of the first reader with the coverage of the second reader.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising:

an object having a first tag responsive to the higher frequency from the first tag reader and a second tag responsive to the lower frequency from the second tag reader.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the higher frequency includes ultra-high frequencies (UHF) in a range of 900 MHz and higher.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the lower frequency includes high frequencies (HF) at approximately 13.5 MHz.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the object is selected from a set of objects including:

general documents, medical records, legal documents and legal evidence used in a trial.

25. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the object includes one or more objects selected from a set of objects including:

a document, a manufactured product, forensic evidence, equipment, medicines and hazardous wastes.