RFID tag filtering and monitoring

• US 7,432,811 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2006
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Charles A. Eldering
• Inventors: Eldering, Charles A., Kuzma, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/387,316
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2414 using inductive tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2482 EAS methods, e.g. description of flow chart of the detection procedure

Abstract

A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system that tracks tags in real-time based on EPC codes and on other priority codes written into transponder memory fields of the tags. As an example, a priority code may be written into a memory of an RFID transponder identifying a high-value item or a small high-value item that is likely to be stolen. Based on the use of this priority code, those items can be preferentially tracked as opposed to items of low value or size such that they are unlikely to be stolen. Such use of priority codes and local filtering alleviates the need to go back to large centralized databases associating unique numbers with other parameters and potentially the history of the item.

Claims

1. A method for initiating actions in response to identifiers obtained from RFID tags, the method comprising:

(a) providing at least one parameter from a database to at least one RFID reader, wherein the at least one parameter is represented by a range and wherein said at least one parameter is a priority code;

(b) obtaining, with said at least one RFID reader, at least one identifier from at least one RFID tag;

(c) comparing said at least one parameter to said at least one identifier;

(d) determining, based at least partially on said comparing, whether said at least one identifier corresponds to at least one item of interest; and

(e) initiating at least one action, based at least partially on the time of said obtaining, and at least partially in response to a determination in step (d) that said at least one identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(f) reporting to said database said at least one item of interest.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(f) repeating steps (b), (c), and (d) until a determination is made that said at least one identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one parameter is based at least partially on creating prioritization groups based on EPC codes, wherein said prioritization groups identify said at least one action to be initiated.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of step (d) is based at least partially on the time of said obtaining.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of step (d) is based at least partially on the location of said at least one RFID reader.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one action is initiated by said database.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one action is initiated by said at least one RFID reader.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the initiating of step (e) is based at least partially on the location of said at least on RFID reader.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one action comprises sending a notification.

11. An article of manufacture for performing a method for initiating actions in response to identifiers obtained from RFID tags, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

(a) providing at least one parameter from a database to at least one RFID reader, wherein the at least one parameter is represented by a range;

(b) obtaining, with said at least one RFID reader, at least one identifier from at least one RFID tag;

(c) comparing said at least one parameter to said at least one identifier;

(d) determining, based at least partially on said comparing, whether said at least one identifier corresponds to at least one item of interest; and

(e) initiating at least one action, at least partially in response to a determination in step (d) that said at least one identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest, wherein the initiating of step (e) is based at least partially on the location of said at least one RFID reader.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11 further comprising:

(f) reporting to said database said at least one item of interest.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

(f) repeating steps (b), (c), and (d) until a determination is made that said at least one identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest.

14. A system for initiating actions in response to identifiers obtained from RFID tags, comprising:

(a) a database for providing at least one parameter and initiating at least one action based at least partially on a determination that at least one identifier corresponds to at least one item of interest, wherein the at least one parameter is represented by a range; and

(b) at least one RFID reader for obtaining said at least one identifier from at least one RFID tag and determining whether said at least one identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest, wherein said determining is based at least partially on comparing said at least one parameter to said at least one identifier and wherein the initiating of at least one action is based at least partially on the location of the at least one RFID reader.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said at least one RFID reader reports said at least one item of interest to said database.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein said at least one RFID tag reader continues said obtaining and said comparing until said determination that said at least one identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest.

17. A method for initiating actions in response to identifiers obtained from RFID tags, the method comprising:

(a) providing at least one parameter from a database to at least one RFID reader;

(b) obtaining, with said at least one RFID reader, at least one identifier from at least one RFID tag;

(c) comparing said at least one parameter to said at least one identifier;

(d) determining, based at least partially on said comparing, whether said at least one identifier corresponds to at least one item of interest, wherein the determining is based at least partially on the location of said at least one RFID reader; and

(e) initiating at least one action, at least partially in response to a determination in step (d) that said at least on identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest.

18. A method for initiating actions in response to identifiers obtained from RFID tags, the method comprising:

(a) providing at least one parameter from a database to at least one RFID reader, wherein the at least one parameter is represented by a range;

(b) obtaining, with said at least one RFID reader, at least one identifier from at least one RFID tag;

(c) comparing said at least one parameter to said at least one identifier;

(d) determining, based at least partially on said comparing, whether said at least one identifier corresponds to at least one item of interest, wherein the determining of step is based at least partially on the time of said obtaining; and

(e) initiating at least one action, at least partially in response to a determination in step (d) that said at least on identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest.

19. A method for initiating actions in response to identifiers obtained from RFID tags, the method comprising:

(a) providing at least one parameter from a database to at least one RFID reader, wherein the at least one parameter is represented by a range;

(b) obtaining, with said at least one RFID reader, at least one identifier from at least one RFID tag;

(c) comparing said at least one parameter to said at least one identifier;

(d) determining, based at least partially on said comparing, whether said at least one identifier corresponds to at least one item of interest, wherein the determining is based at least partially on the location of said at least one RFID reader; and

(e) initiating at least one action, at least partially in response to a determination in step (d) that said at least on identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest.

20. A method for initiating actions in response to identifiers obtained from RFID tags, the method comprising:

(a) providing at least one parameter from a database to at least one RFID reader, wherein the at least one parameter is represented by a range;

(b) obtaining, with said at least one RFID reader, at least one identifier from at least one RFID tag;

(c) comparing said at least one parameter to said at least one identifier;

(d) determining, based at least partially on said comparing, whether said at least one identifier corresponds to at least one item of interest; and

(e) initiating at least one action, at least partially in response to a determination in step (d) that said at least on identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest, wherein the initiating is based at least partially on the time of said obtaining.

21. A method for initiating actions in response to identifiers obtained from RFID tags, the method comprising:

(a) providing at least one parameter from a database to at least one RFID reader, wherein the at least one parameter is represented by a range;

(b) obtaining, with said at least one RFID reader, at least one identifier from at least one RFID tag;

(c) comparing said at least one parameter to said at least one identifier;

(d) determining, based at least partially on said comparing, whether said at least one identifier corresponds to at least one item of interest; and

(e) initiating at least one action, at least partially in response to a determination in step (d) that said at least on identifier corresponds to said at least one item of interest, wherein the initiating is based at least partially on the location of said at least one RFID reader.