Gateway radio frequency identification tag system

• US 7,902,985 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2007
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rice, Christopher, Killian, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/999,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20090146812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.4, 340/572.1, 3405722-5723, 3405725-5729, 340/568.1, 340/539.1, 340/10.1, 340/505, 340/5.92, 340/539.13, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs

Abstract

The specification describes a new architecture for RFID systems that is adapted to process large numbers of RFID tags and provide information about a large number of items. The system provides for multiple tag readers. The tag readers are active and have both transmit and receive capability. The system includes a gateway tag that receives information about individual items from the multiple readers and thus contains data on the entire inventory of items. This allows each of the multiple readers to conveniently access data for the entire inventory of items.

Claims

1. A method for radio frequency identification tracking comprising:

transmitting a radio frequency identification signal between a first radio frequency identification reader and a first group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

receiving at the first radio frequency identification reader a first data from the first group of passive radio frequency identification tags in response to the transmitting the radio frequency identification signal between the first radio frequency identification reader and the first group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

transmitting the first data from the first radio frequency identification reader to a gateway radio frequency identification tag, wherein the gateway radio frequency identification tag comprises an integrated circuit chip, a radio frequency transmitter, a radio frequency receiver, a power supply, and a radio frequency antenna,

receiving and storing the first data at the gateway radio frequency identification tag,

transmitting a radio frequency identification signal between a second radio frequency identification reader and a second group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

receiving at the second radio frequency identification reader a second data from the second group of passive radio frequency identification tags in response to the transmitting the radio frequency identification signal between the second radio frequency identification reader and the second group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

transmitting the second data from the second radio frequency identification reader to the gateway radio frequency identification tag,

receiving and storing the second data at the gateway radio frequency identification tag,

transmitting to the gateway radio frequency identification tag a query from the first radio frequency identification reader requesting the second data,

receiving the query at the gateway radio frequency identification tag, and

transmitting the second data from the gateway radio frequency identification tag to the first radio frequency identification reader in response to the receiving the query.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data and the second data are transmitted from the gateway radio frequency identification tag to a central database.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first data and the second data are transmitted from the gateway radio frequency identification tag to the central database via a wireless network.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the first data and the second data are transmitted from the gateway radio frequency identification tag to the central database via a wired network.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data is transmitted from the first group of passive radio frequency identification tags to the first radio frequency identification reader at a first radio frequency and the first data is transmitted from the first radio frequency identification reader to the gateway radio frequency identification tag at a second radio frequency.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the query is transmitted at the second radio frequency.

7. A radio frequency identification tracking system comprising:

a first group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

a gateway radio frequency identification tag,

a first radio frequency identification reader having;

a radio frequency transmitter for transmitting radio frequency signals to the first group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

a radio frequency receiver for receiving tag data from the first group of passive radio frequency identification tags in response to the radio frequency transmitter transmitting the radio frequency signals to the first group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

wherein the radio frequency transmitter is for transmitting the tag data from the first group of passive radio frequency identification tags to the gateway radio frequency identification tag, and for transmitting queries from the first radio frequency identification reader to the gateway radio frequency identification tag,

a second group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

a second radio frequency identification reader having;

a second radio frequency transmitter for transmitting radio frequency signals to the second group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

a second radio frequency receiver for receiving tag data from the second group of passive radio frequency identification tags in response to the second radio frequency transmitter transmitting the radio frequency signals to the second group of passive radio frequency identification tags,

wherein the second radio frequency transmitter is for transmitting the tag data from the second group of passive radio frequency identification tags to the gateway radio frequency identification tag, and for transmitting queries from the second radio frequency identification reader to the gateway radio frequency identification tag,

the gateway radio frequency identification tag having;

a third radio frequency receiver for receiving tag data and queries from the first radio frequency identification reader and the second radio frequency identification reader,

a memory for storing tag data from the first radio frequency identification reader and the second radio frequency identification reader,

a third radio frequency transmitter for transmitting to the first radio frequency identification reader, in response to a query from the first radio frequency identification reader, the tag data received from the second radio frequency identification reader, and transmitting to the second radio frequency identification reader, in response to a query from the second radio frequency identification reader, the tag data received from the first radio frequency identification reader,

an integrated circuit chip,

a power supply, and

a radio frequency antenna.

8. The system of claim 7 further including a central database connected to the gateway radio frequency identification tag via a network.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the network is a wireless network.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the network is a wired network.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the radio frequency transmitter for transmitting the radio frequency signals to the first group of passive radio frequency identification tags operates at a first radio frequency and the radio frequency transmitter for transmitting the first data from the first radio frequency identification reader to the gateway radio frequency identification tag and for transmitting queries from the first radio frequency identification reader to the gateway radio frequency identification tag operates at a second radio frequency.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the radio frequency transmitter for transmitting the query operates at the second radio frequency.