Automatic data collection device, method and article

• US 8,002,173 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2007
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Ackley, Sprague, Hunt, Jeffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M
• Application Number:
  US11/775,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20080011822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/385, 235/435, 235/440, 235/449, 235/454, 235/462.01, 235/462.13, 380/255, 380/270, 380/282
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A first machine-readable data carrier comprises an embedded command to control communication with a second machine-readable data carrier. An automatic data collection system is configured to extract the embedded command from the first machine-readable data carrier and to execute the command with respect to the second machine-readable data carrier.

Claims

1. A method of operating an automatic data collection system, comprising:

encoding a command in an out-of-channel message of a first machine readable data carrier;

extracting the command encoded in the first machine-readable data carrier;

associating the command with a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier identified by data encoded in the first machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting information related to the second machine-readable data carrier from the first machine-readable data carrier.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the command comprises a write command.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein extracting a command encoded in a first machine-readable data carrier includes extracting a command encoded in one of a machine-readable symbol or an RFID device, and associating the command with a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier includes associating the command with the other one of the machine-readable symbol or the RFID device.

5. A method of operating an automatic data collection system, comprising:

extracting a command encoded in a first machine-readable data carrier, wherein extracting the command comprises reading a machine-readable symbol;

associating the command with a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier identified by data encoded in the first machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein extracting the command comprises interpreting an extended-channel portion of the machine-readable symbol.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein extracting the command comprises interpreting a character in the extended-channel portion of the machine-readable symbol.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein extracting the command comprises interpreting a character in the machine-readable symbol.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the machine-readable symbol is a bar code.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein the command comprises a write command.

11. A method of operating an automatic data collection system, comprising:

extracting a command encoded in a first machine-readable data carrier;

extracting information related to a second machine-readable data carrier from the first machine-readable data carrier;

associating the command with a data payload of the second machine-readable data carrier identified by data encoded in the first machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command, wherein,

the command comprises a read command;

the information includes a radio-frequency identification device identifier;

associating the command with the data payload of the second machine-readable data carrier comprises activating a reader to identify a radio-frequency identification device associated with the radio-frequency identification device identifier; and

executing the command comprises reading the data payload of the identified radio-frequency identification device.

12. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 11, further comprising:

encoding the command in an out-of-channel message of the first data carrier.

13. A method of operating an automatic data collection system, comprising:

extracting a command encoded in a first machine-readable data carrier;

extracting information related to a second machine-readable data carrier from the first machine-readable data carrier;

associating the command with a data payload of the second machine-readable data carrier identified by data encoded in the first machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command, wherein,

the command comprises a private/public keyed write command;

the information includes a public key; and

executing the command comprises;

retrieving a private key; and

writing data to the data payload of the second machine-readable data carrier.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising encoding the command in an out-of-channel portion of the first machine-readable data carrier.

15. A method of operating an automatic data collection system, comprising:

extracting a command encoded in a first machine-readable data carrier;

associating the command with a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier identified by data encoded in the first machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command, wherein the command comprises a retrieve a private key command.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising encoding the command in an out-of-channel message of the first data carrier.

17. A first machine-readable data carrier, comprising:

a machine-readable data payload;

an embedded command to control communication with a second machine-readable data carrier; and

an extended-channel portion, wherein the command is embedded in a character in the extended-channel portion.

18. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 17 wherein the extended-channel portion comprises a different character identifying the second machine-readable data carrier.

19. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 17 wherein the embedded command is a read command.

20. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 17 wherein the embedded command is a write command.

21. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 17 wherein the machine-readable data payload specifies an identity of the second machine-readable data carrier.

22. A method of operating an automatic data collection system, comprising:

extracting a command encoded in a first machine-readable data carrier;

associating the command with a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier identified by data encoded in the first machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command, wherein executing the command comprises forwarding the command to a radio-frequency interrogator.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

encoding the command in an out-of-channel message of the first data carrier.

24. A first machine-readable data carrier, comprising:

a machine-readable data payload; and

an embedded command to control communication with a second machine-readable data carrier, wherein a format of the first machine-readable data carrier comprises a machine-readable symbol format.

25. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 24 wherein the format is a bar code format.

26. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 24 wherein the command is embedded in the machine-readable data payload of the first machine-readable data carrier.

27. The first machine-readable data carrier of claim 24, further comprising:

a memory, wherein the machine-readable data payload of the first machine-readable data carrier is stored in the memory.

28. A first machine-readable data carrier, comprising:

a machine-readable data payload; and

an embedded command to control communication with a second machine-readable data carrier, wherein the embedded command comprises a retrieve a private key command.

29. An automatic data collection system, comprising:

means for extracting from a first machine-readable data carrier a command to control communication with a second machine-readable data carrier wherein the means for extracting comprises a symbol reader; and

means for executing the extracted command with respect to the second machine-readable data carrier which second readable data carrier is identified by data encoded in a data payload of the first machine-readable data carrier communicatively coupled to the means for extracting the command.

30. The automatic data collection system of claim 29, further comprising:

means for embedding the command in the first machine-readable data carrier.

31. The automatic data collection system of claim 29 wherein the symbol reader is a bar code reader.

32. The automatic data collection system of claim 29 wherein the means for executing comprises a radio-frequency interrogator communicatively coupled to the symbol reader.

33. The automatic data collection system of claim 29 wherein the means for extracting comprises a radio-frequency interrogator.

34. An automatic data collection system, comprising:

means for extracting from a first machine-readable data carrier a command to control communication with a second machine-readable data carrier; and

means for executing the extracted command with respect to the second machine-readable data carrier which second readable data carrier is identified by data encoded in a data payload of the first machine-readable data carrier communicatively coupled to the means for extracting the command, wherein the means for executing comprises a symbol reader.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium that stores instructions for causing a processor to operate an automatic data collection system by,

extracting a command encoded in an out-of-channel portion of a first machine-readable data carrier;

associating the command with a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier identified by data encoded in the first machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 35 wherein the instructions cause the processor to extract information identifying the second machine-readable data carrier from the first machine-readable data carrier.

37. A method of tracking an object, comprising:

storing, in a first machine-readable data carrier, a command related to a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier, wherein storing the command comprises printing a bar code symbol; and

storing, in the second machine-readable data carrier, a first message related to the object.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

storing, in the first machine-readable data carrier, a second message related to the object.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein storing the first message comprises programming a radio-frequency identification device.

40. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

storing, in the first machine-readable data carrier, additional information related to the command.

41. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

extracting the command from the first machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein executing the command comprises reading the first message.

43. A method of tracking an object, comprising:

storing, in a first machine-readable data carrier, a command related to a data payload of a second machine-readable data carrier, wherein storing the command comprises storing the command in an out-of-channel portion of the first machine-readable data carrier; and

storing, in the second machine-readable data carrier, a first message related to the object.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein storing the command further comprises programming a radio-frequency identification device.

45. A method of operating an automatic data collection system, comprising:

extracting a command encoded in a machine-readable data carrier, wherein the command comprises a kill command

associating the command with a data payload of the machine-readable data carrier; and

executing the command.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the machine-readable data carrier is a radio-frequency identification device.