RFID ionosphere

• US 8,223,018 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mineral Lassen LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: National Networks Limited LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Fein, Gene, Merritt, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US12/495,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/10.4, 340/5.61, 340/5.9, 340/5.91, 340/5.92, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 235/375, 235/376, 235/383, 235/385, 705/1, 705/10, 705/21
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method, system, and apparatus are disclosed wherein an RFID transponder response signal is coupled with a data file as an identifier. The RFID transponder response signal is used in its raw, or a digitized version of its raw, state.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a composite file on a hand-held device, wherein the composite file comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) number and a data file;

identifying, by the hand-held device, a user selection of a purchase request associated with the data file, wherein the data file comprises a description of the purchase request; and

transmitting the composite file from the hand-held device to a vendor associated with the purchase request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response on the hand-held device indicating that the purchase request was received by the vendor, wherein the response comprises the composite file and a confirmation of receipt of the purchase request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the confirmation of receipt comprises a stock keeping unit (SKU) associated with the RFID number.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting the response from the hand-held device to a point of sale device; and

receiving at the hand-held device payment information associated with the purchase request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the payment information comprises confirmation of payment sent to the vendor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite file is received by the hand-held device from a remote registry server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the composite file is included in a library of items available for purchase from the vendor, and wherein the library of items is received by the hand-held device.

8. A hand-held apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a library of items available for purchase, wherein each of the items is associated with a data file;

means for identifying a user selection of one of the items; and

means for wirelessly transmitting a composite file to a vendor of the items, wherein the composite file comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) number associated with the one item and the data file, and wherein the data file comprises a description of the one item.

9. The hand-held apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for combining the RFID number with the data file prior to transmitting the composite file.

10. The hand-held apparatus of claim 8, wherein the library of items comprises a unique RFID number associated with each of the items.

11. The hand-held apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

means for comparing the RFID number with the library of items to identify the unique RFID number associated with the one item.

12. The hand-held apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for reading the RFID number from a RFID tag; and

means for displaying the description of the one item.

13. The hand-held apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving confirmation of receipt of the composite file from the vendor, wherein the confirmation of receipt comprises the composite file and payment information.

14. The hand-held apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for wirelessly transmitting the confirmation of receipt to a point of sales device.

15. A memory device having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at the processing device, a library of items available for purchase, wherein each of the items is associated with a data file;

identifying a user selection of one of the items; and

wirelessly transmitting a composite file from the processing device to a vendor of the items, wherein the composite file comprises a radio frequency identification (RFID) number associated with the one item and the data file, and wherein the data file comprises a description of the one item.

16. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

querying the vendor with at least a portion of the composite file to determine an availability of the one item.

17. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the RFID number and the description are combined by the vendor.

18. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the library of items comprises descriptions of the items, and wherein each of the items is associated with a unique RFID number.

19. The memory device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

comparing the RFID number with the library of items to identify the unique RFID number associated with the one item.

20. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

combining the RFID number and the description at the processing device.