Methods and systems of a multiple radio frequency network node RFID tag

• US 8,279,065 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2007
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Original Assignee: TEGO LLC
• Inventors: Butler, Timothy P., Berrios, Javier, Beckhardt, Steve, Hamlin, Robert W., Moore, Larry, Puleston, David, Mats, Leonid
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahase, Pameshanand
• Application Number:
  US11/926,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,801 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.2, 340/10.1, 340/10.3
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 19/00 Alarms responsive to two or more different undesired or abnormal conditions, e.g. burglary and fire, abnormal temperature and abnormal rate of flow
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tag that contains multiple Radio Frequency (RF) network nodes that may include memory storage for the RFID tag, the memory storage may include one time programmable (OTP) memory and many time programmable (MTP) memory and the storage of the information may be within the OTP and MTP memory.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the RFID tag containing a plurality of RF network nodes on a single substrate wherein each of the plurality of RF network nodes includes an RF and analog block for receiving and transmitting an RFID reader signal, a memory, a data processing and controller block for digital information processing, and a power management block for managing power requirements of the RF network node;

interconnecting the plurality of RF network nodes into a network topology with a communication bus to enable data communication between the plurality of RF network nodes to provide a coordinated storage facility formed from the memory of each of the plurality of RF network nodes, wherein the memory includes one time programmable (OTP) memory for storing information;

communicating information stored in the coordinated storage facility in response to an interrogation of the RFID tag from an RFID reader; and

coordinating the operation of the plurality of RF network nodes with a master RF network node coupled to the communication bus.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicated information includes information stored in two or more of the memory stores.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the communicated information includes information stored across all of the memory stores of the plurality of RF network nodes.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the coordinated storage facility includes expanded memory.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the coordinated storage facility includes redundant memory.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the coordinated storage facility includes distributed memory.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the coordinated storage facility includes public memory.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the coordinated storage facility includes private memory.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the coordinated storage facility includes encrypted memory.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the master RF network node includes one of the plurality of RF network nodes on the single substrate.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing logical signals to one or more of the plurality of RF network nodes, the logical signals indicating a power-related state of one or more functional blocks in the one or more RF network nodes.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the power-related state includes at least one of a power readiness condition, and power-too low condition.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising sharing power between nodes in the plurality of RF network nodes.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the master RF network node causes power to be shared between the nodes in the plurality of RF network nodes.