Computer with RFID interrogator

• US 8,643,474 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2008
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Inventors: Tuttle, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barakat, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/115,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20090273448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.3, 340/10.6, 340/10, 705 144- 1473
• US Class Current: 340/10.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for a computer with a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader. A system includes a processor, a store of codes representing goods and services cross-referenced to supplemental information, a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator, an input/output tag (IO), and a memory including a process that matches a received code from the RFID interrogator to a code in the store of codes and to display supplemental information of a good or service on the IO tag.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator programmed to interrogate an RFID tag affixed to an article and receive an electronic product code in response to the interrogation, wherein the electronic product code is uniquely associated with the article; and

a memory including an operating system (OS) and a network browser,

wherein content is displayed by the network browser prior to interrogation by the RFID interrogator,

wherein the article is identified by performing an electronic product code lookup and, following identification of the article, the content displayed by the network browser is automatically scanned to determine if the article is related to the content being displayed, and

wherein, only when the article is related to the content being displayed by the network browser, the network browser accesses supplemental information associated with the electronic product code and prepares the supplemental information for display.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information is displayed to a user through the network browser.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information is displayed on one or more remote display units.

4. A method comprising:

displaying content by using a network browser; and

in a computer system, receiving an electronic product code in response to an interrogation of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag by an RFID reader, wherein the electronic product code is uniquely associated with an object to which the RFID tag is attached,

navigating to a network location identified by the electronic product code using a network browser;

accessing supplemental information from the network location, and

preparing the supplemental information for display,

wherein the object is identified by performing an electronic product code lookup and, following identification of the object, the content displayed by the network browser is automatically scanned to determine if the object is related to the content being displayed, and

wherein accessing and preparing the supplemental information is performed only when the object is related to the content being displayed by the network browser.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the supplemental information is displayed to a user on a user interface.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the supplemental information is displayed on one of more remote user interfaces.