Radio frequency identification tray systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10839170-B2
Application number	US-201916575066-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2019
Priority date	Sep 19, 2016
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) tray for use with a cloud application platform is described. A cloud application, operatively coupled to the RFID tray via the cloud application platform, issues a command to the RFID tray. The issued command is received by an embedded agent of the RFID tray. Based on the received command, the RFID tray performs an RFID scan of one or more RFID-tagged items placed on or in the RFID tray, and the embedded agent sends the tag information from the one or more RFID-tagged items to a cloud application of the cloud network that tracks an inventory of the RFID-tagged items.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) system, comprising.
a plurality of RFID-enabled trays; and
a cloud network operatively coupled to the plurality of RFID-enabled trays,
wherein each RFID-enabled tray is configured to:
detect a first RFID tag when a first item having the first RFID tag is placed on or in the RFID-enabled tray;
send information of the first RFID tag to a cloud application of the cloud network that tracks and manages inventory of RFID-tagged items;
not detect a second RFID tag when a second item having the second RFID tag is not placed on the RFID-enabled tray;
detect the second RFID tag when the second item is placed on the tray; and
send information of the second RFID tag to the cloud application.

2. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray automatically monitors inventory on the RFID tray at all times.

3. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray monitors inventory on the RFID tray non-continuously.

4. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein the cloud application is configured to:
track the first and second items; and
generate a request to resupply the items if a number of detected RFID tags at a given RFID-enabled tray goes below a threshold.

5. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray is further configured to receive an instruction from the cloud network to change an RFID read sensitivity.

6. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray is further configured to receive an instruction from the cloud network to change an RFID power level.

7. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray is further configured to receive an instruction from the cloud network to change at least one of an RFID frequency or RFID frequency range.

8. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray comprises a plurality of RFID antennas.

9. The RFID system of claim 8 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray is further configured to receive an instruction setting a number of the plurality of RFID antennas to use.

10. The RFID system of claim 8 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray is further configured to receive an instruction setting a scan order of the plurality of RFID antennas to use.

11. The RFID system of claim 8 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray is further configured to receive an instruction setting which one or ones of the plurality of RFID antennas to use.

12. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein the cloud network is operatively coupled to the plurality of RFID-enabled trays through an application programming interface of the cloud network.

13. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray further comprises a location-determining component.

14. The RFID system of claim 13 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray is configured to transmit location information to the application.

15. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray further includes a sensor configured to detect when the RFID-tagged items are placed on the given RFID-enabled tray.

16. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray periodically sends tag information to the cloud application.

17. The RFID system of claim 16 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray periodically sends tag information to the cloud application without receiving a request or command from the cloud application.

18. The RFID system of claim 1 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray sends tag information to the cloud application according to a schedule.

19. The RFID system of claim 18 , wherein each RFID-enabled tray sends tag information to the cloud application according to a schedule without receiving a request or command from the cloud application.

Assignees

• Promega Corp

Inventors

• Sehmer Mark
• Kuehl John

Classifications

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• G06F11/3013

  where the computing system is an embedded system, i.e. a combination of hardware and software dedicated to perform a certain function in mobile devices, printers, automotive or aircraft systems (testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof G05B23/02) · CPC title

• G06K7/10009 Primary

  sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves · CPC title

• G06F11/3006

  where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems (multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50) · CPC title