TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments generally relate to systems and methods for wireless identification tags for association with products.

BACKGROUND

The ability to transfer data over a network provides many opportunities to enable various electronic devices to connect with other devices and networks, to perform increasingly autonomous operations, and to provide interactive experiences for users. However, conventional systems and methods for providing digital communication may use a certain amount of hardware, energy consumption, costs, and other technical limitations that may prevent them from being implemented with respect to certain products, systems, and industries. Further, there are a multitude of security and privacy concerns related to the transfer of data that may render the implementation of such technologies impractical with respect to certain fields.

Therefore, there is a need for cost-efficient and unconventional approaches that efficiently, effectively, and safely enable the digital self-representation of a wide range of products as well and/or the management such products.

SUMMARY

Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure provide systems and methods generally relating to wireless identification tags for association with products. The disclosed systems and methods may be implemented using a combination of conventional hardware and software as well as specialized hardware and software, such as a machine constructed and/or programmed specifically for performing functions associated with the disclosed method steps. Consistent with other disclosed embodiments, non-transitory computer readable storage media may store program instructions, which are executable by at least one processing device and perform any of the steps and/or methods described herein.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to a wireless identification tag for association with a product to enable product self-identification are disclosed. The embodiments may include a tag including at least one antenna tuned to receive energy transmitted at a first frequency within a frequency band around 900 MHz and at a second frequency within a frequency band around 2.4 GHz. Some embodiments may further include at least one transmitter, configured to send at least one identification signal, and at least one circuit configured to detect whether energy is received in the first frequency or the second frequency, and to cause the at least one transmitter to operate in a first mode to send a first form of identification signal when the first frequency is detected, and to operate in a second mode to cause the at least one transmitter to send a second form of identification signal when the second frequency is detected.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media for a wireless identification tag with a response time that varies as a function of incoming signal frequency are disclosed. Some embodiments may include a wireless identification tag including at least one antenna tuned to receive energy transmitted at a first frequency within a frequency band around 900 MHz and at a second frequency within a frequency band around 2.4 GHz; at least one transmitter; and at least one circuit. The at least one circuit may be configured to detect whether energy is received in the first frequency or the second frequency, and cause the at least one transmitter to transmit an immediate response when the second frequency is detected, and to transmit a delayed response, having a longer delay compared to the immediate response, when the first frequency is detected.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to a wireless identification tag triggerable by an EAS gate while remaining invisible to the EAS gate are disclosed. The embodiments may include a tag having at least one antenna tuned to receive energy transmitted in at least one of a first EAS gate frequency range of about 7-13 MHz or a second EAS gate frequency range of about 58-60 kHz, and configured to be non-detectable by the EAS gate. Some embodiments may further include at least one transmitter configured to send at least one identification signal, and at least one energy storage component, electrically connected to the at least one transmitter, for powering the at least one transmitter. Embodiments may further include at least one circuit connected to the at least one antenna and configured to detect energy transmitted from the EAS gate in at least one of the first EAS gate frequency range or the second EAS gate frequency range, and in response to detecting the energy transmitted from the EAS gate, cause the at least one transmitter to transmit to a receiver other than the EAS gate, the at least one identification signal transmitted in a frequency outside the first EAS gate frequency range and the second EAS gate frequency range.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media for a wireless identification tag configured to harvest ambient energy and transmit an identification signal intermittently are disclosed. The embodiments may include at least one antenna configured to receive ambient energy, at least one energy storage component, electrically connected to the at least one antenna, configured to aggregate and store the received ambient energy, at least one transmitter electrically connected to the at least one energy storage component, configured to transmit the identification signal, and at least one circuit connected to the at least one transmitter and configured to implement an identification transmission rule, to cause the transmitter to delay sending the identification signal even when sufficient energy for the identification signal is aggregated and stored in the energy storage component.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media for a wireless identification tag configured to harvest ambient energy and transmit an identification signal intermittently are disclosed. The embodiments may include at least one transmitter, configured to transmit a first signal to a first receiver in a first frequency and to transmit a second signal to a second receiver in the first frequency. Embodiments may further include at least one energy storage component, electrically connected to the at least one transmitter, for collecting and storing ambient energy and for powering transmission of the at least one transmitter. At least one circuit may be connected to the at least one transmitter and to the at least one energy storage component, for monitoring energy stored in the energy storage component, and to prevent the at least one transmitter from transmitting the first signal to the first receiver in the first frequency when the energy stored in the energy storage component is insufficient to transmit the second signal to the second receiver in the first frequency.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to a wireless identification fraud avoidance system are disclosed. The embodiments may include a system having at least one transmitter configured to transmit a first signal in a first frequency band to a plurality of identification tags, and to thereby cause the plurality of identification tags to transmit second signal in a second frequency band, the second signal indicating whether the first signal was received in the first frequency band. Some embodiments may further include a first receiver configured for location proximate the at least one transmitter to receive transmissions of the second signal from the plurality of identification tags, a second receiver configured to receive a third signal from a tag outside a transmission range of the at least one transmitter, wherein the second receiver is located further from the at least one transmitter than the first receiver, and at least one processor configured to generate a potential fraud alert when the second receiver receives the third signal.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to a fraud avoidance system for use with a wirelessly tagged inventory are disclosed. The embodiments may include a system having at least one processor configured to detect a signal associated with a transmission in an EAS gate frequency, identify the signal as emanating from a location that does not correspond to an EAS gate location; based on the identified emanation location of the signal, determine that a suspected fraudulent event is in progress; and generate an alert of the suspected fraudulent event.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media for a wireless identification tag with varying ID transmission timing are disclosed. The tag may include at least one transmitter; at least one energy storage component, electrically connected to the at least one transmitter and configured to collect and store ambient energy to power transmissions. The tag may additionally include at least one circuit configured to cause the transmitter to transmit a sequence of identification signals in non-uniform intervals such that times between identification signal transmission of three consecutive transmissions vary.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to a wireless identification tag with varying identity are disclosed. A wireless identification tag with varying identity may include at least one transmitter configured to transmit a tag ID. The tag may further include at least one circuit configured to receive a first trigger at a first time, and in response to the first trigger, generate in a quasi-random manner a first decipherable ID uniquely identifying the tag, and cause the at least one transmitter to transmit the first decipherable ID. Additionally, the circuitry may be configured to receive a second trigger at a second time after the first time, and in response to the second trigger, generate in a quasi-random manner a second decipherable ID different from the first decipherable ID and uniquely identifying the tag, and cause the at least one transmitter to transmit the second decipherable ID.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to providing privacy to downstream owners of electronically tagged goods are disclosed. The embodiments may include at least one processor configured to store IDs for a plurality of tags including at least a first owner ID and a second owner ID for a particular tag. At a time when the first owner of the particular tag is recorded as owning the tag, embodiments may associate first information of the particular tag with the first owner ID. Then, a transaction may be recorded transferring ownership of the particular tag from the first owner to a second owner. After the transfer of ownership, second information of the particular tag may be associated with the second owner ID, and the first owner may be prevented from accessing the second information.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to simultaneous triggering and sequential reading of a plurality of tags are disclosed. The embodiments may include a non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions for causing a 2.4 GHz device to simultaneously trigger and sequentially read a plurality of tags. The instructions may include displaying an activatable element on a graphical user interface, the element being configured to activate a 2.4 GHz transmitter. Upon activation of the element, the 2.4 GHz transmitter may be caused to emit one or more signals for causing each of a plurality of tags in a vicinity of the transmitter to send a unique tag ID to a receiver associated with the transmitter. The instructions may further include reading a first group of the plurality of unique tag IDs during a first time interval, wherein the first group excludes a second group of the plurality of unique tag IDs. First information associated with the first group may be read, after which, activation of the 2.4 GHz transmitter may be maintained or may otherwise continue during a second time interval, to cause transmission of at least some of the unique tag IDs of the first group along with the unique tag IDs of the second group. After a receiver reads at least some of the unique tag IDs of the first group along with the unique tag IDs of the second group, information associated with the second group may be recorded.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to an appliance for holding electronically tagged products and for recording an association between the tagged products and the appliance are disclosed. The appliance may include a housing defining a cavity for retaining the electronically tagged products and an exciter, integrated with the housing, the exciter being configured to trigger tags of the electronically tagged products for the tag of each product to transmit a unique tag ID. The appliance may also include a receiver for receiving transmission of each unique tag ID and a communicator for outputting indications of identities of electronically tagged products retained in the cavity.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media for a wireless identification tag configured to collect and store ambient energy for use in delayed transmission are disclosed. The tag may include a receiver for receiving ambient energy; a first capacitor for storing the ambient energy; a second capacitor for collecting and storing the ambient energy, the second capacitor having lower capacitance than the first capacitor; and an inductor interconnecting the first capacitor and the second capacitor. The tag may additionally include circuitry interconnecting the receiver, the first capacitor, and the second capacitor in a manner such that ambient energy received by the receiver is initially stored in the second capacitor, and is subsequently transferred to and stored in the first capacitor. The tag may additionally include at least one transmitter electrically connected to first capacitor, to enable the energy stored in the first capacitor to power the at least one transmitter.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media for providing access to information associated with electronically tagged goods are disclosed. The embodiments may include at least one processor configured to store tag IDs of a plurality of tags and receive a pairing between at least one particular tag ID and a product ID. The embodiments may further receive a pairing between the at least one particular tag ID and at least one authorized entity associated with the at least one particular tag ID. An authorized entity may be associated with at least one of a current owner of a product, a manufacturer of the product, or a user of the product. The at least one processor may further be configured to receive, from a requester, a query to identify at least one of the product ID, the information associated with the at least one particular tag ID, the information associated with the product ID, or the at least one authorized entity, the query including an encrypted tag ID of the particular tag and to decrypt the encrypted tag ID to thereby look up the decrypted tag ID of the particular tag. Embodiments may fulfill the query if the requester is the at least one authorized entity associated with the decrypted tag ID. Otherwise, the query may be denied.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to protection against distribution of counterfeit products are disclosed. The embodiments may include a system having at least one processor configured to store tag IDs of a plurality of electronic tags, wherein at least one specific electronic tag is associated with a specific product. The system may store at least one identity of a first entity, the first entity being associated with at least one of a seller of the specific product, a manufacturer of the specific product, a current owner of the specific product, or a prior owner of the specific product. On behalf of a prospective subsequent custodian of the specific product, the processor may receive an encrypted tag ID associated with the specific product, and a query associated with the at least one identity. The processor may then decrypt the encrypted tag ID to identify the specific product associated with the specific electronic tag, and use information associated with the specific electronic tag to access an ownership history for the specific product. The processor may further check if the at least one identity identified in the query corresponds to an entity in the ownership history, and cause one of: a transmission of an authenticity indication to the prospective subsequent custodian if the at least one identity identified in the query corresponds to an entity in the ownership history, or a transmission of a non-authentic indication to the prospective subsequent custodian if the at least one identity identified in the query does not correspond to an entity in the ownership history.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to detecting misplaced items in an establishment are disclosed. The embodiments may include at least one processor configured to receive, from at least one reader in the establishment, identification signals of identification tags read by the at least one reader; determine current locations of the identification tags based on the received identification signals; record in at least one data structure the current locations of the identification tags; access in the at least one data structure a designated location in the establishment for each of the identification tags; determine, by comparing the current locations of the identification tags with the designated locations of the identification tags, a particular identification tag with a current location that differs from the designated location of the particular identification tag; and generate a notification signal when the current location of the particular identification tag does not match the designated location of the particular identification tag.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media relating to reporting a location of items in an establishment are disclosed. Disclosed embodiments include at least one processor configured to receive, from at least one reader in the establishment, identification signals of identification tags read by the at least one reader; determine current locations of the identification tags based on the received identification signals; record in at least one data structure the current locations of the identification tags; receive a query for a location of a particular item in the establishment; identify the location of the particular item based on an association between the particular item and a particular identification tag and the current location of the particular identification tag; and display, on a graphical user interface, the location of the particular item to a user.

The forgoing summary provides certain examples of disclosed embodiments to provide a flavor for this disclosure and is not intended to summarize all aspects of the disclosed embodiments. Additional features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosed embodiments. The features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be realized and attained by the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are examples and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments as claimed.

The accompanying drawings constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments as set forth in the accompanying claims.

