US 10,121,122 B2Granted

Tracking transactions by confluences and sequences of RFID signals

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsRyan Scott Russell, Wesley Scott Lauka, Ned Lecky, Joshua Joel Boelter

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An RFID device may include one or more manually activated RFID tags configured to transmit unique RFID signals in response to a manual activation thereof. A transaction may be defined upon receiving a confluence of multiple RFID signals at the same time, or at nearly the same time, at an RFID reader. A transaction may also be defined upon receiving multiple RFID signals or confluences of such signals in a predetermined series or sequence. The RFID devices may include a single manually activated RFID tag, or two or more of such tags, which may be individually activated by one or more manual interactions from a user.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An information recording system comprising:

an RFID reader;
a first RFID device physically attached to at least one aspect of a storage facility, wherein the storage facility is configured to receive a first object, and wherein the first RFID device comprises a substrate, a protective layer, a first manually activated RFID tag disposed between the substrate and the protective layer, wherein the first manually activated RFID tag comprises a first circuit configured to be closed by bioelectricity, and a second manually activated RFID tag disposed between the substrate and the protective layer, wherein the second manually activated RFID tag comprises a second circuit configured to be closed by bioelectricity;
and
a computing device in communication with the RFID reader,
wherein the computing device is configured to at least:
identify the first object;
receive, at the RFID reader, a first RFID signal from the first RFID device at a first time, wherein the first RFID signal is transmitted by the first RFID device upon contact with at least a first portion of the first RFID device by a user, wherein the first portion of the first RFID device is a first portion of the protective layer;
define a transaction based at least in part on information regarding the first RFID signal and at least one of the first object, the storage facility, the RFID reader or the first time;
and
store at least some of the information in at least one data store.

7 more elements

A method comprising:

identifying a first object;
receiving, by at least one RFID reader, a first RFID signal transmitted by a first RFID device physically attached to a storage facility, wherein the storage facility is configured to receive the first object, and wherein the first RFID device comprises a substrate, a protective layer, and a plurality of manually activated RFID tags disposed between the substrate and the protective layer, and wherein the first RFID signal is transmitted by the first RFID device in response to first manual contact with at least a first portion of the first RFID device;
and
in response to receiving the first RFID signal,
storing information regarding an association between the first object and the storage facility in at least one data store.

2 more elements

A method comprising:

providing a first RFID device comprising a plurality of manually activated RFID tags, wherein each of the manually activated RFID tags is configured to transmit an RFID signal upon manual contact with a portion of the first RFID device, wherein the first RFID device comprises a substrate, a protective layer, and the plurality of manually activated RFID tags disposed between the substrate and the protective layer;
receiving, at an RFID reader, a plurality of RFID signals from at least one of the manually activated RFID tags of the first RFID device, wherein each of the plurality of RFID signals is received within a predetermined interval of time;
defining a sequence based at least in part on the plurality of RFID signals received from the at least one of the manually activated RFID tags of the first RFID device;
identifying a transaction associated with the sequence;
and
storing information regarding the transaction associated with the sequence in at least one data store.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/265,801Filed 14 Sep 2016 · continuation
Priority: 25 Jun 2014
Published: US 2018/0150787 A131 May 2018
Granted: 6 Nov 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G06Q 10/087
Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management: inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling,…
G06K 7/10316
Sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves: using at least one antenna particularly designed for…
G06K 19/07758
The record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card:…
G06Q 10/0833
Shipping: tracking

Family

Application14/314,439Parent of this continuation · filed 25 Jun 2014
US 2018/0150787 A1Pre-grant publication · published 31 May 2018
US 9,449,295 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2015/0379459 A1Published application
US 10,121,122 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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