Radio frequency identification system write broadcast capability

A radio frequency tag comprising:

• a tag antenna for receiving a radio frequency signal from a base station, the radio frequency signal having sent data;
• a tag memory having a tag data location with old data;
• a tag logic having an active state and an initialize state, a Select Command placing the tag in the active state if the tag meets a select condition and an Unselect Command placing the tag in the initialize state if the tag meets an unselect condition;
• a tag receiver for receiving the radio frequency signal from the tag antenna, the tag writing the sent data to the tag data location if the tag is in the active state and the tag not writing the sent data to the tag data location if the tag is in the initialize state.

A radio frequency tag comprising:

• a tag antenna for receiving a radio frequency signal from a base station, the radio frequency signal having zero or more sent data and zero or more of the sent addresses corresponding to the sent data;
• a tag receiver for decoding each of the sent data and the sent addresses from the radio frequency signal;
• a tag memory having one or more tag data locations, each tag data location having a respective tag data address;
• and
• a tag receiver for receiving the radio frequency signal from the tag antenna;
• and
• a tag logic having an active state and an initialize state, a Select Command placing the tag in the active state if the tag meets a select condition and an Unselect Command placing the tag in the initialize state if the tag meets an unselect condition, the tag logic writing each of the sent data in the tag data location with the tag data address corresponding to the respective sent address if the tag is in the active state and the tag not writing any of the sent data if the tag is in the initialize state.

A base station for communicating with zero or more tags in a field of the base station, each of the tags having a tag memory, the base station comprising:

• a signal generator that develops a signal containing a sent data;
• a base station transmitter that encodes the signal on the carrier to create an encoded signal;
• and
• a base station antenna that transmits the encoded signal to two or more tags in the field causing the tags to simultaneously write the sent data into the tag memory and listens for a response from one or more tags, the response causing the base station transmitter to retransmit the encoded signal.

A base station for communicating with zero or more radio frequency tags in a field of the base station, each of the tags having a tag memory, the tag memory having one or more tag data locations and each of the tag data locations having a tag data address, the base station comprising:

• a computer that develops a select command and a write broadcast signal, the write broadcast signal containing zero or more write broadcast commands, zero or more sent data and zero or more sent addresses;
• a base station transmitter that encodes the select command on a radio frequency carrier to create a select signal and encodes the write broadcast signal on the radio frequency carrier to create a write signal;
• and
• a base station antenna that transmits the select signal to all the tags in the field to select a subgroup of the tags, and subsequently transmitting the write signal to simultaneously write each of the send data to the tag data locations having tag data addresses corresponding to the sent addresses.

A radio frequency tagging system comprising:

• zero or more radio frequency tags, each tag having a tag logic and a tag antenna and each tag further having one or more tag data locations associated with a tag data address;
• a base station having a computer, a transmitter, and a base antenna;
• and
• a process executed by the computer that causes a radio frequency write broadcast signal to be sent through the transmitter and base antenna to create a field, the write broadcast signal having two or more pairs of sent data and a sent address corresponding to each of the sent data, one or more tags in the field receiving the write broadcast signal through the tag antenna and the tag logic of each tag in the field causing the sent data to be simultaneously written to each of the tag data locations that has a tag data address matching the respective sent address.

A radio frequency tag comprising:

• a tag antenna means for receiving a radio frequency signal from a base station, the radio frequency signal having sent data;
• a tag memory means for having a tag data location;
• and
• a tag receiver means for receiving the radio frequency signal from the tag antenna and writing the sent data to the tag data location;
• and
• a tag transmitter means for sending a response if the sent data is different than an old data in the tag data location.

A base station for communicating with a zero or more radio frequency tags in a field of the base station, each of the tags having a tag memory, the base station comprising:

• a signal generator means for developing a signal containing sent data;
• a base station receiver;
• a base station transmitter means for encoding the signal with the sent data on a radio frequency carrier to create an encoded carrier;
• and
• a base station antenna means for transmitting the encoded carrier to zero or more tags in the field causing the tags to simultaneously write the sent data into the tag memory, the base station antenna means transmitting a second encoded carrier if the base station receiver detects a response.

A radio frequency tag comprising:

• a tag antenna for receiving a radio frequency signal from a base station, the radio frequency signal having sent data, and the tag antenna further for communicating one or more responses to the base station;
• a tag memory having a tag data location with old data;
• a tag logic having an active state and an initialize state, a Select Command placing the tag in the active state if the tag meets a select condition and an Unselect Command placing the tag in the initialize state if the tag meets an unselect condition, where the tag in the active state that receives an Unselect Command and does not meet the unselect condition communicates one of the responses through the tag antenna to the base station;
• a tag receiver for receiving the radio frequency signal from the tag antenna, the tag writing the sent data to the tag data location if the tag is in the active state and the tag not writing the sent data to the tag data location if the tag is in the initialize state.

A base station for communicating with a plurality of tags in a field of the base station, each of the tags having a tag memory, the base station comprising:

• a signal generator that develops a signal containing a sent data;
• a base station transmitter that encodes the signal on the carrier to create an encoded signal;
• and
• a base station antenna that transmits the encoded signal to zero or more tags in the field causing the tags to simultaneously write the sent data into the tag memory, sends a group unselect command that unselects tags that have the sent data in their respective tag memory, and listens for a response from one or more tags.

A base station for communicating with a plurality of radio frequency tags in a field of the base station, each of the tags having a tag memory, the tag memory having one or more tag data locations and each of the tag data locations having a tag data address, the base station comprising:

• a computer that develops an unselect command and a write broadcast signal, the write broadcast signal containing zero or more write broadcast commands, zero or more sent data and zero or more sent addresses;
• a base station transmitter that encodes the unselect command on a radio frequency carrier to create a unselect signal and encodes the write broadcast signal on the radio frequency carrier to create a write signal;
• and
• a base station antenna that transmits the unselect signal to all the tags in the field to unselect a subgroup of the tags, and subsequently transmitting the write signal to simultaneously write each of the send data to the tag data locations having tag data addresses corresponding to the sent addresses.

A method performed by a base station comprising the steps of:

• a. selecting zero or more the tags in a field of tags by issuing one or more select and zero or more unselect commands, the selected tags becoming active and the not selected tags to remain initialized;
• b. issuing an unselect command that causes unselected tags to become initialized if the value in each of the tag data locations with tag data addresses corresponding to the sent address equal to the send data, and to remain active and respond if the value in any of tag data locations does not equal the sent data;
• and
• c. issuing a write broadcast command if any response is received to step b.

A method performed by a base station comprising the steps of:

• a. selecting zero or more the tags in a field of tags by issuing one or more select and zero or more unselect commands, the selected tags becoming active and the not selected tags to remain initialized;
• b. issuing an unselect command that causes unselected tags to become initialized if the value in each of the tag data locations with tag data addresses corresponding to the sent address equal to the send data, and to remain active and respond if the value in any of tag data locations does not equal the sent data;
• and
• c. issuing a write broadcast command if any response is received to step b.