Near-field and far-field antenna-assembly and devices having same

A wireless data-reader communications device, comprising:

• a near-field antenna-structure including a first near-field antenna configured to be near-field operable;
• a far-field antenna-structure including a far-field antenna configured to be far-field operable;
• a processor in communication with the near-field antenna-structure and the far-field antenna-structure that executes instructions;
• a memory in communication with the processor having instructions stored therein that cause the processor to interrogate a respective wireless data provider communications device with at least one of the near-field and the far-field antenna-structures;
• and
• a switch configured to be physically manipulated by a user and configured to switch the wireless data-reader communications device between a near-field operational mode and a far-field operational mode, wherein in near-field operational mode, the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor, and wherein in far-field operational mode, the near-field antenna-structure is communicatively decoupled from the processor and the far-field antenna-structure is communicatively coupled to the processor.

A method of operating a wireless data-reader communications device that comprises a processor, a near-field antenna and a far-field antenna carrying the near-field antenna and that wirelessly reads data from wireless data-provider communications devices, comprising:

• selecting an operational mode for the wireless data-reader communications device;
• electrically coupling the processor of the wireless data-reader communications device to at least one of the near-field antenna carried by the far-field antenna and the far-field antenna;
• interrogating at least one wireless data-provider communications device with the near-field antenna when a near-field operational mode is the selected operational mode;
• and
• interrogating at least one wireless data-provider communications device with the far-field antenna when a far-field operational mode is the selected operational mode.