Method of identifying tagged articles

A method of identifying a medical article by reading a data carrier that is attached to the medical article, the data carrier having a specified operation frequency f1 in response to which the data carrier provides identification data, the medical article being located within an internal storage area of a metallic enclosure, the metallic enclosure further having electrically conductive walls that completely surround the internal storage area and any medical article with associated data carrier placed therein, the metallic enclosure having a natural frequency of resonance f2 which is a frequency other than the specified operation frequency f1 of the data carrier, the method comprising:

• injecting electromagnetic (“EM”) energy of a frequency f1 into the metallic enclosure from a location within the enclosure while capacitively coupling to the enclosure, the injecting location being selected in relation to the metallic walls so that reflected EM of frequency f1 within the metallic enclosure is in phase at the location of injection to thereby optimize power transfer of energy at frequency f1 into the enclosure;
• storing medical articles having respective data carriers responsive to frequency f1 in a drawer that is located within the storage area, the drawer being movable out of and into the storage area and the metallic enclosure;
• actively matching an impedance associated with injecting the EM energy into the metallic enclosure to more closely match an impedance provided by the metallic enclosure and medical articles located in the drawer at frequency f1;
• and
• receiving identification data provided by a data carrier located within the internal storage area of the metallic enclosure by means of an antenna disposed within the metallic enclosure.