Encoded information reading system including RFID reading device having multiple antennas

A radio frequency identification (“RFID”) system comprising:

• two or more antennas of an RFID reader, each of the two or more antennas:
• being spaced apart at a distance that exceeds the two or more antennas' effective radio frequency (RF) reception range of each antenna of the two or more antennas respectively, so that the two or more antennas can transmit and receive two or more RF signals simultaneously;
• and
• being electrically coupled to a multiplexing circuit that multiplexes signals transmitted to or received from the two or more antennas using frequency division multiplexing so each of the two or more antennas are capable of transmitting and receiving the two or more RF signals at different frequencies, so that the two or more RF signals can be distinguished within the RFID system;
• wherein the two or more RF signals to be transmitted to or received by each respective antenna of the two or more antennas are frequency-shifted up or down by the multiplexing circuit so that the two or more antennas communicate with respective RFID tags at different non-overlapping frequency ranges assigned by the multiplexing circuit,
• wherein at least one of the two or more antennas comprises cells that are disposed on a substrate according to a spatial pattern to provide a spatially continuous RFID signal reception with respective RF signals of the two or more RF signals, and
• wherein the two or more antennas are configured to receive RFID signals of the two or more RF signal received from a plurality of RFID tags disposed within a radio frequency range of the two or more antennas respectively.