Patent ID: 7969282
Filing Date: 2011-06-28
Classification: G06K,H04W

Abstract:
1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) communications system, comprising: a plurality of readers that form a network, wherein the plurality of readers comprise a primar reader and a plurality of secondary readers each communicatively coupled to the primary reader, and wherein each of the plurality of readers operates at least semi-autonomously in the network based on a set of local network rules, and wherein each reader of the plurality of readers comprises: (a) at least one antenna; (b) a tag communications module coupled to the at least one antenna and configured to interrogate tags within a communication range of the reader; (c) an identification (ID) number that identifies the reader; (d) a reader network interface module coupled to the at least one antenna and configured to communicate with readers of the network; (e) a memory, wherein the memory stores at least one set of local reader network rules; and (f) a timing module coupled to the tag communications module, the timing module providing a signal to the tag communications module that is related to a number of readers in the network and a number of available frequency channels, the signal indicating an amount of time the communications module is not to communicate to maintain a duty cycle of the reader.