Patent ID: 7791489
Filing Date: 2010-09-07
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. An electronic-ink based Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag for attachment to a consumer item and displaying graphical indicia indicating whether or not said consumer item has been read and its integrated RFID module has been activated or deactivated, said electronic-ink based RFID tag comprising: an addressable display label including a layer of electronic ink including a bi-stable non- volatile imaging material, capable of displaying graphical indicia on the display surface of said addressable display label, wherein said layer of electronic ink does not require electrical power to maintain the display of said graphical indicia; an antenna structure for sending and/or receiving electromagnetic signals carrying information corresponding to at least one of instructions, programs, data, and graphical indicia to be displayed by said addressable display label; a transceiver module, operably connected to said antenna structure, for transmitting electromagnetic signals from said antenna structure to a remote link by way of a wireless communication protocol, and receiving electromagnetic signals from said remote link using said antenna structure and said wireless communication protocol; wherein said received electromagnetic signals carry information corresponding to at least one of said programs, said instructions, said data, and said graphical indicia to be displayed by said addressable display label; an interface module, operably connected to said transceiver module, for (i) receiving at least one of said instructions, said programs, said data and said graphical indicia from said transceiver module, (ii) determining graphical indicia for display on said addressable display label, (iii) generating electrical signals for supply to said addressable display label, and (iv) providing to said transceiver module for transmission to said remote link using said antenna structure; a storage module, operably connected to said interface module, for storing a unique identifier associated with said consumer item; an RFID module, operably connected to said interface module, capable of being activated to indicate that the unique identifier associated said consumer item has not yet be read, and deactivated to indicate that the unique identifier associated said item has been read; a battery power structure for supplying electrical power to said interface module and said transceiver module; wherein said addressable display label, said transceiver module, said interface module, said antenna structure, said storage module and said RFID module are arranged and combined together in a unitary device; wherein said interface module is responsive to electromagnetic signals received from said remote link by said antenna structure and said transceiver module; and wherein said addressable display label is responsive to electrical signals generated by said interface module, to display the determined graphical indicia on the display surface of said addressable display label; wherein said interface module determines that said graphical indicia includes a first visual indicator displayed on said display surface, when said RFID module has been activated, to indicate that the unique identifier associated said consumer item has not yet be read; and wherein said interface module determines that said graphical indicia includes a second visual indicator displayed on said display surface, when said RFID module has been deactivated, to indicate that the unique identifier associated said consumer item has been read.