Abstract:
The present invention is directed to novel systems and methods for transmitting location event information to and/or from an electronic device, such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, from and/or to one or more location ID stations. Among other things, a method is disclosed that involves wirelessly receiving at least one signal at an electronic device associated with a package as the package is transported from a source location to a destination location in a manufacturing process, supply chain, and/or distribution network, the at least one signal including location event information that is sufficient to specify a location of the package at a time the at least one signal is received. The method further involves, based upon the at least one signal, storing data representative of the location event information in memory of the electronic device so that the location of the package identified by the at least one signal can be subsequently ascertained by retrieving and analyzing the data.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), of the filing date of each of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/564,447 entitled “Recording of Location Event Information in RFID Tags,” filed Apr. 22, 2004, and U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/564,402 entitled “Pedigree and Integrity Evaluation of Packages,” filed Apr. 22, 2004. Each of the foregoing applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatuses that may be used to communicate and store location event information relating to a transported item. In some embodiments, such information is wirelessly communicated from one or more location ID stations to a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the item so that the tag may keep a record of where the item has been.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     For many companies, one of the most important business processes is the movement of goods through a manufacturing process or supply chain/distribution network. To track the movement of goods, electronic tags may be affixed or otherwise integrated with the goods. These tags are typically in the form of a small chip and implemented using a family of technologies that facilitate the transfer of data wirelessly between tagged goods and electronic readers.  
         [0004]     Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are one example of such electronic tags. RFID tags have small radio antennas which are capable of transmitting data over a short range to RFID readers. In a typical RFID system, the RFID tag contains a memory chip that stores a unique identifier for a product with which it is associated. When an RFID tag passes through the range of the RFID reader, the RFID reader reads the product identifier from the memory of the RFID tag. By placing RFID readers at various locations within a supply chain/distribution network, it is possible to track the movement of the tagged items through the network by gathering the product identifiers accumulated by the various RFID readers.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     The present invention is directed to novel systems and methods for transmitting location event information to and/or from an electronic device, such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, from and/or to one or more location ID stations.  
         [0006]     According to one aspect of the present invention, a method comprises a steps of (a) wirelessly receiving at least one signal at an electronic device associated with a package as the package is transported from a source location to a destination location in a manufacturing process, supply chain, and/or distribution network, the at least one signal including location event information that is sufficient to specify a location of the package at a time the at least one signal is received, and (b) based upon the at least one signal, storing data representative of the location event information in memory of the electronic device so that the location of the package identified by the at least one signal can be subsequently ascertained by retrieving and analyzing the data.  
         [0007]     According to another aspect, an apparatus is for use in a system comprising a plurality of location identification (ID) stations disposed at various locations between a source location and a destination location, each of the plurality of location ID stations being configured and arranged to wirelessly transmit at least one signal including location event information that is sufficient to specify a location of that location ID station. The apparatus comprises an electronic device comprising at least one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and a sensor adapted to monitor at least one physical or environmental condition of a package with which the sensor is associated, wherein the electronic device is configured to wirelessly receive the at least one signal from each of the plurality of location ID stations and to store received location event information in memory.  
         [0008]     According to another aspect, a system comprises an electronic device to be associated with a package when the package is transported from a source location to a destination location in a manufacturing process, supply chain, and/or distribution network, means for wirelessly transmitting at least one signal to the electronic device that includes location event information sufficient to specify a location of the package at the time the at least one signal is transmitted, and means for receiving and processing the at least one signal with the electronic device.  
         [0009]     According to another aspect, a location identification (ID) station is for use in a system comprising a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags configured to receive signals from the location ID station and to take actions in response to receiving such signals. The location ID station comprises a transmitter portion configured and arranged to wirelessly transmit, to each of the plurality of RFID tags, at least one first signal including location event information sufficient to specify a location of the location ID station, and a receiver portion configured and arranged to wirelessly receive, from each of the plurality of RFID tags, at least one second signal comprising a unique identifier for one or more items with which that RFID tag is associated.  
         [0010]     According to another aspect, a method comprises steps of (a) wirelessly receiving at least one signal at an electronic device associated with a package as the package is transported from a source location to a destination location, the at least one signal comprising information sufficient to specify a location of the package at a time the at least one signal is received, (b) based upon the at least one signal, storing data representative of the location in a memory of the electronic device, (c) storing a time at which the at least one signal was received in the memory of the electronic device, 
        (d) after performing the step (c), periodically storing markers that indicate whether the package is within a vicinity of a location identification (ID) station in the memory of the electronic device, and (e) determining a duration during which the package was within the vicinity of the location based at least in part on the stored data representing the time at which the at least one signal was received and the subsequently stored markers.       
 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  shows an illustrative example of a system in which various aspects of the invention may be employed;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  shows an illustrative example of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that may be used to practice various aspects of the invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  shows one illustrative example of a location ID station that may be employed in various embodiments of the invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  shows another illustrative example of a location ID station that may be employed in various embodiments of the invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  shows how a memory of an RFID tag may be configured to store various pieces of information in some embodiments of the invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  shows examples of tracking data that may be stored in a memory of an RFID tag in some embodiments of the invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a graph illustrating how location event information and temperature information may be recorded in a memory of an RFID tag in some embodiments of the invention; and  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  shows examples of sensor data and location markers that may be stored in a memory of an RFID tag in some embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]      FIG. 1  shows an illustrative example of a system  100  in which various aspects of the present invention may be employed. As shown, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag  102  may be attached to a package  104  that is transported from a location A to a location B, and then to a location C. The RFID tag  102  may be active (i.e., with a source of continuous power on board), or passive (i.e., which operates using energy harnessed from a received radio frequency (RF) signal), or semi passive (e.g., a continuous on-board power supply may be used in conjunction with energy harnessed from a received RF signal).  
         [0021]     As used herein, the term “package” is intended to refer generically to any item or combination of items that can be transported from one location to another, and may, for instance, refer to a single item (i.e., the lowest level of product packaging such as a single vial, syringe, or bottle); a carton containing one or more items; a box containing one or more cartons; a pallet on which one or more boxes are placed; a trailer or shipping container containing one or more pallets, boxes or cartons; or a truck, airplane, train, ship, etc., carrying one or more trailers or shipping containers.  
         [0022]     In the system shown, each of the locations A, B and C, includes one or more location ID stations  106  configured and arranged to communicate with the RFID tag  102  when the package  104  is within a particular range. It should be appreciated, of course, that additional or fewer locations like the locations A, B and C may be employed in alternative embodiments. In addition, multiple separate locations may be defined within any of the locations A, B and C in the example shown. For example, location B may comprise a receiving dock location, a holding or storage location, and a shipping dock location, with one or more stations  106  being disposed in each such location. As discussed below, each location ID station  106  may be incorporated into an RFID reader that is used to read information from the RFID tag  102 , or may be some other device that is configured to cause information to be written into the RFID tag  102  without also reading information from it.  
         [0023]     In addition, in some embodiments, all of the locations A, B and C need not represent fixed geographic locations. Rather, one or more of the locations A, B and C (or other locations or sub-locations) may instead represent a location on or within a moving container or vehicle. For instance, in the example shown in  FIG. 1 , the location B may represent a particular cargo container, airplane, railroad car, trailer, etc., that is used to transport the package  104  from a first geographic location (e.g., the location A) to a second geographic location (e.g., the location B). Thus, if the package  104  was shipped from Hong Kong to Boston, for example, one or more location ID stations  106  may be located at or within each of (A) the shipping port in Hong Kong, (B) the cargo container in which the package  104  was disposed during the shipment, and (C) the receiving port in Boston.  
         [0024]     A location ID station  106  for a mobile location may, for example, comprise a module that can plugged into or otherwise interfaced with an existing microprocessor-based system on a vehicle, e.g., a computer on a truck, airplane, train, etc., that is used to uplink with satellites for tracking or communications purposes.  
         [0025]     As discussed in more detail below, the RFID tag  102  may be configured such that “location event information” can be communicated to and stored in memory of the tag  102  whenever the tag  102  encounters a location ID station  106 . For fixed geographic locations, this location event information may comprise, for example, a global location number (GLN) like that commonly used in advanced shipment notifications (ANS&#39;s), a global positioning system (GPS) location (longitude &amp; latitude), or the like. For mobile locations, the location event information may comprise a unique identifier for the cargo container, trailer, railroad car, plane, etc. In some embodiments, the location event information may simply include a unique identifier for the location ID station  106 , and the current “location” at which that station  106  is disposed may be ascertained from a look up table or the like.  
         [0026]     Each piece of location event information stored in the RFID tag  102  may also reflect the time and date it was accumulated by the tag  102 . In this manner, the RFID tag  102  can itself keep a record of locations at which the package  102  has been and the time and date at which it arrived at each such location. As discussed in more detail below, additional information may also be periodically stored in memory of the tag  102  when the tag remains in the vicinity of one or more location ID stations  106  at the same location. This additional information may then be used, for example, to determine how much time the package  104  spent at each separately identified location within the system  100 .  
         [0027]     The location event information so accumulated by the tag  102  may, for example, be downloaded and used for the purpose of performing statistical process analysis like that described in commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/934,052, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additionally or alternatively, such location event information may be downloaded and used to authenticate the pedigree and/or confirm the integrity of a product or its contents in the manner described in the commonly-owned U.S. patent application entitled “Pedigree and Integrity Evaluation of Packages,” filed on even date herewith under attorney docket number S1446.70023US01, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.  
         [0028]     The tag  102  may communicate with the stations  106  so as to transmit location event information to the tag  102  in any of numerous ways, and the invention is not limited to any particular mode or protocol for such communication. In some embodiments in which active RFID tags are employed, for example, the tag  102  may “wake up” periodically (e.g., once every minute) and/or occasionally (e.g., whenever a particular signal is received or a particular physical condition is sensed) to “listen” to see whether it is in the proximity of a station  106 . If such a station  106  is detected, then the tag  102  may effectively enter a local RF network with the station  106 , and receive location event information from the station  106  via one or more network messages.  
         [0029]     In embodiments that include passive RFID tags, communication between the RFID tags  102  and the stations  106  may be initiated after the tags  102  have entered the vicinity of a station  106  and have been energized by an RF interrogation signal from an RFID reader included in that station. During those periods when such passive tags  102  have been sufficiently energized, they may communicate with the stations  106  in their vicinity periodically, occasionally, and/or perhaps only a single time, so as to receive and store in memory location event information from such stations.  
         [0030]     In some embodiments, the location ID stations  106  may be responsible for periodically (e.g., once every minute) and/or occasionally (e.g., in response to detected physical events, such as a truck entering a warehouse) initiating communication with any tags  102  (whether active or passive) in their vicinity so as to transfer location event information to such tags  102 . Some combination of the foregoing techniques may also be employed. For example, some embodiments may include one or more stations  106  that both (1) continuously “listen” for tags that are attempting to initiate communication sessions with them, and (2) periodically or occasionally initiate communication sessions with tags  102 .  
         [0031]     An illustrative example of an RFID tag that can be used to practice various aspects of the present invention is depicted in  FIG. 2 . As shown, the RFID tag  102  may comprise an RFID controller  202  and associated RF transceiver  204 , as well as a memory  206  for, among other things, storing data to be transmitted to or received from other RF-enabled devices via the RF transceiver  204 . In the example shown, the tag  102  further comprises one or more sensors  208  for sensing physical or environmental conditions to which the package  104  may be subjected. Examples of various types of sensors  208  that may be employed for this purpose are described in commonly-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/934,052, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.  
         [0032]     Although the RFID tag  102  in the example shown is an active tag (i.e., it includes a continuous on-board power source  210 ), as mentioned above, passive RFID tags may also be employed. In such tags, power would be harnessed from a received RF signal and stored in a storage capacitor or the like. As noted above, in some embodiments, tags that are both active (e.g., have an on-board battery) and configured to harness power from received RF signals may be used. The power harnessed from RF signals may, for example, supplement or recharge the on-board power supply or may provide power for certain functions of the tag  102  (such as RF communication with a nearby reader), with the battery being responsible for the other functions (such as powering a sensor circuit on the tag).  
         [0033]      FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate example embodiments of location ID stations  106  that may be employed at fixed geographic or mobile locations in various embodiments of the invention. In the example of  FIG. 3 , a station  106  comprises a set of “N” signposts  302 , with each signpost  302  being configured to communicate appropriate location event information to the tag  102  when the tag  102  is in its vicinity. The signposts  302  may, for example, be distributed evenly throughout one of the locations A, B and C shown in  FIG. 1 , or throughout some sub-location thereof. The signposts  302  may, for example, be operable to communicate location event information to tags  102 , but not to download any data from the tags  102 .  
         [0034]     In the example of  FIG. 4 , a set of “N” repeaters  402  act as a conduit between tags  102  in their vicinity and a gateway  404  coupled to a controller  406 . Like the signposts  302 , the repeaters  402  may be distributed evenly throughout one of the locations A, B and C shown in  FIG. 1 , or throughout some sub-location thereof. The gateway  404  may, for example, be configured to transmit location event information to tags  102  and also to download information from the tags  102  to the controller  406 . As such, the station  106  of  FIG. 4  may, for example, correspond to the “authentication appliance” described in the commonly-owned application entitled “Pedigree and Integrity Evaluation of Packages,” filed on even date herewith and incorporated by reference above. In some embodiments, some or all of the repeaters  402  may be configured (by the gateway  404  or otherwise) so that they can send location event information to tags  102  autonomously, thereby taking some of the load off the gateway and controller software. When so configured, the repeaters  402  would thus behave much like the signposts  302  discussed above.  
         [0035]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the memory  206  of an RFID tag  102  may comprise several sections allocated for the storage of different information. In the example shown, the memory  206  comprises a section  502  for storing the EPC for the package  104 , a section  504  for storing manifest information (e.g., data contained in an ANS or the like) for the package  104 , a section  506  for storing tracking data (e.g., location event information received from location ID stations  106 ), and a section  508  for storing data accumulated by the sensor(s)  208 . It should be appreciated, of course, that in alternative embodiments additional or fewer sections than those illustrated may be employed. For example, in some embodiments, the memory  206  may include only the EPC section  502  and the tracking data section  506 .  
         [0036]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , each entry in the tracking data section  506  of the memory  206  may comprise information identifying the location of the station  106  providing the information as well as the date and time such information was received from that station  106 . As noted above, the location of the station  106  may be identified using some sort of unique identifier to specify its fixed geographic location (e.g., a GLN or the like) or its mobile location (e.g., an identifier that specifies a particular cargo container, trailer, railroad car, airplane, etc., with which it is associated).  
         [0037]     It should be appreciated that the time and/or date information described above and shown in  FIG. 6  need not be received from the station  106 . Additionally or alternatively, the tag  102  may include a clock that generates time information. The clock may enable the tag  102  to determine the time and/or date that the information identifying the location of the station  106  was received without receiving this information from an external source. The clock may provide real-time information. For example, the clock may initially be set according to a standard time (e.g., Greenwich Mean Time), and may thereafter approximate the standard time.  
         [0038]     If the RFID tag  102  is within the vicinity of the station  106  for an extended period of time, multiple entries may be made in the tracking data section  506  of the memory  206  identifying the location of the station  106 . Alternatively, to conserve space in the memory  206 , the RFID tag  102  may be configured to store no more than a predetermined number of consecutive entries (e.g., one or two) identifying the location of a particular station (e.g., station  106 ).  
         [0039]      FIG. 7  is a graph illustrating an example of how location event information and temperature data might both be recorded by a tag  102  (which includes a temperature sensor  208 ) as a package  104  is moved from location A to location C of  FIG. 1 . It should be appreciated, of course, that this same technique may also be applied with any other type of sensor  208 . In the graph, the curve  700  represents the temperature sensed by a sensor  208  associated with the package  104  as a function of time. A temperature reading might be recorded, for example, once every fifteen minutes, with data concerning such readings being stored in the section  508  of the memory  206  in the tag  102 . To conserve power, the tag may be configured to “wake up” periodically (e.g., once every fifteen minutes) to record such a reading.  
         [0040]     The points  702 A-C in the graph of  FIG. 7  represent times at which the tag  102  first entered the vicinity of the stations(s)  106  in the locations A-C, respectively. As noted above, the tag  102  may wake up periodically (e.g., once every minute) to determine whether it is in the vicinity of a station  106 , in which case the points  702 A-C would represent the time at which the tag first woke up after entering the location. When the tag  102  first determines that it is in the vicinity of a station  106 , it can communicate with the station  106  to retrieve location event information from it, and store such information in the section  506  of the memory  206 . Thereafter, each time the tag wakes up and is still in the vicinity of the same station  106  (or another station  106  in the same location), it can simply set a marker (e.g., a bit) to be included in the next recorded temperature reading. In  FIG. 7 , the times at which such markers were included with the recorded temperature readings are represented by the arrows  704 . Thus, by counting the number of temperature readings including markers  704  that follow the recording of location event information  702  A-C, the length of time the package  104  spent at each of the locations A, B, and C can be determined with a reasonable degree of accuracy.  
         [0041]     In some embodiments, only two location events may be stored for each location A, B, and C that is encountered by the tag  102 . For instance, the tag  102  may record an “entry event” each time the tag  102  enters a new location, and may also record a “departure event” each time it is determined that the tag  102  has left a location. After the tag  102  has entered a particular location and recorded an “entry event,” it may, for example, periodically or continuously check to see whether the network at that location is still there. When it determines that the network is no longer there, or has not been there for some period of time, the tag  102  may then autonomously record a “departure event” in its memory.  
         [0042]     It should be appreciated, of course, that it is not necessary to store location event information together with information accumulated by sensor(s)  208 . In some embodiments, for example, it may be desirable to store only location event information in the memory  206  of an RFID tag  102 . Such embodiments may find applications, for example, in connection with systems that are designed to enhance homeland security, or are designed to track the distribution chains of certain pharmaceuticals, etc. Indeed, the storage of information in the tag  102  that is sufficient to account for the location (geographic and mobile) of a product at all times during its distribution may find application in any situation where it is desirable to know where a product has been and the amount of time it spent at various locations along its route. It may, for example, be desirable to determine whether a package followed its intended route, whether it was carried by the proper vehicles or containers as it made its way along that route, and/or whether it followed such a route according to a scheduled timetable. If a package  104  appears to have been misdirected or delayed excessively, or there are significant periods of time for which location event information was not recorded when it should have been, appropriate precautions and/or remedial or investigatory measures may be taken.  
         [0043]     Whether or not location event information is stored together with sensor data (as discussed above in connection with  FIG. 7 ), when a package  104  remains at a particular location for an extended period of time, it is not necessary to store a unique identifier for the same location in memory more than once. Instead, an abbreviated amount of information (even a single bit) may be periodically or occasionally stored in memory (e.g., every ten minutes) after the unique identifier for the location has been stored a first time. Because that abbreviated information will be sufficient to indicate that the package remained in the vicinity of the same location ID station  106  (or group of stations at the same location), the full unique identifier need not be stored and space in the tag&#39;s memory can thus be conserved.  
         [0044]     As discussed above in connection with  FIG. 7 , a temperature reading and a marker may be stored in the section  508  of the memory  206  at known intervals, for example, each time the tag  102  wakes up.  FIG. 8  illustrates an example of how this information may be stored in the section  508  of memory  206  illustrated in  FIG. 5 . As shown, each temperature reading  802  may be associated with a marker  804  that indicates whether or not the tag  102  is within the vicinity of a location ID station. In the example of  FIG. 8 , we assume that storing a marker  804  as “1” designates that the tag  102  is in the vicinity of a station, and that storing a marker  804  as a “0” designates that the tag  102  is not in the vicinity of a station. Based on these marker designations, the entries stored in the section  508  of memory as shown in  FIG. 8  indicate that the tag  102  was within the vicinity of a location ID station when Temperatures A, B, C, F, G, and H were recorded and was not in the vicinity of a station when Temperatures D and E were recorded. As previously, discussed, by comparing this information to stored location event information, such as that stored in section  506  of the memory  206  (see  FIG. 6 ), the number of times that the tag  102  stored a marker indicating that the tag  102  was in the vicinity of a station may be determined for each corresponding location. Given the known interval at which the marker  804  was stored, this number may be translated into a length of time that the tag  102  spent at each location.  
         [0045]     It should be appreciated that the determination of the length of time that tag  102  spent at each location may be determined by a computer external to the tag based on the location event information and marker information discussed above. Further, it should be appreciated that while the marker information is shown in  FIG. 8  as being stored in section  508  of memory, this information may be stored elsewhere, and/or need not be associated with temperature data or other sensor data.  
         [0046]     In some embodiments, the tag  102  may be configured such that some aspect of its behavior or operation is dependent upon the location event information that has been written into its memory. The tag  102  may, for example, be programmed so that it does not record temperature data from a sensor  208  when location event information it has received indicates that the tag  102  is in a “trusted” refrigerator whose temperature is strictly controlled and monitored, but does record temperature data when received location event information indicates that it is in some other location. Additionally or alternatively, the tag  102  may modify the sampling interval of its sensor(s)  208 , or perhaps turn itself off for a period of time, in response the location event information that it receives.  
         [0047]     In some embodiments, tags  102  may also be designed so that some aspect of their behavior or functionality is “configurable” or “programmable.” For instance, particular “personality” information may be stored in the memory of the tag  102 , or physical switches or jumper wires or the like may be configured on the tag, that dictate the tag&#39;s behavior. For example, the manner in which the tag  102  responds to the receipt of particular location event information (e.g., as discussed in the preceding paragraph) may be determined based upon the “personality” with which that tag  102  has been configured. The identity of all locations at which it is unnecessary to record sensor data may, for example, be stored in memory of the tag  102 , so that the tag  102  may appropriately halt its recording of sensor data when the tag receives location event information indicating it is in one of the specified locations.  
         [0048]     Having thus described at least one illustrative embodiment of the invention, various alterations, modifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended as limiting. The invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalents thereto.