Patent ID: 8717145

Claim:
A method for selectively reading radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tags within an RFID interrogation zone, a first number of the RFID tags having a first identifier corresponding to a first operating range and a second number of the RFID tags having a second identifier different from the first identifier, the second identifier corresponding to a second operating range different from the first operating range, the method comprising: selecting each RFID tag having the first identifier associated with the first operating range, the first operating range being smaller than the second operating range; setting a transmit power to a first power setting associated with the first operating range, the first power setting having sufficient power to activate RFID tags located within the RFID interrogation zone; transmitting a first command at the first power setting; reading each selected RFID tag having the first identifier during a first inventory round, the first command inhibiting RFID tags having the second identifier from being read during the first inventory round; selecting each RFID tag having the second identifier associated with the second operating range; setting the transmit power to a second power setting associated with the second operating range, the second power setting having sufficient power to activate RFID tags located within the interrogation zone having the second operating range; and transmitting a second command at the second power setting, the second command inhibiting RFID tags having the first identifier from being read during a second inventory round.