Patent ID: 8810372

Claim:
A method of reading and transmitting radio frequency identification (RFID) tag data by a mobile RFID reader at power efficient locations, the RFID reader communicatively coupled to a set of RFID tags and a set of access points, the method comprising: measuring radio frequency (RF) coverage and interference levels in a geographic area of the RFID reader; determining that a location of the RFID reader is in a power efficient location of the power efficient locations for reading a particular RFID tag in the set of RFID tags and for transmitting to an access point of the set of access points when (i) the measured RF coverage is above a coverage threshold and (ii) the measured interference levels are below an interference threshold; determining whether the particular RFID tag has been within a range of the RFID reader for a predetermined period of time; in response to (i) determining that the particular RFID tag has been within the range of the RFID reader for a predetermined period of time and (ii) determining that the location of the RFID reader is in the power efficient location for reading the particular RFID tag, reading a particular RFID tag data of the particular RFID tag by the RFID reader; and transmitting the particular RFID tag data from the RFID reader to the access point when the location of the RFID reader is in said power efficient location of the power efficient locations for transmitting the particular RFID tag data to the access point.