Patent ID: 7786868

Claim:
A radio frequency identification (RFID) device comprising: a passive RFID chip configured to communicate with a reader by backscatter modulation, without transmitting its own signal; an antenna operatively coupled to the passive RFID chip; and an energy booster operatively coupled to the antenna and the chip, wherein the energy booster is configured to selectively amplify incoming energy received by the antenna and sent to the passive RFID chip; logic that controls the energy booster with the logic of the RFID device controlling a gain of the energy booster; wherein the RFID device operates in a fully passive mode, communicating by backscatter modulation and relying upon incident incoming energy from the antenna to provide substantially all the power for operation of the chip, when the energy booster is not amplifying the incoming energy; and wherein the RFID device operates in a boosted passive mode when the energy boosters is boosting the incoming energy.