Patent ID: 7796038

Claim:
A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, comprising: a controller of the RFID tag; a sensor in communication with the controller; a local power source for providing power to the controller; and a user input device for receiving manual input from a user, wherein at least a portion of the controller is normally in a low power hibernate state, wherein manipulation of the user input device causes the at least a portion of the controller to wake from the hibernate state, wherein a function is selectable by manipulation of the user input device, wherein the function selectable by manipulation of the user input device is a reading by the sensor; and further comprising activate circuitry in communication with the controller of the RFID tag for detecting a valid activate command in an incoming radio frequency signal and causing the RFID tag to wake from the hibernate state, and wherein further functions selectable by manipulation of the user input device further include at least one of outputting a historical compilation based on readings of the sensor, initiating a data gathering mode using the sensor where the data gathering mode includes taking multiple sensor readings with predetermined intervals therebetween without requiring further user input to take said readings, and altering parameters of the data gathering mode using the sensor.