Patent ID: 7392059

Claim:
A system comprising: a portable communications device having communicator operable to communicate over a network, a signal supplier operable to supply a carrier signal and a controller operable to control operation of the portable communications device; and an item carrying a passive data storer having a memory storing functional data having a function other than identification of the item or the passive data storer, a power deriver operable to derive a power supply for the data storage device from the carrier signal when the item is in the vicinity of the portable communications device, and a modulator operable to modulate the carrier signal in accordance with functional data read from the memory in response to derivation of a power supply by the power supply deriver, the portable communications device having a data extractor operable to extract functional data from a modulated carrier signal and the controller being operable to enable at least one operation to be carried out in accordance with the function of the extracted functional data.