Patent ID: 6917291

Claim:
An apparatus for identification and monitoring of, and obtaining data relating to, products moving through choke points along a distribution path, comprising: an RFID tag mountable to a product, or product carrier, at least two RF readers spaced apart on opposite upstream and downstream sides of each chock point of said choke points along said distribution path, wherein each RF reader of said at least two RF readers cooperates in RF communication with said RFID tag when said RFID tag is within a choke point zone containing at least one said choke point and said at least two RF readers, said apparatus further comprising a processor, said at least two RF readers also cooperate with said processor for the communication of data from said RFID tag to said processor, wherein said each reader obtains said data and said data includes unique data, unique to said RFID tag, during said RF communication, so that said unique data is communicated to said unique data to said processor, and wherein said processor includes data processing means to: a) monitor, as detected and read by said at least two RF readers, RF field strength data associated with said RFID tag during said RF communication in said read zone, and b) determine estimated distances of said RFID tag from said at least two RF readers and estimated velocity of said RFID tag through said read zone.