Patent ID: 8723646

Claim:
A wireless identification method comprising: receiving at an acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device an acoustic wave signal of a first frequency and a radio frequency signal of a second frequency, wherein the acoustic wave signal and the radio frequency signal are received from an acoustic wave and radio frequency identification reader, and the first frequency and the second frequency are different frequencies; providing the received acoustic wave signal to an acoustic wave to DC electrical energy converter for conversion of the received acoustic wave signal into electrical energy at a level commensurate with a strength of the received acoustic wave signal; providing the received radio frequency signal to a radio frequency to DC rectifier, separate from the acoustic wave to DC electrical energy converter, for conversion of the received radio frequency signal into electrical energy at a level commensurate with a strength of the received RF signal; providing the electrical energy converted from the received acoustic wave signal and the electrical energy converted from the received radio frequency signal to a controller and identification information circuit; measuring, by the controller and identification information circuit, a level of electrical energy converted from the received acoustic wave signal; measuring, by the controller and identification information circuit, a level of electrical energy converted from the received radio frequency signal; selecting, by the controller and identification information circuit, at least one communications mode of the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device with which to respond to the receiving, wherein the selecting comprises: comparing the measured level of electrical energy converted from the received acoustic wave signal to the measured level of electrical energy converted from the received radio frequency signal; and selecting at least one of an acoustic wave communications mode or a radio frequency communications mode as the at least one communications mode with which to respond to the receiving; and responding to the receiving by the controller and identification information circuit, via the selected at least one communications mode, by transmitting at least one of an acoustic wave identification or a radio frequency identification from the acoustic wave and radio frequency identification device.