Patent ID: 8730014

Claim:
A method for monitoring, comprising: associating a modulating reflector tag with one of a person, an animal, an object, or a place, said modulating reflector tag including an antenna structure, a retro reflector, and a dielectric material, said antenna structure having at least one characteristic modified in accordance with a pattern intended to convey information about one of said person, said animal, said object, or said place, said modulating reflector tag being located at a first location; receiving by said modulating reflector tag an interrogation signal having been transmitted towards said modulating reflector tag by an interrogator located at a second location different from said first location, said antenna structure reflecting energy from said interrogation signal, said energy comprising backscatter energy and forward scatter energy, said retro reflector retro reflecting at least some of said forward scatter energy along with said back scatter energy as a return signal to said interrogator, said retro reflector increasing the amount of reflected energy that is returned to said interrogator independent of the angle between said interrogator and said retro reflector; wherein said retro reflector is embedded in said dielectric material.