Patent ID: 7815101

Claim:
A processor-implemented method for communicating information between a reader device and an application in a tagging system, the method comprising: transmitting, via the processor, a scan instruction to a reader regarding one or more tags and receiving, in response from the reader, information regarding a plurality of tags scanned by the reader, the plurality of scanned tags being of diverse types comprising a first type and a second type different from the first type, the first type and the second type being selected from barcode, magnetic stripe, smartcard, RFID, BLUETOOTH compatible, 802.11 compatible, near field communications (NFC), or IR, each of the first and second types of tags employing a distinct communications protocol with respect to the other of the first and second types of tags to communicate with the reader and providing information to the reader according to a distinct information format; retrieving, from a plurality of templates, a template associated with each type of tag scanned by the reader, each template stored in and retrieved from a repository separate and remote from the reader and corresponding to the distinct information format employed by the corresponding type of tag, the plurality of templates being representative of the plurality of diverse tag types of the tags scanned by the reader and by extension a plurality of types of tags that the reader can scan; and transmitting a tag information report to the application, the report including the template associated with each type of tag scanned, the application receiving the tag information report and employing the template in the report associated with each type of tag scanned to interpret the information from each tag of the type, wherein: a template is indicative of a format of information pertaining to characteristics of a respective scanned tag; elements of tags of differing tag types are identifiable and manipulatable by the application; the tag information report includes a respective pointer to a template respectively associated with each of the one or more tags scanned; and the application is configured to internet all subsequent reports directed to a tag through use of the pointer that indicates the respective template identifying the tag type.