Patent ID: 7737823

Claim:
A method for identifying a plurality of objects via interrogation over a communication channel, wherein each object to be identified includes an identification number having a plurality of digits, wherein each object has the ability to communicate either first or second responses to indicate a value of each of the digits contained in its respective identification number and wherein each object is operative in response to a plurality of predetermined commands each characterized by a predetermined signal timing, the method comprising the steps of: (a) activating the plurality of objects; (b) interrogating a single digit of the identification number from each currently activated object, wherein each of the plurality of objects communicates either the first or second response to indicate the value of the interrogated single digit of its respective identification number; (c) recording the value of each of the responses communicated in step (b); (d) signaling those objects which communicated the first response with a first one of the predetermined commands to enter a deactivated state when both the first response and the second response were communicated in step (b); (e) recording the sequence of responses received for those objects placed in the deactivated state in step (d), wherein there are recorded incomplete identification numbers for the objects in the deactivated state and the objects in the deactivated state will no longer respond until the step of activating is repeated; (f) repeating steps (b), (c), (d) and (e) until a complete identification number is obtained of at least one of the objects; (g) recording the complete identification number; (h) activating the plurality of objects; (i) transmitting one of the sequence of incomplete responses which was recorded in step (e) but not yet transmitted in this step, to the plurality of objects; (j) signaling the objects with identification sequences that do not begin with the sequence of incomplete responses to enter the deactivated state, and (k) repeating the steps (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i) and (j) until all of the incomplete sequences which may have been recorded in step (e) have been transmitted in step (i), wherein a completion time for the method is deterministic for a given number of objects.