Patent ID: 7642916

Claim:
A package for at least two objects each having a tag associated therewith for wirelessly communicating data with a reader, the tag having a tag antenna and the reader having a reader antenna, said package including: an RFID bridge antenna comprising, in combination: at least two RF antenna elements spaced apart from one another and coupled together by an electrical conductor, the first RF antenna element being located proximate to said reader antenna and the second RF antenna element being located proximate to said tag antenna, the arrangement being such that an electromagnetic carrier signal transmitted by said reader antenna is received by said first RF antenna element and retransmitted by said second RF antenna element to said tag antenna, thereby increasing the distance over which said tag can communicate with said reader, wherein the reader and its associated reader antenna is positioned inside said package, and one of the objects is located in close proximity to said reader and another of the objects is located at a remote position relative to said reader, the tag associated with the object in close proximity to said reader being able through its tag antenna to wirelessly communicate data with said reader, and the tag associated with the object located at said remote position being able though said RFID bridge antenna to wirelessly communicate data with said reader.