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RFID tag and printer system

a printer system and RFID technology, applied in the field of RFID tags and printer systems, can solve the problems of increasing the need for modification of the host application software, and increasing the cost of printing

Inactive Publication Date: 2005-03-17
PRINTRONIX INCORPORATED
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is about a thermal printer that can read and write RFID tags on labels and print information based on the RFID tag. The printer uses a thin quarter wave resonant antenna for interrogation of the RFID tag and can communicate with the tag as it moves across the antenna field. The printer can program data into the RFID tag and verify that correct data was programmed before printing. The RFID tag can also be interrogated at decreasing RF power levels to determine its performance margin or quality level. The invention allows for easy migration into competitor applications by supporting various languages. The technical effects of this invention include improved RFID tag programming and verification, as well as better understanding of RFID tag performance margin and quality level."

Problems solved by technology

Such antennas typically have large power and beam widths.
These types of antennas are not suitable for use in applications that require directional and confined interrogation.
However, printing after programming forces additional handling of the roll of labels and requires the use of additional hardware.
Furthermore, the capabilities of programming and reading RFID tags used in thermal printer labels is limited, due in part, to the mechanical profile of the printer, which may cause performance issues with radio frequency signals associated with RFID technology, and to the proximity of multiple tags coupled with the need to address (program) only one tag at a time.
If an error is detected, the printer can over-strike the label, indicating an error in the tag.

Method used

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Examples

Experimental program
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Embodiment Construction

[0024]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a printer system 100 with a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader subsystem 102 according to one embodiment. Printer system 100 also includes a roll 104 of labels or media, where an RFID tag is embedded in each label. RFID tags are conventional passive tags, such as manufactured by Alien Technology Corporation. Labels from roll 104 are fed over an RFID antenna 106, interrogated, and printed by a thermal print head 108. A host computer 112 coupled to a system controller 110 that is in turn coupled to RFID reader subsystem 102 and antenna 106 allows the RFID tag on each label to be written to and verified. If the RFID tag was programmed correctly, the label passes through thermal print head 108 for printing. The resulting label then has both a printed media as well as a programmed RFID tag that can be read, such as with bar code scanners and RF readers, respectively.

[0025]FIG. 2 shows a label 200 from roll 104 of FIG. 1, where label 200 in...

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PUM

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Abstract

An RFID label with embedded tag is passed through an RFID antenna in a printer system, where the RFID antenna allows a roll of such labels to pass in close proximity to the antenna and still allow each individual RFID tag to be read and / or programmed. The RFID antenna has a rectangular RF field spreader in contact with a triangular divergent RF conductor with an RF source point at the point. Ground planes are located on either side of the antenna. In another embodiment, the printer system extracts or parses bar code commands from a data stream and passes the commands to both a printer and an RFID reader to print the image and program the tag with the bar code information.

Description

BACKGROUND [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to printer systems, and in particular, a printer system for communicating with radio frequency identification (RFID) labels. [0003] 2. Related Art [0004] RFID transponders or tags, either active or passive, are typically used with an RFID reader to read information from the RFID tag. The information is then stored or otherwise used in various applications, such as monitoring, cataloging, and / or tracking of the item associated with the RFID tag, paying tolls, and managing security access. For example, RFID tags can be obtained through companies such as Alien Technology Corporation of Morgan Hill, Calif. Many applications for bar codes can also be used in conjunction with RFID systems. [0005] A conventional RFID tag and reader uses radio frequency signals to acquire data remotely from the tags within the range of the reader. One example is reading the information associated with a transponder carried in a...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): B41J3/407B41J3/44B41J11/00G06K5/02G06K7/10G06K17/00G06K19/077
CPCB41J3/4075B41J3/44B41J11/0095G06K5/02G06K2017/0041G06K7/10346G06K17/0025G06K19/07749G06K7/10316
Inventor CHAPMAN, THEODORE A.SCHUMAKER, RICHARD E.EDWARDS, ANDREW W.MORRIS, STEPHEN S.HARKINS, JAMES P.JARVIS, BRADLEY S.
Owner PRINTRONIX INCORPORATED
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