Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for selective blocking of radio frequency identification devices

US6970070B2 · kind B2 · utility

290Cited by
1References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 29, 2003
Grant dateNov 29, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 3, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06K19/07336
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for providing enhanced privacy in an RFID system comprising a plurality of RFID devices, each having an associated identifier, and at least one reader which communicates with one or more of the devices. A blocker device is operative to receive a communication directed from the reader to one or more of the RFID devices, and to generate, possibly based on information in the received communication, an output transmittable to the reader. The output simulates one or more responses from at least one of the RFID devices in a manner which prevents the reader from determining at least a portion of the identifier of at least one of the RFID devices. The blocker device may itself comprise one of the RFID devices. In an illustrative embodiment, the output generated by the blocker device interferes with the normal operation of a singulation algorithm implemented by the reader.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.