KR20050016962A - Interactive system using electronic tags - Google Patents

Abstract

The interactive system using the interactive electronic tag (ID) according to the present invention includes a tag reader 24 and a processing terminal 32. When interactive tags, other tags, and additional tags are read together by the tag reader 24, the profile information stored in the interactive tag ID can be changed using the profile data, which is promotional data. It may be carried by an additional tag PRINF in accordance with an operation instruction carried by another tag ACT, for example cut, copy, paste, delete, or the like.

Description

How to update user profile in interactive system, how to update information in memory field, interactive system, interactive tag and promotion method {INTERACTIVE SYSTEM USING ELECTRONIC TAGS}

The present invention relates to an interactive system using an electronic interactive tag.

There are two types of electronic interactive tags: active and passive. The active tag has its own power supply in the form of a physically small low leakage battery. Such tags are generally transponder types that respond to inquiry low power radio signals by generating response signals with sub-multiple of the same or different frequencies, eg interrogating frequencies, optionally encoded according to their application. to be. Manual tags without batteries are widely used to detect stolen goods from retailers and track goods in transit. These simple tags are attached to the package of goods and can be detected as they pass through specially designed doorways at outlets such as stores, warehouses, and stores. If a tag is attached to an item for sale, the tag is removed at the point of sale and the buyer can exit without any interruption.

More complex tags with unique serial numbers on packages are being used, which have the same advantages as barcodes but with less sensitivity to the orientation of the label. The range in which a tag can be detected depends on the type of tag, but can range from a few centimeters to about one meter. The serial number uniquely identifies the package, which provides a wide range of applications for tags, from logistics and organization involved in the distribution of goods to the shipment of airport baggage.

Currently used tags frequently have unused programmable data space, typically about 100 to 3000 bytes, in the device available for storing additional data. For example, a user may want to sign up for a particular service, order a preferred meal, or indicate that he or she is shopping and is open to short message service (SMS) discounts on products such as clothing. The problem with programming a tag is that it requires specialized hardware and software that is not available to the consumer. This, in turn, limits the wider use of tags and their applications.

1 is a schematic diagram of a passive tag.

2 is a schematic diagram showing a tag reader with a portion of the case cut away with several different types of tags.

It is an object of the present invention to facilitate the programming of tags.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a method is provided for updating a user profile in an interactive system comprising associating at least one interchangeable profile data tag with information contained on an identifier tag.

According to a second aspect of the invention, accessing a memory field of an interactive tag, determining data to be used to update profile information from the second tag, and profile information according to an operation instruction contained in the third tag. A method of updating information in a memory field of an interactive tag that includes updating is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interactive tag having tag reading means, a storage device for personal identification information and a programmable space for storing profile information, a second tag having profile data, and an operation instruction. An interactive system is provided that includes a third tag and means for using the profile data and profile information in accordance with operational instructions in response to reading the interactive tag, the second tag, and the third tag.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a profile tag including a promotional data stored by a promoter for distributing an article, and an interactive tag having a stored programmable storage space is read by the user with a profile. Modifying the contents of the programmable storage space using the promotional data according to the action instructions recorded on the action tag and the interactive tag, wherein the related product / service provider has a method of promoting the product / service rewarding the promoter. Is provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interactive tag comprising storage means comprising identification information stored therein and profile information for adjusting a tag reader.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an interactive tag is provided that includes stored profile data that, when read with the interactive tag, can be changed as desired according to the operation instructions of the other tag.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, when an interactive tag, another tag, and an additional tag are read together, a stored profile that can be operated by the profile data of the other tag according to an operation instruction of the additional tag. An interactive tag is provided that contains information.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, like reference numerals have been used to indicate corresponding features.

Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated passive tag 10 includes an integrated circuit (or chip) 12 coupled to a spiral coil antenna 14. Chip 12 may be fabricated using a CMOS technique, which includes a wireless transceiver 16 coupled to processing stage 18. The power supply 22 is coupled to an antenna 14 for inducing current from the RF power inductively received via the tag reader 24 (FIG. 2) and supplying it to the chip 12. Stage 22 includes rectifying means for inducing current from the inductively supplied power, which supplies this current to processor 18 which distributes to other stages in chip 12.

Alternatively, tag 10 may be an active tag, ie a tag whose circuit is powered by an integrated battery 23 that replaces power supply 22.

In the case of an interactive (or identifier) tag, which may be an active tag rather than a passive tag, RAM 20 with approximately 100 to 3000 bytes of storage typically stores the user's identification number and connection details. This information occupies only part of the available programmable portion of RAM. The remaining data space can be used for other purposes such as the user's profile or URL.

Programming the rest of the data space has typically been done using dedicated hardware and software that is not available to the average consumer. The method according to the invention jointly uses different types of read tags to complete the programming of the remaining data spaces on the identifier tags.

Referring to FIG. 2, the tag reader 24 includes an inductive transducer 26, such as a coiled antenna, located under a protective cover 27 in the center of a shallow concave dish. Transducer 26 is coupled to a module comprising a demodulator 28 and a receiver having an output coupled to microcontroller 30. The RF amplifier 32 constituting the transmitter is coupled between the microcontroller 30 and the transducer 26. The transmitter may operate at any suitable frequency, for example 13.56 MHz. The microcontroller 30 controls the modulation of the 13.56 MHz signal and processes the data derived by the demodulator 28. The microcontroller is coupled by a data link 34 to a dedicated processing unit 36, which may be a personal computer 38 having a VDU 40 and a keyboard 42, or a dedicated device having a VDU 40. The data link 34 includes or has a function similar to a USB connector that can carry power and bidirectional data.

The microcontroller 30 generates a logic signal for the time and length of the modulation, and the carrier at 13.56 MHz is modulated by this logic signal to transmit data from the processing device to the associated tag.

The data may be sent to the tag as one of 256 pulse position codes or by some other suitable technique. Power is delivered to the tag using the principle of a loosely coupled transformer, whereby the antenna coil 26 generates a magnetic field. Some magnetic flux flows through the tag antenna adjacent to antenna coil 26 and includes a voltage therein. This voltage induces a current and the tag starts to operate.

In the opposite direction, data may be transmitted from the tag as a Manchester coded subcarrier at a frequency of 423.75 kHz. A " load modulation " method may be used in which the tag continuously changes the load on the magnetic field in accordance with the information to be transmitted. The weakening of the magnetic field is detected by the receiver 28.

To complete programming of an unused data space in RAM 20 (FIG. 1) of an interactive tag (ID) that may include profile information that may change, one or more different types of tags may simply be tagged with a tag reader ( By placing it on a cover 27 on the transducer 26 of 24, it is used together with the interactive tag ID. The information possessed by each type of tag is read by the tag reader 24 and relayed to the processing unit 32, which is stored in the RAM 20 (FIG. 1) of the interactive tag ID. Start updating the profile information. Other types of tags include profile information tags PRINF and action tags ACT. The architecture of the different types of tags is similar to the tags shown in FIG. 1 in that they include a chip 12 and a spiral coil 14.

Action tags (ACT), which are more likely to be passive tags, are added, subtracted, multiply, divided, stored in the interactive tag ID when read by the card reader 24, Specific operation commands that can be used to perform any one of a range of operations, such as cut, copy, paste, delete, protect or unprotect information. Include. In addition, the action tag ACT has the ability to control what information is released by the identifier tag, i.e., control to release only the profile or high priority even if it passes all.

The profile information tag PRINF, which is likely to be a passive tag, carries information designed to be included in or transmitted to an operation on data stored on the interactive tag ID depending on the operation command read from the action tag ACT. Include. This information may be a sum of money or a URL. There is only one instance of this information on the profile information tag PRINF, and once copied, the actually copied information is protected or deleted to prevent recopying. The data can be copied to an interactive tag (ID) or for example by a tag reader used for payment of a transaction. In all cases, the information taken is removed from the profile information tag PRINF. Other types of profile information tags include access to particular services, subscriptions or members. They are designed to be used only with other tags. Under some circumstances, they may be destroyed or copy-protected when the information is copied into an interactive tag (ID).

When information is passed to an interactive tag, it stays on this tag until it is overwritten or erased.

In a variation of the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 2, the tag is not actually located within the tag reader, but the tag held by the user is within a range of the tag reader, which may be implemented as a boot having the tag reader therein. When entering, they may be read simultaneously. Confirmation of the coexistence of tags as a group, rather than any match of irrelevant tags, may be obtained by tags moving out of range at the same time. This may be used to trigger a combination of meanings for the tag reading system.

A possible application of using the profile information tag (PRINF) is to simulate the interest of those interested in what golf products and services are available when visiting a large shopping mall. To this end, the promoter enables the publisher of the golf magazine to supply a PRINF tag with "golf" as profile information. The PRINF tag, which can only be read and discarded once, is removed from the magazine by the user using the method according to the invention, and the personal profile on the user's interactive tag (ID), which may be an active tag, is a "golf" as the subject of interest. Is updated to include. As a user walks through the mall, his profile is read by a tag reader at the entrance of the store, and if there is something that a golfer, such as supplies, clothing, shoes, books, and magazines might be interested in, this will attract the user's attention Sales may be made.

To finance this promotion, promoters collect fees from various stores and product suppliers.

As an improvement, the PRINF tag may be a means by which the user of the interactive tag can be discounted. For example, a golf magazine contains a profile information tag (PRINF) with the message "Golfs get a big discount through SMS (Short Message Service) when visiting XYZ shopping malls." A consumer with a cellular telephone may have two methods, first, an action tag containing his or her interactive tag, an action instruction for "add" or "combine" and an SMS service to be detected simultaneously with detecting them. Associating this message with profile information on the interactive tag by taking a profile information tag for the tag reader, and secondly, adding the message to the profile information in the dynamic space on the user's interactive tag and then the profile information tag (PRINF). You can also use this tag by taking this action in advance by discarding the.

In both cases, the tag information may be detected at the store entrance in the shopping mall, which causes the phone number of the individual, which is part of the user information stored on the inactive tag, to be read along with the discount information to start the SMS service. This may allow an SMS message to be sent that offers a sale discount at the store where the user just entered, increasing the chance of selling.

The promoter can measure the effectiveness of this type of discounted sales promotion from the store's records. Armed with this information, the promoter can negotiate business terms with the seller as well as with the magazine publisher (or any other supplier of the product that can be used to calculate the PRINF tag).

In this and other examples, the co-location of the interactive tag (ID) and the profile information tag (PFINF) and the action tag (ACT) resulted in an update of information in the RAM of the interactive tag unit reader.

In this specification and claims, the term “comprising” does not exclude the presence of the listed elements or steps.

Other changes may be apparent to those skilled in the art from this specification. Such changes may include other features that are already known in the design, manufacture, and use of interactive systems that utilize co-located tags and component parts and that may be used instead of or in addition to the features already described herein. . While the claims have been formulated with specific combinations of features in the present application, the scope of the invention is any or all equivalents to what is done in the present invention and whether or not it relates to the same invention as the one currently claimed in the claims. Note that it includes any novel feature or novel combination of explicitly or implicitly disclosed features or any generalization, whether or not to mitigate technical problems. Note that in the course of this application or further applications derived therefrom, new claims may be formulated with such features and / or combinations of such features.

Claims (14)

In a method for updating a user profile in an interactive system, Associating at least one interchangeable profile data tag (PRINF) with information contained on the identifier tag (ID). How to update user profile. The method of claim 1, Information included on the profile data tag PRINF is copied onto an identifier tag ID. How to update user profile. A method of updating information in a memory field of an interactive tag (ID), Accessing the memory field of the interactive tag; Determining data to be used to update profile information from a second tag (PRINF), Updating the profile information according to an operation instruction included in a third tag ACT. Method of updating information in memory field. The method of claim 3, wherein The second and third tags are read together with the interactive tag. Method of updating information in memory field. The method of claim 3, wherein Providing the interactive tag, the second and third tags to the reading station 24 at substantially the same time. Method of updating information in memory field. The method of claim 5, wherein Updating the profile information when the tag is removed from the reading station. Method of updating information in memory field. An interactive tag (ID) having a tag reading means 24, a storage device 20 for personal identification information, and a programmable space for storing profile information, a second tag PRINF having profile data, and an operation instruction. And a means (32) for using said profile data and said profile information in accordance with said operation instructions in response to reading said interactive tag, said second tag, and said third tag. Interactive system. The method of claim 7, wherein The tag reading means 24 has an RF coupling means, each of the interactive tag, the second and third tags having a coil for use with the RF coupling means. Interactive system. The method of claim 8, At least the second (PRINF) and third (ACT) tags are passive tags, these tags powered by RF coupling means. Interactive system. Storage means 20 comprising identification information stored therein and profile information for adjusting the tag reader; Interactive tag (ID). When stored with an interactive tag, it contains stored profile data that can be changed as desired according to the action instructions of other tags (ACT). Interactive tag (ID). When the interactive tag, the other tag, and the additional tag are read together, stored profile information that can be operated by the profile data of the other tag PRINF according to the operation instruction of the additional tag ACT. Containing Interactive tag (ID). As a way of promoting goods / services, Providing, by the promoter, a profile tag (PRINF) containing stored promotional data for distributing the article, The interactive tag (ID) having the stored programmable storage space is stored by the user into the contents of the programmable storage space using the promotional data according to the action tag (ACT) read along with the profile and the action instructions recorded on the interactive tag. Include steps to make changes, The relevant goods / services provider will reward the promoter Promotion method. The method of claim 13, The profile tag PRINF is a one-time read tag Promotion method.