A radio-frequency (RF) identification (RFID) system provides side-lobe blocking (SLB) functionality. The RFID system modifies a first RF signal to provide a modified signal. The first RF signal has an RF carrier frequency according to an RFID protocol, and a main directional antenna in the RFID system has a first main lobe extending in a first direction and is configured to radiate a first signal for reading one or more RFID tags according to the RFID protocol. The RFID system then provides the modified signal as an SLB signal to a secondary directional antenna having a second main lobe extending in a second direction different than the first direction to radiate a second signal toward one or more stray RFID tags.

A carrier for securing a tracking component includes a housing. The housing includes a recess formed into a face of the housing that is adapted to secure the tracking component. The recess includes a wall that surrounds a periphery of the recess and a hole formed through a bottom surface of the recess.

In one embodiment, a card reader device includes: a read head configured to generate a signal indicative of data stored on a magnetic stripe of a card, an output plug, adapted to be inserted into a headset jack of a mobile host device, configured to communicate an output signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe to a microphone input of the headset jack of the mobile host device; and circuitry configured to set the amplitude, which includes attenuation by at least a resistor, of a signal communicating said data included in the signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe generated by the read head resulting in the output signal indicative of data stored on the magnetic stripe. In one embodiment, the circuitry includes decoding circuitry configured to decode the signal indicative of the data stored on the magnetic stripe.

A system and method of tracking the position and status of plants or plant parts in a greenhouse or other growing area using identification tags such as RFID tags is disclosed.

A portable terminal obtains a first code used to obtain provision information and a second code, different from the first code, from a communication device. The portable terminal transmits the first and second codes to an information processing device, receives the provision information from the information processing device as a response to the transmission, and outputs the received provision information. The information processing device includes a first storage unit storing the first code and a second storage unit storing, by associating, the second code and the provision information. The information processing device receives the first and second codes from the portable terminal, obtains provision information associated with the received second code from the second storage unit when the received first code is stored in the first storage unit, and transmits the obtained provision information to the portable terminal. The first code is deleted in exiting from a specific area.

Method and device of facilitating online interactions using dynamic barcodes are disclosed. The method includes: a server receiving, from a first device, an interaction set-up request including information for an online interaction awaiting execution; in response to the interaction set-up request, generating an initial barcode in accordance with the interaction set-up request, wherein the initial barcode is configured to initiate subsequent execution of the online interaction when the initial barcode is scanned by a scanning device before expiration of the initial barcode; sending the initial barcode to the first device, wherein the first device is configured to cause the initial barcode to be displayed on a display device; and after sending the initial barcode, sending an updated barcode to the first device in accordance with predetermined barcode expiration criteria.

A method includes the following (1) detecting light returned from a target with an imaging sensor during a first frame exposure time period to capture a first image when a first illumination light is projected towards the target; (2) processing the first image to determine the light intensity of a second illumination light; (3) detecting light returned from the target with the imaging sensor during a second frame exposure time period to capture a second image when the second illumination light is projected towards the target; and (4) decoding a barcode in the second image. The light intensity of the first illumination light changes with time at least during part of the first frame exposure time period.

An authentication device comprising a woven authentication pattern, wherein the woven authentication pattern comprises a plurality of pattern forming woven elements each defining at least one pattern defining element or a plurality of pattern defining elements, and each pattern forming woven element is formed by a plurality of threads having contrasting optical or visual properties in twisted mutual engagement, wherein said pattern defining element has a spiralling outline or boundary and adjacent or abutting pattern defining elements of a pattern forming woven element are visually or optically distinguishable.

A device and method for waveform transmission of transaction card data to a merchant point-of-sale device are provided. The device includes a memory device for storing data, a processor, and a transmitter. The device is programmed to receive transaction card data that mimics data stored within a magnetic stripe associated with a transaction card, convert the transaction card data to a first data file for storage within the memory device, transmit the first data file to the transmitter, and transmit a first waveform from the transmitter to the POS device, wherein the first waveform includes changes in a magnetic field that represent the transaction card data.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to securely transmitting, directly between two mobile devices, AES-256 encrypted file attachments which are decrypted within an application program (APP) using a decryption key that is available only to the APP. In an illustrative embodiment, the encrypted file may be attached to an e-mail. The e-mail may be transmitted directly to another mobile device via direct Wi-Fi, for example. The e-mail may be transmitted directly to another mobile device using Bluetooth, for example. In encrypted attachment may be deciphered only within the APP running on the receiving mobile device using a private key accessible to only the APP.