A device that includes a controller having a processing unit and a memory. The device includes an enable circuit. The enable circuit prevents the device from operating (e.g., discharging current and/or receiving charging current) until the enable circuit is activated. The enable circuit includes an activation component (e.g., a near-field communication [“NFC”] circuit). The activation component is configured or operable to cause the device to become enabled when the activation component is activated by an external enabling device.

A tag reading device includes an external interface, an RFID interface, a buffer memory, and a processor. The external interface communicates with a higher-level device. The RFID interface reads tag information from an RFID tag. The buffer memory sequentially records the tag information read from the RFID tag using the RFID interface. The processor transmits the tag information recorded in order in the buffer memory to the higher-level device via the external interface, and updates a transmission start pointer indicating untransmitted tag information in the buffer memory.

Provided are a checkout device, a control method, and a storage medium that can smoothly perform a checkout process for a customer in accordance with a status. The checkout device includes: a first input/output unit; a second input/output unit provided to face a different direction from the first input/output unit; and a control unit that selects an input/output unit which accepts input related to a checkout process from the first input/output unit and the second input/output unit based on at least one of status of the checkout device and time.

According to one or more embodiments, the tag reader includes a communication controller, a temperature measuring sensor, and a processor. The communication controller controls an output signal to be output from an antenna of the tag reader. The temperature measuring sensor measures an internal temperature of the tag reader. The processor sets the output value of an output signal based on the measured temperature and causes the communication control circuit to output the output signal from the antenna at the set output value.

A device receives a transaction request concerning a transaction and a transaction card from a transaction terminal, and determines, based on the transaction request, information concerning the transaction card. The device sends, based on the transaction request and to a user device, a query concerning possession of the transaction card by a user of the user device, where the query includes an instruction for the user to confirm possession of the transaction card via a component of the user device. The device receives, from the user device and after sending the query to the user device, a response concerning possession of the transaction card by the user, and determines, based on the response and the information concerning the transaction card, whether the user has possession of the transaction card. The device performs, based on determining whether the user has possession of the transaction card, at least one action.

A point of sale (POS) device includes a nest portion and a cradle portion. The nest portion includes one or more payment card or near field communication (NFC) readers. The cradle portion couples to differently-sized interchangeable frames, which in turn help secure a mobile computing device to the cradle portion of the POS device. The mobile computing device is connected via a connector to the rest of the POS device. Payment card information read by the readers is conveyed to the mobile computing device over the connector for processing. The POS device may also include tamper detection circuitry.

A personal protection system can comprise a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag coupled to a personal protective equipment, a barometric sensor coupled to the RFID tag, and a computing device communicatively coupled to the RFID tag and the barometric sensor. The computing device can comprise a processing unit that can be configured to access radio frequency (RF) data received from the RFID tag and receive, from the barometric sensor, barometric data determined by the barometric sensor. Further, the processing unit can be configured to determine a positioning state of the personal protection equipment. The positioning state can indicate whether the personal protection equipment is being worn correctly or incorrectly by the user.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a wireless identification tag configured to harvest ambient energy and transmit an identification signal intermittently, and system and methods for use thereof. In one implementation, the tag may include an antenna configured to receive ambient energy. The tag may also include an energy storage component configured to aggregate and store the received ambient energy. The tag may also include a transmitter electrically connected to the energy storage component and configured to transmit the identification signal. The tag may also include a circuit connected to the transmitter and configured to implement an identification transmission rule, to cause the transmitter to delay sending the identification signal even when sufficient energy for transmission of the identification signal is aggregated and stored in the energy storage component.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods for providing privacy to downstream owners of electronically tagged goods. In one implementation, the system may include at least one processor that may be configured to store IDs for a plurality of tags including at least a first owner ID and a second owner ID for a particular tag; associate first information of the particular tag with the first owner ID at a time when the first owner of the particular tag is recorded as owning the tag; record a transaction transferring ownership of the particular tag from the first owner to a second owner; and after the transfer of ownership, associate second information of the particular tag with the second owner ID, and prevent the second owner from accessing the first information.

An authentication method for a tag device includes exchanging authentication codes between the tag device and an authentication server to perform mutual authentication. A reader device acts as a communications bridge between the tag device and the authentication server. The reader device may observe mutual authentication between the tag device and the authentication server as an indicator that the tag device is authentic. A failure of mutual authentication indicates that the tag device is not authentic.