A control unit of the article processing terminal controls a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader of the article processing terminal to periodically scan a plurality of short-range articles. In response to a status change of an article of the plurality of short-range articles, the control unit receives an article identifier of the article from the RFID reader. The control unit controls a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) module of the article processing terminal to send an article change message to a LPWAN gateway, where the article change message includes the article identifier and an address of an application server, and where the LPWAN gateway instructs, based on the article change message and the address, the application server to perform a next processing step on the article identified by the article identifier.

An intelligent tracking system generally includes one or more tracking devices, some of which may be passive tracking devices. Each passive tracking device includes one or more transceivers and is energized by an energizing signal. Some of these passive tracking devices may operate in a first communication mode or a second communication mode based on the energizing signal. Some tracking devices may include encryption modules or authentication modules. Some of these devices may incorporate a bulk acoustic wave oscillator.

In one aspect where a load or a subset of one or more tags is in motion relative to an RFID reader system, the RFID system obtains tag readings and derives tag scalar or vector motional data e.g. tag velocity, tag acceleration, and/or rate of change of tag acceleration which can be compared to known tag motional information to distinguish true tags of interest from false positives which are unavoidably also within the field of the reader system. An antenna system may also make readings during distinctive movement patterns of true tags, such as vertical or arcuate movement and utilize computed tag motional data based on the tag readings to distinguish true tags from false positives. Two components of the RFID system may communicate information on identified tags, and/or interact (e.g. by silencing tags), so as to cooperate in identifying true positive tags.

An intelligent tracking system generally includes one or more tracking devices, some of which may be passive tracking devices. Each passive tracking device includes one or more transceivers and is energized by an energizing signal. Some of these passive tracking devices may operate in a first communication mode or a second communication mode based on the energizing signal. Some tracking devices may include encryption modules or authentication modules. Some of these devices may incorporate a bulk acoustic wave oscillator.

A reading device includes a placing table supporting an article to which an RFID tag is attached. An antenna is configured to emit a radio wave for communicating with the RFID tag toward the placing table. A reading unit is configured to read tag information including a tag identifier identifying the RFID tag by communicating with the RFID tag via the antenna while the placing table and the antenna are integrally moved. An extracting unit is configured to extract a tag identifier in which an amount of change in phase information is a predetermined value or less, based on the phase information of a response wave obtained from the RFID tag when the tag information is read. An outputting unit is configured to output the tag information including the tag identifier extracted by the extracting unit.

RFID ICs sense and indicate changes in their surrounding environment, such as changes in temperature, humidity, chemical presence, RF signals, and similar. An RFID IC indicates when a significant environmental change has occurred, for example by adjusting the value of a flag, writing data to memory, transmitting a message to an external entity, exiting a sleep state, and/or responding repeatedly to an inventorying reader. In some cases, RFID IC actively notifies an external entity that a significant environmental change has been sensed. For example, RFID IC may alert the external entity by participating in a special inventory process meant for RFID ICs sending environmental change. The RFID IC may alert the external entity by interjecting itself into an inventory round, re-participating in an inventory round, refraining from entering a sleep state after inventorying, and/or adjusting timing of a scheduled reply to communicate with an RFID reader ahead of schedule.

Described herein are systems and method for determining a presence and/or type of an object positioned on a platform. The system may include: a tag reader configured to determine a type of an object, the object including a tag readable by the tag reader; a load cell configured to detect the presence of the object on a platform, the object having a known weight; and the platform including at least one face for receiving the object. The platform is communicatively coupled to the load cell and the tag reader. The presence of the object is detected by the load cell housed in the platform when the object is position on the at least one face of the platform. The type of the object is determined by the tag reader housed in the platform when the object is in physical proximity to the platform.

An intelligent tracking system generally includes one or more tracking devices, some of which may be passive tracking devices. Each passive tracking device includes one or more transceivers and is energized by an energizing signal. Some of these passive tracking devices may operate in a first communication mode or a second communication mode based on the energizing signal. Some tracking devices may include encryption modules or authentication modules. Some of these devices may incorporate a bulk acoustic wave oscillator.

An intelligent tracking system generally includes one or more tracking devices, some of which may be passive tracking devices. Each passive tracking device includes one or more transceivers and is energized by an energizing signal. Some of these passive tracking devices may operate in a first communication mode or a second communication mode based on the energizing signal. Some tracking devices may include encryption modules or authentication modules. Some of these devices may incorporate a bulk acoustic wave oscillator.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are provided using RFID devices to assist in detecting retail product label removal. For example, a system includes a product identifier including a base substrate, a first RFID tag device, a second RFID tag device, a metallic substrate, a first attachment mechanism, and a second attachment mechanism. By one approach, the first attachment mechanism is configured to fail with an application of a lower separation force than the second attachment mechanism, such that upon an action causing a separation force to separate the base substrate from a first retail product will cause the first attachment mechanism to fail such that the base substrate will be removed from the metallic substrate and the first retail product. In some embodiments, upon this separation and removal, the second RFID tag device will then be readable by the RFID tag reader.