This disclosure relates to sortable tracking objects. In particular, this disclosure relates to sortable tracking objects that can be associated with item containers and items for tracking and organization.

A method includes obtaining an RFID, an associated barcode and an exit time for an RFID tag that was detected by an RFID sensor as exiting a building. A transaction database is accessed to determine if a product with a matching barcode was purchased before the exit time when a product with a matching barcode was not purchased before the exit time, marking the RFID as bypassing purchase.

A system for tracking fuel in a fuel distribution network is provided. The system includes a plurality of tracking devices disposed at a plurality of fuel transport locations including a supplier fuel storage location, a mobile fuel storage location, a stationary fuel storage location and a vehicle fuel location, wherein each tracking device is configured to read in real time the digital tag by receiving a radiation emission spectrum associated with the fuel identification information as the fuel is transported through the plurality of fuel transfer locations. The digital tag includes information about the fuel.

A communication apparatus includes an antenna, a detecting section, and a determining section. The antenna receives a radio wave transmitted from a wireless tag. The detecting section detects a phase of the radio wave. The determining section determines that the wireless tag is present outside a predetermined range if a phase difference between a phase measured if a relative position of the antenna with respect to the wireless tag is a first position within a first range and a phase measured if the relative position is a second position within the first range is smaller than a threshold or if a phase difference between a phase measured if the relative position is a third position within a second range different from the first range and a phase measured if the relative position is a fourth position within the second range is smaller than the threshold.

For a measurement period, signal strengths, device identifiers and access point identifiers are received from a plurality of access points. A record for the measurement period is stored in random access memory with the record being associated with a single device identifier and containing access point identifiers associated with signal strengths received for the measurement period. The location of a device is determined for the measurement period by retrieving spatial coordinates of a corresponding access point for each access point identifier in the record for the measurement period and setting the location of the device for the measurement period to the average of the retrieved spatial coordinates.

An image capture system has an electronic rolling shutter (ERS) imager in area mode with high illumination to perform image acquisition (i.e. barcode reading) for fast moving items. Shearing distortion may occur but image blur is reduced and the image can be decoded. The ERS imager replaces global shutter imagers at a much lower cost and wider availability. The image capture system separates illumination into multiple bands in space and then synchronize the illumination bands with the exposure of the ERS imager in time. Much less illumination is required for the same image quality.

A radio frequency identification (RFID) device programming apparatus includes a transport system (102) to transport media (104) in a transport direction (106), and an RFID device reader (112) to obtain first device identification data from a first RFID device (108) on the media and second device identification data from a second RFID device (110) on the media that is offset from the first RFID device in the transport direction. A first RFID device programmer (114) may program the first RFID device associated with the first device identification data, and a second RFID device programmer (116) may program the second RFID device associated with the second device identification data.

Disclosed are a method, a system and/or a device for contactless encoding and printing of a triple interface smart card through a near-field network. In one embodiment, a triple interface encoding device includes a production controller communicatively coupled to an object encoding array, an object conveyor transport, and an object encoding server. The production controller may detect a sequence of target objects and associates it with one of a plurality of user accounts. The object encoding server configures the object encoding array to contactlessly encode the target object. Further, the object encoding server configures target object feeder to automatically deploy a number of target objects equal to a number of contactless encoders of the object encoding array onto the conveyor belt of the object conveyor transport spaced at corresponding repeat positions as the number of contactless encoders. Furthermore, object encoding server configures the conveyor belt to position the target objects.

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to track objects on a moving conveyor system. In some embodiments, an RFID based tracking system comprises a conveyor system to move and transport objects along a conveyance path, wherein each object includes a near field only RFID tag associated therewith and identifying the object. Each near field only RFID tag is not coupled to a far field antenna such that it is not readable in a far field of RFID communication and communicates only in a near field of RFID communication. An RFID tag reader is positioned to attempt to read the near field only RFID tag of each object. And a control circuit processes reads of the near field only RFID tags by the first RFID reader to determine an order of the objects being conveyed.

Disclosed are a method, a system and/or a device for contactless encoding and printing of a triple interface smart card through a near-field network. In one embodiment, a triple interface encoding device includes a production controller communicatively coupled to an object encoding array, an object conveyor transport, and an object encoding server. The production controller may detect a sequence of target objects and associates it with one of a plurality of user accounts. The object encoding server configures the object encoding array to contactlessly encode the target object. Further, the object encoding server configures target object feeder to automatically deploy a number of target objects equal to a number of contactless encoders of the object encoding array onto the conveyor belt of the object conveyor transport spaced at corresponding repeat positions as the number of contactless encoders. Furthermore, object encoding server configures the conveyor belt to position the target objects.