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US grants important energy efficiency RFID patent

For passive radio frequency identification (RFID), where the transponder has to operate on energy it receives in the form of radio waves, the ability to operate on very small powers is what 'separates the men from the boys'. Low power operation means longer operating range, smaller readers, longer battery life for readers. Trolley Scan has announced that it has been granted, by the United States Patent Office, a patent detailing its important energy efficient technology which it markets under the trademark EcoTag. The legal process grants protection to this technology for the 21 year period from 1999 to 2020.

Said Mike Marsh, MD of Trolley Scan, "The technology for low power operation of transponders is one of the most important developments in passive UHF RFID. In the same way that recent developments allow smaller cellphones with longer operating life - the efficient use of RF power by transponders allow low power passive transponders to impact the operating distances that were previously only available to more expensive active transponders - and yet can be produced very cheaply."

"EcoTag technology is not just about low power consumption of the integrated circuit on the transponder, but is about the efficient conversion of the very weak radio energy waves to energy that can be used by the transponder. This technology also allows transponders to be produced that are energy efficient and yet use antenna systems that are much smaller than would be available for conventional transponders."

This patent advances the technical development of passive RFID technology significantly. Trolley Scan license their patents and technology to companies around the world who wish to produce this technology. Trolley Scan has already provided systems using this technology to users in 27 countries.

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