(RFID 2004 - - - *Sample* *Sample* *Sample*)

The Translated Patents

This report section presents the English language translations for each patent chosen for analysis.  For each patent, the material is summarized in a uniform subsection format.

WHAT THE PATENT COVERS  is a summary of the major technical contribution of the patent.

COMMENTS presents opinions of the author which qualify the overall patent summary.

ABSTRACT is a summary of the patent Abstract.

CLAIMS is a summary of the technical material presented in the patent Claims.  This subsection covers the claims on a claim by claim basis.

The claim material is grouped by independent claim.  Each independent claim is identified with a single claim number.

Dependent claims are grouped with the independent claim to which they refer.  Dependent claims are identified with an identifier that shows dependency as a branching structure.  For example, the identifier 3.4.6 indicates that the information listed is from dependent claim 6, which is directly dependent on claim 4 which is further dependent on claim 3.  Claim 3 is the independent claim.  It is the first number in the identifier and has no predecessor.

DESCRIPTION is an optional subsection which is included if the description section of the patent introduces significant material not addressed in the claims.  This subsection might be expanded with the following subsection headings:

Issues Raised and solutions provided by others
Stated objectives of the invention
Issues Addressed or newly raised in the Summary and Drawings
Issues addressed or newly raised in the Drawings

The Patents

Two patents have been selected as samples.  The first one is pretty straight forward.  The title actually tells what the patent is about, the abstract actually tells what the patent is about, and the claims are reasonably worded and agree with the title, abstract and description.  Unfortunately, this is not the norm.  The second sample goes toward the other extreme.  Its title, abstract, claims and description cover substantially different material.  Verbatim patent text for these are in the next section.

6,665,193  Chung   December 16, 2003

Electronic circuit construction, as for a wireless RF tag

(This is an English language translation.  This is a pretty well constructed patent.  Remember to compare it to the verbatim patent below.)

What the Patent Covers

Use of a small, simple, intermediate circuit board, called a jumper, to carry a circuit.  The jumper joins the circuit to a flexible substrate which carries the antenna.  The jumper only has two conductors ending in connector pads.  The connection is made with solder or conductive adhesive.

Comments

This seems to be a very simple way to handle a wide variety of substrate sizes and shapes with a common electronic circuit.

Abstract

• An electronic circuit
• a substrate with electrical conductors
• the electrical conductors include two contacts spaced apart substantially a predetermined distance
• an electronic jumper
• the jumper has two contacts also spaced the predetermined distance apart
• the jumper contacts are connected to the two contacts of the substrate
• an electronic device on the electronic circuit jumper which has two contacts connected to the two contacts of the electronic circuit jumper.

Claims

35 claims, 8 are independent

1. A set of electronic items

• they may be different sizes and shapes

• a substrate with electrical conductors

• the conductors have two contacts

• the substrate need not be dimensionally stable

• a jumper with two contacts

• the jumper contacts are connected to the substrate contacts

• the jumper is dimensionally stable

• the jumper has an electronic device on it with two contacts

• the electronic device is connected to the two contacts on the jumper

• the jumper is connected to the electrical contacts of the substrate.

• 1.2  the conductor on the substrate is an antenna: the electronic item is a wireless item.

• 1.3  the jumper substrate has a length the predetermined distance;  the two contacts are at opposite ends

• 1.4  the dimensionally stable material is polyimide, a reinforced fiberglass or a liquid crystal polymer.

• 1.5  the connection of the jumper, the substrate and the electronic device is by solder or electrically conductive adhesive.

• 1.6  the electrical conductor on the substrate is an antenna, whereby the electronic item is a wireless item.

• 1.7  the jumper is connected to the substrate with the electronic device between the substrate and the jumper.

• 1.8  the jumper is connected to the substrate with the jumper substrate between the electronic device and the substrate.

   

  9. A set of electronic items

• they may be different sizes and shapes

• a substrate with electrical conductors

• the electrical conductors include two contacts

• the substrate need not be dimensionally stable

• an insulating electronic circuit substrate with contacts at each end

• the circuit substrate is dimensionally stable

• an electronic device mounted on the circuit substrate

• means to connect the electronic device to the circuit substrate contacts

• 9.10 the conductor on the substrate is an antenna: the electronic item is a wireless item

• 9.11 the dimensionally stable material is polyimide, a reinforced fiberglass or a liquid crystal polymer.

• 9.12 the connecting means is solder or electrically conductive adhesive.

• 9.13  the jumper is connected to the substrate;  the electronic device is between the substrate and the jumper.

• 9.14  the jumper is connected to the substrate;  the jumper substrate is between the electronic device and the substrate.

   

  Claims 15 through 35 are translated here.

   

  Inventors:  Chung; Kevin Kwong-Tai (Princeton, NJ); Sked; William Lewis (Mercerville, NJ
  Assignee:  Amerasia International Technology, Inc. (Princeton Junction, NJ
  Primary Examiner: Martin; David
  Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dann, Dorfman, Herrell & Skillman, P.C.

   

  6,653,946      Hassett  November 25, 2003

  Electronic vehicle toll collection system and method

  ( This is an English language translation.  While only the abstract and claims are translated directly, in order to understand the patent, the entire content of the patent was reviewed, in detail. This is a very difficult patent to understand.)

  What the Patent Covers

• An approach for automatic collection of tolls
• Use of an in-vehicle computer as a wireless wallet to store a value of money.
• An arrangement of fixed and mobile transponders to isolate individual vehicles in a stream of vehicles.
• The use of signal strength and encoding to isolate individual vehicles.

Comments

This patent contains disjoint and inconsistent parts.  Many items discussed in the abstract and summary do not show up in the claims.  Statements of purpose in the abstract and summary are not supported in the construction of the claims.  There are only 4 claims, which are extremely broad.  Issues presented in the patent range all the way from management of operational information in computer networks to the physical arrangement of antennas to individual resistors and capacitors in sensing circuits.  Many items presented in the description and figures are not represented in either the summary or claims.  The patent does not focus on a toll collection system or method as stated in the title, but rather a general approach to a large range of possible system alternatives and methods.

 

Abstract

A system for automatic collection of tolls:

• in-vehicle processor storing a toll-money-available quantity purchased by the user
• a toll-facility that transmits an identifier signal
• the in-vehicle processor calculates the toll
• the in-vehicle processor transmits its identity, its net balance and the toll, which it debits from an account balance
• the in-vehicle processor may increment a low balance through interaction with a central billing system
• Various means for shutting down delinquent in-vehicle components or identifying offender vehicles are described.

 

Claims

4 claims, 2 are independent

1. An apparatus for locating and identifying a mobile transceiver:

• multiple stationary RF transmitters, each transmitting identification information
• adjacent transmitters have substantially parallel antenna patterns
• transceivers have a pre-assigned identity, a transmitter, receiver, and data processor
• the transceiver identifies the closest stationary transmitter and thereafter transmits a signal which identifies the closest transmitter.
• 1.2 the transceiver transmits information about an account balance

3. A method for locating and identifying a mobile transceiver:

• transmitting parallel RF signals from multiple stationary transmitters each carrying identification information
• identifying the closest stationary transmitter
• transmitting the identity of the closest transmitter
• 3.4 transmitting account balance information
  replenishing the account balance

 

Description

Issues Raised and solutions provided by others

• Conventional tolls are inefficient due to lost time and they induce vehicle accidents.
• Coin collection automation is not much improvement because vehicles must still stop, and they are subject to counterfeiting.
• Toll plate automation is not much improvement because it requires reducing vehicle speed, attentive human readers and additional administration.
• AVI requires a large data processing capability for the toll taker organization.
• Simple RFID tag systems cannot locally provide information to the vehicle operator about their toll payment account.
• There are multiple systems in use that don’t read each other’s tags.
• Existing systems do not determine actual lane position.
• Signal spill-over in multiple lane systems can cause miss-billing.  This constrains lane size and spacing.  Can be shielded.  Can be blocked with blanking fields.  Can be isolated in space with proximity sensors.

 

Stated objectives of the invention

• Improve toll collection and increase traffic capacity of roadways.
• Increase rate of toll collection and enhance safety.
• Convenient use; support multiple toll authorities at separated locations.
• Reliable, resistant to fraud, easy to integrate with existing systems.
• Determine lane position, sequencing and relative position of approaching vehicles.
• Allow close proximity of toll transceivers.
• Allow toll collection at high vehicle speed.

 

Issues Addressed or newly raised in the Summary

• In-vehicle processor that can store toll-money-available.  Need to load the processor with a money amount and vehicle identifier.
• Need to tell the processor where a vehicle enters a toll way.  Possible need to provide a toll schedule for the road.
• The processor calculates if sufficient funds are available and signals the vehicle operator for various situations, like insufficient funds.
• The processor debits toll amounts as it passes through toll sites.
• If the stored amount is insufficient for payment, the system auto increments and sends a command to the toll authority to notify a billing authority to supply additional funds.
• An antenna can be constructed with sufficiently controlled beam pattern to isolate a single lane.
• The signal from a stationary transmitter can be sufficiently well controlled and measured by a mobile receiver to determine the location of the mobile unit.

 

Issues addressed or newly raised in the Drawings

• The invention can also be used with railways, waterways and other transport systems.
• This invention also uses blocking or shielding fields.
• This invention requires a “Toll Transaction Management system”.
• The invention is dependent on measurements of RF field strength.  It is dependent on proper placement of the antenna.  It does not address effects of weather or deflection of RF energy by vehicle surfaces.
• The figures present samples of data field structure but state they are representative only.
• The figure discussion adds keys for user interaction and alpha numeric displays.
• The figure discussion adds battery life extension by stopping the processor.  It is awakened by another RF signal.
• The figures present an electronic circuit to measure signal strength.
• The figures present the need for a probabilistic determination of measurements to assure accuracy of detection.
• The figure discussion adds the need to include vehicle class information.
• The figure discussion adds a light display to indicate vehicle type for observation by law enforcement personnel.
• The figure discussion adds the need for vehicle proximity detection to eliminate lane crosstalk.
• The figure discussion addresses the use of shielding fields, but without analysis of signal strength when combined with primary fields.
• The figure discussion presents random details that could be used in the Toll Transaction Management System.

 

Inventors:  Hassett; John J. (Marblehead, MA)
Assignee:  Transcore, Inc. (Hummelstown, PA)

 

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If you want to do a side by side comparison between the English language translation and the verbatim text, you can try the following.

Right click the hyperlink labeled NEXT below. It should open a selection window.  Select "Open in New Window".  The verbatim patents should appear in a new window. Now you have the translation in one window and the verbatim in a second window. You can size and move the windows to do the comparison.