US 12,255,396 B2
Radio frequency reflectors for radio frequency identification systems
Rehan K. Jaffri, Tarrytown, NY (US); Amit Asthana, Germantown, MD (US); and Jeffrey G. Kukkola, Golden Valley, MN (US)
Filed by ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, Lincolnshire, IL (US)
Filed on Apr. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/732,085.
Prior Publication US 2023/0352846 A1, Nov. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. H01Q 15/14 (2006.01); H01Q 1/22 (2006.01); H01Q 1/38 (2006.01); H01Q 1/52 (2006.01)
CPC H01Q 15/14 (2013.01) [H01Q 1/2208 (2013.01); H01Q 1/38 (2013.01); H01Q 1/526 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A radio frequency (RF) reflector for use with a radio frequency identification (RFID) system, comprising:
a four-sided housing, including:
an open end configured to admit RF signals emitted by a RFID tag reader into the RF reflector, a dimension of the open end being greater than a quarter wavelength of the RF signals, and the RF reflector configured to not be electrically coupled to the RFID tag reader;
an end comprising a material that at least partially reflects the RF signals;
two sides comprising a material that at least partially reflects the RF signals;
a top comprising a material that at least partially reflects the RF signals; and
an open bottom, wherein
the end, the two sides, and the top are electrically connected,
the RF reflector is configured to be inverted during use such that the top becomes a bottom, such that the end and the two sides extend upward from the bottom and upward from the work surface,
one or more objects having RFID tags can be placed on the bottom such that the RFID tags can be read by the RFID tag reader responsive to the RF signals, and
the RF reflector is configured such that the RFID tags can be read by the RFID tag reader from distances greater than a native effective range of the RFID tag reader.