Method and system for storing, retrieving, and managing data for tags

What is this patent about?

’814 is related to the field of data management and information retrieval for identification tags, such as RFID, laser tags, and GPS-enabled devices. It addresses the technical challenge of aggregating disparate data streams from physical and abstract objects that are moving through complex supply chains or environments. The background context involves the need to synthesize information from multiple independent repositories to provide a comprehensive history or real-time status of a tagged entity.

The underlying idea behind ’814 is the creation of a unified data structure that links physical tag events with broader entity metadata across distributed sources. Instead of treating a tag read as an isolated event, the invention treats the tag identifier as a common key to join data from manufacturers, distributors, and environmental sensors. The core engineering insight is the use of a crawling subsystem that discovers and pulls data from various repositories, triggered by specific events, to build a searchable index of the relationships between objects.

The claims of ’814 focus on a method and system for retrieving and organizing data by linking entity-specific information with tag-specific information using unique identifiers. The independent claims specifically require that the data access is triggered by event notifications, ensuring the system responds to real-time changes. Furthermore, the claims cover a specific processing flow where multiple tag identifiers satisfying a search are prioritized through a ranking mechanism based on their internal tag references.

In practice, the system functions by monitoring for event notifications that signal new data availability in remote repositories. Once triggered, the system retrieves and 'shreds' data—such as PML files—into a structured format, often utilizing spatial and temporal indices to handle mobile objects. This allows the query processor to resolve complex questions regarding the proximity of different tagged items over time, such as tracking food items that were near specific chemicals during transit.

This approach differs from prior solutions by moving beyond simple point-to-point tracking or isolated database lookups. While traditional web search engines index static pages, this invention aggregates content from multiple owners into a single entity-centric view. By implementing a directed graph of tag references and a ranking algorithm, the system can determine the relative importance of objects based on how frequently they are referenced by other significant entities within the network.