RFID Inside Track- November 2007

RELIABLE DATA, STRAIGHTFORWARD CONTROL— SPEEDWAY READER

INTRODUCING OCTANE 3.0

With the release of Octane™ 3.0 firmware featuring LLRP (low level reader protocol), access to the outstanding performance and capabilities of the Speedway® reader is even simpler. The LLRP EPCglobal-standard client-reader interface has already garnered broad support from leading enterprise and supply chain management companies such as GlobeRanger, IBM, KeyTone Technologies, Microsoft, OATSystems, Omnitrol Networks, and Reva Systems. And the ecosystem continues to grow. Recently, Impinj spearheaded an industry-wide effort to establish open source tools for LLRP (see www.llrp.org) that will expedite adoption of the standard.

In addition to support for LLRP, Octane 3.0 firmware delivers tag direction sensing capability (read more below), the ability to evaluate its environment and automatically optimize performance settings accordingly, enterprise-class management and monitoring, and more. Now the robust, single reader platform already successfully deployed worldwide in both near- and far-field applications, has even more ways to enhance your ROI.

At Impinj, our UHF Gen 2 RFID solution engineering expertise, quality products, and commitment to innovation combine to create a superior RFID deployment experience—one that will give you complete confidence in the reliability of your RFID data.

Learn more about the Speedway reader with these resources:

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DO YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR TAG’S DIRECTION?

Having knowledge about which direction a tag is traveling provides added data confidence for middleware and application software vendors by verifying that read tags are attached to valid, delivered items, and are not simply stray reads. The reliable reporting of a tag’s direction of travel can be integrated into middleware to provide additional information at:

restricted entry doors—direction of travel information adds security for items or documents with restricted access
the dock door—direction of travel will help determine if a pallet is arriving or leaving a facility
the back store to front store transition—direction of travel will determine whether or not the item has been brought out to the store shelves, or returned to inventory
the front door—direction of travel may be used to reduce store inventory shrinkage by determining if items are entering a store as a customer return or exiting the store as an unpaid item

In all these cases, tag direction data provides the missing piece of information required to generate a meaningful business event. Using any conforming UHF Gen 2 tag, off-the-shelf reader antennas, and our Speedway reader, Impinj’s proprietary tag directionality capability reports results in less than a second via a low level reader protocol (LLRP) response message—without having prior knowledge of particular EPC tag types, and even when multiple items are moving in opposite directions through the antenna field.

Impinj designed and tested the tag direction algorithm for use in situations where fewer than ten tags pass through the antenna field at a time. Included as part of the present Octane 3.0 firmware release, this algorithm is well suited for applications such as document control, asset management, work in process, access control, and shrinkage control. Impinj can extend the fundamental algorithm to other types of portals (for example, dock door portals) that have a requirement to read larger tag populations. Support for other portal applications will be available in future firmware releases.

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INDUSTRY INSIDER: STRATUM GLOBAL

INTERVIEW WITH
ALAN CHRISTENSEN
CTO of Stratum Global

Alan Christensen, CTO of Stratum Global, provides insight into his company and issues facing the RFID industry.
Read the interview ...

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IMPINJ® GRANDPRIX™
High Performance Pharmaceutical Filling Line Solutions

Impinj’s high-performance solutions for pharmaceutical filling and packaging lines enable pharma companies to meet ePedigree and serialization requirements, and create business value at the same time while also improving operating efficiencies. Our video feature shows you how our innovations in near-field UHF are redefining the RFID landscape.
Watch now ...

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VIEW INSIDE: ALLIANCE ENTERTAINMENT

By converting their consumer direct fulfillment (CDF) lines to use RFID-enabled automation, Alliance Entertainment Corporation achieved improved customer satisfaction, as well as significant labor and shipping cost savings. Alliance Entertainment has since expanded to six automated order fulfillment lines.
Read the Case Study ...

“RFID-enabled automation, along with Impinj, allowed us to streamline our shipping process with 100% confidence in the accuracy of the order. Other solutions were not even close.”

James Rink
Vice President Distribution
Alliance Entertainment Corporation

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RFID RESOURCE CENTER

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	RELIABLE DATA, STRAIGHTFORWARD CONTROL— SPEEDWAY READER INTRODUCING OCTANE 3.0 With the release of Octane™ 3.0 firmware featuring LLRP (low level reader protocol), access to the outstanding performance and capabilities of the Speedway® reader is even simpler. The LLRP EPCglobal-standard client-reader interface has already garnered broad support from leading enterprise and supply chain management companies such as GlobeRanger, IBM, KeyTone Technologies, Microsoft, OATSystems, Omnitrol Networks, and Reva Systems. And the ecosystem continues to grow. Recently, Impinj spearheaded an industry-wide effort to establish open source tools for LLRP (see www.llrp.org) that will expedite adoption of the standard. In addition to support for LLRP, Octane 3.0 firmware delivers tag direction sensing capability (read more below), the ability to evaluate its environment and automatically optimize performance settings accordingly, enterprise-class management and monitoring, and more. Now the robust, single reader platform already successfully deployed worldwide in both near- and far-field applications, has even more ways to enhance your ROI. At Impinj, our UHF Gen 2 RFID solution engineering expertise, quality products, and commitment to innovation combine to create a superior RFID deployment experience—one that will give you complete confidence in the reliability of your RFID data. Learn more about the Speedway reader with these resources: Octane 3.0 Firmware Press Release Speedway Reader Brochure LLRP—Reader Control Simplified Speedway Reader Production Video Five Factors for Success: Readers ________________________________________________________________________________ DO YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR TAG’S DIRECTION? Having knowledge about which direction a tag is traveling provides added data confidence for middleware and application software vendors by verifying that read tags are attached to valid, delivered items, and are not simply stray reads. The reliable reporting of a tag’s direction of travel can be integrated into middleware to provide additional information at: restricted entry doors—direction of travel information adds security for items or documents with restricted access the dock door—direction of travel will help determine if a pallet is arriving or leaving a facility the back store to front store transition—direction of travel will determine whether or not the item has been brought out to the store shelves, or returned to inventory the front door—direction of travel may be used to reduce store inventory shrinkage by determining if items are entering a store as a customer return or exiting the store as an unpaid item In all these cases, tag direction data provides the missing piece of information required to generate a meaningful business event. Using any conforming UHF Gen 2 tag, off-the-shelf reader antennas, and our Speedway reader, Impinj’s proprietary tag directionality capability reports results in less than a second via a low level reader protocol (LLRP) response message—without having prior knowledge of particular EPC tag types, and even when multiple items are moving in opposite directions through the antenna field. Impinj designed and tested the tag direction algorithm for use in situations where fewer than ten tags pass through the antenna field at a time. Included as part of the present Octane 3.0 firmware release, this algorithm is well suited for applications such as document control, asset management, work in process, access control, and shrinkage control. Impinj can extend the fundamental algorithm to other types of portals (for example, dock door portals) that have a requirement to read larger tag populations. Support for other portal applications will be available in future firmware releases. ________________________________________________________________________________ INDUSTRY INSIDER: STRATUM GLOBAL INTERVIEW WITH ALAN CHRISTENSEN CTO of Stratum Global Alan Christensen, CTO of Stratum Global, provides insight into his company and issues facing the RFID industry. Read the interview ... ________________________________________________________________________________ IMPINJ® GRANDPRIX™ High Performance Pharmaceutical Filling Line Solutions Impinj’s high-performance solutions for pharmaceutical filling and packaging lines enable pharma companies to meet ePedigree and serialization requirements, and create business value at the same time while also improving operating efficiencies. Our video feature shows you how our innovations in near-field UHF are redefining the RFID landscape. Watch now ... ________________________________________________________________________________ VIEW INSIDE: ALLIANCE ENTERTAINMENT By converting their consumer direct fulfillment (CDF) lines to use RFID-enabled automation, Alliance Entertainment Corporation achieved improved customer satisfaction, as well as significant labor and shipping cost savings. Alliance Entertainment has since expanded to six automated order fulfillment lines. Read the Case Study ... “RFID-enabled automation, along with Impinj, allowed us to streamline our shipping process with 100% confidence in the accuracy of the order. Other solutions were not even close.” James Rink Vice President Distribution Alliance Entertainment Corporation ________________________________________________________________________________ RFID RESOURCE CENTER Where to Buy RFID In Action Videos GrandPrix Evaluation Kit RFID Whitepapers ________________________________________________________________________________ RECENT NEWS Impinj Expands Global RFID Reseller Network Impinj Appoints Leon de Ridder as Sales Director for Europe, Middle East, Africa Impinj Revs Up Speedway® Reader with Octane™ 3.0 Firmware for Enterprise-Ready RFID Solutions Impinj Integrates Speedway® Reader with Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 for Dock-Door to Front-Door RFID Solutions Checkpoint Systems, Impinj and Reva Systems Enable World’s First End-to-End UHF Item-level RFID Shopping Experience for METRO Group Impinj Forms Alliances with Software Vendors to Speed RFID Deployments CaptureTech Delivers “Powered by Impinj” RFID Solutions in Europe Seven RFID Organizations Support Open-Source Low-Level Reader Protocol Software Development © 2007, Impinj, Inc.	Upcoming Events RFID Journal Live! Europe 11.6.07 – 11.8.07 Learn more ... NACDS RFID Track & Trace Health Care 11.11.07 – 11.13.07 Learn more ... NRF 2008 1.14.08 – 1.15.08 Learn more ... FEEDBACK Is there an RFID-related topic you’d like to see covered in future issues? Did you find this newsletter helpful? Please send your comments, questions, and suggestions to RFIDinsidetrack@impinj.com