RFID Knows Sushi

Steve Melito Guru Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2970 Good Answers: 33	RFID Knows Sushi 07/10/2007 8:27 AM
	Many technology innovations like the PC originate in the commercial world and then move into widespread industrial use. Often more interesting is when an industrial technology moves into the commercial realm. Such is the case with RFID used in sushi bars. Kaiten style sushi bars feature plates of raw fish and other delicacies on a conveyor belt that moves through the restaurant. Restaurants need to keep track of what sushi is removed from the conveyor by what customers. Barcodes were the old solution. RFID is the new and better answer because, as with industry applications, it provides a host of additional information that delivers business benefits. The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Electrical Components, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Electrical Components today.
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The Gregg Active Contributor Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 13	#1 Re: RFID Knows Sushi 07/10/2007 12:02 PM
	Me thinks it would be much simpler to apply a Bar Code to the underside or edge of a plate for the contents on the plate. Then it can be read from the bottom (or side) by a scanner as it moves along a conveyor, and a simple optical or infrared beam interrupt circuit - or an electronic strain gage - can detect when the plate is empty and a solenoid or motorized gate can deflect the empty plate off the conveyor. This could use printed tags from any ink jet printer, which can then be scanned on the plate, bowl, or cup for tallying the bill and inventory. This is a much lower cost and simpler implementation with NO external dependencies, as you have with RFID tags. I know a lot about "RFID" because I invented "Proximity Forensics" back in 2000, which is also the technology behind "Pay Pass", "Tap and Go", "Key-less Ignition" AKA "The car that knows it's driver", and several other secure proximity identification applications. Reference: USPTO: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html Patent Number20030018895 International: http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?IA=WO2004034180&DISPLAY=DOCS Application Withdrawn 08.09.2006 - Expired due to lack of funds to defend patent application. My point being that there are easier and cheaper ways to achieve the same result.
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