Abstract: Methods and systems for efficiently communicating information to/from an RFID reader are provided. According to one embodiment, a command is received by a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) reader from a handheld computer via an audio connection of the handheld computer. Responsive to the command, a tag scanning process is initiated by the RFID reader to cause all RFID tags within range of the RFID reader to communicate their unique IDs to the RFID reader. A unique ID of an RFID tag is received by an RFID transceiver of the RFID reader. Responsive to receipt of the unique ID, the RFID reader: (i) assigns a short tag ID to the RFID tag and creates an entry in a table having stored therein the short tag ID and the unique ID; and (ii) reports detection of the RFID tag by transmitting to the handheld computer the short tag ID and the unique ID.

Abstract: Methods and systems for utilizing RFID tagging to create and identify sets of items are provided. An application running on a computer system causes to be displayed on a display of the computer system a list of pre-established sets of items. Each set of the list of pre-established sets of items includes one or more items having affixed thereto a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag. A selection identifying a set of the list of pre-established sets is received by the application. Responsive to the selection, an RFID reader is caused to scan for RFID tags associated with the one or more items included within the selected set.