Abstract: An antenna system may include a source antenna, a frequency selective surface (FSS), and a second antenna or a fluidic channel associated with a housing. In both examples, the FSS has a first side and a second side opposite from the first side. The first side includes horizontally oriented unit cells positioned as multiple columns of unit cells. The first side of the FSS faces the source antenna and is separated from the source antenna by a defined distance. The housing is positioned on the second side of the FSS. In the latter example, the fluidic channel of the housing includes one of air or deionized water. The fluidic channel is positioned on a portion of the second side of the FSS that is opposite to a subset of the horizontally oriented unit cells on the first side of the FSS.

Abstract: An antenna system may include a source antenna, a frequency selective surface (FSS), and a second antenna or a fluidic channel associated with a housing. In both examples, the FSS has a first side and a second side opposite from the first side. The first side includes horizontally oriented unit cells positioned as multiple columns of unit cells. The first side of the FSS faces the source antenna and is separated from the source antenna by a defined distance. The housing is positioned on the second side of the FSS. In the latter example, the fluidic channel of the housing includes one of air or deionized water. The fluidic channel is positioned on a portion of the second side of the FSS that is opposite to a subset of the horizontally oriented unit cells on the first side of the FSS.

Abstract: Methods of monitoring items and/or materials from a manufacturing process. One embodiment of the invention provides a method of monitoring items and/or materials from a manufacturing process using a plurality of RFID tagged containers, and a plurality of stations associated with different portions of the manufacturing process, where each station includes an RFID reader.

Abstract: The invention provides a multi-band antenna structure for use in a wireless communication system. The antenna structure includes integrated inductive elements and capacitive elements that function as a tuned circuit to allow the antenna structure to operate in multiple frequency ranges. In particular, the capacitive elements electromagnetically couple to the inductive elements. The capacitive elements provide the inductive elements with parallel capacitance at a given set of frequencies, thereby providing the antenna structure with frequency selectivity. At a particular frequency range, the inductive elements act as short circuits, thereby lengthening the radiating elements, which radiate energy at the particular frequency. At another frequency range, the inductive components act as open circuits, virtually shortening the radiating elements in order to radiate the higher frequencies. In this manner, the multi-band antenna structure operates within multiple frequency ranges.

Abstract: An item monitoring system and method of using an item monitoring system. The present invention relates more particularly to an item monitoring system including a sensor, that senses a plurality of items in a first amount of space associated with the sensor and that senses both items containing metal and items containing no metal, a communications network, and a computer that receives information from the sensor through the communications network. The present invention also relates more particularly to a method of monitoring items to determine the number of items within a first amount of space associated with the sensor.

Abstract: An item monitoring system and method of using an item monitoring system. The present invention relates more particularly to an item monitoring system including a sensor, that senses a plurality of items in a first amount of space associated with the sensor and that senses both items containing metal and items containing no metal, a communications network, and a computer that receives information from the sensor through the communications network. The present invention also relates more particularly to a method of monitoring items to determine the number of items within a first amount of space associated with the sensor.

Abstract: The invention provides a multi-band antenna structure for use in a wireless communication system. The antenna structure includes integrated inductive elements and capacitive elements that function as a tuned circuit to allow the antenna structure to operate in multiple frequency ranges. In particular, the capacitive elements electromagnetically couple to the inductive elements. The capacitive elements provide the inductive elements with parallel capacitance at a given set of frequencies, thereby providing the antenna structure with frequency selectivity. At a particular frequency range, the inductive elements act as short circuits, thereby lengthening the radiating elements, which radiate energy at the particular frequency. At another frequency range, the inductive components act as open circuits, virtually shortening the radiating elements in order to radiate the higher frequencies. In this manner, the multi-band antenna structure operates within multiple frequency ranges.

Abstract: The invention provides a multi-layer antenna structure for use in a wireless communication system. The antenna may be integrated within a multi-layer circuit structure such as a multi-layer printed circuit board. The multi-layer antenna structure may include, for example, a radiating component and a conductive strip feed-line that electromagnetically couples to the radiating component to directly feed the radiating component. The conductive strip feed-line may be fabricated to form a balun. The conductive strip feed-line may, for example, form a quarter-wavelength open circuit in order to realize the balun. The balun may perform signal transformations, e.g., unbalanced to balanced, as well as impedance transformations. The radiating component and the conductive strip feed-line forming the balun may be formed on different layers of a multi-layer circuit structure.