In this issue:

• New 13.56 MHz Laundry Tag for Textile Rental/Dry Cleaning Applications
• A Single Contactless Card is Changing the Security Industry at ASIS
• TI-RFid Showcases its Expertise at Frontline Conference Sessions and Exhibits
• Get Your RFID Skills in Top Form at TI’s RFID Boot Camp

Partner Profile:

• Digi-Key Corporation

Feature of the Month:

• Mobile Aspects Creates RFID SecureCabinet for Effortless Hospital Item Management

New 13.56 MHz Laundry Tag for Textile Rental/Dry Cleaning Applications
TI-RFid™ Systems has announced its new 13.56 MHz RFID tag for textile rental and dry cleaning applications. The ultra-thin, 22 mm circular transponder, housed in plastic, is fully compatible with the ISO 15693 standard and has been designed and tested to withstand the harsh industrial cleaning process. Sewn into or attached to textile items, TI-RFid tags provide more accurate identification and greater accountability as well as improve handling through each stage of cleaning and processing to final customer delivery.

TI’s Laundry Transponder provides a unique, 64-bit factory-programmed ID, which cannot be duplicated, ensuring that no items are misidentified. With 2000 bits of memory, the transponder, available in a read/write format, can be programmed with both user and application-specific information. The transponder’s unique ID can also be laser-etched on the plastic casing for visual identification. Up to 50 transponders per second can be simultaneously identified by an RFID reader/antenna with no line-of-sight required. TI also manufactures a variety of 13.56 MHz, ISO 15693 reader/antennas and partners with software developers and systems integrators to provide textile rental and dry cleaning customers with a turnkey RFID solution.

For more information on the Laundry Transponder,
call 1-888-937-6536 (North America) or 1-972-575-4364 (International).

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A Single Contactless Card is Changing the Security Industry at ASIS
Texas Instruments RFid Systems is making the many applications of 13.56 MHz contactless smart card technology a reality at the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) International 2003 Seminar and Exhibits (Booth # 2956). See how one card is changing the security industry with higher levels of security and access control to authentication, long-range parking, and even cashless purchases from your employee cafeteria or vending machine.

- See Contactless Security in Action – We’ll program your multi-applications badge, walk you through a turnstile and a portal reader to show you the long-range capabilities of our technology. Then, you can make a cashless “purchase” at the vending machine with your card.

- Talk to our Engineers – Find out more about the security benefits of 13.56 MHz solutions and get in-depth on our range of product solutions including:

Contactless Cards, Keyfobs, Adhesive Labels and a variety of other form factors
Wall Plate and Mullion Readers
Long-Range Gate Readers
Keypad Readers

- Learn about our Applications – 13.56 smart card solutions are in demand worldwide! We’ve applied the technology at the 74th and 75th Academy Awards, Pan American Maccabi Games in Chile, The 2003 China Communist Party Congress, Pima County Jail, and the Buffalo, New York Enterprise Charter School.

End-Users - Be more secure and do more with a single integrated and seamless 13.56 MHz contactless smart card system

Dealers and Integrators: Gain new revenue and expand your business with the multiple applications that 13.56 MHz contactless smart card solutions provide.

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TI-RFid Showcases its Expertise at Frontline Conference Sessions and Exhibits
Join TI-RFid at booth #1004 at Frontline’s International Supply Chain Week 2003, being held September 15-18, in Chicago, IL at McCormick Place. TI-RFid will be showcasing its RFID expertise in a variety of conference sessions and showing a comprehensive range of passive, low-frequency and high-frequency RFID tag and reader solutions for supply chain and logistics, access control and cashless transaction applications.

On Monday, September 15, Bill Allen, marketing communications manager for TI-RFid, will speak on “Item-Level Tracking in Action” during the “Beta & Beyond” session at the 3rd Annual RFID Summit. This session, starting at 5:00 pm, caps off the day-long educational workshop in which industry experts and end users share success secrets, techniques and tactics for using radio frequency identification (RFID) to achieve breakthrough productivity and performance.

On Thursday, September 18, Allen will be stepping up to the podium for an 8:00am session titled “Privacy Issues Regarding RFID Technologies.” Allen will raise the debate of one of the most talked about issues surrounding the adoption of RFID technology today, and separate fact from fiction. As head of AIM’s Privacy Committee, he will also present a FAQ resource guide developed by AIM for retailers and other companies to help them better understand how RFID works so they can more effectively address privacy concerns with their constituents.

Immediately following, at 9:00am, Allen will join Kevin Mitchell, associate partner, Accenture, for a session titled “Using RFID to Provide Intelligent Tracking Throughout the Supply Chain.” In this session, Allen and Mitchell will focus on the application of RFID at three points along the supply chain: the factory, distribution center, and retail store. Attendees will learn about the range of benefits RFID brings to the supply chain infrastructure as well as how companies such as Colorpoint, The Gap, Goldwin Sportswear, Figleaves.com, and Marks & Spencer are using RFID to accurately track items from production through point-of-sale, resulting in dramatic cuts in operating costs, sales lifts, and overall favorable return on investment. Mitchell and Allen also will illustrate the business value of RFID today and what to expect in the future from RFID for the supply chain.

This is an exciting time for RFID – visit TI-RFid at Frontline’s Supply Chain Week 2003 to find out how you can expand your RFID business or uncover ways to streamline processes and cut costs by implementing the technology in your own organization.

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Get Your RFID Skills in Top Form at TI’s RFID Boot Camp
TI-RFid is bringing its successful RFID Boot Camp educational program to systems integrators, VARs and enterprise end users in Southern California and the Mid-Atlantic. Sponsored by TI-RFid and hosted by Shorecliff Communications, the RFID Boot Camps feature a one-day overview program -- a basic training session that can be attended separately -- followed by a two-day intensive technical training session.

The One-Day Basic Training Program, taking place September 10 at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, Calif. and September 23 at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, Md., provides attendees with an overview of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, industry standards, current and future applications, and the RFID selling skills needed to build their RFID businesses and to garner support for the initiative within their organizations.

VARs and integrators with a technical background ready to implement an RFID system should attend the Two-Day Intensive Training Workshop, September 11-12 (Long Beach) and September 24-25 (Baltimore). At this intensive training program, TI-RFid and other industry experts deliver a more in-depth review of product solutions, design concepts and installation issues.

With their registration at the two-day event, participants will receive free TI-RFid high-frequency and low-frequency starter kits – a $700 value.

For additional information about TI’s RFID Boot Camp and to register, contact Shorecliff Communications at 1-800-608-9641, or go to the RFID Boot Camp Web site: http://www.rfid-world.com/rfidbc/. For the Two-Day Intensive Program, visit: http://www.shorecliffcommunications.com/rfidbc/default.asp?showid=R004&info=690.

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Partner Profile: Digi-Key Corporation

TI-RFid Systems has named Digi-Key Corporation of Thief River Falls an authorized distributor of TI-RFid products for the Americas. A top-rated distributor of electronic components, Digi-Key has added TI-RFid Systems’ full line of low-frequency and high-frequency transponders and readers, Integrated Circuits, reader ASICs and RFID Evaluation Kits to its extensive line of product offerings.

The agreement with Digi-Key extends the distribution of TI-RFid products to design engineers who are building RFID-based systems.

Digi-Key is offering both engineering prototype and production quantities to customers through its state-of-the-art order fulfillment system that enables Digi-Key to process orders – from order entry to shipping – in 20 minutes. The company’s Design Support Services (DSS) group provides engineers with in-depth application support, component selection advice, technology tips, and efficient interface between the customer and the supplier. With a high in-stock rate and quality customer service capabilities, the company provides same day shipments on orders entered by 8:00 pm Central time. Customers can place their orders online at www.digikey.com, or by phone, fax and regular mail.

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Feature: Mobile Aspects Creates RFID SecureCabinet for Effortless Hospital Item Management

Doctors and nurses must act quickly, locating life-saving tools, supplies, and equipment from an array of storage systems in a matter of seconds. Once items are removed from inventory, the hospital typically has to manage an entirely manual and labor-intensive system of cataloging products and replenishing supplies. Mobile Aspects of Pittsburgh, Pa. has developed, SecureCabinet,™ using RFID technology to automatically manage equipment and supply inventory, allowing real-time reports as supplies are removed, and integration with the hospital’s information systems to facilitate seamless item replenishment.

Designed for use in operating rooms, catheter labs, as well as for radiology, orthopedics, neuroradiology, and cardiology departments, Mobile Aspects’ self-performing inventory system has been implemented at 4 of the top 15 U.S. hospitals (as rated by U.S. News & World Report). The system features RFID-enabled, customized supply cabinets, available in a number of configurations to suit specific facility needs, a touch screen display and keyboard, access control, SupplyKnowledge™ software, a SupplyServer,™ and the Integration Engine, allowing the system to be tied into most hospital information systems.

Hospital staff members use their current magnetic stripe ID card or an RFID-enabled card to gain access to the cabinet. The SupplyKnowledge software quickly verifies that the person is authorized to take supplies from the cabinet before unlocking it. Supplies are tagged with Texas Instruments RFid Systems ISO 15693 Tag-it™ smart labels, and the cabinet compartments contain TI-RFid readers. Once an item is removed from the cabinet, the software requests a scan of the existing inventory, identifying all remaining items and noting which item was removed, by which particular staff person, and at what time. RFID allows this to occur automatically, without manual reading of barcodes. Mobile Aspect’s Integration Engine, linked to the Supply Server, automatically places orders when supplies fall below user-defined levels. The RFID SecureCabinet system increases productivity, enhances quality of care, reduces costs, and simplifies the inventory management process.

With its installations, Mobile Aspects has proven a less than one-year return on investment, a significant improvement on typical two-three year payback for hospital inventory management technologies.

“We worked closely with our customers, drawing upon our own deep expertise in the medical and biomedical engineering and RFID fields, to develop a solution that would provide great value to doctors and nurses and hospital administrative staff alike, streamlining the overall equipment and supply management process” said Suneil Mandava, founder, president and chief operating officer of Mobile Aspects, Inc.

“We’re seeing a growing interest for automated inventory solutions in the medical field,” commented Jeff Coseo, account manager for Texas Instruments RFid Systems, “and Mobile Aspects has designed a truly innovative solution incorporating TI-RFid technology for today’s operating rooms and labs.”

For more information, contact Suneil Mandava at Mobile Aspects Inc. at 412-325-1690 or smandava@mobileaspects.com, or visit them online at www.mobileaspects.com to view a demo of their systems.

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