| Feature
of the Month:
In this issue:
| Feature: 3M Introduces New RFID Solution for Managing CDs and DVDs in Libraries |
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3M has announced a new radio frequency identification (RFID) solution to simplify and improve productivity for check-in, checkout and circulation management of CDs and DVDs. New 3M CD8 RFID tags, coupled with special software and standard 3M D8 RFID tags, link CDs and DVDs to their jewel case as a "set." 3M's new tags use 13.56 MHz CD and DVD RFID inlays from Texas Instruments, a leading supplier of ISO/IEC 15693 and ISO/IEC 18000-3 technology solutions for libraries and other secure document applications.
The 3M CD8 RFID plus "sets" software provides hands-free verification that discs and cases match up when returned by customers. The sets feature improves check-in accuracy and reduces the handling of the materials to save library staff time. Customers also are less likely to inadvertently check out empty cases or cases with the wrong contents.
"Our sets solution makes processing the rapidly growing library collections of CDs and DVDs quicker and more efficient," said Rory Yanchek, business manager, Library Systems. "RFID tags can be read much faster than bar codes, multiple tags can be read at the same time and the repetitive motion of opening CD cases is eliminated.
"Each RFID tag 3M makes has a lifetime guarantee," Yanchek said. "Like our other tags, the 3M CD8 RFID tag is durable and long-lived. All 3M tags pass through rigorous quality inspection before leaving the factory, promising customers a superior product."
A global leader in library innovation for more than 30 years, 3M provides security, productivity and information management solutions to thousand of libraries worldwide. Products from 3M free librarians to be librarians, allowing them to increase customer contact and provide more personal service. 3M also partners with libraries to support their technological advancement and ensure their success through numerous industry sponsorships and programs. 3M has been using Texas Instruments RFID technology since 1998.
For more information about the 3M Library Systems solutions, visit www.3M.com/us/library or call 1-800-253-6845.
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TI Featured EPC Gen 2 Tag Expert at International Paper/OTA Training, June 8-10
TI will share its breadth of RFID expertise by teaching a technical session on EPC Gen 2 tag design, assembly and manufacturing as part of the comprehensive, 3-day, EPC training event from International Paper and OTA Training LLC, called, "A Systems Approach to RFID Implementation."
The intensive three-day technical RFID course, divided into five modules, includes in-depth, hands-on training on RFID business process issues, hardware, software, and implementation. According to Rob Sabella, president of OTA Training, students learn and use the widest range of RFID technologies on the market. The training, taught by experienced subject matter experts, is designed for end-user IT professionals and implementation team members as well as systems integrators working to meet RFID retail supply chain mandates as well as those firms seeking to apply the value-added benefits of RFID.
"A Systems Approach to RFID Implementation" will be held on June 8-10, 2005 at International Paper's Smart Packaging Customer Solution Center in Memphis, TN. The Center is a fully-functional, state-of-the-art warehouse/ distribution facility where students gain first-hand experience in practical, real-world RFID applications using the widest range of industry standard technologies available.
The International Paper and OTA Training courses take place at the beginning of every month in 2005 in either Memphis or Dallas.
For more information and to register, visit www.otatraining.com, and clickonthe Register tab.
 
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RFID ROI at New York 's Jacobi Medical Center
 Hospitals are seeing a return on their investment in RFID technology in the form of improved patient care, increased productivity and cost savings. Precision Dynamics Corporation's Smart Band wristband systems, which use TI's 13.56 MHz RFID inlays, were featured in an RFID Journal case study by Jonathan Collins on May 2, titled "RFID Delivers Healthy Return for Hospitals." Below is a summary of the story. Go to www.rfidjournal.com to read the full article.
Jacobi Medical Center in New York City improved patient care and staff efficiency during an RFID pilot program while extending its IT investments in computertized physician order entry systems and electronic medical records. Daniel Morreale, chief technology officer for the North Bronx Healthcare Network, which owns and operates the Jacobi Medical Center, predicts the RFID system will save $1 million per year if deployed throughout the hospital.
The goal of the pilot was to improve the way patients were identified and to replace highly manual processes for updating a patient's medical records. It began in July 2004 in the hospital's acute care department and was expanded to the medical surgery unit.
Patients were issued a Smart Band wristband, from San Fernando, Calif.–based Precision Dynamics Corporation, containing a passive 13.56 MHz RFID tag from Texas Instruments. Medical staff was equipped with tablet PCs fitted with RF readers from ACG Identification Technologies of Walluf, Germany. During the initial trial, the devices read the unique ID on the wristband's tag and automatically opened the patient's medical record on the PC so that it could be reviewed and updated at bedside. In the subsequent pilot, the RFID tag contained the patient's name, date of admission and unique medical record number or MRN. Staff automatically scanned tags using the tablet PC/reader within a 4-5 inch range to check a patient's identity and update patient information instead of manually entering the MRN, moving to a nurse's station within each ward or disrupting a patient through the use of a barcode scanner.
With the RFID system, the hospital's doctors and nurses could spend more time with patients and less time doing data entry, improving both working conditions and customer care.
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Instant DVD Offers Secure Self-Service Rentals with TI-RFid Technology
Instant DVD of Boras, Sweden, a maker of automated vending technologies, is combining the customer convenience of self-service with improved security and inventory management in its new free-standing, DVD self-rental vending machines.
A TI 13.56 MHz Tag-it™ CD/DVD Inlay is attached to the plastic hub in the center of the DVD and a TI RFID reader is in incorporated into the dispense/return slot of the machine. When the customer rents and returns the DVD, he or she places it in the slot and the RFID reader automatically reads the data on the tag linking it to the customer record. The RFID technology helps to prevent DVD theft due to counterfeiting when compared with barcodes which can be easily duplicated.
With self-service rental machines implemented in various locations in Sweden, Instant DVD is opening new markets for DVD rentals such as in department stores, in universities, in large corporate facilities, and at other service shop locations. The company is establishing a network of alliance partners to expand into the U.S. and German markets.
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