circular portals also establish directionality that cannot be accomplished with vertical tilt or rectangular portals. The Venture Research enclosed portal solution is the only solution that allows antenna arrays to be constructed to the full height of the door allowing for large cart and stacked pallet reading capability. The exclusive low loss PVC housing of the portals provides the utmost in protection and is designed to be used in hostile distribution and DOD logistics environments where the portals could be exposed to the elements. The NEMA 4 version of the portal performs to the specifications of: ”falling dirt, rain, sleet, snow, windblown dust, splashing water, and hose-directed water; and will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure”. This designation insures protection of critical RFID components mounted inside the portal. An optional diamond plate steel pedestal protects the cable routing to the portal and provides maintenance access to allow quick disconnect of the portal as required for maintenance. Overhead gantry and mobile implementations are also available. The portal has been tested with every reader and antenna on the market and has pre-drilled mounting holes for antennas to be able to accommodate bi-static, mono-static or single structure antennas. “The portal allows customers flexibility in the reader they choose, independent of the reader vendors’ portal solution, which may not be adequate for certain implementations,” continued Baker. Along with the portal solution, Venture Research provides the most extensive peripheral support of any portal solution by providing integrated indicator lights, photo-eyes, motion detectors, counter modules, video capture, thermal sensing, scrolling display and RF air quality monitors all managed by the companies popular “ROCK” box TCP I/O controller. The ROCK box is independent of any reader and allows the user a single interface and protocol to all the I/O requirements in a structure. The ROCK box offloads the reader from having to handle I/O and provides a consistent programming interface for managing I/O regardless of the reader. Companies such as Blue Vector, Globe Ranger, IBM, OAT, Reva Systems, Sun, and Sybase already have the ROCK box as a standard “drag and drop” peripheral in their middleware suite. The Portal, ROCK and peripherals are designed for drop-ship delivery and Venture Research maintains an integration staff that performs configuration, reader retrofit, tuning and shipping to world wide destinations. “Whether it is our staff, our partners or a customer that is performing the portal placement, once the portals are uncrated, the installation can be completed in 15 minutes due to the “plug and play” nature of the units.” The patent process started in 2002 upon completion of the company’s first prototype. “The receipt of a patent on our portal solution is an endorsement of the innovation that Venture Research continues to provide to the RFID and supply chain industry,” stated Baker. About Venture Research Inc. Venture Research Inc. provides end to end solutions for customers in the area of supply chain automation and RFID. Venture Research supplies patented door portal solutions that are ruggedized and can house and protect any RFID reader and antenna vendor on the market. Additionally, Venture Research manufactures a line of conveyor tunnels that are open frame and “RF quietized” for high speed conveyor operations. Venture Research acts as a validation house for all the major RFID reader, peripheral, hand held and tag providers and performs advanced research and development on antennas, infrastructure, tag placement and operational best practices using RFID enabled technology. The results of this unbiased testing and evaluation provide Venture Research with a unique ability to select the best of breed in the development of end to end solutions for the supply chain industry. Venture Research performs implementations and support for the CPG, DOD and Pharma industries and supports over 220 distribution centers nation wide 24x7x365. Venture Research has specific expertise in the large scale deployment of UHF, HF and broad band RFID solutions. Contact Venture Research at 866-RFID-111 or visit their web site at www.ventureresearch.com. Contact: John Baker President[email protected] 866-RFID-111 469-246-4000
Venture Research’s unique circular portal structures provide highly configurable antenna positioning for the smallest footprint. The RFID portal serves as a “Sentinel” over transactions that occur at the portal boundary collecting data and interacting with users to perform accuracy checking and tracking functions. Full release: Venture Research receives RFID Portal Patent Exclusive circular enclosure allowing for bidirectional antenna rotation and peripheral attachment is approved by the patent office. Plano, Texas – May 6, 2006 – Venture Research Inc., a premier systems integrator and manufacturer of RFID infrastructure hardware and software, announced today that they have received patent US 7,036,734 B2 for their “Free standing column-shaped structure for housing RFID Antennas and Readers”. The patent describes Venture Research’s unique circular portal structures that provide highly configurable antenna positioning in the smallest footprint. The patent also describes usage of an RFID portal as a “Sentinel” over transactions that occur at the portal boundary collecting data and interacting with users to perform accuracy checking and tracking functions. Described is the use of video, displays and verifiers that are part of the portal infrastructure to manage successful, audited transactions. “As early as 2002 we were developing the portal infrastructure to act as an “agent” as part of an unattended check-in and audit functionality primarily for DSD (Direct Store Delivery) operations,” said John Baker, President of Venture Research Inc. “The circular structure is the most efficient in terms of space utilization and flexibility of antenna orientation and eliminates the usage of metal bracing on the sides,” added Baker. Portals from other vendors are generally rectangular in shape requiring metal sides to provide stability and protection which restricts rotation of the antenna and prevents usage of wider beam antennas. The patent further describes the usage of antenna orientation and sequencing to “track” fast moving product. The
