A Framework for Seamless Information Retrieval between an EPC Network and a Mobile RFID Network

The EPC network, a de facto standard of RFID network, provides a variety of services including Information Service (IS) and Discovery Service (DS), fully utilizing today¿s Internet capabilities, such as HTTP or SOAP communication protocols and HTML or XML contents formats. The mobile RFID network exploits the existing cellular network infrastructure and offers RFID-related information services to the subscribers with cellular phones which RFID reader chips are built in. However, in current cellular network environment, contents are usually represented in WML and delivered by WAP protocol, due to the limitations such as narrow network bandwidth, constraints in display resolution, processing power, and memory space for hand-held phones. Inherently, these bring the problems in information exchange between EPC network and mobile RFID network. In this paper, we investigate and suggest a framework to allow EPC network as well as mobile RFID users to seamless access the information located in the other network. Firstly, we propose an application level gateway which transforms the protocols and contents formats used in EPC network into those specially used in mobile RFID network, and vice versa. The transformation rules may be derived by name resolution at the local ONS installed in mobile RFID network. Moreover, it is suggested that the transformation rules may be automatically derived and transparently accomplished by writing well-formed pair of NAPTR resource records for the local ONS of mobile network, regardless of user¿s location. Finally, an module concept for RFID applications is proposed not only to lighten the workload of cellular phone equipped with RFID reader and save bandwidth, but also to accommodate the heterogeneity and evolution of cellular phone capabilities.