You can get a reader like this one that can read tags fairly simply. The actual hardware to read tags is not so complicated. The most notable of the lot is an application for a 'multi-touch display screen with localized tactile feedback,' which Apple seems to be at least considering as a possibility for the iPhone (or iPod touch). A patent application doesn't necessarily mean an actual product is on the way - but it's always fun to speculate, right? And this latest trio of applications from Apple certainly provides plenty of speculation fodder. Rfid reader app for mac portable#Īpple awarded patent for RFID tag reader in touchscreen devices By Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 10:00 pm PT (01:00 am ET) A patent recently granted to Apple detailing a method of incorporating a Radio Frequency Identification tag reader into the screen of a portable touchscreen device in order to save space has furthered speculation that Apple plans to add RFID features to the iPhone.Alright, so you know the drill by now. The patent, entitled 'Touch Screen RFID Tag Reader,' describes 'the efficient incorporation of RFID circuitry within touch sensor panel circuitry. Patent and Trademark Office published the filing on Tuesday. RFID allows devices to sense embedded chips in nearby objects without the requirement of contact or a visible line of sight. In the filing, Apple documents a process by which the touch sensor panel of a device can be modified to double as an 'RFID transponder,' thereby eliminating the need for a 'space-consuming RFID antenna.' According to the invention, loops for the antenna of the RFID circuit can be formed from 'metal on the same layer as metal traces form in the borders of a substrate' without requiring a separate metal layer. Michael Nathaniel Rosenblatt and Steve Porter Hotelling are listed as inventors of the patent. Apple's method for employing RFID tag reader technology within a touchscreen joins a of RFID patent applications, which include the of a mobile 'ID App' for reading RFID tags and a method of using RFID to sense and connect to WiFi networks. The proposed 'ID App' would utilize an RFID reader, camera and an IR image capture device to identify objects, such as a painting in a museum, and search a set of databases to gather more information.