Seven RFID Organizations Support Open-Source Low-Level Reader Protocol Software Development

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - July 25, 2007) - A group of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology organizations today announced their support for the open-source development of EPCglobal-compliant Low-Level Reader Protocol (LLRP) software libraries, which enable EPCglobal UHF Gen 2 communications via the LLRP universal reader-to-network interface.

The initial group comprising IBM, Impinj, Intermec, OATSystems, Pramari, Reva Systems, and the University of Arkansas is calling for contributions from other organizations or individuals to accelerate adoption and create a rich set of tools in C, Java and other popular programming languages. These tools will enable customers to deploy RFID solutions easily and quickly and reduce long-term deployment costs while providing system flexibility to help unlock the business process impact of RFID technology. The group expects that LLRP development will benefit all end-use RFID application segments including transportation, manufacturing and logistics, supply chain management, point-of-sale, security and asset management.

Recently ratified by EPCglobal, the not-for-profit joint venture set up to encourage the worldwide adoption of Electronic Product Code (EPC) technologies, LLRP provides a high-performance, flexible and extensible interface for operating network-connected RFID readers. Use of LLRP allows readers to deliver optimal performance, resulting in rich, accurate, actionable data and events and creates the foundation for technology providers to extend basic capabilities in satisfaction of industry-specific requirements. Businesses desiring to use RFID will also benefit from interface standardization because it reduces long-term deployment costs while maintaining system flexibility.

Recognizing the important role that well-defined technology development guidelines and standard interfaces play in widespread RFID adoption, IBM, Impinj, Intermec, OATSystems, Pramari, Reva Systems, and the University of Arkansas have created the LLRP Toolkit, a "one-stop shop" that includes a software library for LLRP programmers. The library is modeled after other successful open-source software developments such as the Berkeley sockets application programming interface (API). The LLRP standard addresses the reader-to-network interface layer, providing a globally available mechanism to fully leverage the Gen 2/ISO 18000-6C standard that has addressed the tag-to-reader air interface layer.

"The support by leading RFID technology providers for LLRP is great news for end users implementing scalable RFID deployments," said Mike O'Shea, Global Director of Auto-ID Sensing Technology at Kimberly-Clark. "LLRP facilitates scalable and repeatable RFID supply chain processes and allows end users to take full advantage of advanced RFID reader capabilities while standardizing the common plumbing used to communicate with RFID readers." A member of EPCglobal's Reader Operations group, Kimberly-Clark has been active in the development and ratification of LLRP.

More information about the effort is available at www.llrp.org. Downloadable software libraries will be available in Q307. More information about EPCglobal standards is available at http://www.epcglobalinc.org/standards.

About IBM

For more information about IBM, please visit www.ibm.com. For more information about IBM's RFID solutions, please visit www.ibm.com/solutions/businesssolutions/sensors.

About Impinj, Inc.

Impinj, Inc. is a semiconductor and RFID company whose patented Self-Adaptive Silicon® technology enables its two synergistic business lines: high-performance RFID products and semiconductor intellectual property (IP). A leading contributor to the RFID standards for high-volume supply-chain applications worldwide, Impinj leverages its technical expertise and industry partnerships to deliver the GrandPrix™ solution, comprising tags, readers, software and systems integration to offer RFID that just works™. Impinj's innovative IP products, core to the company's RFID tags, are licensed to leading semiconductor companies worldwide, allowing them to seamlessly integrate crucial nonvolatile memory (NVM) alongside analog and digital functionality on a single chip. Impinj's IP products include the popular AEON® family of embeddable cores, which provides rewriteable NVM technology in logic CMOS manufacturing. For more information, visit www.impinj.com.

About Intermec

Intermec Inc. (NYSE: IN) develops, manufactures and integrates technologies that identify, track and manage supply chain assets. Core technologies include RFID, mobile computing and data collection systems, bar code printers and label media. The company's products and services are used by customers in many industries worldwide to improve the productivity, quality and responsiveness of business operations. For more information about Intermec, visit www.intermec.com or call 800-347-2636. Contact Intermec Investor Relations Director Kevin McCarty at kevin.mccarty@intermec.com, 425-265-2472.

About OATSystems, Inc.

OATSystems, Inc., is the recognized RFID solution leader with software that empowers businesses to achieve competitive advantage and ROI from radio-frequency identification (RFID) enabled applications. As a pioneer in developing RFID technology, OAT has been setting the standards in RFID for over half a decade and is responsible for industry firsts that include the largest scale and largest scope of deployments, as well as the most innovative approaches to providing enterprise-wide RFID solutions. OAT's multinational client base consists of nearly 100 customers in retail, CPG, consumer electronics, manufacturing, life sciences, aerospace and defense. OAT is headquartered in Waltham, MA, and has a development office in Bangalore and various direct sales offices and resellers around the globe.

About Pramari

Pramari, the global leader in Open Source RFID, is dedicated to fundamentally changing the way RFID Applications are built and deployed. As the primary developer of RIFIDI®, Pramari works with corporations and universities to deliver the promise of Software Defined RFID™. Rifidi is the only open source and standards based IDE for RFID and enables the design, development, and testing of an RFID system entirely with Software Components. Pramari is also deeply committed to contributing and improving standards and is developing the first Virtual Reader that is LLRP compliant and completes the "one-stop shop" ideology of the LLRP toolkit. Pramari is headquartered in Manchester, CT with offices in Regensburg, Germany. For additional information, please visit www.pramari.com.

About Reva Systems

Reva Systems develops RFID network infrastructure products that enable customers to rapidly deploy scalable solutions in any environment. Reva's standards-based Tag Acquisition Processor (TAP) products facilitate improved system performance, manageability and accuracy while significantly lessening implementation time and complexity. Reva products are delivered by a global network of partners and deployed worldwide by enterprises leveraging innovative RFID applications to generate value in diverse industries. Reva was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Chelmsford, Mass. For more information, visit http://www.revasystems.com.

About University of Arkansas

University of Arkansas is home to the RFID Research Laboratory, an EPCGlobal-accredited Performance Test Center. For more information, see http://itri.uark.edu/rfid/. The University's Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering has developed TagCentric, a basic open source Java-based RFID middleware toolkit available on SourceForge. For more information, see http://tag-centric.sourceforge.net/. The TagCentric team's contribution to the LLRP open source standards effort is aimed at plug-and-play RFID that is easy to use.

Contact Information: Editorial Contacts: Lynda Kaye Mango Communications 650-799-2888