ISO/IEC 15963:2004

Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management — Unique identification for RF tags

ISO/IEC 15963:2004 describes numbering systems that are available for the identification of RF tags. A unique ID is required as part of the write operation to RFID tags. The unique ID guarantees that the information written to a tag is unambiguously written to the correct data carrier (tag). A unique ID is also required in many read situations where the contents of the tag are tied to a specific item and that item needs to be unambiguously identified. The unique ID may also be used for the traceability of the integrated circuit itself for quality control in their manufacturing process; for the traceability of the RF tag during its manufacturing process and along its lifetime; for the completion of the reading in a multi-antenna configuration; by the anti-collision mechanism, to inventory multiple tags in the reader's field of view; for the traceability of the item to which the RF tag is attached.

Technologies de l'information — Identification par radiofréquence pour la gestion des objets — Identification unique des tags RF

General Information

• Status: Withdrawn
• Publication Date: 07-Sep-2004
• Withdrawal Date: 07-Sep-2004
• ICS: 35.040 - Information coding
• ICS: 35.040.50 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31/WG 4 - Radio communications
• Current Stage: 9599 - Withdrawal of International Standard
• Completion Date: 31-Aug-2009

Relations

• Revised: ISO/IEC 15963:2009 - Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management — Unique identification for RF tags
• Effective Date: 03-Jul-2008

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 15963
First edition
2004-09-01

Information technology — Radio
frequency identification for item
management — Unique identification for
RF tags
Technologies de l'information — Identification par radiofréquence pour
la gestion des objets — Identification unique des tags RF




Reference number
ISO/IEC 15963:2004(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2004

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 15963:2004(E)
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.


©  ISO/IEC 2004
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland

ii © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 15963:2004(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope. 1
2 Normative references. 1
3 Terms and definitions. 2
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms. 2
5 The use of unique identifiers . 3
6 Possible ways to uniquely identify an RF tag. 3
6.1 Virtual ID. 3
6.1.1 Data as a unique ID . 3
6.1.2 Time as a unique ID . 3
6.1.3 Position as a unique ID. 4
6.2 Permanent unique ID . 4
6.2.1 Benefits of permanent unique ID versus virtual ID . 4
6.2.2 Selection of the size of a permanent unique ID . 4
Annex A (normative) Numbering system of a permanent unique identifier (UID). 5
A.1 General. 5
A.2 UID issuer identifier. 5
A.3 Allocation class (AC) . 5
A.4 UID issuer registration number . 6
A.5 Serial number. 6
A.6 Allocation classes. 6
A.6.1 In support of ISO/IEC 7816-6. 6
A.6.2 In support of ISO/TS 14816 . 6
A.6.3 In support of EAN.UCC standardized numbering.7
A.6.4 In support of ANS INCITS 256. 7
A.6.5 Reserved for future use. 8
Annex B (normative) ISO/TS 14816 – Numbering systems for supply chain applications of RFID. 9

© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved iii

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 15963:2004(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC
technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC 15963 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 31, Automatic identification and data capture techniques.
iv © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 15963:2004(E)
Introduction
ISO/IEC 15963 is one of a series of International Standards and Technical Reports developed by
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 for the identification of items (Item Management) using radio frequency identification
(RFID) technology.
ISO/IEC 15963 describes numbering systems for the unique identification of RF tags.
It is intended to be used in conjunction with other International Standards developed by SC 31 for "RFID for
item management" such as ISO/IEC 18000 and ISO/IEC 15962.

© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved v

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 15963:2004(E)

Information technology — Radio frequency identification for
item management — Unique identification for RF tags
1 Scope
ISO/IEC 15963 describes numbering systems that are available for the identification of RF tags.
A unique ID is required as part of the write operation to RFID tags. The unique ID guarantees that the
information written to a tag is unambiguously written to the correct data carrier (tag). A unique ID is also
required in many read situations where the contents of the tag are tied to a specific item and that item needs
to be unambiguously identified. Further discussion and explanation are given in Clause 5.
The unique ID may also be used
 for the traceability of the integrated circuit itself for quality control in their manufacturing process,
 for the traceability of the RF tag during its manufacturing process and along its lifetime,
 for the completion of the reading in a multi-antenna configuration,
 by the anti-collision mechanism to inventory multiple tags in the reader’s field of view,
 for the traceability of the Item to which the RF tag is attached.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 3166-1, Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions — Part 1: Country
codes
ISO 6346, Freight containers — Coding, identification and marking
ISO/IEC 7816-6, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 6: Interindustry data elements for
interchange
ISO/TS 14816, Road transport and traffic telematics — Automatic vehicle and equipment identification —
Numbering and data structure
ISO/IEC 19762-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) techniques —
1)
Harmonized vocabulary — Part 1: General terms relating to AIDC
ISO/IEC 19762-3, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) techniques —
1)
Harmonized vocabulary — Part 3: Radio frequency identification (RFID)

1) To be published.
© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved 1

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 15963:2004(E)
ANS INCITS 256, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
General EAN.UCC Specifications (EAN International, Brussels)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 19762-1, ISO/IEC 19762-3 and
the following apply.
3.1
RF tag unique identifier
number that uniquely identifies an RF tag
3.2
RF tag issuer
company or organization that allocates the RF tags to the items they identify
3.3
IC manufacturer
company that manufactures the RF tag integrated circuit
3.4
RF tag manufacturer
company that manufactures the RF tag in a ready-to-use configuration
3.5
allocation class
8-bit value used to classify companies or organizations allowed to allocate unique tag identification
3.6
IC manufacturer registration number
number allocated to IC manufacturers according to ISO/IEC 7816-6 or ANSI ASC INCITS T6
3.7
RF tag issuer registration number
number allocated to RF tag issuers according to ISO 6346, ISO/TS 14816, or EAN.UCC
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms
AC Allocation Class
AID Application IDentifier
ANS American National Standard
ANSI American National Standards Institute
ASC Accredited Standards Committee
EAN.UCC a set of standards administered by EAN International
IC Integrated Circuit
ID IDentifier
INCITS InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards
LSB Least Significant Bit
2 © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 15963:2004(E)
MSB Most Significant Bit
RFU Reserved for Future Use
UID Unique (RF tag) IDentifier
5 The use of unique identifiers
This International Standard addresses those cases when a unique identifier (UID) is required as part of the
read or write operation from or to RFID tags. The UID guarantees that the information transacted with a tag is
unambiguously transacted with the correct data carrier (tag). A UID may be required in many read or write
situations where the contents of the tag are tied to a specific item and that item needs to be unambiguously
identified. There are some situations, however, when a UID is not required for reading or writing. These
situations include circumstances where the presence of the information is all that is required and the tie to a
specific asset is not required.
A UID does not need to be a permanent unique identifier in all situations. It is sufficient at times to identify a
tag unambiguously by data contents, physical position or reply timing. In these situations a virtual ID tag is
sufficient to uniquely identify a tag.
6 Possible ways to uniquely identify an RF tag
When a UID is required, it can be done in several ways. The f
...