RFID mesh label, tire having RFID mesh label integrally incorporated therein, and methods of making

• US 10,621,485 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2019
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fineline Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fineline Technologies
• Inventors: Uijlenbroek, Jos, Borgna, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Foxx, Chico A
• Application Number:
  US16/284,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20190266465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/0072 Attaching fasteners to tyres, e.g. patches, in order to connect devices to tyres
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 2030/0077 Directly attaching monitoring devices to tyres before or after vulcanization, e.g. microchips
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 30/0633 After-treatment specially adapted for vulcanising tyres
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 19/00 Tyre parts or constructions not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/025 the material being flexible or adapted for folding, e.g. paper or paper-like materials used in luggage labels, identification tags, forms or identification documents carrying RFIDs methods for testing the genuineness of valuable papers, e.g. banknotes or passports G07D7/00; constructional features of booklets and the like B42D
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07764 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier attachable to a tire tire temperature or pressur control arrangements, see B60C23/00

Abstract

An RFID mesh label configured to be integrally incorporated within a vulcanized tire and to further provide unique identifier(s) and/or other information about the vulcanized tire during and/or post-vulcanization, the RFID mesh label including a face layer configured to be positioned adjacent or flush to an outer surface of the vulcanized tire; an RFID layer positioned underneath the face layer, the RFID layer having an RFID device that is configured to provide unique identifier(s) and/or other information about the vulcanized tire upon being read with an RFID reader; and a mesh backing overlying the RFID layer and adapted to be integrally incorporated in a vulcanized tire after subjecting a green tire to a vulcanization process.

Claims

1. An RFID mesh label configured to be integrally incorporated within a vulcanized tire and to provide unique identifier(s) and/or other information about the vulcanized tire, the RFID mesh label comprising:

a face layer configured to be positioned adjacent or flush to an outer surface of the vulcanized tire;

an RFID layer positioned underneath the face layer, the RFID layer having an RFID device that is configured to provide unique identifier(s) and/or other information about the vulcanized tire upon being read with an RFID reader; and

a mesh backing overlying the RFID layer and adapted to be integrally incorporated in a vulcanized tire after subjecting a green tire to a vulcanization process, wherein;

the mesh backing includes a surface treatment that facilitates bonding between a green tire and the mesh backing;

the surface treatment comprises a coating having reactive thiols therein, a coating having reactive amines therein, a coating having reactive hydroxyls therein, or any combination thereof that facilitate crosslinking between the mesh backing and a green tire during vulcanization to integrally incorporate the mesh backing within the vulcanized tire; and

the face layer and mesh backing have convergent ends bonded together along the periphery of the RFID mesh label such that the face layer and mesh backing surround the RFID layer and encase the RFID layer within the RFID mesh label.

2. The RFID mesh label of claim 1, wherein the convergent ends of the face layer and mesh backing are configured to release from one another during vulcanization.

3. The RFID mesh label of claim 2, wherein the mesh backing is an orthogonal grid configured to pass and disperse green rubber material from a green tire through the orthogonal grid during vulcanization to the RFID layer and/or face layer such that portions of the RFID layer and/or face layer are bonded to the vulcanized tire.

4. The RFID mesh label of claim 3, wherein the mesh backing is a non-deformable orthogonal grid configured to homogeneously pass and disperse green rubber material from a green tire through the non-deformable orthogonal grid during vulcanization to the RFID layer and/or face layer such that portions of the RFID layer and/or face layer are bonded to the vulcanized tire.

5. The RFID mesh label of claim 4, wherein the mesh backing is more rigid than both the RFID and face layer(s) and is configured to limit mechanical stress to the RFID and/or face layers while in the RFID mesh label is use by absorbing and/or dampening mechanical stress transmitted from the vulcanized tire to the RFID mesh label.

6. A method for forming vulcanized tire(s) having an RFID mesh label integrally incorporated therein, the method comprising:

(a) attaching an RFID mesh label on outer surface of a green tire, the RFID mesh label having a mesh backing that includes a surface treatment that facilitates bonding between a green tire and the mesh backing, the surface treatment comprising a coating having reactive thiols therein, a coating having reactive amines therein, a coating having reactive hydroxyls therein, or any combination thereof that facilitate crosslinking between the mesh backing and a green tire during vulcanization to integrally incorporate the mesh backing within the vulcanized tire, and having a face layer and a mesh backing having convergent ends bonded together along the periphery of the RFID mesh label such that the face layer and mesh backing surround the RFID layer and encase the RFID layer within the RFID mesh label;

(b) placing the green tire with the RFID mesh label attached thereon into a tire mold;

(c) subjecting the green tire of step (b) to vulcanization conditions;

(d) while vulcanizing the green tire of step (c), passing green rubber material from the green tire through a mesh backing of the RFID mesh label in a direction towards a face layer of the RFID mesh label while concurrently migrating the RFID mesh label in an internal direction of the green tire; and

(e) concluding vulcanization thereby forming a vulcanized tire having the mesh backing of the RFID mesh label internally positioned within the vulcanized tire such that;

(i) the mesh backing and other portions of the RFID mesh label are permanently bonded to internal portions of the vulcanized tire, and

(ii) the face layer is adjacent to or flush with an outer surface of vulcanized tire such that an RFID device within the RFID mesh label can be read from a predetermined distance by a RFID reader.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the RFID mesh label comprises the face layer and mesh backing with the RFID device positioned there between.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the mesh backing is an orthogonal grid shape.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mesh backing maintains an orthogonal grid shape throughout vulcanization and after step (e) of forming the vulcanized tire.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the green rubber material homogeneously disperses through the orthogonal grid during step (d).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the vulcanized tire of step (e) includes undulating ridges formed on and visible from an outer surface of the vulcanized tire, the undulating ridges correspond to the mesh backing permanently bonded within the vulcanized tire.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the face layer further comprises bar coding formed thereon.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the RFID mesh label is integrally incorporated on a tire sidewall or a tire bead.

14. A vulcanized tire comprising:

an RFID mesh label integrally incorporated within the vulcanized tire that is configured to provide unique identifier(s) and/or other information about the tire, wherein the RFID mesh label comprises;

a face layer configured to be adjacent or flush to an outer surface of the vulcanized tire, the outer surface of the vulcanized tire is a tire sidewall or a tire bead;

an RFID layer positioned underneath the face layer, the RFID layer having an RFID device that provides unique identifier(s) and/or other information upon being read with an RFID reader; and

a mesh backing overlying the RFID layer that is a non-deformable orthogonal grid having vulcanized rubber material homogeneously passed and dispersed there through such that the mesh backing is surrounded by and bonded to vulcanized rubber material of the vulcanized tire and portions of the RFID layer and face layer of the RFID mesh label are bonded to vulcanized rubber material of the vulcanized tire, wherein;

the mesh backing includes a surface treatment that facilitates bonding between a green tire and the mesh backing;

the surface treatment comprises a coating having reactive thiols therein, a coating having reactive amines therein, a coating having reactive hydroxyls therein, or any combination thereof that facilitate crosslinking between the mesh backing and a green tire during vulcanization to integrally incorporate the mesh backing within the vulcanized tire; and

the face layer and mesh backing have convergent ends bonded together along the periphery of the RFID mesh label such that the face layer and mesh backing surround the RFID layer and encase the RFID layer within the RFID mesh label.

15. The vulcanized tire of claim 14, wherein the RFID mesh label further comprises bar coding formed on an outermost surface of the face layer.

16. The vulcanized tire of claim 15, wherein undulating ridges are formed on an outer surface of the vulcanized tire that correspond to the internal position of the mesh backing positioned within the vulcanized tire and the undulating ridges are laterally adjacent to planar surfaces formed on the outer surface of the vulcanized tire.