Method of installing IC tag

• US 20070019349A1
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Published: 01/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Daio, Fumio, Haraguchi, Kazunori
• Granted Patent: US 7,806,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/91.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07381 with deactivation or otherwise incapacitation of at least a part of the circuit upon detected tampering

Abstract

An IC chip in an IC tag is provided with a voltage application terminal in connection with its internal circuit, and a high voltage or a reverse voltage is applied to the voltage application upon unlawful handling of the IC tag, so that the IC chip is electrically broken down. In this way, an IC tag installed in an item is prevented from being misused when the IC tag is no longer necessary or being removed for misuse.

Claims

1. A method of installing an IC tag, the IC tag including an IC chip and an antenna, the method comprising:

providing the IC chip with electrical breakdown means for electrically breaking down an internal circuit thereof and breakdown activation means activated in response to externally applied force for transmitting a breakdown signal to the electrical breakdown means; and

activating the breakdown activation means as required.

2. The method of installing an IC tag according to claim 1, wherein

the electrical breakdown means is formed as a voltage application terminal connected to the internal circuit of the IC chip and the breakdown activation means serves as high voltage generation means for outputting a high voltage as the breakdown signal.

3. The method of installing an IC tag according to claim 1, wherein

the electrical breakdown means is formed as a voltage application terminal connected to the internal circuit of the IC chip and the breakdown activation means serves as reverse voltage generation means for generating a voltage with polarity reversed from a voltage requested by the internal circuit.

4. A method of installing an IC tag, the IC tag including an IC chip and an antenna, the method comprising:

providing the IC chip with thermal breakdown means for thermally breaking down the IC chip and breakdown activation means activated in response to externally applied force for transmitting a breakdown signal to the thermal breakdown means; and

activating the breakdown activation means as required.

5. The method of installing an IC tag according to claim 4, wherein

the thermal breakdown means is formed as a heat generating element that generates heat in response to an applied current and the breakdown activation means serves as connection opening/closing means for connecting a current output from a current generation source to the heat generating element as a breakdown signal.