RFID printer and antennas

• US 20070200710A1
• Filed: 04/23/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Inventors: Neuhard, Lance, McCurdy, Jim, Feltz, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,439,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.700
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0025 the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil

Abstract

A shielded antenna system is provided for reading from and/or writing to an RFID transponder wherein the energy radiated from the antenna system has a narrow beam width so that only one RFID transponder in a record member along a web of record members, each having an RFID transponder, is read from and/or written to without affecting or being affected by any other RFID transponder along the web.

Claims

1-50. -50. (canceled)

51. A printer for printing on a web of record members having RFID transponders deposed at spaced locations along the length of the web, comprising:

a print head capable of printing on a web, a read and/or write loop antenna disposed upstream of the print head, wherein the loop antenna is in a generally rectangular configuration with the long dimension extending laterally of the web, the antenna being generally planar with spaced end edges along the long dimensions, the printer having space for a web supply roll, the antenna being positioned so that the transponders pass into and out of alignment with one end edge of the antenna as the web passes from the supply roll to the print head.

52-53. -53. (canceled)

54. A printer for printing on a longitudinally extending web of record members having RFID transponders disposed at spaced locations along the length of the web, the printer comprising:

a print head capable of printing on the web,

a web path for the web extending in a downstream direction to the print head,

a write and/or read loop antenna disposed along the web path upstream of the print head, the antenna having opposite sides, wherein one side of the antenna faces in the upstream direction and the other side of the antenna faces in the downstream direction, the antenna having a conductor arranged in a loop, one loop portion of the conductor of the loop antenna being disposed adjacent the web path and another loop antenna portion of the conductor being disposed away from the web path, wherein the antenna writes to only the transponder adjacent the one loop portion without affecting any transponder upstream or downstream of the adjacent transponder.

55. A printer as defined in claim 54, wherein the loop antenna is generally flat and comprises a substrate having the conductor thereon.

56. A printer as defined in claim 54, wherein the loop antenna includes a substrate having generally flat opposite sides, wherein the loop antenna further includes a loop conductor on each side of the substrate.

57. A printer as defined in claim 56, including a connector connected to each loop conductor.

58. A printer as defined in claim 57, including a holder for the substrate, and wherein the connector is received in a slot in the holder.

59. A printer as defined in claim 58, wherein the holder is non-conductive.

60. A printer as defined in claim 57, wherein the holder has a slot and wherein the antenna is received in the slot.

61. A printer as defined in claim 54, including a holder having an open-ended slot to slidably receive the antenna.

62. A printer as defined in claim 54, wherein the one loop portion is disposed between the web path and the other loop portion.

63. A printer as defined in claim 54, wherein the antenna has more than one loop.

64. A printer as defined in claim 63, wherein the antenna has two loops.