COMBINATION EAS AND RFID LABEL OR TAG WITH CONTROLLABLE READ RANGE USING A HYBRID RFID ANTENNA

• US 20080068177A1
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: COPELAND, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,812,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0726 the arrangement including a circuit for tuning the resonance frequency of an antenna on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2431 Tag circuit details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2437 Tag layered structure, processes for making layered tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2448 Tag with at least dual detection means, e.g. combined inductive and ferromagnetic tags, dual frequencies within a single technology, tampering detection or signalling means on the tag
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal

Abstract

A security tag includes an EAS component having a defined surface area, and an RFID component having a defined surface area. The EAS component surface area is configured to at least partially overlap the RFID component surface area. The RFID component includes an antenna which at least partially overlaps the first surface. A substantially planar spacer having a thickness is at least partially disposed between the defined surface areas of the EAS and RFID components. The RFID element read range is affected and controlled by the spacing between the RFID element and the EAS element. The RFID reader is capable of activating the RFID component when the RFID component is within the read range. The antenna includes a magnetic loop antenna in electrical contact with a spiral antenna to increase near field read response.

Claims

1. A security tag comprising:

an electronic article surveillance (EAS) component having a first defined surface area;

a radiofrequency (RFID) component having a second defined surface area, the RFID component comprising;

an antenna inlay, the antenna inlay comprising;

an inward spiral antenna;

a magnetic loop antenna in electrical contact with the spiral antenna; and

an integrated circuit in electrical contact with the loop antenna; and

a substantially planar spacer having a thickness, the spacer at least partially disposed between the first defined surface area of the EAS component and the second defined surface area of the RFID component, the thickness of the spacer being configurable to regulate a read range of the RFID component.

2. The security tag of claim 1, the spiral antenna having a first section and a second section, wherein and the magnetic loop antenna is positioned between the first section and the second section of the spiral antenna.

3. The security tag of claim 2, wherein the first section of the spiral antenna, the second section of the spiral antenna, and the magnetic loop antenna each have a corresponding defined area, the defined areas of the first section of the spiral antenna, the second section of the spiral antenna and the magnetic loop antenna being substantially equal.

4. The security tag of claim 1, wherein the RFID component is capable of activation when the RFID component is within the read range.

5. The security tag of claim 2, wherein currents in the first and the second sections of the spiral antenna flow in a same direction.

6. The security tag of claim 1, wherein the magnetic loop antenna is a near field magnetic H field antenna.

7. A method of regulating a read range of a combination electronic article surveillance (EAS) component and radiofrequency identification (RFID) component, the method comprising:

disposing a spacer between the EAS component and the RFID component, the RFID component comprising an antenna inlay having an inward spiral antenna in electrical contact with a magnetic loop antenna, and an integrated circuit in electrical contact with the loop antenna; and

varying the thickness of the spacer to regulate a read range of the RFID component.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the RFID component is capable of activation when the RFID component is within the read range.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the spiral antenna has a first section and a second section, and wherein the magnetic loop antenna is positioned between the first section and the second section of the spiral antenna.

10. The method of claim 9, where the first section and the second section of the spiral antenna each have a corresponding defined area, and wherein the magnetic loop antenna has a corresponding defined area, wherein the defined areas of the first section of the spiral antenna, the second section of the spiral antenna and the magnetic loop antenna are substantially equal.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein currents in the first and the second sections of the spiral antenna flow in a same direction.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the magnetic loop antenna is a near field magnetic H field antenna.

13. An RFID antenna inlay for use in a combination EAS/RFID security tag, the EAS/RFID security tag having an EAS component, an RFID component, and a spacer element positioned between the EAS component and the RFID component, the antenna inlay comprising:

an inward spiral antenna having a first section and a second section;

a magnetic loop antenna coupled to the spiral antenna and situated between the first section of the spiral antenna and the second section of the spiral antenna; and

an integrated circuit coupled to the magnetic loop antenna,

the spacer element having a thickness, the thickness of the spacer element being configurable to regulate a read range of the RFID component.

14. The RFID antenna inlay of claim 13, wherein the first section of the spiral antenna, the second section of the spiral antenna, and the magnetic loop antenna each have a defined area, the defined areas of the first section of the spiral antenna, the second section of the spiral antenna and the magnetic loop antenna being substantially equal.

15. The RFID antenna inlay of claim 13, wherein the RFID component is capable of activation when the RFID component is within the read range.

16. The RFID antenna inlay of claim 13, wherein currents in the first and the second sections of the spiral antenna flow in a same direction.

17. The RFID antenna inlay of claim 13, wherein the magnetic loop antenna has a near field magnetic H field antenna.