Revealable RFID devices

• US 20080084309A1
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Posamentier, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 7,724,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07345 by activating or deactivating at least a part of the circuit on the record carrier, e.g. ON/OFF switches
• 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

Abstract

The antenna of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag may be detuned by applying a conductive material in radio frequency (RF) contact with the antenna, such that the RFID tag is not operable. This material may later be removed, or the conductive effect of the material eliminated, thus re-tuning the antenna to its design specifications and restoring the RFID tag to an operable condition. In this manner, RFID tags may be manufactured in an inoperable state, to be subsequently made operable through the occurrence of an event, such as scraping off the conductive material.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an antenna to be connected to a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag circuit, the antenna configured to operate at a particular frequency; and

an electrically conductive material in radio frequency (RF) contact with the antenna to prevent the antenna and connected RFID tag circuit from operating at the particular frequency until a conductive effect of the material is removed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the material has a planar shape.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive effect of the material is to be removed by removing the material from the antenna.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said removing the material includes removing by an operation selected from a list of operations consisting of:

1) scraping the material off,

     2) peeling the material off,

     3) dissolving the material in a liquid, and

     4) melting the material.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive effect of the material is to be removed by reducing the conductiveness of the material.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said reducing the conductiveness of the material comprises an operation selected from a list of operations consisting of 1) reducing conductiveness of the material with a chemical, 2) reducing conductiveness of the material by exposing the material to a particular type of electromagnetic radiation, and 3) reducing conductiveness of the material by heating the material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the RFID tag circuit electrically connected to the antenna.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising an object coupled to the RFID tag circuit, the object tot be identified by transmitting an identification code in the RFID tag circuit through the antenna.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, where said removal of the conductive effect is irreversible.

10. A method, comprising:

producing an antenna for a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag; and

applying a conductive material in radio frequency (RF) contact with the antenna such that the conductive material will de-tune the antenna to make the RFID tag inoperable when the RFID tag is connected to the antenna.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said applying a conductive material comprises depositing a planar material on a substrate containing the antenna.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said applying a conductive material comprises attaching a conductive label over the antenna.

13. A method, comprising:

providing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag having an electrically conductive material in RF contact with an antenna of the RFID tag, such that the conductive material prevents the RFID tag from being operable; and

removing a conductive effect of the material in an irreversible manner, such that the RFID tag becomes operable.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said removing the conductive effect comprises physically removing the material from the antenna.

15. The method of claim 13, where said physically removing comprises an operation selected from a list of operations consisting of:

1) dissolving the material,

     2) peeling the material off, and

     3) scraping the material off.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said removing the conductive effect comprises changing an electrically conductive characteristic of the material to an electrically non-conductive characteristic.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said changing comprises an operation selected from a list of operations consisting of:

1) heating the material,

     2) chemically treating the material, and

     3) treating the material with electromagnetic radiation.