RFID Tag with a Reduced Read Range

• US 20090184824A1
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: Forster, Ian James
• Granted Patent: US 8,115,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07327 Passive means, e.g. Faraday cages Faraday-type protection of electric circuits in general H05K9/00
• 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

A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag is provided that comprises an RFID inlay having a read range. The RFID tag also comprises a facestock or substrate affixed to the RFID inlay. The RFID tag further comprises a radio frequency (RF) altering material affixed to the facestock or substrate that is configured to permanently reduce the read range of the RFID inlay.

Claims

1. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising:

an RFID inlay having a read range;

a substrate affixed to the RFID inlay; and

a radio frequency (RF) altering material affixed to the substrate that is configured to permanently reduce the read range of the RFID inlay.

2. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the RF altering material comprises an adhesive layer that binds the substrate to the RFID inlay.

3. The RFID tag of claim 2, wherein the adhesive layer includes a plurality of particles with RF signal altering properties.

4. The RFID tag of claim 1, where the RF altering material reduces read range of the RFID inlay to about zero.

5. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the RF altering material has a relatively high magnetic permeability configured to interact with the magnetic field around the RFID inlay.

6. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the RF altering material is a dielectric material configured to interact with an electric field around the RFID inlay.

7. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the RF altering material is a layer of material disposed on a back of the substrate.

8. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the RF altering material is a thin layer of vapor deposited metal.

9. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the RF altering material is conductive ink printed on the substrate.

10. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the RF altering material is configured to change states upon exposure to an environmental change to the RF altering material, such that the RF altering material changes from a first state that does not alter the read range of the RFID inlay to a second state that does alter the read range of the RFID inlay.

11. The RFID tag of claim 10, wherein the environmental change is at least one of temperature, pressure and ultra violet radiation.

12. The RFID tag of claim 10, wherein the RF altering material is an organic or organo-metallic material.

13. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the RF altering material is configured to change states upon exposure to an environmental change to the RF altering material, such that the amount of altering of the read range is based on at least one of the amount of environmental change and exposure time of environmental change.

14. The RFID tag of claim 1, wherein the read range of the RFID inlay is tunable based on the amount and/or location of the RF altering material.

15. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising:

an RFID inlay having a read range; and

a radio frequency (RF) altering material applied to the RFID inlay that is configured to permanently reduce the read range of the RFID inlay.

16. The RFID tag as recited in claim 15, wherein the RF altering material is applied by a marker.

17. The RFID tag as recited in claim 15, wherein the RF altering material is applied by a cover layer or label.

18. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising:

an RFID inlay having a read range;

a facestock affixed to the RFID inlay, wherein the facestock includes a radio frequency (RF) altering material that is configured to reduce the predetermined read range of the RFID inlay; and

a liner removeably attached to the RFID inlay.

19. The RFID tag of claim 18, wherein the RF altering material comprises at least one of a conductive material, an organic material, a highly magnetically permeable material and a dielectric material.

20. The RFID tag of claim 19, wherein the RF altering material is an adhesive material that affixes the facestock to the RFID inlay.

21. The RFID tag of claim 18, wherein the RF altering material is configured to change states upon exposure to an environmental change to the RF altering material, such that the RF altering material changes from a first state that does not alter the read range of the RFID inlay to a second state that does alter the read range of the RFID inlay.

22. The RFID tag of claim 18, wherein the RF altering material is configured to change states upon exposure to an environmental change to the RF altering material, such that the amount of altering of the read range is based on at least one of the amount of environmental change and an exposure time to the environmental change.

23. The RFID tag of claim 18, wherein the read range of the RFID inlay is tunable based on the amount and/or location of the RF altering material.

24. A method for forming an radio frequency identification (RFID) tag comprising:

providing a facestock;

affixing a radio frequency (RF) altering material to the facestock, the RF altering material being configured to permanently alter a read range of an RFID inlay; and

affixing the RFID inlay with the read range onto the facestock.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising removeably attaching a liner to the RFID inlay.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the RF altering material is configured to reduce the read range of the RFID inlay.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the RF altering material comprises at least one of a conductive material, an organic material, a highly magnetically permeable material and a dielectric material.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the RF altering material is an adhesive material wherein the affixing the RFID inlay to the facestock comprises applying the adhesive material to one of the RFID inlay and the facestock and attaching to the other of the RFID inlay and the facestock.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising exposing the RF altering material to an environmental change to change a state of the RF altering material from a first state that does not alter the read range of the RFID inlay to a second state that does alter the read range of the RFID inlay.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising exposing the RF altering material to an environmental change, such that the amount of altering of the read range is based on at least one of the amount of environmental change and an exposure time to the environmental change.

31. The method of claim 24, further comprising determining an amount and location of the RF altering material relative to the facestock and providing the determined amount to the determined location.