METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELF-EXPIRATION OF A PASSIVE DATA TAG DEVICE

• US 20090303049A1
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: MILLER, STEVEN M., HUNT, CHRISTIAN L., RYAN, ANNE I., GREENLEE, KENNETH L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,932,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.300
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0702 the arrangement including a battery
• 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

Abstract

The present invention discloses a data tag device (100) which initially operates in a passive mode where the tag responds to queries (412). While operating passively, an expiration event occurs (512, 514) which causes the tag to disable a battery (110), preventing subsequent operation in the passive mode, resulting in the tag disabling access to the tag data.

Claims

1. A method of initiating self-expiration of a passive data tag, the passive tag device including tag circuitry and having tag data stored therein, the method comprising:

providing a battery operably coupled to the tag circuitry and initially in an enabled state;

operating the data tag device while the battery is in the enabled state wherein the data tag device responds to reader queries;

detecting an occurrence of an expiration event;

disabling the battery to a disabled state; and

disabling access to at least a portion of the tag data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of the expiration event comprises receiving a kill command from an external source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of the expiration event comprises detecting a clock in the data tag device reaching an expiration value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the clock is a counter.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the clock is a time of day clock.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein disabling the battery comprises draining the battery.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein draining the battery comprises connecting a shunt load in parallel with the battery.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein disabling the battery comprises disabling an electrical connection between the battery and at least a portion of circuitry of the active data tag device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein disabling the electrical connection comprises overloading a fusible link between the battery and the portion of circuitry.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein disabling access to the portion of tag data comprises ceasing to respond to reader queries.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein disabling access to the portion of tag data comprises erasing the portion of tag data.

12. A passive data tag device, comprising:

tag circuitry including;

a machine readable memory having tag data stored therein;

a communication interface configured to facilitate communication of the tag data;

a controller operably coupled to the communication interface and the machine readable memory;

a battery operably coupled to the tag circuitry; and

a battery disabling circuit coupled to the battery and responsive to an expiration event, the battery disabling circuit configured to disable the battery upon occurrence of the expiration event thereby changing the battery from an enabled state to a disabled state;

wherein the controller is configured to operate in a passive mode while the battery is in the enabled state, thereby providing access to the tag data, and further configured to disable access to at least a portion of the tag data when the battery is in the disabled state.

13. A passive data tag device as defined in claim 12, wherein the battery disabling circuit comprises a shunt battery elimination circuit configured to deplete the battery of charge upon occurrence of the expiration event.

14. A passive data tag device as defined in claim 12, wherein the battery disabling circuit comprises a disconnect circuit configured to disconnect the battery from the tag circuitry upon occurrence of the expiration event.

15. A passive data tag device as defined in claim 12, further comprising a clock circuit configured to maintain a clock value with time, wherein the expiration event occurs upon the clock value reaching a termination value.

16. A passive data tag device as defined in claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to generate the expiration event upon the passive data tag device receiving a kill command from an external source, the kill command being received by the communication interface from the external source.

17. A data tag device as defined in claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to disable access to at least a portion of the tag data when the battery is in the disabled state by erasing the portion of tag data upon the occurrence of the expiration event.

18. A computer program product having machine readable code stored thereon, the machine readable code causing a data tag device to:

operate the data tag device in a passive mode wherein the data tag device provides access to tag data only in response to a query received from a tag reader;

detect an occurrence of an expiration event while operating the data tag device in the active mode;

disable a power source of the data tag device upon detecting the expiration event; and

disable access to at least a portion of the tag data subsequent to disabling the power source.

19. A computer program product as defined in claim 18, wherein disabling access to the portion of tag data comprises ceasing to respond to queries.

20. A method of operating a data tag device, comprising:

receiving a query from a tag reader;

checking a state of a battery associated with the tag device; and

responding to the query only if the battery is in an enabled state.