RADIO-FREQUENCY TRANSPONDER COMPRISING A TAMPER LOOP FUNCTIONALITY

• US 20130135104A1
• Filed: 11/29/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Smartrac IP BV (OEP Technologie BV)
• Original Assignee: UPM RFID Oy (OEP Technologie BV)
• Inventors: NIKKANEN, Mikko
• Application Number:
  US13/306,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20130135104A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07372 by detecting tampering with the circuit

Abstract

The application discloses a radio-frequency transponder having a tamper loop functionality the state of which is readable. The radio-frequency transponder comprises attaching means comprising at least one pin and a counterpart for the pin. The attaching means is configured to attach said radio-frequency transponder to an item by means of the pin and the counterpart. The attaching means is configured to create the tamper loop for the radio-frequency transponder when the pin is in contact with the counterpart. The application also discloses a method for monitoring such a radio-frequency transponder.

Claims

1. A radio-frequency transponder having a tamper loop functionality the state of which is readable, the radio-frequency transponder comprising attaching means comprising at least one pin and a counterpart for said pin, said attaching means being configured to attach said radio-frequency transponder to an item by means of said at least one pin and said counterpart, wherein said attaching means is configured to create the tamper loop for said radio-frequency transponder when said at least one pin is in contact with said counterpart.

2. The radio-frequency transponder according to claim 1, wherein said attaching means comprises two parts.

3. The radio-frequency transponder according to claim 2, wherein a first part of said attaching means comprises at least one pin, and wherein a second part of said attaching means comprises the counterpart.

4. The radio-frequency transponder according to claim 1, wherein the counterpart comprises a corresponding number of holes for said at least one pin.

5. The radio-frequency transponder according to claim 2, comprising a radio-frequency inlay in said first part, said radio-frequency inlay comprising an integrated circuit and an antenna.

6. The radio-frequency transponder according to claim 5, wherein said integrated circuit comprises connections for said tamper-loop.

7. The radio-frequency transponder according to claim 6, wherein the integrated circuit comprises a memory configured to store status information on said tamper-loop.

8. The radio-frequency transponder according to claim 7, wherein the integrated circuit is readable in order to return said status information to a reader.

9. A method for monitoring a radio-frequency transponder comprising attaching means being configured to attach the radio-frequency transponder to an item by means of at least one pin and a counterpart for said pin, which attaching means are configured to create a tamper-loop for said transponder, wherein the method comprises polling the transponder by at least one reader, and as a result of said polling, receiving information indicating the status of the tamper-loop of the transponder.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein whether the status information being received indicates that the tamper-loop of the transponder is tampered, wherein the method comprises producing an alarm.

11. The method according to claim 10, where the alarm is a silent alarm.

12. The method according to claim 10, where the alarm is an audible alarm.