Apparatus and Method for Providing Product Information

• US 20130162402A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Gillette Company LLC (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: The Gillette Company LLC (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Amann, Mathias, Striemer, Grant Edward, Joyce, Jonathan Livingston, Sherman, Faiz Feisal, Bourilkov, Jordan Todorov, Morrow, Mark Wayne, Specht, Steven Jeffrey, Franke, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/616,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20130162402A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/42 with wetness indicator or alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/84 Accessories, not otherwise provided for, for absorbent pads
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/424 having an electronic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/8473 for diagnostic purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/8479 including electric or magnetic devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/8482 including numeric control, e.g. using computer
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 1/14 giving a distribution function of a value, i.e. number of times the value comes within specified ranges of amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/305 Panel mounting of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/007 Data loggers attached to transport containers for perishable products, e.g. food or medicines
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/04 in respect of time
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/126 comprising organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48792 Data management, e.g. communication with processing unit for in vivo diagnostics A61B5/0002; transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 15/00 Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object record carriers for use with machines having a detectable tag or marker G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the 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: G06K 19/07773 : Antenna details antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 : General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 : sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 : including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 : the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 : Item investigation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 : Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/16 : with feed intermediate between the extremities of the antenna, e.g. centre-fed dipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence

Abstract

A sensor system comprises a tag. The tag comprises at least one sensor, a radio-frequency chip, and a first antenna. The sensor is adapted to provide an output analogous to a change in an environment of the sensor. The sensor produces an analog output and includes output terminals. The radio-frequency chip comprises a memory element, input terminals and output terminals. The input terminals are disposed in electrical communication with the output terminals of the sensor. The output of the sensor alters the value of at least one bit in the memory of the chip. The first antenna is disposed in electrical communication with the output terminals of the chip.

Claims

1. A sensor system comprising a tag, the tag comprising:

at least one sensor adapted to transition from a first electrical state to a second electrical state in response to a predetermined change in an environment of the sensor, the sensor having at least one output terminal;

a radio-frequency chip comprising a memory element comprising electrical storage of a binary coded word comprising at least one bit, input terminals and output terminals, the input terminal(s) disposed in electrical communication with the at least one output terminal of the at least one sensor and to at least one bit of memory;

a first antenna disposed in electrical communication with the output terminals of the chip.

2. The sensor system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one output terminal of the sensor is disposed in electrical communication with multiple bits of the memory.

3. The sensor system according to claim 1 further comprising an interrogator comprising a power source and a second antenna adapted to generate electromagnetic radiation comprising a resonant frequency of the first antenna, and a receiver adapted to detect electromagnetic radiation and de-modulate the detected radiation extracting embedded data from the detected radiation.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the interrogator includes a network communications link.

5. The sensor system according to claim 3 wherein the interrogator comprises a sensor.

6. The sensor system according to claim 3 wherein the embedded data comprises the value of the at least one bit.

7. The sensor system according to claim 3 wherein the interrogator further comprises:

an analysis element adapted to interpret the extracted embedded data, and a display element adapted to display the results of the interpretation.

8. The sensor system according to claim 1 wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of:

chemical sensors, electrical sensors, biological sensors, mechanical sensors, and combinations thereof.

9. The sensor system according to claim 1 wherein the first antenna comprises an omni-directional antenna.

10. The sensor system according to claim 1 further comprising a product wherein the tag comprises part of the product.

11. The sensor system according to claim 10 further comprising electrical shielding disposed between the antenna and product.

12. The sensor system according to claim 10 wherein the shielding comprises part of the tag.

13. The sensor system according to claim 1 wherein the product comprises a disposable absorbent article.

14. The sensor system according to claim 1 wherein product comprises a portable power source.

15. The sensor system according to claim 1 wherein the product comprises a package containing a consumable good.

16. A method of determining product information, the method comprising steps of:

providing at least one product comprising a tag, the tag comprising at least one sensor adapted to transition from a first electrical state to a second electrical state in response to a predetermined change in an environment of the sensor, the sensor having at least one output terminal;

a radio-frequency chip comprising a memory element comprising electrical storage of a binary coded word comprising at least one bit, input terminals and output terminals, the input terminals disposed in electrical communication with the at least one output terminal of the at least one sensor and to at least one bit of memory;

a first antenna disposed in electrical communication with the output terminals of the chip;

providing, or having provided, an interrogator adapted to detect radiation associated with an environmental state of the tag sensor;

interrogating the state of the tag;

interpreting the state of the tag;

providing an output associated with the interpreted state of the tag.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the step of providing an interrogator further comprises providing an interrogator comprising a network communications link, the method further comprising the step of sharing data associated with the state of the tag over a network.

18. The method according to claim 18 further comprising the step of sharing data from the interrogator sensor over the network.

19. The method according to claim 18 further comprising the step of purchasing a unit of the product using the network.