Apparatus and Method for Providing Product Information

• US 20140022058A1
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Gillette Company LLC (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Striemer, Grant Edward, Joyce, Jonathan Livingston, Amann, Mathias, Sherman, Faiz Feisal, Franke, Michael, Bourilkov, Jordan Todorov, Morrow, Mark Wayne, DeCastro, Jose Tadeo Vergara, Meschkat, Stephan James Andreas
• Application Number:
  US14/025,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20140022058A1
• 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 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/04 in respect of time
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/20 by measuring variations in ohmic resistance of solid materials or of electrically-conductive fluids of piezo-resistive materials G01L1/18; by making use of electrokinetic cells, i.e. liquid-containing cells wherein an electrical potential is produced or varied upon the application of stress
• 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 radio-frequency chip and a first antenna. The chip comprises a memory element, the memory element comprising electrical storage of a binary coded word comprising at least one bit, and output terminals. The tag further comprises at least one conductive polymeric system disposed in electrical communication with at least one output terminal of the chip and adapted to change electrical state in association with a predetermined change in an environment of the conductive polymeric system. The first antenna is disposed in electrical communication with the output terminal(s) of the chip and the conductive polymeric system.

Claims

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

a. a least one removable radio-frequency chip comprising a memory element, the memory element comprising electrical storage of a binary coded word comprising at least one bit, and output terminals;

b. at least one conductive polymeric system disposed in electrical communication with at least one output terminal of the chip and adapted to change electrical state in association with a predetermined change in an environment of the conductive polymeric system;

c. a first antenna disposed in electrical communication with the output terminals of the chip and the conductive polymeric system.

2. The sensor system of 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.

3. The sensor system of claim 2 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.

4. The sensor system of claim 2 wherein the interrogator further comprises a sensor.

5. The sensor system of claim 2 wherein the interrogator further comprises a network communications link.

6. The sensor system of claim 1 wherein the first antenna comprises an omni-directional antenna.

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

8. The sensor system of claim 1 wherein the product comprises a disposable absorbent article.

9. The sensor system of claim 8 further comprising electrical shielding disposed between the antenna and product.

10. The sensor system of claim 9 wherein the shielding comprises part of the tag.

11. The sensor system of claim 1 wherein the product comprises a package containing a consumable good.

12. The sensor system of claim 1 wherein the product comprises a portable power source.

13. The sensor system according to claim 1 wherein the tag comprises a passive radio frequency chip.

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

a. providing a product comprising a tag including a removable chip, a state of the tag associated with a state of a conductive polymeric system;

b. providing an interrogator adapted to detect radiation associated with the bit of the tag;

c. altering the environmental state of the tag with respect to the environment of the conductive polymeric system;

d. interrogating the state of the tag after the environment of the conductive polymeric system has been altered;

e. interpreting the state of the tag;

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

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the step of providing an interrogator further comprises providing an interrogator comprising a network communications link, the method further comprising step of sharing the interpreted state of the tag over a network.

16. The method according to claim 15 further comprising the step of sharing data from the interrogator sensor over the network.

17. The method according to claim 15 further comprising the step of purchasing a unit of the product using the network.