System and method for locked code on a radio frequency identification tag

• US 7,316,352 B1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Storage Technologies Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Yu, Zengqi, Dodt, William Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIK, STEVEN SANGYUL
• Application Number:
  US11/021,216
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/451, 340/531, 340/572.1, 340/572.7
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07309 Means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or onto record carriers
• 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

A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag system includes a coupler/controller subsystem and a memory. The coupler/controller subsystem wirelessly receives and transmits at least one user signal and at least one master signal. The memory is electrically coupled to the coupler/controller subsystem. The memory includes a user portion for storing information contained in the at least one user signal and a master portion for storing information contained in the at least one master signal, and the master portion of the memory is unalterable by a user.

Claims

1. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag system, the system comprising:

a coupler/controller subsystem that wirelessly receives and transmits at least one user signal and at least one master signal; and

a memory electrically coupled to the coupler/controller subsystem, wherein the memory comprises a user portion for storing information contained in the at least one user signal and a master portion for storing information contained in the at least one master signal, and the master portion of the memory is unalterable by a user wherein the coupler/controller subsystem comprises a coupler having double-tuned electro-magnetic tank that is electrically coupled with two high-resolution frequency-filters, an antenna, a user controller and a master controller, wherein the antenna is electrically coupled to the coupler, the coupler is electrically coupled to the user controller and the master controller, the user controller is tuned to a user frequency that is used to transmit and receive the at least one user signal, the master controller is tuned to a master frequency that is used to transmit and receive the at least one master signal, and the master frequency is different from the user frequency.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM).

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a path for presenting the at least one master signal from the coupler/controller subsystem to the master portion of the memory comprises an interruptible device, and write operations to the master portion of the memory are disabled when the interruptible device is opened.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the interruptible device comprises a blow-link fuse electrical over-threshold sensitive device.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the interruptible device comprises a laser blown link.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein accessibility of the master portion of the memory is controlled by a manufacturer of the system.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the user portion of the memory comprises Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), the master portion of the memory comprises Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), and the master portion of the memory is unalterable after one write operation is performed.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the one write operation is performed by a manufacturer of the system.

9. A method for securing at least a portion of data on a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving and transmitting at least one user signal and at least one master signal using a coupler/controller subsystem; and

storing information contained in the at least one user signal in a user portion of a memory that is electrically coupled to the coupler/controller subsystem, and storing information contained the at least one master signal in a master portion of the memory, wherein the master portion of the memory is unalterable by a user wherein the coupler/controller subsystem comprises a user controller, a user coupler, and a user antenna that are electrically coupled and tuned to a user frequency that is used to wirelessly transmit and receive the at least one user signal and wirelessly transmit the at least one master signal, and a master controller, a master coupler, and a master antenna that are electrically coupled and tuned to a master frequency that is used to wirelessly transmit and receive the at least one master signal and wirelessly transmit the at least one user signal, and the master frequency is different from the user frequency.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the memory comprises Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM).

11. The method of claim 9 wherein a path for presenting the master signal from the coupler/controller subsystem to the master portion of the memory comprises an interruptible device, and write operations to the master portion of the memory are disabled when the interruptible device is opened.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the interruptible device comprises a blow-link fuse electrical over-threshold sensitive device.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the interruptible device comprises a laser blown link.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein accessibility of the master portion of the memory is controlled by a manufacturer of the system.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the user portion of the memory comprises Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), the master portion of the memory comprises Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), and the master portion of the memory is unalterable after one write operation is performed, and the one write operation is performed by an authorized entity.

16. A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag system, the system comprising:

a coupler/controller subsystem that wirelessly receives and transmits at least one user signal and at least one master signal, wherein the coupler/controller subsystem comprises a user controller, a user coupler, and a user antenna that are electrically coupled and tuned to a user frequency that is used to wirelessly transmit and receive the at least one user signal and wirelessly transmit the at least one master signal, and a master controller, a master coupler, and a master antenna that are electrically coupled and tuned to a master frequency that is used to wirelessly transmit and receive the at least one master signal and wirelessly transmit the at least one user signal, and the master frequency is different from the user frequency; and

a memory electrically coupled to the coupler/controller subsystem, wherein the memory comprises a user portion for storing information contained in the at least one user signal and a master portion for storing information contained in the at least one master signal, and the master portion of the memory is unalterable by a user.