Enabling and disabling a wireless RFID portable transponder

• US 7,375,631 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2004
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Moskowitz, Paul A., von Gutfeld, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bugg; George A.
• Application Number:
  US10/899,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20060017570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07327 Passive means, e.g. Faraday cages Faraday-type protection of electric circuits in general H05K9/00
• 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 1/526 Electromagnetic shields

Abstract

Provides protection to wireless portable transponders from an unauthorized interrogation by employing a mechanical member. Transponders include: cards, fobs and RFID tags that a persons may carry. Such transponders generally have means for receiving and storing electronic and other information, commonly in binary form using memories as in electronic circuits, etc. The invention is designed to provide privacy of electronic information and yet permit the information to be queried at the users discretion. The cards and tags can be protected from receiving or providing unauthorized or unwanted information. The invention provides the mechanical member with means that permit the owner to decide when reception/interrogation of personal or other information is desirable by employing the provided mechanical enable/disable control means.

Claims

1. A card comprising:

an electrical circuit embedded within said card;

an antenna embedded within said card, said antenna electrically connected to said circuit;

at least one magnetic strip on the card; and

a deployable member mechanically coupled to said card, said member having electromagnetic shielding capability, and said member being selectively placed as to control, reception of said antenna of a signal for said electrical circuit, the member being movable to shield the antenna but not the magnetic strip.

2. A card as in claim 1, wherein said control includes said member having at least one position to completely shield said antenna from said signal.

3. A card as in claim 1, wherein one of the antenna and the circuit is on an exterior surface of the card.

4. A card as in claim 1, wherein the circuit is one of a chip, more than one chip, and consists of only resistors, capacitors and inductors.

5. A card as in claim 1, wherein said control of said deployable member includes mechanical movement so as to cover and uncover said antenna.

6. A card as in claim 1 wherein said deployable member includes a shielding material taken from a group of shielding materials consisting of:

magnetic shielding material;

electrical shielding material;

mu metal;

Metglas Reg., and any combination of these.

7. A card as in claim 1, wherein said deployable member is held by means of a slot in said card.

8. A card as in claim 6, wherein the shielding material is at least 0.001 centimeters thick.

9. A card as in claim 1, wherein a thickness of said deployable member is such that a skin depth of said member is less than the thickness of said member.

10. A card as in claim 1, wherein said shielding capability includes being a material having at least one of:

high magnetic permeability and high electrical conductivity.

11. A card as in claim 1, wherein said signal includes an interrogation of said circuit.

12. A card as in claim 1, wherein said mechanically coupled deployable member is coupled in a slideably adjustable manner.

13. A card as in claim 1, wherein said signal is a high frequency signal and said deployable member has a deposition of a thin metallic shielding layer deposited onto said deployable member.

15. A card as in claim 1 wherein said deployable member is moved in a direction out of the plane of the card.

16. A card as in claim 1 wherein said deployable member is moved in a direction in the plane of the card.

17. A card as in claim 1 wherein said deployable member is attached to said card by means of a hinge.

18. A card as in claim 1 wherein said deployable member is attached to said card by means of a flexible number.

14. An apparatus for shielding a card, said apparatus comprising:

means for selectively moving a shielding material mechanically coupled to said card such as to block an antenna in said card from receiving an external signal; and

slider position markers on the card for indicating that the antenna is completely shielded when the shielding material is located between the markers.

19. A portable transponder having a memory, said transponder comprising:

a deployable member mechanically coupled to said transponder, said member having shielding capability to shield said memory from a signal intended for said memory, and

said member being selectively placed as to enable a user to control reception by said memory of said signal, the member being movable in a direction out of the plane of the card.

20. A transponder as in claim 19, wherein said memory is a memory selected from a group of memory consisting of:

an electrical circuit and antenna, said antenna electrically coupled to said circuit;

magnetic devices;

resonant structure;

micromechanical device;

non-electrical circuit memory device; and

any combination of these memories.

21. A transponder as in claim 19, wherein said transponder is a means selected from a group of means consisting of:

a credit card, a debit card, a fob, a transaction card, and a swipeable card.

22. A transponder as in claim 19, wherein said transponder is carried by a person in order for a transaction to be performed.