RFID tag using a surface insensitive antenna structure
First Claim
1. An RFID device comprising:
- an expandable substrate; and
an antenna structure on one face of the substrate;
wherein expandable substrate may be selectively expanded from a compressed state to an expanded state, increasing thickness of the expandable substrate by at least 50%.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
An RFID device includes conductive tabs, and a conductive structure, with a dielectric layer between the conductive tabs and the conductive structure. The conductive structure overlaps the conductive tabs and acts as a shield, allowing the device to be at least somewhat insensitive to the surface upon which it is mounted, or to the presence of nearby objects, such as goods in a carton or other container that includes the device. The dielectric layer may be a portion of the container, such as an overlapped portion of the container. Alternatively, the dielectric layer may be a separate layer, which may vary in thickness, allowing one of the conductive tabs to be capacitively coupled to the conductive structure. As another alternative, the dielectric layer may be an expandable substrate that may be expanded after fabrication operations, such as printing.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An RFID device comprising:
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an expandable substrate; and an antenna structure on one face of the substrate; wherein expandable substrate may be selectively expanded from a compressed state to an expanded state, increasing thickness of the expandable substrate by at least 50%. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13)
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10. An RFID device comprising:
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an expandable substrate; and an antenna structure on one face of the substrate; wherein the expandable substrate includes a top layer, a middle layer, and a bottom layer; wherein the middle layer includes a plurality of segments; wherein each of the segments includes a first part, a second part, and a third part that is between the first part and the second part; wherein the first part of each of the segments is coupled to the top layer; wherein the second part of each of the segments is coupled to the bottom layer; and wherein the third part of each of the segments is rotatable relative to the first part and the second part. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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14. A method of forming the RFID device that includes an expandable substrate;
- and an antenna structure on one face of the substrate,the method comprising;
printing one or more layers of the device atop the expandable substrate, with the substrate in a compressed state; and after the printing, expanding the substrate from the compressed state to an expanded state, thereby increasing the thickness of the substrate; wherein the expanding includes increasing thickness of the substrate by at least 50%. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
- and an antenna structure on one face of the substrate,the method comprising;
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18. A method of forming an RFID device that includes an expandable substrate;
- and an antenna structure on one face of the substrate, the method comprising;
printing one or more layers of the device atop the expandable substrate; and expanding the substrate from a compressed state to an expanded state, thereby increasing the thickness of the substrate; wherein the expanding includes imposing a shear stress on opposite faces of the substrate, to move one face of the substrate relative to another face of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (19)
- and an antenna structure on one face of the substrate, the method comprising;
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20. An RFID device comprising:
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an expandable substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface, wherein the major surfaces are on opposite sides of the substrate; and an antenna structure on one of the major surfaces; wherein imposing a relative shear between the major surfaces selectively changes thickness of the expandable substrate. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An RFID device comprising:
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an expandable substrate having first and second major surfaces on opposite sides thereof; an antenna on the first surface; and a shield on one of the second surface, opposite the antenna; wherein the expandable substrate may be selectively expanded from a compressed state to an expanded state, increasing thickness of the expandable substrate by at least 50%.
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26. A method of forming an RFID device that includes an expandable substrate;
- and an antenna structure on one face of the substrate, the method comprising;
printing one or more layers of the device atop the expandable substrate, with the substrate in a compressed state; and after the printing, expanding the substrate from the compressed state to an expanded state, thereby increasing the thickness of the substrate; wherein the expanding transforms the substrate into a dielectric layer for surface-independent REID structure.
- and an antenna structure on one face of the substrate, the method comprising;
Specification