Method of installing IC tag

• US 7,806,340 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Haraguchi, Kazunori, Daio, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US11/448,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20070019349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 702/57, 340/870.3, 340/10.3
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07381 with deactivation or otherwise incapacitation of at least a part of the circuit upon detected tampering

Abstract

An IC chip in an IC tag is provided with a voltage application terminal in connection with its internal circuit, and a high voltage or a reverse voltage is applied to the voltage application upon unlawful handling of the IC tag, so that the IC chip is electrically broken down. In this way, an IC tag installed in an item is prevented from being misused when the IC tag is no longer necessary or being removed for misuse.

Claims

1. A method of making an IC tag, the method comprising:

installing, in a device, an antenna and an IC chip with an electrical breakdown circuit that destroys another circuit included in the IC chip in response to a breakdown voltage;

installing a breakdown voltage generation circuit which generates the breakdown voltage

in response to a mechanical force applied to the device.

2. The method of making an IC tag according to claim 1, wherein

the electrical breakdown device is formed as a voltage application terminal connected to the internal circuit of the IC chip and

the breakdown voltage generation circuit generates, as the breakdown voltage, a reverse voltage with polarity reversed from a voltage used by the IC chip in standard operation.

3. A method of making an IC tag according to claim 1, wherein

the electrical breakdown circuit comprises a heating element which generates heat, which destroys another portion of the IC chip, in response to the breakdown voltage.

4. The method of installing an IC tag according to claim 3, further comprising:

installing a connection opening/closing device for connecting a current output from a current generation source to the heating element as a the breakdown voltage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mechanical force results from opening a unit including the IC tag.

6. An IC tag-bearing device, comprising:

an IC tag including an IC chip and an antenna, the IC chip including an electrical breakdown circuit that destroys another circuit included in the IC chip in response to a breakdown voltage; and

a breakdown voltage generation circuit which generates the breakdown voltage in response to a mechanical force applied to the IC tag-bearing device.

7. The IC tag-bearing device of claim 6, wherein

the electrical breakdown circuit includes a voltage application terminal;

and

the breakdown voltage generation circuit generates, as the breakdown voltage, a reverse voltage with polarity reverse from a voltage used by the IC chip in standard operation.

8. The IC tag-bearing device of claim 6, wherein

the breakdown voltage generation circuit comprises a piezoelectric element which generates the breakdown voltage in response to the mechanical force.

9. The IC tag-bearing device of claim 8, further comprising

a striking element which applies a second mechanical force to the piezoelectric element in response to the mechanical force applied to the IC tag-bearing device.

10. The IC tag-bearing device of claim 9, further comprising

a battery;

wherein

power is supplied from the battery to the heating element in response to the mechanical force.

11. The IC tag-bearing device of claim 6, further comprising

a battery, wherein

the breakdown voltage generation circuit generates the breakdown voltage from power supplied by the battery.

12. The IC tag-bearing device of claim 6, wherein the mechanical force results from opening the IC tag-bearing device.

13. The IC tag-bearing device of claim 6, wherein

the electrical breakdown circuit comprises a heating element which generates heat, which destroys another portion of the IC chip in response to the breakdown voltage.