Method and apparatus for disabling active mode operation of a data tag device

• US 7,928,846 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ryan, Anne I., Hunt, Christian L., Greenlee, Kenneth L., Miller, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US12/133,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 3405681-5729, 340/309.16, 340/309.3, 340/309.7, 340/309.9, 340 101- 106, 368/89, 368107-109
• US Class Current: 340/572.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0705 the battery being connected to a power saving arrangement
• 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

Abstract

The present invention discloses a data tag device (100) which initially operates in an active mode where the tag occasionally transmits an unsolicited beacon (412). While operating, an expiration event occurs (512, 514) which causes the tag to disable a battery (110), preventing subsequent operation in an active mode, but may continue operating in a passive mode.

Claims

1. A method of triggering self-expiration of a data tag device, comprising:

operating the data tag device including tag circuitry in an active mode wherein the data tag device transmits beacons and provides access to tag data;

detecting an occurrence of an expiration event while operating in the active mode; and

disabling a power source of the data tag device used to power the data tag device while operating in the active mode, the disabling responsive to detecting the occurrence of the expiration event and thereby preventing subsequent active mode operation of the data tag device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of the expiration event comprises receiving a kill command from an external source.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the occurrence of the expiration event comprises detecting a clock in the data tag device reaching an expiration value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the clock is a counter.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the clock is a time of day clock.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein disabling the power source comprises draining a battery through a battery disable circuit that is separate from the tag circuitry, the battery used to power the data tag device while operating in the active mode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein draining the battery comprises connecting a shunt load in parallel with the battery.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein disabling the power source comprises disabling an electrical connection between the power source and at least a portion of circuitry of the active data tag device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein disabling the electrical connection comprises overloading a fusible link between the power source and the portion of circuitry.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising operating the data tag device in a passive mode subsequent to disabling the power source, wherein the data tag device can only transmit in response to receiving a reader query.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling access to at least a portion of the tag data in response to disabling the power source.

12. A data tag device operable in an active mode, comprising:

tag circuitry including;

a machine readable memory having tag data stored therein;

a communication interface configured to facilitate communication of the tag data;

a controller operably coupled to the communication interface and the machine readable memory;

a battery operably coupled to the tag circuitry and configured to provide power to the tag circuitry when the data tag device is operated in the active mode, wherein in the active mode the data tag device transmits beacons via the communication interface, the beacons including the tag data; and

a battery disabling circuit coupled to the battery and responsive to an expiration event, the battery disabling circuit disables the battery upon occurrence of the expiration event thereby changing the battery from an enabled state to a disabled state where the battery is unable to be set to the enabled state and provide power to the tag circuitry subsequent to being disabled;

wherein the data tag operates in the active mode while the battery is in the enabled state, and ceases operation in the active mode when the battery is in the disabled state.

13. A data tag device as defined in claim 12, wherein the data tag device further operates in a passive mode subsequent to the battery being changed to the disabled state.

14. A data tag device as defined in claim 12, wherein the battery disabling circuit comprises a shunt battery elimination circuit configured to deplete the battery of charge upon occurrence of the expiration event.

15. A data tag device as defined in claim 12, wherein the battery disabling circuit comprises a disconnect circuit configured to disconnect the battery from the tag circuitry upon occurrence of the expiration event.

16. A data tag device as defined in claim 12, further comprising a clock circuit configured to maintain a clock value with time, wherein the expiration event occurs upon the clock value reaching a termination value.

17. A data tag device as defined in claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to generate the expiration event upon the tag device receiving a kill command from an external source, the kill command being received by the communication interface from the external source.

18. A data tag device as defined in claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to disable access to at least a portion of the tag data when the battery is in the disabled state.

19. A computer program product having machine readable code stored thereon, the machine readable code causing a data tag device to:

operate the data tag device including tag circuitry in an active mode wherein the data tag device transmits beacons and provides access to tag data;

detect an occurrence of an expiration event by the data tag device while operating the data tag device in the active mode; and

disable a power source of the data tag device used to power the data tag device while operating in the active mode, the disabling responsive to detecting the occurrence of the expiration event and thereby preventing subsequent active mode operation of the data tag device.

20. A computer program product as defined in claim 19, wherein the machine readable code further causes the data tag device to disable access to at least a portion of the tag data when the power source is disabled.