RFID security in an RFID-enabled medium

• US 7,994,920 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kelaher, Daniel P., Hatfield, Nathaniel K., Sluchak, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Toan N
• Application Number:
  US12/270,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.3, 340/686.1, 340/687, 340/5.6, 340/572.2, 340/572.4, 340/572.8, 340/572.1, 340/572.7, 713/186, 235/492
• US Class Current: 340/572.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0716 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor
• 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

Methods and apparatus for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) security in an RFID-enabled medium, the RFID-enabled medium including an RFID tag coupled to an antenna, and a touch sensing switch, the touch sensing switch coupled to an electrode and a power source, the touch sensing switch adapting the RFID tag to the power source, the RFID security including: sensing, by the touch sensing switch, human contact with the electrode; and providing, by the touch sensing switch only during human contact with the electrode, operating power from the power source to the RFID tag.

Claims

1. A method of Radio Frequency Identification (‘

RFID’

) security in an RFID-enabled medium, the RFID-enabled medium comprising an RFID tag coupled to an antenna, and a touch sensing switch, the touch sensing switch coupled to two electrodes and a power source, the electrodes located on the outer edges of opposite sides of the RFID-enabled medium, the touch sensing switch adapting the RFID tag to the power source, the method comprising;

sensing, by the touch sensing switch, human contact with the electrodes; and

providing, by the touch sensing switch only during human contact with the electrodes, operating power from the power source to the RFID tag, including providing, only during human contact with both electrodes, operating power from the power source to the RFID tag.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the RFID tag through the antenna from an RFID transceiver, an RFID query; and

responding to the RFID query by the RFID tag through the antenna.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing, by the touch sensing switch, human contact with the electrodes further comprises receiving, by the electrodes, a capacitive load upon human contact with the electrodes.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag comprises a passive RFID tag and the power source comprises the antenna when electrical current is induced in the antenna upon receiving a transmitted Radio Frequency (‘

RF’

) signal from an RFID transceiver.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag comprises an active RFID tag and the power supply comprises a battery.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID-enabled medium further comprises an identification card.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID-enabled medium further comprises a card issued to a user by a financial institution.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID-enabled medium further comprises a government issued passport.

9. A secure, Radio Frequency Identification (‘

RFID’

)-enabled medium, the RFID-enabled medium comprising an RFID tag coupled to an antenna and a touch sensing switch, the touch sensing switch coupled to two electrodes and a power source, the electrodes located on the outer edges of opposite sides of the RFID-enabled medium, the touch sensing switch adapting the RFID tag to the power source,

the touch sensing switch configured to sense human contact with the electrodes and provide, only during human contact with the electrodes, operating power from the power source to the RFID tag, including providing, only during human contact with both electrodes, operating power from the power source to the RFID tag.

10. The RFID-enabled medium of claim 9 wherein the touch sensing switch configured to sense human contact with the electrodes further comprises the touch sensing switch configured to receive, by the electrodes, a capacitive load upon human contact with the electrodes.

11. The RFID-enabled medium of claim 9 wherein the RFID tag comprises a passive RFID tag and the power source comprises the antenna when electrical current is induced in the antenna upon receiving a transmitted Radio Frequency (‘

RF’

) signal from an RFID transceiver.

12. The RFID-enabled medium of claim 9 wherein the RFID tag comprises an active RFID tag and the power supply comprises a battery.

13. The RFID-enabled medium of claim 9 further comprising an identification card.

14. The RFID-enabled card of claim 9 further comprising a card issued to a user by a financial institution.

15. A method of retrieving data from a secure, Radio Frequency Identification (‘

RFID’

)-enabled medium, the RFID-enabled medium comprising an RFID tag coupled to an antenna and a touch sensing switch, the touch sensing switch coupled to two electrodes an electrode and a power source, the electrodes located on the outer edges of opposite sides of the RFID-enabled medium, the touch sensing switch adapting the RFID tag to the power source, the method comprising;

applying human contact to the electrodes of the RFID-enabled medium, activating through the touch sensing switch the RFID tag;

querying, by an RFID transceiver, the RFID tag;

receiving, by the RFID transceiver from the RFID tag, a response to the query; and

removing human contact to the electrodes of the RFID-enabled medium, deactivating the RFID tag.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein applying human contact to the electrode of the RFID-enabled medium further comprises applying a capacitive load on the electrodes.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the RFID tag comprises a passive RFID tag and the power source comprises the antenna when electrical current is induced in the antenna upon receiving a transmitted Radio Frequency (‘

RF’

) signal from an RFID transceiver.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the RFID tag comprises an active RFID tag and the power supply comprises a battery.