Method for Partial Disablement of Radio Frequency Identification Tags and Tags for Use Therewith

• US 20050116826A1
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shalom Wertsebrger
• Original Assignee: Shalom Wertsebrger
• Inventors: Wertsebrger, Shalom
• Application Number:
  US10/904,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20050116826A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.300
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0726 the arrangement including a circuit for tuning the resonance frequency of an antenna on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/073 Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07767 the first and second communication means being two different antennas types, e.g. dipole and coil type, or two antennas of the same kind but operating at different frequencies

Abstract

A data transmitting tag adapted to, in response to a deactivation signal, block access to certain segments of the data contained therein. In a preferred embodiment, the tag also detunes at least one resonant circuit therein in order to avoid radiation pollution. A method is also provided to disable certain portions of the tag data, and preferably to verify such disablement.

Claims

1. A data transmitting tag having a selective deactivation arrangement, the tag comprises:

a plurality of data segments;

a segment deactivation arrangement, operative for deactivating access to at least one segment responsive to a deactivation signal.

2. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1, wherein said deactivating arrangement is operative to alter the frequency response characteristics of said tag.

3. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1, wherein said tag comprises a resonant circuit, and wherein said deactivating arrangement is operative to detune said resonant circuit.

4. A data transmitting tag according to claim 3, wherein said resonant circuit is being detuned from a first frequency to a second frequency, and wherein said first frequency becomes disabled as an interrogation frequency.

5. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1, wherein the tag comprises a plurality of resonant circuits, and the deactivation arrangement is constructed to deactivate at least one of said resonant circuits.

6. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1, wherein said deactivation arrangement is operative to disable or alter a portion of the tag circuitry.

7. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1, wherein at least two of said plurality of data segments are separated from each other by software.

8. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of data segments is separated from other by circuitry.

9. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1 wherein at least one segment or a group of segments from said plurality of segments, has a deactivation signal associated therewith.

10. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1, wherein said deactivation signal is encoded.

11. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1, wherein said deactivation arrangement is reversible.

12. A data transmitting tag according to claim 11, wherein said deactivation arrangement is reversible responsively to an encoded signal.

13. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1, further comprising a controller, said controller, responsively to said deactivation signal, being operative to set a condition that will disable future response to an interrogation signal requesting access to data in a deactivated segment.

14. A data transmitting tag according to claim 13, wherein said condition is a software flag.

15. A data transmitting tag according to claim 13, wherein set condition comprises altering or erasing at least a portion of the data in said segment.

16. A data transmitting tag according to claim 13, wherein said controller is further operative to responding to future interrogation signals requesting data from a deactivated segment, by sending a response indicating that access to said segment is blocked.

17. A data transmitting tag according to claim 13, wherein said controller is further operative not to respond to future interrogation signals requesting access to a deactivated segment.

18. A data transmitting tag according to claim 1 wherein the tag may be read after disablement by directly coupling such tag or a portion thereof, to a specialized reader.

19. A method for selective disablement of access to a portion of data contained in a tag constructed to transmit such data in response to an inquiry signal, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a deactivating signal to the tag; and

,

responsive to reception of the deactivation signal, blocking at least a portion of the data contained within the tag from being transmitted in response to future inquiry signals.

20. A method for selective disablement of access to a portion of data contained in a tag according to claim 19, wherein said disablement signal is encoded.

21. A method for selective disablement of access to a portion of data contained in a tag according to claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

interrogating the tag for data contained therein;

receiving tag specific data in response to the interrogation; and

,

formulating the deactivation signal in accordance with the tag specific data.

22. A method for selective disablement of access to a portion of data contained in a tag according to claim 19, wherein the method further comprises the step of essentially permanently detuning a resonant circuit contained within the tag.