Method of manufacturing RFID devices

• US 20070144662A1
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: Kennedy, Steven, Munn, Jason, Linder, Samuel, Armijo, Edward, Hughen, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,555,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/238
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2425/00 Cards, e.g. identity cards, credit cards
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2519/02 RFID tags
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0004 Cutting, tearing or severing, e.g. bursting; Cutter details cutting in general B26D; laminating combined with punching or perforating B32B38/04; removing all or part of the layers B32B38/10; cutting in combination with laying up and registration B32B38/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/1858 using vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07718 the record carrier being manufactured in a continuous process, e.g. using endless rolls
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6835 using temporarily an auxiliary support
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49855 for flat-cards, e.g. credit cards cards per se G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5388 for flat cards, e.g. credit cards cards per se G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 Prior to assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

A method of making RFID devices includes feeding in an interposer web or sheet at a variable (non-constant) speed, cutting single interposers from the interposer web or sheet, and using a rotary transport device to transport the singulated (cut) interposers to an antenna web. The interposers are transferred from the rotary transport device and are attached to the antenna web, being operatively coupled to antennas on the antenna web. The interposers each include an RFID transponder chip and conductive leads. A feeder is used to advance the interposer web or sheet into a cutting zone between the rotary cutter and the rotary transport device. The rotary cutting device may be capable of singulating multiple interposers at one time, and the system may be capable of thus being able to remove interposers that are not to be joined to the antenna web.

Claims

1. A method of forming an RFID device, the method comprising:

feeding a free end of an interposer web into a cutter, wherein the feeding includes moving the free end with a non-constant speed;

butt cutting an interposer from the free end of the interposer web onto a rotary transport mechanism;

transporting the interposer on the rotary transport mechanism;

transferring the interposer from the rotary transport mechanism to a moving antenna web; and

attaching the interposer to the antenna web, such that the interposer is operatively coupled to an antenna of the antenna web.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the butt cutting includes using a rotary cutter to butt cut the interposer onto an anvil of the rotary transport mechanism.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the rotary cutter includes multiple blades configured for contacting different locations on the free end of the interposer web in a single cutting operation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the butt cutting includes selectively using the multiple blades to butt cut additional material along with the interposer, wherein the interposer and the additional material are butt cut substantially simultaneously in the single cutting operation.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising removing the additional material.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the removing includes using suction to pull the additional material away from the cutter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the using suction includes sucking the additional interposer into a chute.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional material includes an additional interposer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the additional interposer is an interposer that has failed testing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the rotary transport mechanism includes a vacuum holder to hold the interposer in place for the transporting.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna web moves at a substantially constant speed substantially throughout the forming of the RFID article.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the feeding includes advancing the interposer web with a feeder.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the feeder also retracts the interposer web following the butt cutting.

14. The method of claim 1,

wherein the method is performed iteratively for multiple iterations;

and

wherein the feeding includes different amounts of the free end in different iterations.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the interposer web has an interposer pitch in a down-web direction that is of higher density than an antenna pitch in a down-web direction of the antenna web.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the interposer web includes an interposer substrate, and plural combinations on the substrate of a transponder chip and conductive leads operatively coupled to the transponder chip.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the interposer includes the transponder chip, the conductive leads, and a portion of the interposer substrate.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the interposer substrate is a paper substrate.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the interposer substrate is a polymer substrate.

20. A method of making RFID devices, the method comprising:

feeding portions of a free end of an interposer web into a cutter, wherein the feeding includes feeding an interposer of the interposer web and selectively feeding additional material at the free end of the interposer web;

cutting, in an iterative process, the interposer and the additional material, if any, from the free end of the interposer web onto a rotary transport mechanism;

transporting the interposer on the rotary transport mechanism;

transferring the interposer from the rotary transport mechanism to a moving antenna web; and

attaching the interposer to the antenna web, such that the interposer is operatively coupled to an antenna of the antenna web.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein cutting includes using a rotary cutter to cut the interposer onto an anvil of the rotary transport mechanism.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the rotary cutter includes multiple blades configured for contacting different locations on the free end of the interposer web in a single cutting operation.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the multiple blades include a leading blade for cutting the additional material, if any;

and a trailing blade for cutting the interposer.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the additional material includes an additional interposer.