TRANSPONDER BOLT SEAL AND A HOUSING FOR A TRANSPONDER

• US 20090121877A1
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matthew Henderson
• Original Assignee: Matthew Henderson
• Inventors: Henderson, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,956,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.700
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 39/02 with destructible seal closures or paper closures
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 39/04 with counting or registering devices time recording locks G07C1/32
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 45/04 with detonating alarm devices detonating alarm devices in general G08B3/14, G08B13/06
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 45/12 by movement of the bolt E05B45/083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/509 Encasing

Abstract

An electronic seal (100), housing (1) for a transponder (200), which may form part of an electronic seal (100) and a transponder device is provided. The electronic seal (100) has a sealing mechanism (5). A transponder receptacle (50), and an actuator (4) are provided by or with the housing (1). The actuator (4) is actuated upon engagement of the sealing mechanism (5) to render the transponder (200) operable. The transponder receptacle (50) may hold the transponder (200) so as to extend into three planes.

Claims

1. An electronic seal comprising a sealing mechanism that seals a value item, a transponder receptacle, and an actuator for a transponder held in the transponder receptacle that is actuated upon engagement of the sealing mechanism, wherein the electronic seal maintains a transponder held in the transponder receptacle in an inoperable state until and only until the actuator is actuated.

2. The electronic seal of claim 1, wherein the sealing mechanism comprises a receptacle to receive a locking member and wherein insertion of the locking member in the receptacle causes the actuator to actuate.

3. The electronic seal of claim 1, including an electrically conductive object and wherein actuation of the actuator results in movement of the electrically conductive object away from a position where it can contact a transponder held in the transponder receptacle.

4. The electronic seal of claim 1, wherein the transponder receptacle comprises at least a portion that is shaped and dimensioned to hold at least one part of at least one antenna of a transponder in a curved shape.

5. The electronic seal of claim 4, wherein the curved shape has a convex side facing away from the sealing mechanism and a concave side facing towards the sealing mechanism.

6. The electronic seal of claim 5, wherein the transponder receptacle is formed within a cover for the sealing mechanism.

7. The electronic seal of claim 6, adapted for use to seal a shipping container having at least one door, wherein the sealing mechanism is adapted to seal the at least one door and the cover maintains the transponder in an orientation outwards of the at least one door.

42. The electronic seal of claim 6, wherein the cover and the sealing mechanism are engaged by a frangible link and wherein breakage of the frangible link causes the transponder to become inoperable.

8. A transponder housing for a transponder having a flexible antenna structure, the housing including a transponder receptacle that extends into three planes so as to enable a transponder located in the transponder receptacle to transmit a signal over a wider range of angles than if the transponder receptacle were planar.

9. The transponder housing of claim 8 when forming part of an electronic seal comprising a sealing mechanism that seals a value item, and a cover one of formed integrally with and secured to the sealing mechanism, wherein the cover inhibits access to the sealing mechanism without first either removing the cover from the sealing mechanism or damaging at least one of the cover and any transponder held in the receptacle.

10. The transponder housing of either claim 8, wherein the transponder receptacle has a non-linear shape along a first axis and a substantially planar shape along a second axis that is transverse to the first axis.

11. The transponder housing of claim 10, wherein the non-linear shape is a curve.

12. The transponder housing of claim 8, wherein the transponder receptacle has a non-linear shape along two orthogonal axes.

13. The transponder housing of claim 12, wherein the non-linear shape is a curved shape.

14. The transponder housing of claim 9, wherein the housing is attachable to a separate object and is shaped and dimensioned to maintain the transponder in a required orientation after it has been attached to the object.

15. The transponder housing of claim 9, wherein the cover is removably engaged with the sealing mechanism by an engagement mechanism and wherein release of the engagement mechanism causes a transponder held in said transponder receptacle to be one of detectably modified and damaged.

16. The transponder housing of claim 8 including a transponder in the transponder receptacle.

17. The transponder housing of claim 16 when included as part of an electronic seal, wherein the electronic seal is constructed so that removal of the transponder from the transponder receptacle is prevented without visibly damaging the seal.

18. The transponder housing of claim 17, wherein at least part of the seal is formed by a material that was moulded about the transponder.

19. An electronic seal comprising a sealing mechanism that seals a value item, a transponder receptacle, and a removable cover that inhibits access to the sealing mechanism, wherein removal of the removable cover causes a transponder held in the transponder receptacle to be one of detectably modified and damaged.

20. The electronic seal of claim 19, wherein the removable cover is removed by actuating an actuator, wherein actuation of the actuator causes a transponder held in the transponder receptacle to be one of detectably modified and damaged.

21. The electronic seal of claim 20, wherein removal of the cover for the sealing mechanism causes the seal to physically damage a transponder held in the transponder receptacle.

22. The electronic seal of claim 19, wherein the seal is constructed so that after a transponder has been received by the transponder receptacle, removal of a transponder from the transponder receptacle is prevented without visibly damaging the seal.

23. The electronic seal of claim 19 including a transponder in the transponder receptacle.

24. The electronic seal of claim 23, wherein at least part of the seal is formed by a material that was moulded about the transponder.

25. The electronic seal of claim 24, wherein the cover comprises a first portion that is a clamp to hold the transponder in place and a second portion that is moulded over the clamp.

26. An electronic seal comprising:

a) a sealing mechanism that seals a value item;

b) a removable cover for the sealing mechanism, the removable cover having therein a transponder receptacle and being one of formed integrally with and secured to the sealing mechanism; and

c) an actuator that is actuated upon engagement of the sealing mechanism, wherein the electronic seal maintains a transponder held in the transponder receptacle in an inoperable state until and only until the actuator is actuated, and wherein the transponder receptacle is adapted to cause a transponder located in the receptacle to have a shape that extends into three planes, and wherein removal of the removable cover causes a transponder held in the transponder receptacle to be one of detectably modified and damaged.

27. The electronic seal of claim 26, wherein removal of the removable cover involves actuating a further actuator and wherein the actuation of the further actuator causes a transponder held in the transponder receptacle to be one of detectably modified and damaged.

28. The electronic seal of claim 27 including a transponder in the transponder receptacle, the removable cover formed so that removal of the transponder from the transponder receptacle is prevented without damaging the cover.

29. A method of manufacturing an electronic seal, the method comprising forming a seal mechanism for a value item and forming a cover for the seal mechanism, the cover for the seal mechanism moulded about a transponder to enclose the transponder, the cover formed in a shape so that disengagement of the seal from a value item can only be achieved by one of damaging and modifying the transponder.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the transponder is a passive transponder and the cover is formed in a shape so that disengagement of the seal from a value item can only be achieved by damaging an antenna of the transponder.

31. The method of claim 29 including forming the seal mechanism and cover as separate removably engageable components and forming an actuator, wherein actuation of the actuator both allows disengagement of the seal mechanism and cover after they have been engaged and causes the transponder to be one of damaged and modified.

32. An electronic device for monitoring a value item comprising a transponder, and an actuator for the transponder that is actuated upon tampering with the value item, wherein the electronic device maintains a transponder held in the transponder receptacle in an inoperable state until and only until the actuator is actuated or vice-versa.

33. The electronic device of claim 32, wherein the actuator comprises a receptacle to receive a locking member and wherein one or removal and insertion of the locking member in the receptacle causes the actuator to actuate.

34. The electronic device of claim 32, including an electrically conductive object and wherein actuation of the actuator results in movement of the electrically conductive object into or out of contact with the transponder to place the transponder in an inoperable and operable state respectively.

35. The electronic device of claim 32, wherein the transponder receptacle comprises at least a portion that is shaped and dimensioned to hold at least one part of at least one antenna of a transponder in a curved shape.

36. An electronic seal for a shipping container, the electronic seal comprising a sealing mechanism that seals the shipping container through the use of a locking member, a cover for the sealing mechanism that is one of formed integrally with and secured to the sealing mechanism and a transponder receptacle that is located spaced apart from the locking member when the locking member is used with the sealing mechanism.

37. The electronic seal of claim 36, wherein the transponder receptacle is adapted to cause a transponder located in the receptacle to have a shape that extends into three planes.

38. The electronic seal of claim 37, wherein the cover forms a partial enclosure of the sealing mechanism.

39. The electronic seal of claim 38, wherein the transponder receptacle is formed within said cover.

40. A transponder device comprising a transponder and an actuator that when actuated moves a conductive object from and to a predetermined position, wherein when the conductive object is in the predetermined position the transponder is maintained in an inoperable state and changes to an operable state when the conductive object is moved from the predetermined position.

41. The transponder device of claim 40, wherein the transponder is housed within a cover and the actuator adapted to be moved when the cover is engaged with an object in a predetermined manner.

43. A method of forming a transponder device, the method comprising forming on a flexible substrate a planar antenna structure for a transponder and forming a housing for the antenna structure, the housing shaping the transponder into a required three dimensional shape to achieve required transmission characteristics for the antenna structure.

44. The method of claim 43 further comprising forming the housing so as to be secured to or securable to an object and forming the housing in a shape that is adapted to hold the transponder in a required orientation relative to said object.

45-47. -47. (canceled)