RFID TAG DISABLING SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF USE

• US 20090243858A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amtech Systems LLC (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TC License Limited
• Inventors: Burnett, Matthew K., Noakes, Scott, Mestas, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,782,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.300
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07327 Passive means, e.g. Faraday cages Faraday-type protection of electric circuits in general H05K9/00

Abstract

Systems and methods for disabling transponders used in electronic toll collection or other RFID systems, wherein the transponders include an antenna and RFID circuitry. The transponders can be selectively disabled by releasably securing a disabling device having a metallic portion at an operative position over the antenna of the RFID system, whereupon the metallic portion is coupled to the antenna in such a manner as to disable the RFID circuitry so long as the disabling device is at the operative position. The RFID circuitry is arranged to be automatically enabled upon removal of the disabling device from the operative position.

Claims

1. A system for enabling and disabling an RFID transponder located on a vehicle so that said transponder can be selectively disabled and enabled, said transponder comprising an antenna and RFID circuitry, said system comprising said antenna, said RFID circuitry and a disabling device, said antenna being fixedly secured to the vehicle, said disabling device comprising a member having a metallic portion arranged to be releasably secured to the vehicle at an operative position with respect to said antenna, whereupon said metallic portion of said disabling device is coupled to said antenna in such a manner as to disable said RFID circuitry so long as said disabling device is at said operative position, said RFID circuitry being arranged to be automatically enabled upon removal of said disabling device from said operative position.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said metallic portion of said disabling device is arranged to alter the impedance of said antenna to shift its resonance frequency when said disabling device is in said operative position.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said metallic portion of said disabling device is arranged to reduce the electric field at said antenna when said disabling device is in said operative position.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein said metallic portion of said disabling device is arranged to reduce the electric field at said antenna when said disabling device is in said operative position.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said antenna is mounted in or fixedly secured to the windshield of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said RFID transponder with its antenna and RFID circuitry comprises a card secured to the windshield of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 5 additionally comprising releasably securable means for releasably securing said disabling device to the windshield at said operative position.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said releasably securable means comprises a hook and loop fastening system.

9. A device for disabling an RFID transponder located on a vehicle so that the transponder can be selectively disabled and enabled, the transponder comprising an antenna and RFID circuitry, the antenna forming a portion of the vehicle, the RFID circuitry being coupled to the antenna, said device comprising a member having a metallic portion arranged to be releasably secured to the windshield at an operative position with respect to the antenna, whereupon said metallic portion of said device is coupled to the antenna in such a manner as to disable the RFID circuitry so long as said device is at the operative position, the RFID circuitry being arranged to be automatically enabled upon removal of said device from the operative position.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein said metallic portion of said disabling device is arranged to alter the impedance of said antenna to shift its resonance frequency when said disabling device is in said operative position.

11. The device of claim 9 wherein said metallic portion of said disabling device is arranged to reduce the electric field at said antenna when said disabling device is in said operative position.

12. The device of claim 10 wherein said metallic portion of said disabling device is arranged to reduce the electric field at said antenna when said disabling device is in said operative position.

13. The device of claim 9 wherein the antenna is mounted in or fixedly secured to the windshield of the vehicle and wherein said device additionally comprises releasably securable means for releasably securing said device to the windshield at the operative position.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said releasably securable means comprises a hook and loop fastening system.

19. A method of selectively disabling a RFID transponder located on a vehicle and which is used in an electronic toll system or some other electronic system wherein a vehicle with an RFID transponder is to be interrogated by a reader to determine the vehicle'"'"'s presence at a certain location, the transponder being arranged to provide a first electrical signal when queried by a transmitter forming a portion of the electronic system and comprising an antenna and RFID circuitry, the antenna being fixedly secured to the vehicle, said method comprising:

providing the user of the system with a disabling device, said disabling device comprising a member having a metallic portion,

releasably securing said disabling device to the vehicle at an operative position with respect to the antenna when it is desired that the transponder be disabled, whereupon said metallic portion of said device is coupled to the antenna in such a manner as to disable the RFID circuitry from producing said first electronic signal so long as said disabling device is at the operative position, the RFID circuitry being arranged to be automatically enabled upon removal of said disabling device from the operative position.

15. The device of claim 19 wherein said device is a generally planar member having a central portion in which a recess is located and two side portions, each of said side portions comprising a recess and being located laterally of said recess in said central portion.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein said antenna is mounted in or fixedly secured to the windshield of the vehicle and wherein said device additionally comprises releasably securable means for releasably securing said device to the windshield at the operative location, said releasably securable means being located within respective ones of said laterally located recesses.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein said releasably securable means comprises a hook and loop fastening system.

18. The device of claim 15 wherein the RFID transponder comprises a card secured to the windshield of the vehicle, with a portion of the RFID transponder projecting outward from the plane of the card and wherein said central recess of said device is arranged for receipt of the projecting portion of the RFID transponder when the device is in the operative position and wherein each of said lateral recesses is located laterally of the card.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein when said disabling device is at the operative position said metallic portion of said disabling device alters the impedance of the antenna to shift its resonance frequency and to reduce the electric field at the antenna.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein when said disabling device is at the operative position said metallic portion of said disabling device alters the impedance of said antenna to shift its resonance frequency.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein when said disabling device is at the operative position said metallic portion of said disabling device alters the impedance of said antenna to shift its resonance frequency.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the electronic system is an electronic toll system which is used on a roadway that includes a high occupancy vehicle or high occupancy toll (HOV or HOT, respectively) lane and wherein said method comprises:

disabling the transponder by releasably securing it to the vehicle at the operative position when the vehicle is utilized in the HOV/HOT lane with at least the minimum number of occupants to meet the HOV/HOT requirements of the entity operating the electronic toll system, so that the account associated with the transponder will not be charged.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said method comprises:

enabling the transponder by removing it from the operative position on the when the vehicle is utilized with less than the minimum number of occupants to meet the HOV/HOT requirements of the entity operating the electronic toll system, so that the account associated with the transponder will be charged when the transponder is queried by the transmitter of the system.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the vehicle includes plural RFID transponders wherein said method comprises:

disabling a selected one of said transponders by releasably securing it to the vehicle at the operative position when it is desired to disable that transponder so that the account associated with the disabled transponder will not be charged.

26. A method of testing plural RFID transponders located on a vehicle, each of the transponders being arranged for use in an electronic toll system or some other electronic system wherein a vehicle with the RFID transponder is to be interrogated by a reader to determine the vehicle'"'"'s presence at a certain location, each of said transponders being arranged to provide a respective first electrical signal when queried by a transmitter forming a portion of the electronic system, each of said transponders including an antenna and RFID circuitry, the antenna of each transponder being fixedly secured to the vehicle, said method comprising:

providing at least one disabling device comprising a member having a metallic portion;

releasably securing the at least one disabling device to the vehicle at an operative position with respect to the antenna of the particular transponder(s) to be disabled when it is desired to disable the transponder(s), whereupon said metallic portion of said at least one disabling device is coupled to the associated antenna in such a manner as to disable the associated RFID circuitry from producing said first electronic signal so long as the disabling device is at the operative position, said RFID circuitry of each transponder being arranged to be automatically enabled upon removal of the disabling device from the operative position with respect thereto.