RFID label technique

• US 7,368,032 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2006
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
• Inventors: Green, Alan, Benoit, Dennis Rene
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mazumdar, Sonya
• Application Number:
  US11/435,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20060213609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 156/264
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 1/021 Making adhesive labels having a multilayered structure, e.g. provided on carrier webs
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 1/027 involving, marking, printing or coding
• CPC Class Codes: B31D 1/028 Applying RFID chips
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/02 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/105 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2519/02 RFID tags
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/0053 Constructional details of laminating machines comprising rollers; Constructional features of the rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/025 Transfer laminating
• 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 38/06 Embossing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/145 Printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07718 the record carrier being manufactured in a continuous process, e.g. using endless rolls
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07745 Mounting details of integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0775 arrangements for connecting the integrated circuit to the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95085 being a liquid, e.g. for fluidic self-assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/95 : at chip-level, i.e. with connecting carried out on a plurality of singulated devices, i.e. on diced chips
• 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 2924/07802 : not being an ohmic electrical conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12042 : LASER
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15153 : the die mounting substrate comprising a recess for hosting the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15165 : Monolayer substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0393 : Flexible materials H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0097 : Processing two or more printed circuits simultaneously, e.g. made from a common substrate, or temporarily stacked circuit boards H05K3/0052 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 : with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1056 : Perforating lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1057 : Subsequent to assembly of laminae
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1062 : Prior to assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1074 : Separate cutting of separate sheets or webs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1075 : of plural laminae from single stock and assembling to each other or to additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1077 : Applying plural cut laminae to single face of additional lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1092 : All laminae planar and face to face
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1097 : Lamina is running length web
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 : Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 : Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 : Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53178 : Chip component

Abstract

An RFID webstock containing a relatively high pitch-density array of semiconductive chips is provided and joined to a web bearing relatively widely spaced antennas in a continuous process. The RFID webstock is separated or cut into individual chip sections, with the spacing of the chips being increased as the RFID webstock is die cut. The individual chips on the sections are then joined to corresponding antennas to form an RFID inlay stock. This process is conducive to high speed roll-to-roll production of RFID tag and label roll stock.

Claims

1. A method of forming RFID articles, the method comprising:

separating at least one section from an RFID webstock having a plurality of sections, wherein the sections each include one or more electrical connectors coupled to respective RFID chips;

transporting the at least one section on a transport member; and

following the transporting, attaching the sections to an antenna web such that a chip of the at least one section is electrically connected to a respective one or more antennas on the antenna web;

wherein the attaching occurs while the antenna web is moving.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport member includes a transport roller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the attaching includes nipping the antenna web between the transport roller and a nip roller.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the nip roller has a stepped surface.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the transport roller includes vacuum holding stations on a surface of the transport roller.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the separating includes die cutting.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein includes die cutting by passing the webstock between a cutting die and the transport roller.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the separating includes cutting.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the cutting includes butt cutting the RFID webstock to form the sections.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the separating, forming the antennas on the antenna web.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the forming the antennas includes printing the antennas.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the forming, the separating, the transporting, and the attaching all occur in a single manufacturing system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the attaching includes crimping the sections to the antenna web.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the attaching includes adhesively bonding the sections to the antenna web with an adhesive.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the adhesive includes a conductive adhesive.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the adhesive includes a nonconductive adhesive.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising curing the adhesive.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the attaching includes flip chip bonding.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the RFID webstock includes the chips mounted to a lead frame web.

20. The method of claim 1,

wherein the RFID webstock also includes a substrate that supports the electrical connectors and the RFID chips;

and

wherein each of the sections includes a portion of the substrate.

21. The method of claim 1,

wherein the RFID webstock, prior to the separating, has only a single row of the RFID chips;

and

wherein the chips of the single row are spaced in a longitudinal direction.

22. The method of claim 1,

wherein the RFID webstock, prior to the separating, has multiple rows of the RFID chips;

wherein the chips of each of the rows are spaced in a longitudinal direction; and

wherein the rows are separated from one another in a transverse direction.

23. A method of manufacturing RFID articles, the method comprising:

in a single manufacturing system,

forming a plurality of antennas on a substrate to thereby produce an antenna web;

separating sections from an RFID webstock, wherein each section includes one or more electrical connectors coupled to respective RFID chips; and

attaching each section to the antenna web such that the chip is electrically connected to respective of the antennas.

24. A method of forming RFID articles, the method comprising:

separating sections from an RFID webstock, wherein each of the sections includes one or more electrical connectors coupled to respective RFID chips; and

attaching the sections to an antenna web such that the chips are electrically connected to respective antennas of the antenna web;

wherein the attaching includes securing the section to the antenna web.

25. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein the step of securing includes crimping, bonding, fusing and combinations thereof.

26. A method of producing an RFID product, comprising the steps of:

advancing a first web having a plurality of RFID sections, with each RFID section having at least one chip;

advancing a second web having a plurality of antenna sections, with each antenna section having at least one antenna;

separating said first web into discrete RFID sections;

applying each of said RFID sections to a distinct antenna on said second web to form a third intermediate web; and

advancing said third web to a collection point.

27. A method of producing an RFID product as recited in claim 26, including a further step of testing each chip prior to the step of separating.

28. A method of producing an RFID product as recited in claim 26, wherein the step of applying said sections includes securing said sections to said antenna.