Mountable timed event RFID tag assembly and method of use

• US 9,760,824 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Timing Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovative Timing Systems LLC
• Inventors: Hansen, Kurt S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): TARDIF, DAVID P
• Application Number:
  US15/362,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20170236047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 288 Days
• Field of Search: 235488
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0433 Detecting, signalling or lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/283 Air inlets or outlets, with or without closure shutters
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07722 the record carrier being multilayered, e.g. laminated sheets flat articles in general, see B32B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07745 Mounting details of integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• 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: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

An RFID tag assembly and method of use with a RFID tag assembly the RFID tag assembly includes an RFID tag having a mounting substrate having a spacer with a first surface and an opposing second surface, the spacer having a predetermined thickness, a mounting carrier with a substantially planar body with a first portion having first and second ends with two sides defined therebetween and has two or more second portions extending from the body forming free ends each and having selectively attachable adhesive on a portion of the bottom surface being deformably attached to the first portion and with second surface attached to the top surface of the first portion with the first planar surface with the RFID tag position parallel and set apart above the top surface of the carrier at a distance equal to or greater than the predetermined thickness.

Claims

1. An RFID tag assembly for use in tracking or timing of a progress of a user having a user-associated mounting body and an RFID tag having a mounting substrate with an exposed first planar surface and an opposing second planar surface, the RFID tag having an RFID semiconductor chip having a predetermined operating frequency with an antenna interface mounted on the second planar surface, a conductor electrically coupled to the antenna interface of the RFID semiconductor chip, and an antenna electrically coupled to the conductor, the assembly comprising:

a mounting carrier for attachment to an outer portion of the user-associated tag mounting body, the mounting carrier having a first planar portion having and elongated body with two opposing ends and two opposing sides and an upper surface and a lower surface and at least two second planar portions lying substantially in the same plane as the first planar portion and pivotally coupled to the opposing sides of the first portion with each having a free end extending from the first portion with an upper surface and a lower surface and each dimensioned for insertion through an opening defined by the user-associated tag mounting body, the upper surface of the first portion along the elongated body configured for fixed attachment of the second planar surface of the RFID tag, each second portion being selectably deformable in relation to the pivotally coupled first portion and having a selectively attachable adhesive on the lower surface of the free end of the extending second portion that is dimensioned for insertion through one of the user-associated tag mounting body openings; and

a spacer composed of a high density closed cell foam material having a first surface and an opposing second surface and having a predetermined thickness between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the second planar surface of the RFID tag is attached via the first surface of the spacer being attached to the second planar surface of the RFID tag and the second surface of the spacer being attached to the upper surface of the first portion of the mounting carrier.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the spacer is composed of the high density closed cell foam material that is non-conducting and non-absorbing of a substantial amount of energy at the predetermined operating frequency.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the mounting carrier has two second portions extending from opposing sides of the first portion.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the first portion has an elongated body.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the mounting carrier has two second portions extending from opposing sides of the first portion.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the first portion has a first end and second end and the two second portions are positioned on opposing sides defined between the first end and the second end.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the two opposing sides are positioned proximate to at least one of the first end and the second end of the first portion.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the first portion has an elongated body with two opposing ends and two sides defined between the two ends, and at least one of the second portions extends outwardly from one of the two ends.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the lower surface of the mounting carrier includes an adhesive for attaching the RFID tag to the upper surface of the first portion.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the spacer is dimensioned to have the predetermined thickness of between about 0.125 inches and about 0.5 inches.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the user-associated mounting body is a helmet of the user and wherein the opening is a vent of the helmet.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein and has a predetermined thickness dimensioned to space the antenna of the RFID tag apart from the outer portion of the user-associated tag mounting body on which the mounting carrier is attached by between about 0.125 inches and about 0.5 inches.

21. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the spacer is dimensioned to space the antenna of the RFID tag apart from the outer portion of the user-associated tag mounting body on which the mounting carrier is attached by between about 0.125 inches and about 0.5 inches.

13. An RFID tag assembly for use in tracking or timing of a progress of a participant having a user-associated tag mounting body and having an RFID tag having a mounting substrate with an exposed first planar surface and an opposing second planar surface, the RFID tag having an RFID semiconductor chip having a predetermined operating frequency with an antenna interface mounted on the second planar surface, a conductor electrically coupled to the antenna interface of the RFID semiconductor chip, and an antenna electrically coupled to the conductor, the assembly comprising:

a mounting carrier with a substantially planar body with a first portion having a first end and a second end with two sides defined therebetween and having one or more second portions extending from the body forming free ends and each having a planar top surface and a planar bottom surface and a selectively attachable adhesive on at least a portion of the bottom surface, and wherein each second portion is deformably attached to the first portion;

a spacer having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the first surface of the spacer being attached to the second planar surface of the RFID tag, the spacer having a predetermined thickness between the first surface and the second surface and being composed of a high density closed cell foam material that is non-conducting and non-absorbing of a substantial amount of energy at the predetermined operating frequency, the spacer being attachable to the second planar surface of the mounting substrate by an adhesive material,

wherein the second surface of the spacer being attached to the top surface of the first portion with the first planar surface of the RFID tag position parallel and set apart above the top surface of the elongated central body of the carrier by a distance equal to or greater than the predetermined thickness of the spacer.

14. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the mounting carrier has a substantially planar body forming a T-shape.

15. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the mounting carrier has two second portions extending from opposing sides of the first portion.

16. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the first portion of the mounting carrier has an elongated body and has two second portions extending from opposing sides of the first portion.

17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the first portion has a first end and second end and the two second portions are positioned on opposing sides defined between the first end and the second end.

18. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the two opposing sides are positioned proximate to at least one of the first end and the second end.

19. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the first portion has an elongated body with two opposing ends and to sides defined between the two ends, and at least one of the second portions extends outwardly from one of the two ends.

20. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the lower surface of the mounting carrier having includes a selectively attachable adhesive.

22. The assembly of claim 13 wherein the spacer has a predetermined thickness of between about 0.125 inches and about 0.5 inches.

23. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the mounting substrate of the RFID tag assembly is substantially planar having a length, a width and a thickness, the thickness being defined by the distance between the first planar surface and the opposing second planar surface, and wherein the spacer has a length and width substantially equal to or greater than the length and width of the RFID tag assembly mounting substrate, respectively.

24. A method of operating a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag assembly for use in tracking or timing of a progress of a user having a user-associated mounting body and an RFID tag having a mounting substrate with an exposed first planar surface and an opposing second planar surface, the RFID tag having an RFID semiconductor chip having a predetermined operating frequency with an antenna interface mounted on the second planar surface, a conductor electrically coupled to the antenna interface of the RFID semiconductor chip, and an antenna electrically coupled to the conductor, the method comprising:

attaching an RFID tag assembly to an operating surface of the user-associated mounting body used by an event participant, the operating surface of the user-associated mounting body having an outer surface and an inner surface and one or more openings defined user-associated mounting body, the tag assembly having a mounting carrier for attachment to an outer portion of the user-associated tag mounting body, the mounting carrier having a first planar portion having and elongated body with two opposing ends and two opposing sides and an upper surface and a lower surface and at least two second planar portions lying substantially in the same plane as the first planar portion and pivotally coupled to the opposing sides of the first portion with each having a free end extending from the first portion with an upper surface and a lower surface and each dimensioned for insertion through an opening in the user-associated tag mounting body, the upper surface of the first portion along the elongated body configured for fixed attachment of the second planar surface of the RFID tag, each second portion being selectably deformable in relation to the pivotally coupled first portion and having a selectively attachable adhesive on the lower surface of the free end of the extending second portion that is dimensioned for insertion through one of the user-associated tag mounting body openings, the tag assembly also having a spacer composed of a high density closed cell foam material having a first surface and an opposing second surface and having a predetermined thickness between the first surface and the second surface, wherein the second planar surface of the RFID tag is attached via the first surface of the spacer being attached to the second planar surface of the RFID tag and the second surface of the spacer being attached to the upper surface of the first portion of the mounting carrier;

orienting a first portion of the RFID tag assembly along the outer surface of the operating surface;

folding at least one second portion along a fold line between the first portion and second portion of the RFID tag assembly;

threading the at least one second portion of the RFID tag assembly through one of openings from the outer surface proximate towards the inner surface; and

selectively securing the at least one second portion of the RFID tag assembly to at least one of the intermediate surface and the inner surface of the operating surface of the user-associated mounting body.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein attaching the RFID tag assembly to an operating surface of the user-associated mounting body includes positioning the assembly to be space the antenna of the RFID tag apart from the outer portion of the user-associated tag mounting body by between about 0.125 inches and about 0.5 inches.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the user-associated mounting body is a helmet worn by the participant and wherein attaching the RFID tag assembly to an operating surface of the user-associated mounting body includes attaching the RFID tag assembly to the helmet.