Patent Application
20080094216
The produce proposed as an invention consists in a resistant plastic material sheet that includes a random distribution of RFID tags with a density in function of the size of the product to be wrapped and the desired security degree. For example, a 20 meter container of the type used in shipment is wrapped with more than one lining of material in order to achieve a single random superimposition for said container that depends not only on the distribution of the tags on the material but also on the initial position selected for the wrapping and the amount of linings. Additionally, some of the RFID may be transitorily or definitively neutralized throughout or before the wrapping process either willingly by destructing the tags with a strong magnet or by the inclusion of iron or steel foil or aluminium foils randomly in the wrapping material. Finally, once the wrapping process is finished, a unique and unforeseeable configuration of RFID tags is obtained and scanned. In this way, a single code of the distribution of the tags—which we may define as the “digital signature” of the object—which is identifiable with said container is also obtained. Any attempt to partially violate, destroy or cut said wrapping will sensitively modify the space distribution of the tags resulting in a different reading of the tag distribution on the container. Moreover, with a significant amount of tags, it is practically impossible to restore said distribution even when the result of the initial reading is known.
The use of passive RFID tags is very economical; however it does not exclude the use of other types of tags that may be combined with them to add a greater difficulty in foreseeing the scanning result. Likewise, an embedding may be used in the material as well as other things capable of neutralizing RFID tags by superimposition, such as aluminium foils, iron sheets or any other materials capable of housing and/or neutralizing the ID tags (RFID, Rubees, etc).
Whatever we are describing for RFID tags, is applicable too to Rubee tags or to any object mainly flat that can be attached to or incorporated into wrapping material for the purpose of identification using radio and/or magnetic waves.
Several uses apart from detecting violations to a container are available. Since we can obtain a “digital signature” of the object, we can identify the same at any place or case where we may have an available scanner. So we may locate containers shipped or at deposits or on transit, on trucks; we may automatically load and unload cargo. We may identify owners and destiny or origin of luggage at an airport or bus terminal. This product and method provides a “on site” and “unknown” and unique code, resulting in a optimal solution to ensure simultaneously certainty of lack of violation, plus means to electronically locate and drive the object wrapped by the present invention.
