Patent Application
20080084312
Apparatus, systems and methods that implement the embodiments of the various features of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate some embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the present invention. Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. In addition, the first digit of each reference number indicates the figure in which the element first appears.
The present invention provides an improved RFID layered foam tag with good sensitivity without regard to the type of material of the container or contents of the container that the RFID tag is attached. Many RFID tags in the art can be shorted out or made inoperative because of the surface material or contents of the container that the RFID tag is affixed. By way of example, squiggle RFID tags known in the art manufactured by Alien Technology and Avery Dennison Corporation are preferable because of their unit cost. However, these RFID tags can be shorted out when affixed to foil or containers containing liquid. The present invention solves previous problems by raising RFID tags from the surface of the container by use of a foam layer.
The present invention provides an improved RFID tag that limits or avoids combustion when the RFID tag is subjected to a microwave oven. A passive RFID tag includes a transponder and an antenna. The transponder transmits information when a RFID reader transmits radio waves that are received by the antenna. However, when subjected to radio waves from a microwave oven, the RFID tag can combust. This situation can be exasperated when the RFID tag is mounted on combustible material such as foam rubber. The present invention solves this problem by mounting the RFID tag upon a noncombustible layer or substrate.
The present invention provides an improved RFID tag that is reduced in size when compared to prior art RFID tags. The improved RFID tag is capable of being affixed to objects maintained at very hot or very cold temperatures. Previously known RFID tags were incapable of being attached to foil containers as are used in wrapping ice cream products. The present invention solves this problem with the combination of specialized foam and adhesives.
In view of these objects, as well as others, the present invention provides a RFID tag mounted upon noncombustible biodegradable foam with an adhesive that operates at high or low temperatures. The RFID tag can include a facing layer, an inlay web layer, a fire-resistant biodegradable foam layer, and a release liner layer. Between each of these layers is a layer of adhesive.
The facing layer 102 is made of a thermal transfer printable white semi-gloss 60 pound biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) material. Examples of the facing layer 102 include Rayoface manufactured by Innovia Films Ltd. or PLA Foam manufactured by Kuwata. In one embodiment, the facing layer 102 is between about 1 mm and about 3 mm thick and preferably about 2 mm thick.
The RFID tag 105 may include an RFID chip and an antenna. The RFID tag 105 may be positioned on the inlay web layer 106 or embedded in the inlay web layer 106. The RFID chip may be attached to the inlay web layer 106 via various methods such as Alien's FSA (Fluid Self Assembly). The antenna may be a printed silver or copper antenna and may be attached to the RFID chip via a strap and glue. The RFID tag 105 and the inlay web layer 106 are preferably item number squiggle manufactured by Alien Technology or item number AD-222 manufactured by Avery Dennison Corporation; however, it should be appreciated that other similarly functioning RFID tag 105 and inlay web layer 106 may be used. The assembly is typically referred to as an inlay and if an adhesive is part of the inlay, the term “wet adhesive” is used and if no adhesive is used, the term “dry inlay” is used.
The foam layer 110 is made of an improved foam material that is noncombustible (e.g., fire-resistant) and biodegradable, allows use in hot and cold environments, and provides sufficient sensitivity without regard to the dielectric constant of the surface of the product that the RFID layered foam tag is affixed to allowing the actual tag to be reduced in size. The foam layer 110 may be a fire-resistant biodegradable foam layer such as a polylactic acid foam layer that is between about 2.75 mm and about 3.50 mm thick and preferably about 3.175 mm thick. An example of the foam layer 110 is Volara manufactured by Reilly Foam.
The first adhesive layer 104 is used to attach the facing layer 102 to the RFID tag 105 and/or the inlay web layer 106. The second adhesive layer 108 is used to attach the RFID tag 105 and/or the inlay web layer 106 to the foam layer 110. The third adhesive layer 112 is used to attach the foam layer 110 to the release liner 114. The first, second, and third adhesive layers 104, 108, and 112 allow use with products subject to cold and hot environments. In one embodiment, the first, second, and third adhesive layers 104, 108, and 112 are made of a Wausau S590 material manufactured by Wausau Coated Products.
The release liner 114 is made of a Wausau 53# medium release liner paper. The release liner 114 can be pealed off so that the adhesive layer 112 can be attached to a product or packaging of a product.
The RFID layered foam tag 100 provides improved sensitivity and can be die-cut to reduce the size of the tag when the user finds it would be beneficial to have a reduced sized tag while maintaining a suitable sensitivity. The die-cut length may be between about 11 mm to about 15 mm. The RFID layered foam tag 100 (i.e., all the layers) can withstand extremely low temperatures (e.g., being placed in a freezer for an extended period of time) and extremely high temperatures (e.g., being placed in an over or microwave) without damage or degradation of the performance of the RFID chip and the antenna. Furthermore, the arrangement of the layers and the type of each layer has been selected to enhance performance and reduce size of the RFID layered foam tag 100.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosed methods and apparatus. Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosed method and apparatus. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive and the scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
The present application for patent claims priority to Provisional Application No. 60/850,619 entitled “CONVERTED RFID TAG,” filed Oct. 9, 2006 and assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60850619 | Oct 2006 | US |
