U.S. patent application number 11/398996 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-24 for security tag & method using a flowable material.
Invention is credited to Andre Cote, Eric Eckstein.
Application Number | 20060185790 11/398996 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34865174 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060185790 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Eckstein; Eric ; et
al. |
August 24, 2006 |
Security tag & method using a flowable material
Abstract
A method of fabricating a tag includes the steps of applying a
first patterned adhesive to the surface of the substrate and
applying a first electrically conductive foil to the first
patterned adhesive. A portion of the first electrically conductive
foil not adhered to the first patterned adhesive is removed and a
second patterned adhesive is applied to a portion of a surface area
of the tag. A preformed second electrically conductive foil is
applied to the second patterned adhesive to adhere the second
electrically conductive foil to the surface of the substrate and
portions of the first and second electrically conductive foils are
electrically coupled to each other to form a tag circuit. A second
patterned adhesive can be disposed between the first and second
electrically conductive foils.
Inventors: |
Eckstein; Eric; (Merion
Station, PA) ; Cote; Andre; (Williamstown,
NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CAESAR, RIVISE, BERNSTEIN,;COHEN & POKOTILOW, LTD.
11TH FLOOR, SEVEN PENN CENTER
1635 MARKET STREET
PHILADELPHIA
PA
19103-2212
US
|
Family ID: |
34865174 |
Appl. No.: |
11/398996 |
Filed: |
April 6, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10996786 |
Nov 24, 2004 |
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11398996 |
Apr 6, 2006 |
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60611349 |
Sep 20, 2004 |
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60547235 |
Feb 23, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
156/267 ;
156/250; 156/265; 156/277; 156/297; 156/302 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 2203/0528 20130101;
Y10T 156/10 20150115; Y10T 156/1052 20150115; B32B 37/025 20130101;
Y10T 29/49155 20150115; Y10T 156/1062 20150115; Y10T 156/1089
20150115; Y10T 29/49156 20150115; Y10T 156/1041 20150115; G08B
13/244 20130101; H05K 1/162 20130101; Y10T 156/1077 20150115; G08B
13/2414 20130101; H05K 2201/0355 20130101; H05K 2201/09672
20130101; Y10T 156/1082 20150115; Y10T 156/1097 20150115; B32B
2519/02 20130101; H05K 3/046 20130101; Y10T 156/108 20150115; B32B
2310/0843 20130101; Y10T 29/4913 20150115; H05K 2203/0522
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
156/267 ;
156/277; 156/250; 156/265; 156/297; 156/302 |
International
Class: |
B32B 37/12 20060101
B32B037/12; B32B 37/22 20060101 B32B037/22; B32B 38/04 20060101
B32B038/04; B32B 38/14 20060101 B32B038/14 |
Claims
1.-47. (canceled)
48. A method of making a plurality of transponders on a high speed
continuous printing line comprising the steps of: a. applying a
flowable material in respective predetermined patterns on a
continuously moving carrier to form respective electrically
conductive traces, each of said electrically conductive traces
making up at least a portion of a respective antenna; and b.
securing respective integrated circuit chips to said respective
antennas without stopping the movement of said carrier.
49. The method of claim 47, wherein the flowable material comprises
an adhesive and wherein said forming of each said electrically
conductive traces comprises applying an electrically conductive
foil to said adhesive and removing portions of said foil to leave a
respective one of said electrically conductive traces.
50. The method of claim 48, wherein said carrier comprises a
substrate.
51. The method of claim 50, wherein said method additionally
comprises the step of: c. printing visible indicia on said
substrate without stopping the movement of said substrate to result
in the production of plural items, each of said items including a
respective one of said transponders and respective visible
indicia.
52. The method of claim 50, wherein said items comprise packaging
for a product and/or labeling for a product and/or promotional
materials for a product.
53. The method of claim 49, wherein said carrier comprises a
substrate.
54. The method of claim 53, wherein said method additionally
comprises the step of: c. printing visible indicia on said
substrate without stopping the movement of said substrate to result
in the production of plural items, each of said items including a
respective one of said transponders and respective visible
indicia.
55. The method of claim 54, wherein said items comprise packaging
for a product and/or labeling for a product and/or promotional
materials for a product.
56. The method of claim 48, wherein the flowable material comprises
a electrically conductive ink.
57. The method of claim 48, wherein said carrier comprises a
substrate.
58. The method of claim 57, wherein said method additionally
comprises the step of: c. printing visible indicia on said
substrate without stopping the movement of said substrate to result
in the production of plural items, each of items including a
respective one of said transponders and respective visible
indicia.
59. The method of claim 58, wherein said items comprise packaging
for a product and/or labeling for a product and/or promotional
materials for a product.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a utility application based upon provisional
application Ser. No. 60/611,349, filed on Sep. 20, 2004 entitled
"Security Tags, Apparatus and Methods for Producing Same", which
was based upon provisional application Ser. No. 60/547,235, filed
on Feb. 23, 2004 entitled "Security Tags, Apparatus and Methods for
Producing the Same." Applicant hereby claims for this utility
application the benefit of the filing date of the provisional
application whose entire disclosure are incorporated by reference
herein.
SPECIFICATION
Background of the Invention
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to security tags and, more
particularly, to a process for making an electrical circuit for use
in a security tag.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Security tags are tags that are adapted to reflect
electromagnetic energy in order to indicate their presence within a
detection zone. They can be associated with an item in order to
monitor the item. Two common types of security tags are resonant
inductor/capacitor (LC) circuit based tags and dipole antenna based
tags. Both of these types of tags respond to an electromagnetic
scanning signal by providing a response signal. The response signal
is detectable by suitable signal detection equipment for indicating
the presence of a security tag within a scanned detection region or
interrogation zone (sometimes referred to as an "interrogator"). In
particular, the tag provides a response signal when stimulated by
the electromagnetic field at a predetermined tag frequency. A
disturbance of the electromagnetic field caused by the response
signal is detectable by the signal detection equipment that is
tuned to a predetermined detection frequency and is located in the
detection region or zone. The signal detection equipment can be
adapted to provide an alarm when an un-deactivated security tag is
detected, such as commonly accomplished in Electronic Article
Surveillance (EAS) applications.
[0006] LC Security Tags
[0007] LC resonant tags commonly operate in the RF range. The LC
circuits of such tags provide a response signal by resonating in
response to the electromagnetic energy applied to them at their
resonant frequency. In order to detect the presence of an LC based
tag in a detection region or zone, the frequency of the
electromagnetic energy applied to that region or zone is swept
through a range of frequencies that includes the predetermined tag
frequency. The LC circuit of the tag resonates when the swept
frequency of the applied energy reaches the predetermined tag
frequency. A security tag of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,861,809, entitled "Deactivateable Resonant Circuit," issued
on Jan. 19, 1999 to Eckstein, et al. (Eckstein).
[0008] Typically, the LC circuits of LC-based resonant tags are
generally planar circuits formed of conductor layers and dielectric
layers. One of the conductor layers includes one plate of a
capacitor and a spiral conductor coil forming an inductor disposed
upon a surface of a dielectric layer. One plate of the capacitor is
connected to a proximal end of the coil. A second conductor layer
is formed on the opposing surface of the substrate to serve as the
second plate of the capacitor. The substrate thus serves as the
dielectric of the capacitor. A through connection between the
second plate and the distal end of the coil completes the
fabrication of the inductor/capacitor (LC) resonant circuit. The
two conductor layers can be formed using well known photo-etching
techniques. Alternately, the conductor layers can be formed by
laser cutting or arc cutting techniques as disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,920,290, entitled "Resonant Tag Labels and Method of Making
the Same," issued to McDonough on Jul. 6, 1999.
[0009] Other patents disclosing similar technology include U.S.
Pat. Nos. 6,214,444, 6,383,616 and 6,458,465 assigned to Kabushiki
Kaisha Miyake (Miyake) which teach a method for making resonant
tags in which a circuit-like metallic foil pattern was adhered to a
dielectric film prepared from a liquid resin by a coating process.
A circuit-like metal foil pattern on one side of the dielectric
film is aligned with a circuit-like pattern on the other side of
the dielectric film so as to form a capacitor. The dielectric film
had openings configured similarly to and aligned with openings in
the circuit-like metal foil, wherein the configuration of the
circuit-like metal foil pattern and the dielectric film was
generally spiral in configuration.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,939 and Publication No. US 2004/0025324,
also assigned to Miyake, teach a method for making resonant tags
wherein a metal foil having a thermal adhesive applied to at least
one face is stamped out into a circuit-like shape and adhered to a
base sheet. The metal foil is stamped onto a metal foil portion
having a predetermined shape while being passed through a die roll
having a stamping blade with a predetermined shape. A transfer roll
is in contact with the die roll to function as a die back-up roll
and to hold the metal foil portion obtained by the stamping
operation onto the surface of the transfer roll by suction holes
formed in the transfer roll. The stamped out metal foil portion is
thermally adhered to the base sheet in contact with the transfer
roll by an adhesive roll in contact with the transfer foil through
the base sheet.
[0011] Another patent assigned to Miyake, U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,932,
teaches a method for making resonant tags in which a laminate was
fabricated by adhering a metal foil coated with hot-melt adhesive
resin film to a carrier sheet such as paper. The metal foil of the
laminate was stamped out using a stamping die to provide a
predetermined circuit-like pattern. The metallic foil side of the
laminate was superposed on a support such as a plastic film. The
circuit-like metallic foil was then transferred to the surface of
the support by heating the circuit-like pattern from the support
side of the carrier sheet side.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,095 (the '095 patent), assigned to Durgo
A G, teaches a method of producing a plurality of equal printed
circuits on a common, planar insulating carrier having an
electrically conducting layer on at least one of its surfaces. The
electrical circuits have a spirally arranged conductor trace
forming at least one induction coil and at least one capacitor.
[0013] In the '095 patent, a plurality of reference perforations
are applied to the insulating carrier using a laser and a
conducting layer is applied to at least one side of the carrier. A
portion of the conductive layer having the rough contours of a
circuit element is removed. The circuit element can be an inductive
coil and the remaining portion of the conductive layer can have a
shape and size approximating the outside dimensions of the coil.
Computer controlled lasers are then used to remove further portions
of the conductive layer to provide conductive tracks which form the
electrical circuit. The electrical values of the circuit are
determined and compared with design values. The electrical values
can be corrected using the lasers if necessary.
[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,386, also assigned to Durgo A G, teaches
a method for producing labels incorporating electrical oscillating
circuits wherein parts of the circuits are initially punched out of
a center area of a metal web covered by an adhesive. The center
area is then covered by an insulating material web for handling
stability in order to punch out the part of the circuit to be
located at the outer web area. A covering foil is laminated onto
the metal web and the parts of the Cortez to be located on the
reverse side are applied onto the insulating material web and
connected electrical to the remainder of the circuit.
[0015] This method of fabricating the elements of an LC-based tag
has several problems. One particularly significant problem is the
cost of the substrate itself and the design limitations placed on
the tag by various substrate requirements. Since the substrate is a
structural element that must provide most of the structural
integrity of the tag, there are minimum requirements on the
mechanical strength of the materials that can be used to form the
substrate. This limits the number of different kinds of materials
that can be used to form substrates. U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,270,
entitled "Stabilized Resonant Tag Circuit and Deactivator," issued
to Appalucci et al. on Aug. 25, 1992, discloses selected
considerations with respect to substrate strength.
[0016] Additionally, the requirement that the substrate provide
sufficient mechanical strength to the response circuit imposes a
requirement that the substrate be formed with a minimum thickness.
This limits the amount of capacitance that can be provided on a
unit area of substrate surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,814, entitled
"Apparatus for Manufacturing Resonant Tag," issued to Imaichi, et
al. on Nov. 4, 1997, discloses the relationship between dielectric
thickness and capacitance. The material of the substrate must also
be capable of withstanding the photo-etch baths required to form
the elements of the LC circuit. This factor places additional
limitations on the materials that can be used in the design of
substrates.
[0017] Under these circumstances, it may not be possible to
optimize the dielectric properties of the substrate when selecting
a dielectric material or a dielectric thickness for use as a
component of a security tag. The inability to optimize the
dielectric properties of the dielectric materials results in many
problems, such as increased capacitor size, lower tag yields and
hence, increased costs for the fabrication of security tags.
[0018] Other problems encountered in forming the elements of an
LC-based tag arise from the photo-etching process. For example, the
photo-etching process can be slow and quite expensive. An example
of a system attempting to obtain high speed printing of security
tags using a photo-etch process is U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,219,
entitled "Planar Circuit Fabrication Process," issued to Lichtblau
on Oct. 25, 1975. Fine tuning of the capacitance within an LC-based
tag, by adjusting the amount of conductive material forming a
capacitor plate after the initial fabrication step thereof, is
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,557, entitled "Process for
Fabricating Resonant Tag Circuit Construction," issued to Vandebult
on Jan. 25, 1983.
[0019] In addition to the high cost of the photo-etching process
itself, the fact that the process requires environmentally unsafe
chemicals creates disposal problems for the spent materials. As
will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the procedures
required to safely dispose of spent photo-etching materials
significantly increase the costs of producing security tags.
Furthermore, substantial amounts of conductive material must be
removed by the etching process when forming the conductor layers of
the tag. This further increases the costs of the fabrication
process as a result of the waste of conductive material and/or the
complications of performing various recovery processes, such as
recovering aluminum, when forming the tags.
[0020] An additional area of difficulty encountered when using the
prior art methods for forming security tags is accurate control of
the amount of the capacitance in the tags. Inaccurate capacitance
can result from variations in the dielectric constant, variations
in the thickness of the dielectric material and variations in the
alignment of the capacitor plates. The dielectric constant of the
material can normally be specified and accurately provided for the
materials used in the fabrication of tags. Additionally, the
dielectric constant of a material can be tested prior to the
fabrication process. Furthermore, the thickness of the dielectric
material can normally be controlled by conventional coating
technology and tested prior to the fabrication process.
[0021] Thus, the most common problem in accurately controlling the
capacitance is the alignment of the circuit elements making up the
tag. For example, when the second plate of the capacitor is
disposed on the second surface of the substrate or over the first
plate, much care must be taken to make certain that the second
plate is correctly aligned with the first plate. Failure to align
the plates correctly results in inaccuracies in the amount of
capacitance produced since the actual area of overlap of the plates
determines the capacitance. This causes inaccuracies in the
frequency at which the tag resonates. Often this results in an
upward shift in resonant frequency.
[0022] This problem can limit the speed of the fabrication process,
increase the costs of the fabrication equipment and significantly
lower the yield of the tag fabrication process, for example, by
causing tolerance buildup quality control issues in the fabrication
process. Furthermore, it is the nature of the capacitor structures
formed during the tag fabrication process that small amounts of
plate misalignment produce large variations in the capacitance
produced and concomitant large variations in the resonant frequency
of the resulting tags. This problem tends to be worse for stamped
circuits than for etched circuits due to the nature of the
substrate and dielectrics involved in the processes. Another
problem is that when foil is die cut into a pattern the shearing
action may create beveled geometry rather than a planar geometry
near the edge of the cut. That is, the shearing action used to cut
the foil may create sharp edges on the foil that may cut into the
substrate thereby altering capacitance.
[0023] Dipole Security Tags
[0024] Dipole-based security tags are adapted for operation in the
UHF range. The dipole making up such a security tag basically
comprises one or more conductive strips, or stubs, that function as
an antenna for receiving energy from an applied electromagnetic
field. When the received field energy has a predetermined dipole
frequency the antenna applies the energy to an associated system
(e.g., circuitry) in the security tag to energize that circuitry.
The circuitry energized in this manner can be an integrated circuit
chip that is wire bonded to the conductive, dipole strips. U.S.
Pat. No. 5,708,419, entitled "Method of Wire Bonding an Integrated
Circuit to an Ultraflexible Substrate," issued to Isaacson et al.
on Jan. 13, 1998, discloses the use of antenna to energize a system
at a predetermined tag frequency that is primarily dependent on the
antenna length.
[0025] When the circuitry within a dipole-based security tag is
energized by way of the dipole antenna, the circuitry responds by
providing a reflected signal. The reflected signal from the
security tag is transmitted by the antenna thereby disturbing the
applied field. Thus, a dipole-based security tag in a detection
region can be detected by sweeping the frequency of the
electromagnetic energy applied to the region through a range of
frequencies that includes the predetermined dipole frequency.
Suitable detection equipment detects the disturbance of the field
when the frequency of the applied energy reaches the predetermined
dipole frequency.
[0026] It is known to fabricate dipoles for security tags from
copper and silver. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,780 entitled,
"Method of Manufacturing an Enclosed Transceiver," issued to Tuttle
on Apr. 23, 2002, teaches forming security tag dipoles from copper
and silver ink. U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,286, entitled "Surveillance and
Identification System Antennas," issued to Williamson on Jan. 18,
1994, teaches etching copper foil to form security tag dipoles.
However, the use of copper and silver for security tag dipoles is
very expensive.
[0027] Security tags can be used in many applications. In one of
many examples, security tags can be attached to an item sold in a
retail sales establishment to monitor the location of item and
deter theft. In the retail establishment application, equipment,
e.g., a transmitter, for applying an electromagnetic field to a
detection region and detection equipment, e.g., a receiver, for
detecting disturbances of the field caused by the presence of
security tags can be located at or around points of exit from the
establishment. Such transmitters and receivers can be combined into
a single unit, sometimes referred to as an "interrogator."
Additionally, detection equipment for security tags in retail
establishments can be disposed in many other locations on the
premises in order to monitor movement of the item within the
establishment. Security tags are especially useful in cases where
very large numbers of items must be monitored.
[0028] In another example, security tags can be attached to an
inventoried item in a warehouse or an item being shipped from one
location to another in commerce. The use of a security tag in this
manner can be especially useful in providing inventory control for
very large numbers of items. The use of security tags for inventory
control is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,006, entitled
"Inventory System Using Articles with RFID Tags," issued to Bowers
et al. on Feb. 27, 2001. Furthermore, security tags can be attached
to books, periodicals, audio tapes and like items located in
libraries and other institutions that make such items available for
access by the public.
[0029] Many methods for attaching a security tag to an item are
known. One method is to clip a security tag to the material of the
item to be monitored. The security tag can also be adhered to the
material of the item to be monitored. Additionally, the tag can be
clipped onto or adhered to materials associated with the item to be
monitored, such as packaging, advertising or informational
materials. However, all of the known methods for attaching a
security tag to an item are costly and error-prone. The costs of
these methods must be borne by the retailers and/or the providers
of the goods or services. These costs are in addition to whatever
costs are incurred in packaging, identifying or maintaining the
items, and providing the required promotional or informational
materials for the items.
[0030] Many LC security tags must be activated when they are ready
for use. Furthermore, they must be deactivated when a sale of an
item is consummated or when they are legitimately removed from an
item. For example, an LC security tag which is not removed from an
item or deactivated at a point of sale in one establishment may set
off an alarm from detection equipment located at a second
establishment. This can result in an innocent customer being
questioned by personnel at the second establishment.
[0031] In general, LC security tags are activated and deactivated
by shifting their resonant frequency into and out of the frequency
range to which the detection equipment is tuned. The resonant
frequency can be shifted for the purpose of activation and
deactivation by changing the amount of capacitance in the resonant
circuits of the tag. U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,780, entitled "RFID Tags
Which Are Virtually Activated And/or Deactivated and Apparatus and
Methods of Using Same in an Electronic Security System," issued to
Bowers on Feb. 15, 2002 discloses such a system. Another system for
shifting resonant frequencies in this manner is disclosed in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,103,210, entitled "Activatable/Deactivatable Security
Tag for Use with an Electronic Security System," issued to Rode on
Apr. 7, 1992. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,555, issued to
Durgo A G, teaches a method for carrying out deactivation using a
continuous hole which can be formed by means of a needle roll and
is disposed in the insulating layer of a resonant label in the
region between two conducting layers.
[0032] One method for changing the amount of capacitance in a
security tag involves creating a weakened area between the two
plates of a capacitor during the tag fabrication process. The
weakened area creates a higher electromagnetic field in its
vicinity when electromagnetic energy is applied to the tag at the
predetermined frequency. U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,809 (Eckstein)
discloses another method for changing the frequency in a security
tag. An inductor taught in this patent is formed with a
discontinuity, or gap, causing an electrical open circuit. The open
circuit is closed with a fuse which is secured near the gap and
wire bonded to portions of the inductor near the gap. The fuse is
melted by a current greater than a predetermined level flowing
through it in order to deactivate the tag. A current level which is
high enough to melt the fuse can be induced by an external
electromagnetic field. Melting of the fuse causes an open circuit
condition, which alters the resonant frequency of the tag.
[0033] In another example of changing capacitance to alter the
resonant frequency of a security tag, one of the capacitor plates
can be formed with a dimple protruding from its surface. The dimple
provides a shorter distance between the tip of the dimple and the
opposing plate, than between the remaining surfaces of the two
plates. When a high level of electromagnetic energy is applied to
the tag, a voltage in excess of the breakdown voltage can be
created between the tip of the dimple and the opposing plate. This
causes the dielectric material to break down, thereby substantially
short circuiting the two plates to each other. When the capacitor
shorts out in the weakened area, its capacitance goes substantially
to zero and the resonant frequency of the tag is moved out of the
range of frequencies being swept by the detection equipment. Such a
dimple for deactivating a resonant tag is disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,142,270, entitled "Stabilized Resonant Tag Circuit and
Deactivator," issued to Appalucci et al. on Jul. 8, 1992.
[0034] One problem with the known methods for deactivating tags is
that a tag may spontaneously reactivate at a later time. It is
believed that one reason why tags reactivate may be that the short
circuit between the plates of the capacitor is formed by fragile
dendritic structures created by the breakdown of the dielectric.
The structures providing the short circuit between the plates can
therefore break at a later time, for example, due to flexing of the
tag, and restore the high resistance path between the plates. When
this occurs, a security tag that is deactivated after a legitimate
purchase can set off an alarm if an innocent bearer of the tag
inadvertently brings it into a detection region.
[0035] It is sometimes desirable to activate or deactivate a large
number of security tags at the same time using bulk activation or
bulk deactivation techniques. For example, a manufacturer of
security tags can manufacture a large number of activated tags. If
a container of the activated tags is sold to a retail establishment
that is not using a corresponding detection system, they must be
deactivated. In another example, an entire container of items
having individual security tags can be legitimately purchased at
the same time. It is not uncommon for such containers to have
dimensions of four feet by eight feet. In each case, large numbers
of tags at varying distances and orientations must be activated or
deactivated at the same time. Thus, problems may occur when
activation or deactivation energy is applied in these examples and
tags may not be effectively processed.
[0036] Additional references pertinent to the field of security
tags include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,215,342; 4,260,990; 4,356,477;
4,429,302; 4,498,076; 4,560,445; 4,567,473; 5,108,822; 5,119,070;
5,142,270; 5,142,292; 5,201,988; 5,218,189; 5,241,299; 5,300,922;
5,442,334; 5,447,779; 5,463,376; 5,510,770; 5,589,251; 5,660,663;
5,682,814; 5,695,860; 5,751,256; 5,841,350; 5,861,809; 5,864,301;
5,877,728; 5,902,437; 5,920,290; 5,926,093; 5,955,950; 5,959,531;
6,025,780; 6,031,458; 6,034,604; 6,072,383; 6,087,940; 6,089,453;
6,166,706; 6,208,235; 6,214,444; 6,304,169; 6,458,465; 6,618,939.
All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in
their entireties.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0037] The invention includes a method of fabricating a tag for
reflecting electromagnetic energy for the purpose of indicating the
presence of the tag, the tag including a substrate having a
surface, the method including the steps of applying a first
patterned adhesive to the surface of the substrate and applying a
first electrically conductive foil to the first patterned adhesive
to adhere the first electrically conductive foil thereto. A portion
of the first electrically conductive foil not adhered to the first
patterned adhesive is removed and a second patterned adhesive is
applied to a portion of a surface area of the tag, the surface area
including the surface and the first electrically conductive trace.
A preformed second electrically conductive foil is applied to the
second patterned adhesive to adhere the second electrically
conductive foil to the surface of the substrate and portions of the
first and second electrically conductive foils are electrically
coupled to each other to form a tag circuit. A second patterned
adhesive is disposed between the first and second electrically
conductive foils. One of the first and second electrically
conductive foils can form a portion of an inductor and a plate of a
capacitor, and the other of the first and second electrically
conductive foils can form another plate of the capacitor. The tag
circuit can be an antenna, including a dipole antenna or an
integrated circuit.
[0038] The invention further includes a tag arranged to reflect
electromagnetic energy for the purpose of indicating the presence
of the tag, the tag having a substrate having a surface with a
preformed first patterned adhesive disposed over the surface of the
substrate and a first layer of electrically conductive material
having a shape corresponding to a desired final pattern for a first
electrically conductive trace secured to the surface of the
substrate by the preformed first patterned adhesive, wherein the
preformed first patterned adhesive corresponds to the desired final
pattern. A second patterned adhesive is disposed over a portion of
a surface area of the tag the surface area including the surface
and the first electrically conductive trace. An electrically
conductive trace is disposed over the second patterned adhesive to
adhere the second electrically conductive trace thereto. An
electrical connection is provided for electrically coupling
portions of the first and second electrically conductive traces to
form a tag circuit. At least one of the first and second
electrically conductive traces can be an inductive element and one
of the first and second electrically conductive traces can be a
first plate of a capacitive element. The other of the first and
second electrically conductive traces can be a second plate of the
capacitive element. The tag circuit can be an LC resonant circuit.
The preformed first patterned adhesive can be a flexographic
printed layer.
[0039] The invention further includes a tag arranged to reflect
electromagnetic energy for the purpose of indicating the presence
of the tag, the tag having a substrate with a surface including a
first patterned adhesive disposed over the surface of the
substrate. The first patterned adhesive has a shape corresponding
to a desired final pattern for a first electrically conductive
trace. The first electrically conductive trace is disposed over the
first patterned adhesive to adhere to the first electrically
conductive trace thereto. A second patterned adhesive is disposed
over a portion of a surface area of the tag the surface area
including the surface and the first electrically conductive trace
and a second electrically conductive trace is disposed over the
second patterned adhesive to indirectly adhere the second
electrically conductive trace to the first electrically conductive
trace. An electrical connection is provided for electrically
coupling portions of the first and second electrically conductive
traces to form a tag circuit.
[0040] A method for processing a surface of an item and providing
an association using a surface processing system includes the steps
of receiving an item having a first identification marking on a
surface of the item to provide a received item for providing a
first identification signal in response to a first interrogation
signal and applying a second identification marking to the surface
of the item for providing a second identification signal in
response to a second interrogation signal. The method also includes
applying at least one of the first and second interrogation signals
to the item to provide at least one of the first and second
identification signals and first receiving the at least one of the
first and second identification signals in response to the applying
the at least one of the first and second interrogation signals. A
determining of a first association is made in response to the first
receiving.
[0041] The first interrogation signal can be applied to the
received item. The first association with the received item is then
determined according to the first receiving of the first
identification signal from the received item. The second
interrogation signal can also be applied to the received item.
Second receiving of the second identification signal and
determining a second association in accordance with the second
receiving can be performed. If at least one of the first and second
identification signals includes a signal representative of an item
level identification number, then the first association is an
association between the item level identification number and the
item. If the other of the first and second identification signals
represents an automatic identification number, then the first
association is an association between an automatic identification
number and a circuit element. An association between the automatic
identification number and the item level identification number or
an association between the automatic identification number and the
item can also be determined.
[0042] The first association is stored in an association database
and a further interrogation signal for interrogating at least one
of the first and second identification markings is provided for
providing a further identification signal. The further
identification signal is received. An association is selected from
the association database in accordance with the further
identification signal to provide a selected association. The item
is identified in response to the selected association from the
association database.
[0043] In one embodiment, at least one of the first and second
identification markings includes visually perceptible indicia, for
example a bar code, or a circuit element, for example, a resonant
circuit, a dipole or an integrated circuit. The bar code represents
an item level identification number for identifying the item. When
one of the first and second identification markings is a visually
perceptible marking, the other of the first and second
identification markings can be a circuit element, for example, an
RFID circuit or an EAS circuit.
[0044] The first and second identification markings can be applied
to the surface of the item substantially simultaneously using a
surface processing device. The first and second identification
markings can be applied using at least two differing surface
processing devices disposed within the surface processing system.
The surface processing device can be a printing device, for
example, a flexographic printing device, for printing a bar code on
the surface of the item. A further marking, for example, package
information, can also be printed on the surface of the item using
the printing device.
[0045] A circuit fabrication device integrated with the printing
device within the surface processing system applies a circuit
element using the circuit fabrication device to provide a
fabricated circuit element. The fabricated circuit element is
applied to the surface of the item. A further circuit element is
fabricated using the circuit fabrication device to provide a
further fabricated circuit element, and the further circuit element
is applied to the surface of the item. At least one of the
fabricated circuit element and the further fabricated circuit
element can include an RFID circuit or an EAS circuit. A response
of the circuit element is measured to provide a measured response
signal. A circuit parameter of the circuit element is adjusted in
accordance with the measured response signal. A capacitance can be
adjusted in response to the measured response signal, for example,
by adjusting the alignment of capacitor plates or by compressing a
dielectric layer. An antenna can be adjusted in response to the
measured response signal, for example, by adjusting the length of
the antenna. The visually perceptible indicia are applied to the
surface of the item substantially simultaneously with the
fabricating of the circuit element. A patterned adhesive and a
preformed circuit element are applied to the surface of the item
using the circuit fabrication device.
[0046] A circuit element disposed on a substrate surface to reflect
electromagnetic energy for the purpose of indicating the presence
of the circuit element includes first and second capacitor plates
disposed over the surface of the substrate in an aligned
relationship with each other. The aligned relationship having
manufacturing variations in the relative positioning of the first
and second capacitor plates and a dielectric layer disposed between
the first and second capacitor plates. At least one of the first
and second capacitor plates is formed substantially smaller
relative to the other of the first and second capacitor plates. The
at least one of the first and second capacitor plates is disposed
at a predetermined offset in at least one planar direction from an
edge of the other of the first and second capacitor plates. The
predetermined offset is selected in accordance with the
manufacturing variations to prevent variations in the value of
capacitance of the capacitor due to the manufacturing
variations.
[0047] The at least one capacitor plate of the first and second
capacitor plates can be disposed over the other capacitor plate of
the first and second capacitor plates. The other capacitor plate of
the first and second capacitor plates can be disposed over the at
least one capacitor plate of the first and second capacitor plates.
The dielectric can be a substrate whereby the first and second
capacitor plates are disposed on opposing sides of the substrate.
In one embodiment, the at least one capacitor plate of the first
and second capacitor plates is disposed at a predetermined offset
from two edges of the other capacitor plate of the first and second
capacitor plates in two orthogonal planar directions. The
predetermined offset is selected to provide an alignment of the
first and second capacitor plates wherein the entire surface area
of the at least one capacitor plate of the first and second
capacitor plates faces an opposing surface area of the other
capacitor plate of the first and second capacitor plates regardless
of the manufacturing variations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0048] The invention will be described in conjunction with the
following drawings in which like reference numerals designate like
elements and wherein:
[0049] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a method for making
exemplary security tags of the present invention;
[0050] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the schematic
representation of FIG. 1 showing a method for applying adhesive for
adhering a conductive foil to a substrate in accordance with the
present invention;
[0051] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the schematic
representation of FIG. 1 showing a method for die cutting a
conductive foil in accordance with the present invention;
[0052] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the schematic
representation of FIG. 1 showing a method for applying adhesive for
adhering a dielectric and conductive foil to a substrate in
accordance with the present invention;
[0053] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the schematic
representation of FIG. 1 showing a method for die cutting a
dielectric and a conductive foil in accordance with the present
invention;
[0054] FIGS. 6A and 6B are plan views of generally rectangular
dipole structures which can be fabricated in accordance with the
present invention;
[0055] FIGS. 7A-7D are plan views of generally circular dipole
structures which can be fabricated in accordance with the present
invention;
[0056] FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of alternate embodiment
of the method for making exemplary security tags of FIG. 1;
[0057] FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic representations of surface
processing systems including a method of the present invention
integrated with one or more further processes;
[0058] FIG. 10 is a block diagram representation of billing models
for billing the costs for using the method of the present
invention;
[0059] FIG. 11 is a schematic representation of a color printing
press and security tag fabrication system for applying colored ink
patterns and circuit elements to the surfaces of a substrate in
accordance with the system and method of the present invention;
[0060] FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of an input stage of a
security tag fabrication system for applying circuit elements to a
substrate in accordance with the method of the invention;
[0061] FIGS. 13A and 13B show plan and cross-sectional views,
respectively, of a carrier bearing circuit elements for fabricating
exemplary security tags in accordance with the system and method of
the present invention;
[0062] FIG. 14 shows a schematic representation of an alternate
embodiment of a fabrication system and method for fabricating
exemplary security tags in accordance with the system and method of
the present invention; and
[0063] FIG. 15 shows a capacitor for a security tag formed in
accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0064] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic
representation of a process 120 for fabricating a security tag
according to one preferred embodiment of the invention. The process
can be used for producing a security tag having a dipole and a
security tag having an inductor and a capacitor. In order to
facilitate an understanding of the tag fabrication process 120,
FIGS. 2-5 show enlarged representations of selected portions of the
schematic representation of FIG. 1.
[0065] In the tag fabrication process 120, an adhesive material 122
is applied to a surface 150a of a substrate to form a first
patterned adhesive layer 122a. The pattern of the adhesive
corresponds to the pattern of the particular portion of the
component of the tag, e.g., a portion of the coil of the inductor,
a plate of the capacitor, a dipole antenna, etc. The first
patterned adhesive layer 122a can be applied to the substrate 150
by an adhesive transfer device 130. The adhesive transfer device
130 can be any conventional adhesive transfer device for applying
adhesive images to a surface known to those skilled in the art. For
example, the adhesive transfer device 130 can be an adhesive
transfer device within a flexographic printing device, a gravure
printing device, a letter pressing device, a silk screen or tempo
device and so forth. The adhesive transfer device can be detachably
secured to the printing device or it can be fixed thereto.
[0066] The printing or pressing device can also print indicia on
the surface 150a substantially simultaneously with the fabrication
of a tag. The indicia can be visible or invisible to the human eye.
It can be human readable indicia, machine readable indicia, or any
other type of indicia. For example, the indicia can be visible
text, and/or graphics, bar codes or a marking printed with an ink
that is visible only in ultraviolet light, or some other frequency
of light. The indicia can include, for example, a single marking, a
plurality of markings, or a selected color. In this manner, a bar
code or other indicia can be applied to a surface substantially
simultaneously with the fabrication of a tag such as an RFID tag on
an EAS tag or other circuits or circuit elements.
[0067] The substrate 150 can be any polymeric material (such as PET
and PE) or a non-polymeric material that can provide the required
structural integrity for the security tag to function. For example,
the substrate 150 can be formed of a material such as a corrugated
material, laminated material, coated metal, any type of plastic,
including injection molded plastic and other types of molded
plastics and any kind of ceramic material. The substrate 150 can
also be a pressure sensitive label or a label formed of a fibrous
material such as paper, cardboard or cloth.
[0068] The paper forming the substrate 150 can be densified Kraft.
Densified Kraft is a mix of standard slurry normally used for
making traditional bond, or offset paper. Traditional papers may be
varied to include softer woods and to include cotton additives
along with recycled. Corrugated materials, laminated materials,
polymers like PET and PE teflon etc. can also be included.
[0069] The paper is normally formed using a traditional slurry mix
which passes through a small opening of the head box onto a wire
mesh running at a speed that matches the gravity feed fluidic
deposition onto the wire mesh. The wire mesh retains the pulp, and
lets the water pass through. This mesh is of a great distance and
therefore the slurry is formed into wet paper substance. It is then
pulled from the mesh and sent through a number of drying systems
until the paper reaches its nominal state of approximately 5%
moisture content. The paper is then rolled up and later cut into
sheets for use. A starch coating can be applied to the paper as it
is dried. This process ensures that as the paper is used to write
upon it will not act like a sponge. This is done to varying degrees
and for certain applications. The paper also passes through several
nip points, which helps serve the purpose of reaching a specified
thickness. The speed of the equipment is varied to achieve changes
in density, and even the fiber type, length, and direction of the
fiber lay are varied to achieve different type papers.
[0070] For densified Kraft the paper is formed as normal, however,
harder woods may be used. The key, however, is the ability to super
calendar the paper. This is done with a heated calendar stack. This
is a stack of large rollers that the paper web is run in and out of
making 180-degree turns until a stack of 20 rollers and turns are
made. This creates a paper that is hard and densified. This is
normally done with a high level of starch applied to create a paper
that will soak up a minimal amount of moisture. This paper is
structurally stable and superior to normal papers in this respect.
Also due to its density this paper can withstand higher puncture,
sheer and tensile then other papers.
[0071] Paper, as it is used for security tags, i.e., making RF
labels and RF antennas, is used predominantly as a carrier for the
antenna. The need for a carrier is due to the fact that an antenna
such as used for RFID solutions is very thin. The antenna will not
retain its shape after it is formed due to the lack of the
conductive material's integrity. The antenna is formed to provide
for reception of radio waves; if the shape is not retained, the
reception will not be maintained. The paper creates the ability to
form the object and retain its shape. Densified Kraft creates a
better surface due to its stability.
[0072] Mechanical factors, such as whether a material is strong
enough to prevent shearing during the tag fabrication process 120,
are substantially the only limitations placed on the selection of
the material forming the substrate 150, or its thickness. When a
flexible material, like cloth, is used as a substrate in a security
tag, it may be necessary to apply a backing to the material in
order to provide the required structural integrity.
[0073] The substrate 150 of a security tag fabricated according to
the tag fabrication process 120 can be a composite substrate having
at least a peelable layer and a carrier layer. The security tag can
be fabricated on the peelable layer of such a composite substrate
150. When the peelable layer bearing the security tag is peeled
from the carrier layer, it can be associated with or secured to any
item. For example, the peelable layer can be provided with an
adhesive layer for adhesively securing it to a surface of an item.
A resonant tag formed on a composite substrate including a
removable carrier film is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,437,
entitled "Method of Making Resonant Tag Labels," issued to
McDonough, et. al. on May 11, 1999.
[0074] In the tag fabrication process 120, a first conductive foil
132 is applied to the substrate surface 150a over the first
patterned adhesive layer 122a, for example by an unwind roller (as
seen most clearly in FIG. 3). The material forming the conductive
foil 132 can be any conductive material. However, in one preferred
embodiment, the conductive foil is aluminum. The conductive foil
132 adheres to the substrate surface 150a in the regions where the
first patterned adhesive layer 122a is disposed by the adhesive
transfer device 130.
[0075] A die cutter 134 cuts or "patterns" the adhered conductive
foil 132 according to the pattern of the patterned adhesive layer
122a, e.g., along its peripheral edges. This action forms a first
patterned conductive trace 132a in the tag fabrication process 120.
A trace will be understood to include any piece of conductive foil,
including for example, conductive foils that can be used as a
conductor for conducting current to form all or part of an
electronic circuit, a component or a whole of an antenna geometry,
an electromagnetic coupling component for electronic circuitry, an
electromagnetic passive director for an antenna geometry, an
isolation element (a/k/a shielding) for electromagnetic purposes, a
structural element for mechanical strength purposes, or a fiducial
for post process operations. The blades 133 of the die cutter 130
are adapted to cut through the conductive foil 132 without damaging
the surface 150a of the substrate 150. The die cutter 134 can be a
conventional rotating die cutter 134 or any other device known to
those skilled in the art for cutting a conductive foil without
cutting or damaging the substrate 150. For example, the operations
performed by the die cutter 134 can be performed by a laser. The
unused portion of the conductive foil 132 which would otherwise
constitute waste is recovered by the method of this invention,
e.g., by any type of vacuum device or mechanical removal device
known to those skilled in the art. Conductive material recovered
for reuse in this manner can be recovered by a simple melting
process. The amount of conductive material required to make a
security tag using the tag fabrication process 120 can be sixty
percent less than the amount typically required by conventional
photo-etching techniques.
[0076] The adhesive transfer device 130 and the die cutter 134
cooperate to provide a processing station 124 of the tag
fabrication process 120 for providing the first patterned
conductive trace 132a. In one preferred embodiment of the
invention, the first patterned conductive trace 132a can be shaped
as a dipole. In this embodiment, an adhesive pattern or image of a
dipole is disposed on the substrate surface 150 by the adhesive
transfer device 130. An integrated circuit or other circuit
required by the tag can be applied in a conventional manner.
[0077] An integrated circuit inserted in this manner can be any
type of integrated circuit known to those skilled in the art,
including driven circuits as well as passive circuits. The passive
circuits can include a fuse for deactivation or for any other
purpose, or a non-linear component, such as a diode for making the
signature of a circuit more distinct.
[0078] The possible shapes of the dipole and the device for
inserting the integrated circuit on the tag are discussed in more
detail below. When providing a dipole using the processing station
124, the conductive foil 132 can be any conductive material,
especially a metal such as aluminum or copper. In a preferred
embodiment, aluminum is used because aluminum is sufficiently
conductive and relatively inexpensive.
[0079] Referring now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, there are shown two
exemplary dipoles 146a and 146b which can be fabricated in
accordance with the tag fabrication method 120. The dipoles 146a
and 146b are suitable for use in any location on any type of
substrate 150, but are especially useful for use in areas of a
substrate 150 where a rectangular configuration can make the best
use of the available surface area of the substrate 150, such as the
rectangular substrate regions 150b. The dipole 146a includes the
dipole elements 147, 148 for receiving electromagnetic energy at a
predetermined frequency and energizing an associated integrated
circuit 145. The integrated circuit 145 or other electrical device
for completing the tag can be disposed between the dipole elements
147, 148 and wire bonded to them using wires 149 in a conventional
manner. The predetermined response frequency of the dipole 146a is
primarily determined by the combined length of the dipole elements
147, 148, wherein the length of the dipole 146a on the substrate
150b can be approximately equal to the wavelength of the
predetermined response frequency.
[0080] The dipole 146b includes the dipole elements 151, 152, which
together form an S-shape. The effective antenna length of this type
of dipole exceeds the longitudinal dimension of the dipole 146b
because of the S-shape of the dipole elements 151, 152. Other
shapes, such as Z-shapes can be used to make efficient use of the
available area of the substrate. An integrated circuit 153 or other
electrical device can be disposed upon one of the dipole elements
151, 152 and wire bonded to the other dipole element 151, 152 with
a wire 154. The integrated circuit 153 can also be disposed between
the dipole elements 151, 152 and wire bonded to them.
[0081] The shapes of the dipole elements making up either of the
dipoles 146a and 146b as well as the shapes of any other dipole
elements suitable for efficient use of the area of a rectangular
substrate region 150b, can be easily implemented using suitable
patterns for the adhesive transfer device 130 and the die cutter
134 of the tag fabrication process 120. Furthermore, the dipole
elements making up each of the dipoles 146a and 146b can be easily
implemented using the tag fabrication process 120 in any length
required to provide the resonant frequencies that are useful in the
field of security tag fabrication.
[0082] Referring now to FIGS. 7A-7D, there are shown dipoles
160-163 which can also be fabricated in accordance with the tag
fabrication method 120 of this invention. The dipoles 160-163 are
especially useful in areas of substrate 150 where a circular
configuration makes the best use of the available surface area of
the substrate 150, such as the circular substrate regions 160a.
Each of the dipoles 160-163 includes a respective pair of dipole
elements 156, 157 for receiving electromagnetic energy at a
predetermined frequency and energizing an associated integrated
circuit 159 or other electrical device required by the tag. The
integrated circuit 159 can be disposed between the dipole elements
156, 157 and wire bonded (not shown) to them in a conventional
manner. The dipoles 160, 161 can also include a tuning stub for
tuning their predetermined response frequencies and/or a holding
bar 158 for use in impedance matching. The dipole elements 156, 157
of the dipole 163 are provided with respective antenna extensions
156a, 157a to provide increased antenna length within the circular
area available in the circular substrate region 160a.
[0083] All of the shapes of the dipole elements 156, 157 forming
the dipoles 160-163, as well as the shapes of any other dipoles
suitable for a circular substrate 160a, or any other dipole
substrate geometry, can be easily implemented by the tag
fabrication process 120. Their implementation requires only the
suitable patterns for the adhesive transfer device 130 and the die
cutter 134. Any additional features of dipole security tags, such
as the tuning stub 155, the holding bar 158, the extensions 156a,
157a or a fuse (not shown) can also be easily implemented using the
tag fabrication process 120.
[0084] In addition to shapes such as the S- and Z-shapes, the stub
or strip, the meandering, the bent coil and the overlapping shapes
shown herein for illustrative purposes, an almost unlimited number
of additional dipole conductor shapes can be easily implemented
using the tag fabrication process 120. For example, slot dipoles
and matrix double dipoles having four circularly spaced-apart
dipole elements can be easily made using the process 120.
Furthermore, the conductor trace shapes that can be fabricated
using the tag fabrication process 120 are limited only by the
technology available for producing the adhesive images or patterns
corresponding to the shapes and for die cutting the conductive
traces according to those adhesive images or patterns.
[0085] Further, in accordance with the tag fabrication process 120,
a second processing station 126 can be provided as can be seen in
FIGS. 1, 4 and 5. While the operations of the processing station
126 are described herein in combination with selected processing
stations for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that the
processing station 126 can be used with any, or no, other
processing stations. Within the second processing station 126, a
second patterned adhesive layer 135a can be applied by a second
adhesive transfer device 136. The second adhesive transfer device
136 can be any type of adhesive transfer device known to those
skilled in the art, as previously described with respect to the
adhesive transfer device 130.
[0086] The adhesive transfer device 136 can deposit an adhesive
material 135 on selected portions of the surface 150a of the
substrate 150 or on a surface of the first conductive trace 132a to
form a second patterned adhesive layer 135a. In an alternate
embodiment, the second adhesive layer 135a can be disposed on both
the substrate 150a and the first conductive trace 132a. In another
embodiment, the adhesive 135a can be disposed on any other suitable
surface or surfaces over the substrate 150 in addition to the
substrate surface 150a itself or the first conductive trace 132a.
The second patterned adhesive layer 135a can also be disposed on
the side of the substrate 150 opposite the first patterned adhesive
layer 122a.
[0087] As seen most clearly in FIG. 5, a second conductive foil 140
is applied to the surface of the substrate 150 and/or on the
surface of the first conductive trace 132a (hereinafter, the
"surface area of the tag"), for example, from an unwind roll (not
shown). The material forming the second conductive foil 140 can be
any conductive material, especially a metal such as aluminum or
copper. In a preferred embodiment, aluminum is used because it is
sufficiently conductive and relatively inexpensive. The second
conductive foil 140 is provided with a dielectric layer 138. The
dielectric layer 138 can be a flood coated dielectric layer formed
on a surface of the second conductive foil 140, a separate sheet of
dielectric material applied to the second conductive foil 140
before or during the tag fabrication process 120 or any other type
of dielectric layer.
[0088] When the dielectric layer 138 and the conductive foil 140
are applied to the substrate surface 150a and/or the surface of the
first conductive trace 132a, the dielectric layer 138 adheres to
portions of the surface area 132a according to a pattern of the
second patterned adhesive layer 135a. The dielectric layer 138 and
the conductive foil 140 are then patterned by a die cutter 144
using the die cutter blades 143, which pattern them according to
the pattern of the second patterned adhesive 135a. The unused
portions of the dielectric layer 138 and the conductive foil 140
are removed, for example, by a vacuum device for recovery, as
described earlier. The removal of the unused portions can occur
substantially simultaneously with and in-line with the patterning
operations performed using the die cutter 144.
[0089] The second conductive trace 140a formed by the adhesive
transfer device 136 and the die cutter 144 can be the same shape as
the first conductive trace 132a. It can be disposed on the
substrate surface 150a, the conductive trace 132a, or both.
Furthermore, one, both or neither of the conductive traces 132a,
140a, or any of the layers in the security tag can be disposed in
direct physical contact with the substrate 150, or any other area
where the patterned adhesive layer 135 is disposed. An electrical
connection can be provided between the conductive traces 132a,
140a.
[0090] The adhesive transfer device 136 and the die cutter 144
cooperate to form the processing station 126 of the tag fabrication
process 120. While the tag fabrication process 120 is described in
detail in the embodiment having a single processing station 124 and
the embodiment having two processing stations 124, 126, it will be
understood that any number of processing stations 124, 126 can be
provided in accordance with the method of the invention.
Furthermore, in one preferred embodiment of the invention, the
processing stations 124, 126 can be located on opposing surfaces of
the substrate 150, and the structure fabricated by the tag
fabrication process 120 can be built on the opposing surfaces of
the substrate 150.
[0091] In an another embodiment of the tag fabrication process 120,
the processing station 124 can provide a first patterned conductive
trace 132a shaped as an inductive element, such as a concentric
coil, and a plate of a capacitive element. In this embodiment, an
adhesive image of the coil and the capacitor plate is disposed on
the substrate surface 150a by the adhesive transfer device 130. The
second patterned conductive trace 140a can be a second plate of the
capacitive element, wherein an adhesive image of the second plate
is disposed on the first patterned conductive trace 132a or any
other suitable surface area by the adhesive transfer device
136.
[0092] In this manner, a complete LC security tag can be formed on
a single surface 150 of the substrate 150 by the tag fabrication
process 120 without the use of any photo-resist or etching
operations. The only materials required to fabricate the die cut
structures produced by the tag fabrication process 20 are the
substrate, the adhesive and the conductive foil. Alternately, both
the first and second patterned conductive traces 132a, 140a can be
formed as dipoles or any other devices which can be formed by
patterning the conductive foils 132, 140. For example, the tag
fabrication process 120 can be used to fabricate multiple frequency
tags such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,769, entitled
"Multiple Frequency Tag," issued to Kajfez, et al. on Apr. 23,
1996.
[0093] Additionally, the process 120 can be performed without waste
of the adhesive or conductive foil. The only adhesive used in the
process 120 is where the adhesive is actually required to form the
conductor traces. Any conductor material cut away by the die
cutters 134, 144 is easily recovered by a simple melting
process.
[0094] In prior art security tags, the dielectric material disposed
between the plates of a capacitor served as both the dielectric of
the capacitor and the structural element upon which the tag was
fabricated. Furthermore, the dielectric material was required to
withstand the harsh environment of the photo-etch baths used in
forming the conductor traces. These factors placed serious
constraints on the selection of dielectric materials.
[0095] In security tags fabricated using the tag fabrication method
120, however, the dielectric layer 138 between the plates of the
capacitor is not used as a structural element. Furthermore, the
dielectric layer 138 is not required to withstand a photo-etching
process. Therefore, the material forming the dielectric layer 138
can be selected primarily for the purpose of optimizing its
dielectric properties, rather than for its mechanical strength or
its resistance to etchants.
[0096] This permits, for example, the selection of materials having
higher dielectric coefficients than the materials previously used
as capacitor dielectrics in the fabrication of security tags. The
use of materials having higher dielectric coefficients makes it
possible to obtain a predetermined amount of capacitance within a
smaller capacitor size. Smaller capacitor size permits the
fabrication of smaller security tags for the same response
frequencies. It also permits higher fabrication yields and lower
tag costs.
[0097] Alternately, the use of higher dielectric coefficient
materials makes it possible to obtain an increased amount of
capacitance within a predetermined area of a substrate 150.
Increased capacitance within an LC security tag permits the
fabrication of a tag having a predetermined resonant frequency with
less inductance. Fewer turns of the inductor coils are required
when there is increased capacitance in the tag. The reduced number
of turns in the inductor coils results in less unwanted coil
resistance. Security tags formed in this manner thus have a higher
quality factor Q, because of the reduced resistance in the coils.
Additionally, it is understood that the magnetic effects of
opposing turns in the coils result in unwanted self-cancellation of
the currents in opposing turns of the coils. Therefore, coils
formed using the tag fabrication process 120 and having fewer turns
can have more efficient coupling to their antennas.
[0098] Those skilled in the art will understand that the tag
fabrication process 120 can be used to provide a plurality of
security tags in a continuous web of any size. For example, U.S.
Pat. No. 5,614,278, entitled "Strip of Separable Labels or Tags
Having a Display Surface for Display of Information Thereon,"
issued to Chamberlain et al. on Mar. 25, 1997, discloses tags
supplied as a strip of consecutive separable units that moves along
a path of travel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,438, assigned to Monarch
Marking Systems, Inc., discloses a method of making tags wherein
conductors are cut from a planar web of conductive material in a
continuous process. The cutting results in the formation of two
spiral conductors which are thereafter positioned to provide
resonant circuits.
[0099] When the tag fabrication process 120 is used to provide a
plurality of security tags in this manner, the adhesive transfer
devices 130, 136 are preferably rotatable devices, such as
rotatable printing devices. Furthermore, those skilled in the art
will understand that producers of security tags can decrease or
eliminate the need to maintain inventory since the tag fabrication
process 120 permits tags to be created as needed on demand.
[0100] Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown the tag fabrication
process 165. The tag fabrication process 165 is an alternate
embodiment of the tag fabrication process 120. It will be
understood that, as was shown in FIG. 1, when the die cutter 144 of
the processing station 126 within the tag fabrication process 120
cuts through the conductive foil 140 and the dielectric layer 138,
it is extremely important to avoid damaging the conductive trace
132a and the substrate 150. Failure to cut to the correct depth
during die cutting can cause tags produced by the tag fabrication
process 120 to be defective. Additionally, when force is applied
during the die cutting operation the conductive trace 132a or the
substrate 150 can be damaged by the force.
[0101] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, within the tag fabrication
process 165, the processing station 182 can be substituted for the
processing station 126. The processing station 182 can be used to
form circuit elements which can be electrically coupled to the
conductive trace 132a without performing any further die cutting
operations over the surface 150a of the substrate 150, thereby
removing the risk of damaging a tag during a die cutting
operation.
[0102] In the processing station 182, a supply of precut conductive
traces 170 is applied to the tag fabrication process 165 for
registration with the conductive traces 132a using a carrier 174.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the conductive traces
170 can be provided with a layer of adhesive dielectric 168 for
adhering the conductive traces 170 to the substrate 150. In another
embodiment, the adhesive dielectric 168 and the conductive trace
170 can be applied in separate steps.
[0103] The conductive traces 170 can be adhered in this manner to
the conductive traces 132a, the substrate surface 150a, or any
other surface on the substrate 150. This method can be used, for
example, in forming a dielectric and a plate of a capacitor. Any
other known method can be used to form a capacitor dielectric
between the conductive traces 132a, 170. For example, a dielectric
material that is not an adhesive can be laminated to the conductive
traces 170. In such a case an adhesive layer can be provided
between the dielectric material and the conductive trace 132a.
[0104] The conductive traces 170 can be transferred to the
substrate 150 by any conventional technique known to those skilled
in the art. For example, the well known rotary transfer device 172
can be used to transfer the conductive traces 170 from the carrier
174 to the substrate 150. In another example, well known windowing
machines (not shown) of the type used to apply transparent windows
to mailing envelopes can be used. Regardless of what method is used
to apply the conductive traces 170 to the substrate 150, care must
be taken to achieve the correct registration of the conductive
traces 132a, 170. As previously described, small amounts of
conductor misalignment produce large variations in the capacitance
and concomitant large variations in the resonant frequency of the
resulting tags.
[0105] Referring now to FIGS. 9A and 9B, there are shown surface
processing systems 167, 171 which effect the tag fabrication
process 120 of the present invention. It will be understood that
the tag fabrication process 120 can be integrated into surface
processing systems 167, 171 or any other system for processing a
surface of an item. In particular, the process 120 can be performed
within, along with, or integrated into, any other type of process
or processes in which printing of a surface, or any other
processing or preparation of a surface, is performed. For example,
within the surface processing system 167, a processing station 164,
having an adhesive transfer station 164a and a die cutter 164b, can
perform the tag fabrication process 120 upon the surface 150a while
integrated with an integrated process 166 having integrated
operations 166a and 166b.
[0106] When the integrated process 166 and the tag fabrication
process 120 within the processing station 164 are integrated in
this manner, it is possible to conventionally print, for example,
identifying, promotional or instructional material upon a portion
of the surface 150a using the processing stage 166a. Additionally,
it is also possible to fabricate a security tag upon the surface
150a using the processing station 164 within the surface processing
systems 167. It is then possible to print or perform some other
operation upon a portion of the surface 150a using the processing
stage 166b.
[0107] The integrated process 166 can include any number of
differing operations, such as printing operations and lamination
operations, as well as multiple occurrences of a single type of
operation. In one embodiment, the processing station 164 can
fabricate dipole elements such as the dipole elements 147, 148 of
the dipole 146a, or dipole elements such as the dipole elements
151, 152 of the dipole 146b and the processing stage 166b can
insert the integrated circuit 145, 153 and the wire 149, 151 to
wire bond the integrated circuit 145, 153 to the respective dipole
elements. Furthermore, the processing station 164 can include any
number of adhesive transfer devices and die cutters.
[0108] When the integrated process 166 includes a number of
differing stations, the individual operations of the tag
fabrication process 120 can be performed at any stage within the
integrated process 166. Additionally, the various operations of the
tag fabrication process 120 and the integrated process 166 can be
performed in any order required. Thus, the relative positions of
the operations and the order of the operations set forth in the
drawing are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to
limit the scope or the invention.
[0109] The ability to integrate a processing station 124, 126
performing the tag fabrication process 120 within other processes
thus permits manufacturers to easily apply a security tag to items
while the items are being manufactured, finished, packaged,
shipped, and so forth. For example, a processing station 124, 126
can be inserted at a selected point in a manufacturing process
where an item is undergoing a previously required printing or
finishing step. In this manner, the item can be provided with a
security tag at the selected point of the process, for a
substantially insignificant cost beyond the cost of the
manufacturing process itself, e.g., the incremental cost of
including a tag with other printed material is very low.
[0110] The operations performed by the processing stages 166a and
166b of the integrated process 166 can also be any other operations
such as screening, plating, laminating, coating, finishing or
processing the surface 150a in any manner. A printing process
integrated with the tag fabrication process 120 in this manner can
include flexographic printing, gravure printing, printing by a
letter pressing device, or any other type of process for applying
patterned substances including adhesive substances to the surface
of the substrate 150, as previously described.
[0111] The processing station 124 can also be integrated with an
inspection station for performing a quality control process within
a tag fabrication process such as the tag fabrication process 120.
For example, such an integrated inspection station can perform a
quality control process adapted to energize a tag at its
predetermined frequency following the fabrication of the tag,
measure the response signal of the tag to the applied energy, and
determine whether the tag is working properly. The center frequency
of the tag response signal, the quality figure Q of the tag
response signal, the amplitude of the response waveform, or any
other tag parameter or ratio of parameters can be measured in order
to make such a determination. Thus, defective tags fabricated by
the tag fabrication process integrated with the quality control
process can be located by the quality control process.
Additionally, tags that are working correctly and tags that are
defective can be identified and counted separately. Inspection
stations for performing quality control are discussed in further
detail hereinbelow.
[0112] The ability to integrate a processing station 124, 126 with
other types of processes also permits a manufacturer to apply
plural security tags to an item being manufactured at a slight
incremental cost. For example, in the surface processing system
171, after an operation 174a of an integrated process 174 is
performed upon the surface 150a, the processing station 182 can
apply a first security tag to the surface 150a using the adhesive
transfer station 182a and the die cutter 176b. Subsequently, for
example, after the substrate is further processed by a further
operation 178a with an integrated process 178, the processing
station 180 can apply a second security tag using the adhesive
transfer station 180a and the die cutter 180b.
[0113] The first and second security tags applied to the substrate
150 need not be identical tags. For example, one security tag can
be an LC-based security tag and the other can be a dipole-based
security tag. Additionally, the tags can both be RF tags, or both
be UHF tags, that respond to different frequencies in the same
frequency band. A manufacturer of items using the tag fabrication
process 120 also has the option to apply security tags to selected
percentages of the items being manufactured by merely turning the
processing stations 164, 176, 180 on or off as items are being
processed by the various integrated processes. For example, the
manufacturer can select a process in which all, fifty percent,
none, or some intermediate percentage of items receive fabricated
security tags.
[0114] Furthermore, the processing station 182 can be adapted to
fabricate the dipole elements of a dipole on the substrate 150 and
the integrated process 178 can be adapted to insert and bond the
integrated circuits 145, 153, 159 into their respective dipole
elements. In an alternate embodiment, the integrated process 178
can be adapted to measure a frequency of the dipole and adjust a
capacitance, for example, by adjusting a tuning stub 155 or by
adjusting the amount of capacitance or inductance in some other
manner. The capacitance of a tag can be adjusted by adjusting plate
area, by adjusting a dielectric thickness in selected areas of the
dielectric, by scratching a dielectric surface, by applying a
conductive ink or a solvent, by adjusting the registration of the
plates, by squeezing capacitor plates together to compress the
dielectric therebetween, or by any other means.
[0115] Additionally, the frequency of the tags can be adjusted by
adjusting any other tag parameters or values in addition to
capacitance. Feedback systems of this nature can be used to bring
the response frequencies of the security tag fabricated towards the
center of its nominal range and the number and magnitudes of the
adjustments can determined and recorded. Such a quality control
method can be applied to any device within the tag fabrication
process 120.
[0116] In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the processing
system 171 can provide an item level association between: 1) an
item level identification number disposed on an item or an object
such as a package or label having a substrate 150 with a surface
150a, and 2) an automatic identification number, or license tag,
stored on a device such as, for example, an RFID or EAS tag. In
such an item level association system 171, the integrated process
174 can print an optical marking such as a bar code or any other
visually perceptible indicia representative of the item
identification number on the surface 150a. The marking can be human
readable or machine readable. The marking applied by the integrated
process 174 can thus encode the item level identification number of
the item being processed by the association system 171 in any
manner.
[0117] The integrated process 174 can print the marking
representing the item level identification number on the surface
150a with or without applying other indicia to the surface 150a.
Other indicia that can be applied to the surface 150a by the
integrated process 174 or by some other integrated process along
with the marking can include package information or designs and
labeling information.
[0118] Within the item level association system 171, the processing
station 176 fabricates or applies a marking comprising a circuit
element such as a tag circuit on the surface 150a. The circuit
element applied by the processing station 176 can be applied at any
location on the surface 150a relative to the marking applied by the
integrated process 174. Furthermore, the circuit element can be
fabricated or applied in the manner previously described, or in any
other manner known to those skilled in the art.
[0119] A circuit element applied in this manner can be, for
example, a coil, a capacitor, a dipole or an integrated circuit
element. Furthermore, the circuit element can include a license
plate identification number for automatic identification of the
circuit when the circuit element is interrogated. In further
alternate embodiments of the invention, the marking that includes
the item level identification number and the marking that includes
the automatic identification number can be applied in the opposite
order, or in combination with other surface processing operations
in any order.
[0120] Thus, in one preferred embodiment, both of the markings are
disposed on the surface 150a before the markings are applied to the
integrated process 178 within the item level association system
171. In this embodiment, the integrated process 178 is
advantageously adapted to be an association system 178. The
association system 178 can include a system for reading the marking
applied by the integrated process 174 in order to determine the
item level identification of the item. For example, the association
system 178 can include a bar code reader for interrogating a bar
code marking applied to the surface 150a by the integrated process
174 and provide a signal representative of the item level
identification number encoded by the bar code marking.
[0121] A circuit element interrogation device can also be provided
within the association system 178 for interrogating the circuit
element applied to the surface 150a by the processing station 176.
The circuit element interrogation device within the association
system 178 can thus interrogate the tag on the surface 150a to
determine its automatic identification number. The item level
identification number and the automatic identification number can
be associated with each other and with the item upon which they are
disposed by the association system 171. The associated information
can be stored in a database and accessed in response to a later
interrogation of one of the markings to determine the identity of
the item.
[0122] It will be understood that the method set forth for the item
level association system 171 can be extended to operate upon
different markings disposed on different items in order to
determine relationships between the various markings and items. For
example, a first association can be determined between an item
level identification number and an automatic identification number
disposed on a first item, as previously described. A second
association can be determined between the item level identification
number and an automatic identification number on a second item.
Thus, the first and second items can be associated with each other
by the item level association system 171.
[0123] Additionally, the markings disposed on either of the first
and second items can be representative of either an item level
identification number or an automatic identification number. The
different items bearing the various markings can be processed
serially, in parallel or in any other manner. Furthermore, in
another alternate embodiment one or more markings can be applied to
the surface 150a before the substrate 150 is received by the item
level association system 171 and one or more markings can be
applied to the surface 150a within the item level association
system 171. It will be understood that some identifying information
for an item, (i.e. either its item level identification number or
its automatic identification number), may already be known in the
case where a marking is disposed on the surface 150a prior to the
time that the surface 150a is received by the identification system
171. In this case it may only be necessary to perform one
interrogation in order to determine the required association.
[0124] Additionally, a plurality of markings representative of item
level identification numbers can be disposed on a surface 150 by a
process such as the integrated process 174 within the item level
association system 171. Furthermore, a plurality of markings having
automatic identification numbers, such as those applied by the
processing station 176, can be applied to a surface 150a within the
item level association system 171. Any of the markings applied in
this manner can be associated with each other and with an item or
items by the item level association system 171.
[0125] A processing station 124, 126 for performing the tag
fabrication process 120 and a device performing an integrated
process need not be stand alone devices dedicated to performing
their own operations. It is also contemplated that one or more
processing stations 124, 126 can be built into a host device which
can perform the integrated process or processes. It is also
contemplated that a device performing one or more integrated
processes can be built into a system for performing the tag
fabrication process 120. For example, one or more processing
stations 124, 126 can be built into a host device, such as a
printing device, at the time the host device is manufactured. The
resulting integrated surface processing systems 167, 171 are thus
adapted to print on the surface of an item, and fabricate a
security tag on the surface of the item, as part of an integrated
in-line process.
[0126] Additionally, a system performing the tag fabrication
process 120 can be provided as a component of a device or a part of
a component of a device performing an integrated function. For
example, a processing station 124, 126 can be built into a
component for insertion into a host device performing an integrated
function, such as a processing station 124, 126 adapted to function
as a roller for insertion into a host printing device. The
component or part of a component including the processing station
124, 126 can be detachably secured to the host device or fixed to
the host device.
[0127] In an especially advantageous preferred embodiment of the
invention, a processing station 124, 126 can be integrated with a
flexographic printing device to fabricate security tags at speeds
of at least two orders of magnitude faster than conventional
photo-etching fabrication processes. Furthermore, the ability to
build a processing station 124, 126 into a roller for insertion
into a flexographic printing device permits the fabrication of
security tags at this greatly increased speed and without the large
investment that would be required to obtain a new printing device
manufactured with a processing station 124, 126 therein for
performing the tag fabrication process 120.
[0128] The tag fabrication process 120 can be integrated with a
process for preparing a surface of substrates adapted to be
associated with an item to be monitored, in addition to the item
itself. A surface processed by the tag fabrication process 120 can
be associated with an item to be monitored by clipping or adhering
it to the material of the item, by inserting it into the item or
packaging containing the item, by merely placing it in the vicinity
of the item or in any other manner. For example, the tag
fabrication process 120 can be applied to pallets for transporting
items or packaging materials for containing an item or items to be
monitored; for example, to materials such as plastic, paper, cloth
or cardboard, especially the cardboard of corrugated boxes.
[0129] When a surface processing system such as a surface
processing system 167, 171 is being operated, it is sometimes
useful to determine how many times an individual processing station
164, 176, 180 is operated, or more specifically, how many security
tags are fabricated by the surface processing system 167, 171. Many
different counting mechanisms are known to those skilled in the art
for making these determinations. For example, the number of
rotations or other movements of a rotary adhesive transfer device
or a rotary die cutter can be counted using a conventional rotation
counter. If a processing station 124, 126 is inserted into a roller
of a printer such as a flexographic printer, the number of
rotations of the roller can be counted. Additionally, the number of
items processed by the surface processing system 167, 171,
regardless of how many items receive a security tag, can be
determined by conventional suitable counting devices disposed at
suitable locations within the integrated devices.
[0130] Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown the billing model
200 for determining billing information for users of the tag
fabrication process 120. The costs for using the tag processing
process 120 can be determined and billed to a user of the system
120 in many ways. One method for billing the user is to include the
costs of the fabricating process 120 in a sale or rental of
equipment adapted to perform the process 120. For example, a
processing station 124, 126, along with any number of additional
processing stations and integrated processes, can be included
within a flexographic printer purchased by a user in order to
fabricate security tags. Purchase of the equipment adapted to
perform the tag fabricating process 120 can thus give the purchaser
the right to use the purchased equipment to perform the tag
fabricating process 120.
[0131] Alternately, the user of the tag fabricating process 120 can
be billed on a usage basis, such as a per-tag-basis. A usage cost
determined in this manner can be either instead of or in addition
to the foregoing costs incorporated into the cost or the rent of
the equipment. In order to determine the usage costs in this
embodiment of the billing models 200, the number of security tags
fabricated by the user of the process 120 can be counted. For
example, any conventional counter can be inserted into a roller or
other device for performing the adhesive transfer functions or the
die cutting functions of a processing station 124, 126.
Alternately, the usage costs can be determined by monitoring the
amount of adhesive, conductor, substrate or any other resource
supplied to a processing station 124, 126, such as electricity.
Furthermore, the usage costs can be determined by monitoring any of
the operations of any integrated process, by measuring the time of
operation of the tag fabricating process 120, the number of
fabricated tags that are operating correctly, or any other
operation or method.
[0132] It will be understood that the methods set forth for
determining the usage cost for billing a user of the tag
fabrication process 120 are for illustrative purposes only and are
not intended to be exhaustive. For example, in the embodiment of
the tag fabrication process 120 in which the user selectably
applies a security tag to a varying percentage of the items being
processed by an integrated process, the costs can be determined on
a per-item-basis, a per-tag-basis, or any other basis, including
discounts based upon usage volume. Similarly, if a user is applying
plural security tags to items, either selectably or to all of the
items, the costs can be determined on the same bases. In another
alternate embodiment of the invention, wherein preformed circuit
elements such as coils or plates are disposed on a substrate during
the fabrication process, the number of such circuit elements
supplied to the fabrication process can be counted. Alternatively,
a user of the present invention can be required to purchase such
preformed elements or materials from a predetermined seller in
order to determine the number of circuit elements used for purposes
of obtaining billing information.
[0133] The output information of suitable counting an/or measuring
devices within a processing station 202, an integrated process 203
and/or any other related monitoring devices 206 is applied to an
event counter 208 for obtaining a measure of the amount of usage of
the tag fabrication process 120. The usage component of the costs
within the billing models 200 is provided at the output of the
event counter 208 and applied to a process usage component block
210.
[0134] Additional costs, if any, are also determined within the
billing models 210. For example, costs due to any purchase or
rental agreements can be determined at block 212 and any additional
agreed upon licensing costs can be determined at block 214. The
licensing can be licensing of tag designs, tag design tools or any
other properties, including know-how. Any other additional costs
agreed to can also be determined at this point. The output of the
blocks 210, 212 and 214 are applied to the input of the summation
device 216 to provide the determined billing for the tag
fabrication process 120.
[0135] Referring now to FIG. 11, there is shown a schematic
representation of a surface processing system 250 including a color
printing press 253 and a tag fabrication processing station 272 for
applying color ink patterns and circuit elements to a surface of a
substrate 251 to fabricate security tags according to the present
invention. The substrate 251 can be any suitable substrate
material. For example, the substrate 251 can be plastic, paper or a
cardboard, preferably a corrugated cardboard. Within the printing
press 253, cyan 252, magenta 254, yellow 256 and blue 258 inks are
applied to a surface of the substrate 251 in order to provide the
printed colored patterns on the surface thereof. The substrate 251
can be flipped over at turnover point 270 of the surface processing
system 250 in order to permit the remaining operations of the
surface processing system 250 to be performed on the surface of the
substrate 251 opposite the surface to which the color pattern is
applied by the printing press 253.
[0136] Within the tag fabrication station 272, a patterned adhesive
can be applied to a surface of the substrate 251 by an adhesive
application device such as the adhesive transfer device 274. A
windowing machine 278 can be provided within the surface processing
station 250 in order to place preformed circuit elements, for
example, capacitor plates, antennas or coils including nested coils
on the surface of the substrate 251. The windowing machine 278 can
be the conventional type of windowing machine well known by those
skilled in the art for placing, for example, cellophane windows on
envelopes using a transferring vacuum drum. The use of a windowing
machine 278 is especially advantageous within the surface
processing system 250 because it permits the placement of circuit
elements of many differing sizes and shapes upon the substrate 251
without making substantial changes to the tag fabrication station
272.
[0137] Furthermore, the use of a windowing machine 278 permits the
fabrication process of the station 272 to be easily changed from
one size or shape of circuit element to another. For example, using
a windowing machine 278, it is possible to very easily switch from
a fabrication process requiring one inch strips to a process
requiring three inch strips, by providing a continuous strip of
conductive foil which is cut to the required size and placed at the
required location by the vacuum drum for each individual circuit.
It is possible to easily switch from one shape of circuit element
to another by merely applying separate pieces of circuit elements
of differing shapes to the windowing machine as required, for
example by disposing the circuit elements on a carrier in order to
apply them to the windowing machine 278.
[0138] A die cutter 280 within the surface processing system 250
can then be used to cut around the shape and the waste produced
thereby is removed at the waste removal station 282. This results
in a substrate 284 carrying a semi-finished product such as, for
example, coils including inductor coils, capacitor plates or
antennas.
[0139] Referring now to FIGS. 12, 13A and 13B, there is shown an
input stage 288 of a surface processing system for fabricating
security tags according to the present invention, as well as plan
and cross-sectional views of a carrier 292 for carrying a supply of
circuit elements 300 to the input stage 288. The circuit elements
300 can be, for example, capacitor plates, coils, antennas or fuses
for fabricating security tags, including RFID security tags. The
input stage 288 can also receive a semi-finished product, such as
the semi-finished product disposed on the carrier 284 provided by
the surface processing system 250.
[0140] The carrier 292 and the carrier 284 are applied to a hot
stamp coil saver 296 within the input stage 288. The circuit
elements 300 disposed on the carrier 292 can thus be applied to the
circuit elements disposed on the carrier 284 to form resonant
circuits for security tags.
[0141] The circuit elements 300 are preferably disposed as close as
possible to each other on the carrier 292 in order to conserve
space. The motion of the carrier 284 and/or the motion of the
carrier 292 into the hot stamp coil saver 296 are controlled using
servo motors (not shown) in order to provide the proper
registration between the circuit elements on the carrier 284 and
the circuit elements on the carrier 292. In one application of the
input stage 288, capacitor plates can be heat sealed onto coils
using the rollers 298 within the hot stamp coil saver 296 when
proper registration is achieved. Heat can be applied in the same
shape as the circuit elements 300.
[0142] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the circuit
elements 300 can be adhered to the carrier 292 by an adhesive layer
304. A further adhesive layer 306 can be provided on the opposite
surface of the circuit elements 300 in order to assist in bonding
the circuit elements 300 to, for example, inductor coils. It will
be understood that the adhesive between the circuit elements 300
and the inductor coils can be provided on the surface of the
circuit elements 300, on the surface of the inductor coils, or on
both surfaces. Furthermore, it will be understood that the adhesive
between the circuit elements 300 and the coils can be an adhesive
dielectric.
[0143] Referring now to FIG. 14, there is shown a surface
processing system 320 for fabricating security tags in accordance
with the present invention. A die cutter 328 within the surface
processing system 320 can receive a conductive foil 324 and form
circuit elements, such as the circuit elements 300 (see FIGS. 13A
and 13B). Thus, the die cutter 328 can produce the previously
described carrier 292. A waste take up roll 326 can remove the
waste conductor foil produced by the die cutting process performed
by the die cutter 328. It will be understood that the waste
conductor foil on the waste take up roll 326 can be recycled into
the die cutter 328 in order to more efficiently use the conductor
foil 324.
[0144] The carrier 284 and the carrier 292 are applied to the hot
stamp foil saver 296 of the surface processing system 320,
substantially as previously described with respect to the input
stage 288. The hot stamp foil saver 296 presses the carriers 284,
292 together, hot stamping the circuit elements 300 disposed on the
carrier 292 onto the ones disposed on the carrier 284, as
previously described, thus, providing the carrier 294 having
resonant circuits suitable for use in security tags.
[0145] The carrier 294 can then be applied to a deactivation
station 336 to provide capability and/or test deactivation
effectiveness within the circuits formed by the hot stamp foil
saver 296. A preferred deactivation point can be created by
scratching one or both sides of the dielectric, for example using a
mechanical process, whereby two traces are brought closer together.
The mechanical process can use a dimpling process to bring two
conductive traces relatively closer to each other at a selected
point or any other mechanical technique. Any tests of deactivation
effectiveness can be performed on a predetermined percentage of the
circuits, for example, one circuit out of a thousand. The
percentage of circuits which do not deactivate can thus be
determined. A weld station 340 can be provided within the surface
processing system 320.
[0146] An inspection of the circuits formed on the carrier 294 by
the hot stamp foil saver 296 can be performed at the inspection
station 344. The inspection station 344 can test any circuit
parameter or parameters desired. The inspection performed by the
inspection station 344 can be used to identify defective circuits
disposed on the carrier 294, as well as to perform any metering
functions desired. Additionally, the inspection station 344 can be
used to provide feedback to earlier stages of the surface
processing system 320, or to provide a feed forward signal to later
stages, for adjusting and controlling any circuit parameters
desired. In addition to being used to correct circuits being formed
by the surface processing system 320 (e.g. by changing registration
or trimming) the inspection station 344 can be used to mark any
defective circuits it locates, or even to repair such defective
circuits. A die cutter 346 can also be provided.
[0147] In an alternate embodiment of the invention (not shown), the
surface processing station 320 can be modified by removing the die
cutter 328 and the hot stamp foil saver 296, and substituting in
their place an in line printing station for applying a conductive
ink to the circuit elements disposed on the carrier 284. In this
manner, it is possible to form, for example, a plate of a capacitor
over a coil disposed on the carrier 284 from the conductive
ink.
[0148] The metering functions performed within the inspection
station 344 or any other operations within the system 320 can be
coupled to a communication channel 250 in order to permit
monitoring of a tag fabrication process being performed by a system
such as the surface processing system 320. Monitoring by way of the
communication channel 250 can be performed at a location within the
system 320, external to the system 320 at another location in a
plant or installation where the system 320 is disposed, or at a
location remote from the location where the system 320 is
disposed.
[0149] The communication channel 250 can be an internet connection,
a broadcast link such as a radio frequency link or a microwave
link, a telephone connection, an electrical wire, an optical link,
or any other unidirectional or bidirectional system for
communicating data. Thus, the quality as well as the quantity of
the tags being fabricated by the fabrication process such as the
processes performed by the surface processing system 300 can be
monitored from any location.
[0150] Data collected in this manner by the surface monitoring
system 320 can be applied as an input to the billing model 200 for
determining billing information. Thus, the communication channel
250 can permit billing information to be determined locally or
remotely. Additionally, since the information transmitted by the
surface processing system 320 can include center frequency, quality
factor Q, signal amplitude and deactivation effectiveness as well
as any other parameter, the inspection station 344 can permit a
licensor of the tag fabrication process of the present invention to
monitor the quality as well as the quantity of tags being
fabricated by a licensee.
[0151] Referring now to FIG. 15, there is shown the capacitor 360
which is suitable for use in a security tag. The capacitor 360 can
be formed according to any one of the preferred embodiments of the
present invention or by any other fabrication process known to
those to those skilled in the art. The capacitor 360 includes a
bottom plate 372, a dielectric layer 370 and a top plate 366. The
bottom plate 372 can be disposed upon a surface 362a of a substrate
362. Furthermore, the bottom plate 372 can be disposed directly
upon the surface 362a or upon one or more intervening layers
disposed between the bottom plate 372 and the surface 362a.
[0152] In prior art, it is known to achieve alignment of the plates
366, 372 in many ways. For example, alignment indicia on a package
or substrate can be used, thereby allowing for a fiducial or
barcode type structure. However, when fabricating capacitors,
failure to correctly align the top and bottom plates of the
capacitor, for example due to manufacturing variations, could
result in substantial variations in the value of the capacitance
produced. Variations in the value of the capacitance result in
unwanted shifts in the resonant frequency of a circuit. The
manufacturing variations can be due to differing design
considerations, the tolerances of a design process, or other
factors.
[0153] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the top plate
366 of the capacitor 360 is formed substantially small compared to
the bottom plate 372. Additionally, the top plate 366 is disposed
at a location offset from an edge of the bottom plate 372 in at
least one planar dimension of the surface plane of the bottom plate
372. Preferably, the top plate 366 is offset from the edges of the
bottom plate 372 in both orthogonal planar directions of the bottom
plate 372. The magnitudes of the offset or offsets are selected
according to the expected variations in the positioning of the top
plate 366 relative to the bottom plate 372.
[0154] In the preferred embodiment, the magnitude of the offset is
selected such that at least a portion of the bottom plate 372
continues to be disposed below the entire surface area of the top
plate 366 when the positioning of the top plate 366 over the bottom
plate 362 is within the expected variations. In this configuration,
the entire surface of the top capacitor plate 366 faces an opposing
area of the bottom plate 372 as long as the variations in the
positioning are within the expected range. Thus, the effective
capacitor plate area for determining the capacitance of the
capacitor 360 remains substantially equal to the area of the top
plate 366 regardless of variations in the alignment of the plates
366, 372. This results in the value of the capacitance of the
capacitor 360 being substantially unchanged due to such variations
in the relative alignment of the plates 366, 372.
[0155] The plate 366 is described herein as the top plate of the
capacitor 360 and the plate 372 is described as the bottom plate
for illustrative purposes only. It will be understood by those
skilled in the art that a lower plate of a capacitor can be formed
substantially smaller than a top plate, and preferably offset from
the edges of the larger plate in at least one planar direction in
order to obtain the advantageous results of the invention.
Furthermore, it will be understood that the plates 366, 372 can be
disposed on opposing sides of any dielectric material, such as the
opposing sides of the substrate 362.
[0156] It will be understood that the word "security" in security
tag is broader than a tag for providing security against theft. The
tag can be any tag providing a signal to indicate its presence or
other information about itself or an item with which it is
associated for any purpose. Furthermore, the method of the
invention can be used to fabricate any circuit or circuit element
and is not limited to circuits within tags.
[0157] While the invention has been described in detail and with
reference to specific examples thereof, it will be apparent to one
skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be
made therein without departing from the spirit and scope
thereof.
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