Verification of RFID activation using tamper evident loop

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12579397-B1
Application number	US-202418884614-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 13, 2024
Priority date	Sep 13, 2024
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

Devices and methods for Verification of RFID Activation Using Tamper Evident Loops are disclosed herein. An example is provided by an RF tag, including an antenna, an integrated circuit, an electrical circuit, electrically connected to the integrated circuit, an activation branch, included in the electrical circuit, an activation indicator component, coupled to the activation branch, having a component conductive state and component nonconductive state, an indicator branch, defining a parallel circuit with the activation branch, included in the electrical circuit, and an activatable environmental exposure indicator, coupled to the indicator branch, having an indicator conductive state and an indicator nonconductive state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An radio-frequency/RF tag, comprising: an antenna; an integrated circuit; an electrical circuit, electrically connected to the integrated circuit; an activation branch, included in the electrical circuit; an activation indicator component, coupled to the activation branch, having a component conductive state and component nonconductive state; an indicator branch, defining a parallel circuit with the activation branch, included in the electrical circuit; and an activatable environmental exposure indicator, coupled to the indicator branch, having an indicator conductive state and an indicator nonconductive state; wherein the activation indicator component transitions from the component conductive state to the component nonconductive state responsive to an application of an activation action; wherein the activatable environmental exposure indicator becomes environmentally sensitive responsive to the application of the activation action, such that when the RF tag is subsequently exposed to a predetermined environmental exposure, the activatable environmental exposure indicator transitions to from the indicator conductive state to the indicator nonconductive state; wherein the electrical circuit is closed when one and both of (a) the activation indicator component is in the component conductive state and (b) the activatable environmental exposure indicator is in the indicator conductive state; and wherein the integrated circuit is configured, responsive to the RF tag being interrogated by an interrogation signal in a predetermined radiofrequency range which is received by the antenna, to emit a first distinctresponse signal responsive to the interrogation signal when the electrical circuit is closed and emit a second distinct response signal responsive to the interrogation signal.

2 . The RF tag of claim 1 , wherein the activation indicator component includes a wick, a plurality of conductive particles, and a plurality of microcapsules, each microcapsule including a frangible shell containing a fluid.

3 . The RF tag of claim 2 , wherein each frangible shell of the plurality of microcapsules comprises a material selected from a group consisting of: a protein, a gel, a polyurea formaldehyde, a polymelamine formaldehyde, a wax material, an emulsion, other polymeric materials, and combinations thereof.

4 . The RF tag of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of conductive particles is selected from a group consisting of: particles containing copper, particles containing silver, particles containing graphite, particles containing carbon black, particles containing graphene, particles containing graphene oxide, particles containing other functionalized graphenes, particles containing conductive metals, particles containing conductive non-metal materials, and combinations thereof.

5 . The RF tag of claim 2 , wherein the fluid comprises a material selected from a group consisting of: a side-chain crystallizable polymer, an alkane, a wax, an alkane wax, esters, other polymeric materials, and combinations thereof.

6 . The RF tag of claim 2 wherein the plurality of conductive particles is disposed adjacent to the wick and in contact with one another, forming an electrical connection, and the plurality of microcapsules are disposed adjacent to the plurality of conductive particles.

7 . The RF tag of claim 6 , wherein an application of the activation action activates the plurality of microcapsules such that the frangible shells are ruptured, and the fluid is released from the frangible shells, such that the fluid draws the plurality of conductive particles into the wick, disengaging the electrical connection and transitioning the activation indicator component to the component nonconductive state.

8 . The RF tag of claim 1 , wherein the activatable environmental exposure indicator includes a plurality of microcapsules, each microcapsule including a frangible shell containing one or more of a plurality of conductive particles embedded in a liquefiable material.

9 . The RF tag of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of conductive particles is selected from a group consisting of: particles containing copper, particles containing silver, particles containing graphite, particles containing carbon black, particles containing graphene, particles containing graphene oxide, particles containing other functionalized graphenes, particles containing conductive metals, particles containing conductive non-metal materials, and combinations thereof.

10 . The RF tag of claim 8 , wherein an application of the activation action activates the plurality of microcapsules such that the frangible shells are ruptured, and the liquefiable material and the plurality of conductive particles are released from the frangible shells, such that the plurality of conductive particles forms a second electrical connection when the liquefiable material liquefies responsive to the predetermined environmental exposure, transitioning the activatable environmental exposure indicator to the indicator conductive state.

11 . The RF tag of claim 1 , wherein the first distinct response signal is transmitted in a first radiofrequency band, and the second distinct response signal is transmitted in a second radiofrequency band.

12 . The RF tag of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit contains a memory, and the first distinct response signal contains a first data stored in the memory, and the second distinct response signal contains a second data stored in the memory.

13 . The RF tag of claim 1 , wherein the activation action is thermal stress with a predetermined activation threshold selected from a group consisting of: a temperature exceeding 35 degrees Celsius (C), a temperature exceeding 40 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 45 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 50 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 55 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 60 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 65 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 70 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 75 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 80 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 85 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 90 degrees C., a temperature exceeding 95 degrees C., and a temperature exceeding 100 degrees C.

14 . The RF tag of claim 1 , wherein the activation action is a compression stress or a shear stress with a predetermined activation threshold selected from a group consisting of: a stress exceeding 0.1 psi a stress exceeding 0.5 psi, a stress exceeding 1 psi, a stress exceeding 2 psi, a stress exceeding 5 psi, a stress exceeding 10 psi, and a stress exceeding 15 psi.

15 . The RF tag of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined environmental exposure is selected from a group consisting of: a temperature excursion above a predetermined temperature threshold for at least a predetermined amount of time, temperature excursion below a predetermined temperature for at least a predetermined amount of time, cumulative exposure to temperature over a time period above a predetermined threshold for at least a predetermined amount of time, an exposure to a particular chemical, an oxygen exposure, an ammonia exposure, an exposure to a particular chemical above a threshold concentration, an exposure to a particular chemical above the threshold concentration for at least a predetermined amount of time, an exposure to at least a predetermined amount of radiation of a particular type, an predetermined electromagnetic exposure, a humidity exposure, an exposure to a humidity level above a predetermined threshold, and an exposure to a humidity level above a predetermined threshold for at least a predetermined amount of time

Assignees

• Temptime Corp
• Zebra Tech Corp

Inventors

• Macdavitt Sean
• Abdo Mohannad
• Liberato Eric W

Classifications

• G06K19/0717 Primary

  the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure · CPC title

• G06K19/0723 Primary

  the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs · CPC title