Method and apparatus pertaining to a placement of a radio-frequency identification tag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9487322-B2
Application number	US-201213437627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2012
Priority date	Apr 2, 2012
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

An RFID tag is secured to an electrically-conductive object having an external peripheral edge where first and second non-coplanar sides of the object meet one another, wherein at least the first non-coplanar side comprises electrically-conductive material. By one approach the RFID tag is secured to the first non-coplanar side of the object at the external peripheral edge such that a first portion of the RFID tag's antenna proximally overlies an electrically-conductive portion of the first non-coplanar side of the object while a second portion of the RFID tag's antenna does not proximally overlie any electrically-conductive portion of the object. Determining the size of the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna that will overlie the first non-coplanar side of the object comprises tuning the capacitive coupling between the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna and the object to thereby achieve a desired range and/or degree of RFID tag performance.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method comprising:
providing a package having an external peripheral edge where first and second non-coplanar sides of the package meet one another, wherein at least the first non-coplanar side comprises electrically-conductive material;
securing a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag to the first non-coplanar side of the package at the external peripheral edge such that a first portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies an electrically-conductive portion of the first non-coplanar side of the package and a second portion of the RFID tag's antenna does not overlie any electrically-conductive portion of the package, wherein the second portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies one of:
the second non-coplanar side of the package; and
no part of the package.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the package comprises a parallelepiped.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the parallelepiped comprises a rectangular cuboid.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag comprises a planar substrate that supports the antenna.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the planar substrate is parallel to the first non-coplanar side of the package and perpendicular to the second non-coplanar side of the package.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the planar substrate comprises a substantially transparent material.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the planar substrate comprises a resilient material.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining the size of the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna to overlie the first non-coplanar side of the package to thereby tune capacitive coupling between the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna and the package to achieve a desired range of performance.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the desired range of performance comprises, at least in part, a desired range of radio frequency performance by the RFID tag.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the package includes a substantially coextensive metal liner.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the metal liner of the package serves as a plate of a capacitor having a remaining plate that comprises the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna.

12. An apparatus comprising:
a package having an external peripheral edge where first and second non-coplanar sides of the package meet one another, wherein at least the first non-coplanar side comprises electrically-conductive material;
a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag secured to the first non-coplanar side of the package at the external peripheral edge such that a first portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies an electrically-conductive portion of the first non-coplanar side of the package and a second portion of the RFID tag's antenna does not overlie any electrically-conductive portion of the package, wherein the second portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies one of:
the second non-coplanar side of the package; and
no part of the package.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the package comprises a rectangular cuboid.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the RFID tag comprises a planar substrate that supports the antenna.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the planar substrate is parallel to the first non-coplanar side of the package and perpendicular to the second non-coplanar side of the package.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the planar substrate comprises a substantially transparent material.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the planar substrate comprises a resilient material.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the size of the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna that overlies the first non-planar side of the package is selected to tune capacitive coupling between the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna and the package to achieve a desired range of RFID tag performance.

19. A method comprising:
providing an electrically-conductive object having an external peripheral edge where first and second non-coplanar sides of the object meet one another, wherein at least the first non-coplanar side comprises electrically-conductive material;
securing a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag to the first non-coplanar side of the object at the external peripheral edge such that a first portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies an electrically-conductive portion of the first non-coplanar side of the object and a second portion of the RFID tag's antenna does not overlie any electrically-conductive portion of the object, wherein the second portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies one of:
the second non-coplanar side of the package; and
no part of the package.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the object comprises one of:
a part of a shelf;
a container.

Assignees

• Wilkinson Bruce W
• Wal Mart Stores Inc

Inventors

• Wilkinson Bruce W

Classifications

• B65D2203/10

  Transponders · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• B65D5/563 Primary

  Laminated linings; Coatings · CPC title