Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02796785 2012-11-21
TITLE
[0001] Circumvention Resistant RFID Tag
FIELD
[0002] There is described an RFID tag for use in a retail setting that is
more difficult to
circumvent.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Over the past decade, RFID was expected to become a very large
part of the retail
I 0 and library sectors. The RFID tag is an incredible tool, as it can
carry much more information
than its predecessor the barcode, and does not require line of sight. The RFID
tag has
struggled to gain momentum as was anticipated due to the cost of the RFID tag,
and the fact
that RFID faces interference issues. The RFID tag, among point of sale and
logistics, was to
be an important tool for reducing shoplifting.
[0004] By replacing the barcode with the RFID tag, a key added benefit
was that the
retailer could stop the process of EAS (electronic article surveillance)
tagging items for theft
reduction. EAS tagging is an added expense of both labor and tag prices. After
all, the RFID
tag is an improvement upon the RF tag; one of the first EAS technologies in
retail.
[0005] However, the reality was that the RFID tag could not be used
effectively for loss
prevention. The same thing that gave the RFID tag its power (high bandwidth
frequency) was
also its weakness ¨ a tag easily confused/defeated by everyday items and tools
of the
shoplifter trade. Therefore, retailers were required to continue the practice
of EAS tagging
items, even with the addition of RFID technology.
[0006] There have been attempts at developing RFID/RF EAS and RFID/AM EAS
(acousto-magnetic EAS), however, even these two technologies cannot deter a
sophisticated
shoplifter, as the RFID/RF or RFID/AM tags can be defeated by items with high
metal or
battery content, or foil-lined bags (booster bags) ¨ a huge industry problem.
SUMMARY
CA 02796785 2012-11-21
2
[0007] There is provided a circumvention resistant RFID tag with a
body having a
front face, a rear face and a peripheral edge. The body carries RFID
technology. In order to
make the RFID tag circumvention resistant, a strip of amorphous ribbon is
positioned along at
least one peripheral edge of the body. The amorphous ribbon carries EM EAS
technology.
[0008] The above described tag combines the highest frequency tag
technology in the
industry, with that of the lowest frequency tag technology. This combination
allows for low
frequency to penetrate booster bags, while the high frequency can transfer
data to the store
(item specific details) if they are available (based on pick rate of the RFID
tag ¨ orientation,
clean environment (no metals, etc.)). Having these low and high frequency
technologies on
one tag, allows the retailer to simplistically tag/price artifacts in the
retail store (or library)
once. By providing the retailer or library with one tag, it allows for
detection through the full
spectrum of electronic tag support.
[0009] Should the RFID tag be shielded or oriented in a way that the
reader does not pick
the tag, the amorphous ribbon system is then afforded the opportunity to act
as a safety net for
the artifact. Should a retailer be faced with ORC (Organized Retail Crime) or
professional
shoplifters using a booster bag or other tactic to defeat the EAS, the
amorphous ribbon will
have the opportunity to pick up the artifact due to the low frequency inherent
in amorphous
ribbon technology (the amorphous ribbon is not required to be energized by the
reader, thus,
the ribbon still provides signal even inside a booster bag).
[0010] In a library situation, should the RFID tag of the book be blocked
by a laptop, iPad
or other electronic device, again the amorphous will have the best chance at
capturing the
book.
[0011] However, should the amorphous ribbon not be captured by the
system, the RFID
reader then has the chance to capture the artifact. Whether the retailer or
library relies
primarily on the RFID or the amorphous ribbon for detection of artifacts is
not relevant. The
dual tag technology, leveraging high and low frequency allows the customer to
obtain the
very best protection and intelligence for their business.
CA 02796785 2012-11-21
3
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] These
and other features will become more apparent from the following
description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings
are for the
purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting,
wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a Circumvention Resistant RFID
Tag.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] A
Circumvention Resistant RFID Tag, generally identified by reference numeral
10, will now be described with reference to FIG. 1.
Structure and Relationship of Parts:
[0015] The RFID tag in Fig. 1 illustrates the RFID Tag (2) having been
applied on a single
surface (label) in with one or more amorphous ribbons (4) and, if the tag
requires deactivation
of the amorphous material a deactivation strip or other deactivation material
(6) applied
directly on top of the amorphous ribbon (4).
Operation:
[0016] The tag
operates as a single application tag that holds RFID and amorphous
ribbon(s); this may also include amorphous deactivation strips. The RFID tag
supports
logistics, point of sale, authentication, etc., operating at high bandwidth
(frequency).
[0017] The amorphous ribbon strengthens the tag, operating in low frequency
used to
protect this business from theft where the RFID tag is missed, or the RFID tag
is shielded by
metals or batteries. The invention includes an RFID integrated circuit, a
strip of amorphous
ribbon, and a strip of spot deactivation material used to deactivate the
amorphous ribbon.
This is all placed on a single label, thus removing the need for a second
label on a product.
The weaknesses of RFID are that they are easily defeated by shoplifters, and
easily interfered
with by metals (intentional and unintentional). The EM EAS, is a unique
material that does
CA 02796785 2012-11-21
4
not suffer this kind of interference from metals, acting as a safeguard for
the RFID when the
tag is shielded. The two technologies act together to form a safety net
protecting each other's
weakness most relevant to professional and organized retail theft.
Variations:
[0018] The tag includes an RFID that that has amorphous material applied
to the exterior
edge(s) of the RFID tag. These exterior edges include any exterior edge of the
tag. There can
be amorphous ribbon applied to any edge of the tag, and the number of
amorphous ribbons
applied to the edges can exceed one. There will be times where tags are
comprised of
amorphous ribbon on 2, 3 or even 4 sides that may even include multiple strips
of amorphous
ribbon on that/those sides.
Cautionary Warnings:
[0019] The CRRFID tag resulted in research and development of various
different RFID
tag approaches, as well as research and development of various EAS materials
and
technologies. Following this research, it was identified that only one EAS
technology was
compatible for the solution; electro-magnetic or amorphous metals. This
allowed further
research and subsequent proto-type tag development for testing.
[0020] It was identified through testing that due to the properties of the
RFID material, the
amorphous could be placed on any part of the RFID in essentially any
orientation. The
difficulty came however in finding a placement and orientation that did not
interfere with that
of the RFID.
[0021] As mentioned, the RFID struggles to communicate and become
energized when
metals or batteries are in proximity. Therefore, by adding any EAS (all EAS
technologies are
metal), the material of the EAS then becomes a shield to the RFID signal. The
sheer mass of
the RF and AM EAS technologies caused research to end when considering what
EAS
material if any could be successfully paired with RFID.
CA 02796785 2012-11-21
[0022] It was believed that due to the small mass of the amorphous
material that the
amorphous would not interfere with the RFID tag; this was not the case.
Numerous RFID tag
types were tested, as well as various manufactures of tags. Work began on
identifying what
the cause of the RFID interference was. Theories of the interference primarily
included that
5 the amorphous ribbon lying on the RFID inlay was causing the RFID tag to
short circuit.
Other theories included that due to the unique properties of the amorphous
ribbon,
interference yet to be identified with the RFID was to blame. Other theories
suggested that
the deactivation material was interfering, and that the amorphous ribbon was
not to blame.
[0023] After more than 40 prototypes that included various placements of
the RFID and
the amorphous, inclusion and exclusion of the deactivation material, various
approaches of
using different label linings to create insulation between the RFID and
amorphous were
conducted.
[0024] Various levels of interference were observed from ¨25-90%; testing
included
handheld and stationary RFID readers. The RFID interference was observed as a
result of
various different application techniques including placement and insulation
via various
linings.
[0025] It was identified after these various tests and subsequent
failures, and with
consideration in mind that would support the cost effective construction of
the CRRFID, that
the material would be applied in parallel with the edge of the RFID tag, where
the RFID tag is
applied with or without insulation of the RFID inlay.
[0026] The creation of the tag requires the ability to use barkhausen
amorphous ribbon as
well as the industry standard harmonic amorphous ribbon. Barkhausen amorphous
ribbon,
due to its metallurgic components, is a fine strand of metal that has a
'twist' in the material.
As such, this material cannot be applied with a blow applicator (used for
placement of metals
or inserts in labels). Therefore, the material must be applied in the
direction the tags/labels
are produced in order to achieve efficiency that can lead to tag costs the
industry (retail and
CA 02796785 2012-11-21
6
library) can bare.
[0027] In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in its non-
limiting sense to
mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically
mentioned are not
excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not
exclude the
possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context
clearly requires that
there be one and only one of the elements.
[0028] The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred
embodiments set
forth in the examples, but should be given a broad purposive interpretation
consistent with the
description as a whole.
