United States: (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2007/0008121 A1

US 20070008121Al
( 12) Patent Application Publication ( 10) Pub. N o. : US 2007/0008121 A1

( 19 ) United States
Hart ( 4 3 ) Pub. D ate: J an. 11, 2007
( 5 4 ) RFID D ISABLEMEN T D ETECTION OF
TAMPERIN G
( 76 ) Inv entor: Matt E. Hart, Lunenburg , MA ( US)
Corres pondence Addres s :
FEN WICK & WEST LLP
SILICON VALLEY CEN TER
801 CALIFORN IA STREET
MOUN TAIN VIEW, CA 9 4 04 1 ( US)
( 21) Appl. N o. : 11/14 9 , 819
( 22) Filed: J un. 9 , 2005
Publication Clas s i? cation
( 5 1) Int. Cl.
G08B 21/00 ( 2006 . 01)
( 5 2) US. Cl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4 0/5 4 0
( 5 7) ABSTRACT
Radio Freq uency identi? cation ( RFID ) tag s are af ? x ed to
obj ects in s uch a Way as to reliably ch ang e s tate in res pons e
to a trig g er ev ent. Th e ch ang e in s tate of an RFID tag bas ed
on a trig g er ev ent is us ed to indicate a ch ang e in s tate of an
obj ect as s ociated With th e RFID tag . Th e s tate of an RFID
tag can be rem otely detected With an RFID reader. Th us , th e
ch ang e in s tate of th e obj ect as s ociated With th e RFID tag
can als o be rem otely detected.
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Patent Application Publication J an. 11, 2007 Sh eet 1 0f 10 US 2007/0008121 A1
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US 2007/0008121 A1 Patent Application Publication J an. 11, 2007 Sh eet 5 0f 10
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US 2007/0008121 A1
RFID D ISABLEMEN T D ETECTION OF
TAMPERIN G
FIELD OF THE IN VEN TION
[ 0001] Th e pres ent inv ention relates g enerally to radio
f req uency identi? cation tag s .
BACKGROUN D
[ 0002] Product m anuf acturers and s ellers us e tam per
detection m eth ods and s y s tem s to m ake ev ident any unau
th oriZ ed acces s to a product f rom th e tim e it Was orig inally
packag ed. For ex am ple, tam per- ev ident m etal tops f or pres
s uriZ ed g las s bottles h av e a depres s ed button in th e center
th at pops up af ter th e bottle is opened. As anoth er ex am ple,
f oil or plas tic s eals can indicate th at a product h as been
opened if th ey are broken or m is s ing .
[ 0003 ] Conv entional m eth ods of tam per detection rely on
proactiv e v is ual ins pection of th e packag ing of each item . In
s om e cas es , th e integ rity of th e s eals is di? icult to ins pect.
In cas e of s eals ins ide oth er packag ing , th e integ rity of th e
s eals can g enerally only be detected af ter th e cons um er
purch as es th e product and opens th e outer packag ing . HoW
ev er, cons um ers m ay not be able to reliably perf orm th is
v is ual ins pection prior to buy ing or us ing th e product. In th e
cas e of a m is s ing s eal, th e cons um er m ay not notice th e lack
of th e s eal, th us creating a h ealth or s af ety ris k f or th e
cons um er. On th e oth er h and, in order f or product m anu
f acturers or s tore pers onnel to conduct th es e s af ety ch ecks
us ing conv entional m eth ods , v as t am ounts of em ploy ee
h ours m us t be inv es ted to v is ually ins pect ev ery s eal.
Moreov er, becaus e tam pering could occur at any tim e Wh ile
th e product is on s tore s h elv es , th es e cos tly v is ual ins pec
tions need to be undertaken repeatedly and f req uently to
adeq uately g uard ag ains t tam pering s ince th e las t ins pection.
SUMMARY
[ 0004 ] Radio Freq uency identi? cation ( RFID ) tag s are
af ? x ed to obj ects in s uch a Way as to reliably ch ang e s tate
in res pons e to a trig g ering ev ent. Th us , it can be determ ined
if th e trig g ering ev ent h as occurred With out v is ually ins pect
ing th e product.
[ 0005 ] In one em bodim ent, an RFID tag is pos itioned
acros s th e s eal of product packag ing s o th at it reliably
becom es dis abled Wh en th e product is opened. Wh en an
RFID reader com pletes th e nex t read of tag s , th e tag af ? x ed
to th e opened product is not read. Th us , an RFID reader
outputs an alert th at identi? es th e dis abled tag .
[ 0006 ] In anoth er em bodim ent, an RFID tag is em bedded
in a tire s o th at it reliably becom es dis abled Wh en th e tread
Wears doWn to th e point th at th e tire needs to be replaced.
Wh en an RFID reader com pletes th e nex t read of tag s , th e
tag th at h as been dis abled due to th e th in tread is not read.
Th us , an RFID reader outputs an alert indicating th at th e tire
s h ould be replaced.
[ 0007] Th e des cription in th e s peci? cation is not all inclu
s iv e and, in particular, m any additional f eatures and adv an
tag es Will be apparent to one of ordinary s kill in th e art in
v ieW of th e draWing s , s peci? cation, and claim s . Moreov er,
it s h ould be noted th at th e lang uag e us ed in th e s peci? cation
h as been principally s elected f or readability and ins truc
J an. 11, 2007
tional purpos es , and m ay not h av e been s elected to delineate
or circum s cribe th e inv entiv e s ubj ect m atter.
BRIEF D ESCRIPTION OF THE D RAWIN GS
[ 0008] FIG. 1A s h oWs an RFID tag s uitable f or th e pres ent
inv ention.
[ 0009 ] FIG. 1B s h oWs th e dis ablem ent of an RFID tag ,
according to one em bodim ent.
[ 0010] FIG. 1C s h oWs th e enablem ent of an RFID tag ,
according to one em bodim ent.
[ 0011] FIG. 2A s h oWs th e placem ent of an RFID tag on a
bottle to detect if th e cap h as been rem ov ed, according to one
em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention.
[ 0012] FIG. 2B s h oWs th e placem ent of an RFID tag on a
CD cas e to detect if th e CD cas e h as been opened, according
to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention.
[ 0013 ] FIG. 2C s h oWs th e placem ent of an RFID tag on a
product box to detect if th e box h as been opened, according
to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention.
[ 0014 ] FIG. 3 s h oWs an RFID anti- tam per s y s tem , accord
ing to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention.
[ 0015 ] FIG. 4 s h oWs an RFID tag em bedded in a tire,
according to anoth er em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention.
[ 0016 ] FIG. 5 s h oWs an RFID dis ablem ent detection s y s
tem , according to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention.
[ 0017] FIG. 6 s h oWs an RFID tag em bedded in an env e
lope, according to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention.
[ 0018] FIG. 7 s h oWs a s am ple m eth od to detect RFID tag
dis ablem ent, according to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent
inv ention.
[ 0019 ] FIG. 8 s h oWs s y s tem f or determ ining h oW m uch
liq uid res ides in a container us ing RFID tag s , according to
one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention.
D ETAILED D ESCRIPTION OF THE
EMBOD IMEN TS
[ 0020] According to th e pres ent inv ention, th e reliable
dis ablem ent of an RFID tag bas ed on a trig g er ev ent is us ed
to indicate a ch ang e in s tate of an obj ect, s o as to prov ide a
m ech anis m Wh ereby th e ch ang e in s tate of th e obj ect can be
detected With out direct v is ual ex am ination. Th e s tate of an
RFID tag , Wh eth er capable of trans m itting a s ig nal or
dis abled, can be rem otely detected With an RFID reader. It
is th e ability to rem otely detect th e s tate of th e RFID tag th at
alloWs th e indication of th e ch ang e in s tate of th e obj ect to
be perceiv ed With out direct v is ual ex am ination. Th e ? g ures
and th e f olloWing des cription relate to particular em bodi
m ents of th e pres ent inv ention by Way of illus tration only . It
s h ould be noted th at f rom th e f olloWing dis cus s ion, alter
nativ e em bodim ents of th e s tructures and m eth ods dis clos ed
h erein Will be readily recog niZ ed as v iable alternativ es th at
m ay be em ploy ed With out departing f rom th e principles of
th e claim ed inv ention.
[ 0021] FIG. 1A s h oWs one em bodim ent of an RFID tag
100 s uitable f or th e pres ent inv ention. In s om e em bodi
m ents , th e RFID tag antenna 103 is des ig ned to break in
res pons e to a trig g er ev ent. In th is ex am ple, th e RFID tag
US 2007/0008121 A1
antenna 103 is a conductor capable of trans m itting a s ig nal.
For ex am ple, RFID tag antenna 103 can com pris e copper,
g old, alum inum , or oth er m etallic conductor, depos ited on a
m aterial s uch as plas tic or paper. Oth er conductors capable
of trans m itting a s ig nal can als o be us ed. In s om e em bodi
m ents , RFID tag antenna 103 is ? ex ible. Alternativ ely , th e
RFID tag antenna 103 can be in? ex ible. An RFID tag
antenna 103 ty pically operates at th icknes s es of about 0. 5
m icrons and h ig h er. Copper f oil becom es increas ing ly prone
to tearing as th e th icknes s f alls beloW 9 m icrons . Th us , in
one em bodim ent, th e th icknes s of a reliably breakable
copper antenna is betWeen 0. 5 and 9 m icrons . In th e em bodi
m ent s h oWn in FIG. 1A, th e RFID tag antenna 103 is
v - s h aped, but it is noted th at RFID tag antennas can be
round, s q uare, rectang ular or any oth er s h ape knoWn in th e
art.
[ 0022] Th e RFID tag antenna 103 is attach ed to an etch ed
integ rated circuit 102 th at contains th e log ic f or s erial
num bers and broadcas ting to readers . Th e integ rated circuit
102 can be attach ed to RFID tag antenna 103 by connectors
( not s h oWn) capable of carry ing a s ig nal to th e RFID tag
antenna 103 . In one em bodim ent, connectors com pris e con
ductors , f or ex am ple m ade of th e s am e m aterial as th e RFID
tag antenna 103 . Alternativ ely , integ rated circuit 102 can be
attach ed to RFID tag antenna 103 us ing s em iconducting
m aterial. In s om e em bodim ents , th es e connectors are
des ig ned to break in res pons e to a trig g er ev ent. Th es e
conductors can v ary in leng th , but are pref erably betWeen a
m illim eter and s ev eral centim eters in leng th . Th e integ rated
circuit 102 m ay be in th e s am e ph y s ical plane as th e RFID
tag antenna 103 or alternativ ely in a dif f erent ph y s ical plane.
[ 0023 ] Th e integ rated circuit 102 is attach ed to th e tag s
energ y receptor 101. Th e integ rated circuit 102 can be
attach ed to th e energ y receptor 101 v ia connectors 104 .
Connectors 104 are capable of carry ing an electrical s ig nal
f rom th e tag s energ y receptor 101 to poWer th e integ rated
circuit 102. Connectors 104 m ay com pris e electrical leads of
any conducting m aterial s uch as copper, g old or alum inum
or alternativ ely com pris e s em iconducting m aterial. In s om e
em bodim ents , th es e connectors are des ig ned to break in
res pons e to a trig g er ev ent. Connectors 104 m ay com pris e
electrical leads th at v ary in leng th , but are pref erably
betWeen a m illim eter and s ev eral centim eters in leng th . Th e
integ rated circuit 102 m ay be in th e s am e ph y s ical plane as
th e energ y receptor 101 or alternativ ely in a dif f erent ph y s i
cal plane. In th e em bodim ent of FIG. 1A, th e energ y receptor
101 is a m etal coil. Th e m ag netic ? eld g enerated by a RFID
reader induces a current in th e m etal coil th at poWers th e
RFID tag 100.
[ 0024 ] FIG. 1B s h oWs th e dis ablem ent of an RFID tag
100, according to one em bodim ent. Th e dis ablem ent of an
RFID tag 100 m ay be accom plis h ed by s ev ering 105 th e
connectors 104 betWeen th e energ y receptor 101 and th e
integ rated circuit 102. Alternativ ely or additionally , dis able
m ent of an RFID tag 100 m ay be accom plis h ed by breaking
th e connection betWeen th e integ rated circuit 102 and th e
antenna 103 . By s ev ering th e connection betWeen th e energ y
receptor 101 and th e integ rated circuit 102, th e energ y
receptor 101 cannot poWer th e integ rated circuit. Th us ,
With out poWer, th e integ rated circuit 102 cannot trans m it a
s ig nal. Sev ering th e connection betWeen th e integ rated cir
cuit 102 and th e RFID tag antenna 103 als o prev ents th e
integ rated circuit f rom trans m itting a s ig nal. Alternativ ely or
J an. 11, 2007
additionally , dis ablem ent of an RFID tag 100 m ay be
accom plis h ed by des troy ing one or m ore com ponents of th e
RFID tag 100 neces s arily to trans m it a s ig nal or dam ag ing
one or m ore com ponents to th e ex tent th at trans m is s ion of a
s ig nal is no long er pos s ible. For ex am ple, dis ablem ent of an
RFID tag 100 m ay be accom plis h ed by dam ag ing , dis rupt
ing , s h orting out, or des troy ing th e energ y receptor 101, th e
integ rated circuit 102 or th e RFID tag antenna 103 . By
s ev ering th e connection betWeen th e energ y receptor 101
and th e integ rated circuit 102 or th e integ rated circuit 102
and th e antenna 103 , or dam ag ing , dis rupting , s h orting out,
or des troy ing one or m ore com ponents of th e RFID tag 100
as des cribed abov e, th e RFID tag 100 is dis abled. Altem a
tiv ely or additionally , dis ablem ent of an RFID tag 100 m ay
be accom plis h ed by ins erting a barrier betWeen th e RFID tag
100 and th e RFID reader th at prev ents th e RFID reader f rom
reading th e RFID tag . Th e barrier can be m ade of any
blocking m aterial of dim ens ions s uf ? cient to prev ent th e
RFID reader f rom reading th e RFID tag 100. For ex am ple,
in one em bodim ent, th e barrier is a s teel or lead lid th at
occludes RFID tag 100 f rom th e reader. Th e dis abled s tate
of an RFID tag 100 can be rem otely detected With an RFID
reader Wh en th e RFID reader does not receiv e a s ig nal f rom
th e tag during th e nex t reading . Ag ain, it is th e ability to
rem otely detect th e s tate of th e RFID tag th at alloWs th e
indication of th e ch ang e in s tate of th e obj ect as s ociated With
th e RFID tag to be perceiv ed With out direct v is ual ex am i
nation of th e obj ect.
[ 0025 ] Ref erring noW to FIG. 1C, in alternativ e em bodi
m ents , a trig g ering ev ent reliably caus es a tag to becom e
enabled to trans m it a s ig nal. In FIG. 1C th ere is s h oWn an
arrang em ent of circuit com ponents Wh ereby a trig g ering
ev ent reliably caus es a tag to becom e enabled to trans m it a
s ig nal. In th is ex am ple, poWer s ource 13 1 is us ed to poWer
th e integ rated circuit of th e ? rs t RFID tag 13 2, Wh ich is
connected to RFID tag antenna 13 3 , th us enabling th e
trans m is s ion of a s ig nal. PoWer s ource 13 1 is als o us ed to
poWer an inv erter circuit 15 0 th roug h connection 15 3 .
Inv erter circuit 15 0, als o knoWn in th e art of electronics as
a N OT circuit, m ay be com pris ed of any electrical com po
nents arrang ed s o th at if th e input 15 1 is HIGH, th e output
15 4 is LOW and v ice v ers a. Th e m eth ods of des ig n and
m anuf acture of inv erter circuits s uitable f or us e With RFID
tag s is knoWn to th os e of ordinary s kill in th e art. In th e
ex am ple of FIG. 1C, poWer s ource 13 1 orig inally s upplies
poWer to integ rated circuit 13 2 and th e inv erter circuit 15 0.
Th e input 15 1 of inv erter circuit 15 0 is HIGH Wh en th ere is
a connection betWeen th e poWer s ource 13 1 and th e input
15 1. Becaus e input 15 1 is HIGH, output 15 4 is LOW, and
th us th e integ rated circuit of th e s econd RFID tag 14 2 is not
poWered and is not capable of trans m itting a s ig nal. Th e
com ponents s h oWn in FIG. 1C are as s ociated With an obj ect
in s uch a Way th at a ch ang e of th e s tate of th e obj ect caus es
a dis connection to occur at dis connect point 15 5 . Af ter a
dis connection at th is point occurs , input 15 1 to inv erter
circuit 15 0 is LOW, Wh ich m eans output 15 4 is HIGH, th us
poWering th e integ rated circuit of th e s econd RFID tag 14 2
and enabling it to trans m it a s ig nal us ing RFID tag antenna
14 3 . In th is ex am ple, a ch ang e in s tate of th e obj ect caus es
th e enablem ent of an RFID tag to trans m it. Here, th e ? rs t
RFID tag continues to be able to trans m it. In oth er altem a
tiv e em bodim ents , th e com ponents s h oWn in FIG. 1C could
be arrang ed s o th at a ch ang e in s tate of th e obj ect caus es a
dis connection to occur ins tead at dis connection point 15 7
US 2007/0008121 A1
along th e connection 15 6 between th e poWer s ource and th e
integ rated circuit of th e ? rs t RFID tag 13 2. Th en, upon th e
h appening of th e trig g ering ev ent, th e integ rated circuit of
th e ? rs t RFID tag 13 2 Would los e poWer, th us becom ing
dis abled and th e integ rated circuit of th e s econd RFID tag
14 2 Would g ain poWer, th us becom ing enabled to trans m it a
s ig nal. In th is s cenario, a trig g ering ev ent m ay both dis able
trans m is s ions f rom one RFID tag and enable trans m is s ions
f rom anoth er RFID tag .
[ 0026 ] In th e f olloWing ex am ples , th e ch ang e of s tate of an
RFID tag is des cribed as a ch ang e f rom being able to
trans m it a s ig nal to not being able to trans m it a s ig nal f or
s im plicity and eas e of unders tanding . As des cribed abov e
With ref erence to FIG. 1C, it is als o pos s ible to im plem ent
s y s tem s and m eth ods Wh ereby th e ch ang e in th e s tate of th e
obj ect res ults in a ch ang e in th e s tate of th e RFID tag f rom
not being able to trans m it a s ig nal to being able to trans m it
a s ig nal. Bas ed on th is des cription, one of ordinary s kill th e
art Will recog niZ e th at ch ang ing th e s tate of th e RFID s ig nals
f rom h av ing one s et of s ig nal ch aracteris tics to a dif f erent s et
of s ig nal ch aracteris tics is als o pos s ible.
[ 0027] To detect tam pering With a product f rom th e dis
ablem ent of an RFID tag 100, th e RFID tag 100 can be
pos itioned s o as to be s ecured to both s ides of a j uncture
Wh ere th e product is opened, or oth erWis e be ex pos ed to
tearing or dam ag e at th e point on th e obj ect Wh ere detection
is des ired. In one em bodim ent, one end of th e RFID tag 100
is attach ed to one s ide of th e j uncture and th e oppos ite end
of th e RFID tag 100 is attach ed to th e oth er s ide of th e
j uncture. In th is Way , th e RFID tag 100 s pans th e s eal of th e
product. Th e attach m ent of th e ends of th e RFID tag 100 on
each s ide of th e s eal is pref erably s trong er th an th e Weakes t
part of th e RFID tag 100 s panning th e s eal. Th eref ore, th e
des ig n of th e RFID tag s 100 predis pos es th e tag to break at
a predeterm ined point rath er th an becom ing unattach ed to
one s ide or th e oth er of th e j uncture Wh en s om eone attem pts
to open th e product. Ex am ples of RFID tag placem ent s o as
to reliably break upon th e h appening of s om e ev ent are
des cribed beloW.
[ 0028] FIG. 2A s h oWs th e placem ent of an RFID tag on a
bottle 200 to detect if th e cap h as been rem ov ed, according
to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention. In th is ex am ple,
th e integ rated circuit 102 is af ? x ed to th e ins ide of th e bottle
200, f or ex am ple af ? x ed to th e ins ide of th e neck of th e
bottle. In th e ex am ple s h oWn in FIG. 2A, th e tag s energ y
receptor 101 is af ? x ed to th e bottle cap 201. Wh en th e bottle
cap is rem ov ed, th e connector 104 betWeen th e energ y
receptor 101 and th e integ rated circuit 102 is torn. Th us , th e
RFID tag 100 is dis abled Wh en th e bottle cap is rem ov ed.
Alternativ ely , th e RFID tag can be af ? x ed to th e outs ide of
th e bottle, or be em bedded in th e m aterial of th e bottle or
em bedded in th e traditional bottle s eal ring around th e
outs ide of th e bottle cap. Furth er alternativ ely , one part of
th e RFID tag 100 could be em bedded in th e traditional bottle
s eal ring around th e outs ide of th e cap, With th e rem ainder
of th e RFID tag 100 ins ide th e bottle. For ex am ple, RFID tag
antenna 103 could be em bedded in th e s eal ring and th e
rem ainder of th e RFID tag 100 could be ins ide th e bottle.
[ 0029 ] FIG. 2B s h oWs th e placem ent of an RFID tag 100
on a CD cas e 220 to detect if th e CD cas e 220 h as been
opened, according to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv en
tion. In th is ex am ple, th e energ y receptor 101 of th e RFID
J an. 11, 2007
tag 100 is af ? x ed to th e s ide 222 of th e CD cas e 220 and th e
integ rated circuit 102 and RFID antenna 103 are af ? x ed to
th e f ront 221. In alternativ e em bodim ents , one or m ore
RFID tag s 100 can be placed acros s th e s eal of s ealed
cardboard, paper or plas tic CD s leev es , j eWel cas es and th e
like. Wh en th e CD cas e 220 is opened, th e connectors 104
break, dis connecting th e energ y receptor 101 and th e inte
g rated circuit 102. Th us , th e RFID tag 100 is dis abled Wh en
th e CD cas e 220 is opened.
[ 003 0] FIG. 2C s h oWs th e placem ent of an RFID tag 100
on a box 23 0 to detect if th e box 23 0 h as been opened,
according to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention. In
th is ex am ple, th e RFID tag 100 s pans th e j uncture Wh ere th e
lid 23 1 of th e box 23 0 lif ts to open th e box 23 0. Th e energ y
receptor 101 of th e RFID tag 100 is af ? x ed to th e s ide 23 2
of th e box 23 0 and th e integ rated circuit 102 and RFID
antenna 103 are af f ix ed to th e top 23 1. Wh en th e box 23 0 is
opened, th e connectors 104 break, dis connecting th e energ y
receptor 101 and th e integ rated circuit 102. Th us , th e RFID
tag 100 is dis abled Wh en th e box 23 0 is opened. In altem a
tiv e em bodim ents , one or m ore RFID tag s 100 can be placed
acros s th e s eal of any ty pe of product enclos ures including
cardboard or plas tic box es , blis ter packs , and th e like.
[ 003 1] FIG. 6 s h oWs th e placem ent of an RFID tag 100
us ed as a docum ent s eal. Th e RFID tag 100 can be pos i
tioned, f or ex am ple, to s pan th e opening of a s ecurity
env elope, eith er on th e ins ide or outs ide of th e env elope. Th e
RFID tag 10 is pos itioned along th e s eal of a docum ent s uch
th at th e opening of th e s eal res ults in th e dis ablem ent of th e
RFID tag 100. RFID tag 100 can als o be placed acros s th e
opening of a book, m anual, pam ph let, or oth er docum ent to
detect, f or ex am ple, tam pering With th e product or opening
it prior s ale, or if it h as been opened af ter s ale in th e cas e th at
th e cons um er Wis h es to return th e product.
[ 003 2] FIG. 3 s h oWs an ex am ple of an RFID anti- tam per
s y s tem , according to one em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv en
tion. Th e RFID anti- tam per s y s tem com pris es an RFID tag
100 attach ed to a product, at leas t one RFID antenna 3 01 and
an RFID reader 3 02. In th e em bodim ent s h oWn in FIG. 3 , th e
RFID tag 100 is attach ed to a bottle 200. Th e bottle 200 is
am ong th e item s on s h elv es in a s tore. At leas t one RFID
antenna 3 01 is pos itioned With in rang e of th e RFID tag 100.
RFID antennas 3 01 m ay be placed in th e ceiling , ? oor, in th e
s h elv es , be f ree s tanding around th e s tore and/or be con
tained in one or m ore m obile or h andh eld RFID readers . Th e
RFID antenna 3 01 receiv es trans m is s ions f rom RFID tag s
100. Th e RFID antenna 3 01 is connected to an RFID reader
3 02 th at interprets th e trans m is s ions f rom th e RFID tag s
100. In s om e em bodim ents , th e RFID reader 3 02 is a
com puter s y s tem capable of proces s ing th e s ig nals receiv ed
f rom th e RFID tag s 100, s toring th e inf orm ation, and
alerting us ers if a tag becom es unreadable. Th e RFID reader
can f urth er be con? g ured to output th e identi? cation of any
tag th at becom es unreadable, s uch as Wh en bottle 200 is
opened in th e s tore and th e RFID tag 100 breaks .
[ 003 3 ] FIG. 4 s h oWs th e placem ent of an RFID tag 100
em bedded in a tire 4 00 to detect tread 4 01 Wear. Th e RFID
tag 100 can be v ertically em bedded in th e tire, f or ex am ple.
As th e tire tread 4 01 Wears doWn, th e RFID tag 100 is
ex pos ed. Th e RFID tag 100 can be pos itioned s o th at one or
m ore com ponents of th e RFID tag 100 Will be des troy ed
th roug h contact With th e road s urf ace at or near th e lev el of
US 2007/0008121 A1
tread Wear th at indicates th at th e tire s h ould be replaced.
Alternativ ely , th e RFID tag can be pos itioned s o th at th e
connection betWeen tWo com ponents , s uch as th e energ y
receptor 101 and th e integ rated circuit 102, becom es
ex pos ed and Will be torn th roug h contact With th e road
s urf ace at or near th e lev el of tread Wear th at indicates th at
th e tire s h ould be replaced. Furth er alternativ ely , m ultiple
RFID tag s can be pos itioned at increas ing depth s in th e tire
tread s o th at th e dis ablem ent of each tag indicates an
increas ed lev el of Wear.
[ 003 4 ] FIG. 5 s h oWs an ex am ple of an RFID dis ablem ent
detection s y s tem , according to one em bodim ent of th e
pres ent inv ention. As in th e ex am ple s h oWn in FIG. 3 , th is
ex am ple s y s tem com pris es at leas t one RFID tag , at leas t one
RFID antenna, and an RFID reader. Th e RFID tag s are
em bedded in th e tires 4 00 of a v eh icle 5 00. Th e RFID
antennas 3 01 of th e RFID dis ablem ent detection s y s tem are
pos itioned to be able to read th e RFID tag s in places
appropriate f or th e contex t of th e purpos e of th e s y s tem . For
ex am ple, RFID antennas 3 01 in th is ex am ple can be located
in th e car, located in th e s urf ace upon Wh ich th e tire trav els ,
in or around autom obile related bus ines s es s uch as g as
s tations and repair s h ops . Th e RFID antennas 3 01 are
coupled to one or m ore RFID readers 3 02, as des cribed
abov e. Th e RFID reader 3 02 can be con? g ured to output th e
identi? cation of any tag th at h as been dis abled. Th us , th e
us er of th is s y s tem can be noti? ed Wh en a tag h as been
dis abled, indicating tire replacem ent is Warranted due to
tread Wear. Alternativ ely , Wh ere m ultiple RFID tag s h av e
been em bedded in th e tread of a tire, an RFID dis ablem ent
detection s y s tem can als o be im plem ented to output noti?
cation of unev en tread Wear. If an RFID reader detects th at
one or m ore RFID tag s h av e been dis abled in a particular
area of th e tire, th e us er of th e s y s tem can be noti? ed th at tire
rotation is Warranted due to tread Wear.
[ 003 5 ] FIG. 7 s h oWs a s am ple m eth od 700 to detect RFID
tag dis ablem ent, according to an em bodim ent of th e pres ent
inv ention. In th e ? rs t s tep, all readable tag s are read 701, f or
ex am ple us ing RFID reader 3 02. Th is ? rs t read of all
readable tag s can be us ed to es tablis h a bas eline f rom Wh ich
all ch ang es Will ultim ately be recorded. RFID reader 3 02 can
read all tag s th at are With in rang e of th e RFID antenna 3 01
th at are not dis abled. In s om e em bodim ents , th e data col
lected f rom th e reading of th e readable tag s is s tored 702 in
a databas e. Th e data recorded can include th e s erial num ber
or oth er identif y ing inf orm ation of ev ery readable tag , and
th e date and tim e of th e read. In s om e em bodim ents , th ere
is a one to one relations h ip betWeen tag s and products . In
oth er em bodim ents , only s om e of a g roup of products are
eq uipped With RFID tag s , s uch as Wh en RFID tag s h av e
been applied to a random s am ple of products . In oth er
em bodim ents , one tag m ay corres pond to a g roup of prod
ucts , s uch as Wh en th e tag is applied to th e outer packag ing
of indiv idual units . In s om e em bodim ents , th e data recorded
f rom th e reading of th e readable tag s can be correlated to
oth er data s tored in product databas es . Th en all readable tag s
are read 703 ag ain. Th e elaps ed tim e betWeen reading s of th e
readable tag s can be con? g ured to be appropriate to th e
s peci? c im plem entation of th e s y s tem . For ex am ple, in a
rapidly ch ang ing env ironm ent, it is pref erred to read tag s
m ore f req uently to keep inf orm ation f res h . In th es e cas es ,
th e RFID reader can be con? g ured to conduct reading s
m ultiple tim es per s econd. In oth er env ironm ents , updates
m ay be des ired only h ourly , daily , or ev en les s f req uently .
J an. 11, 2007
[ 003 6 ] In s tep 705 , th e data s tored f rom th e tWo m os t
recent reading s are com pared. From th is com paris on, it can
be determ ined 706 if th ere are any neWly unreadable tag s .
N eWly unreadable tag s are th os e tag s th at Were read in th e
s econd m os t recent reading but not read in th e m os t recent
reading . If th ere are no neWly unreadable tag s , th e m eth od
700 returns to anoth er reading 703 of th e readable tag s . If
th ere is at leas t one neWly unreadable tag , th en f or each
neWly unreadable tag , th e m eth od 700 com pletes th e s teps
With in box 707 of FIG. 7. For each neWly unreadable tag , it
is determ ined 708 Wh eth er th e tag Was unreadable f or a v alid
reas on by ch ecking ag ains t a record of ev ents th at Would
res ult in th e v alid dis ablem ent of a tag or th e m ov em ent of
a tag outs ide of th e rang e of th e RFID reader 3 02. Ex am ples
of v alid reas ons in th e contex t of a g rocery s tore are a
purch as e of th e item and a m ov e of th e item to o? f s ite
s torag e. Valid reas ons f or a tag to becom e unreadable can be
tracked by th e s y s tem . For ex am ple, in s om e em bodim ents ,
th e s y s tem records Wh en a tag h as pas s ed th roug h th e
ch eckout s y s tem . Th us , alth oug h th e tag is no long er am ong
th e readable tag s read by th e RFID reader 3 02 in th e s tore,
th is is due to a v alid reas on and not due to product tam per
ing . If a tag is unreadable f or a v alid reas on, th en no action
is req uired 709 . If th e tag h as not becom e unreadable f or a
v alid reas on, th en an alert is output 710 to notif y pers onnel
th at an inv alid dis ablem ent of a tag h as occurred. For
ex am ple, if no RFID antenna 3 01 is receiv ing a s ig nal f rom
th e tag and th e tag h as not pas s ed th roug h th e ch eckout
s y s tem With in a reas onable tim e, th en th e RFID reader 3 02
or a com puter s y s tem linked to th e RFID reader 3 02 Will
th en alert pers onnel th at a tag h as been dis abled, but h as not
lef t th e s tore. Alternativ ely or additionally , at ch eckout, th e
s y s tem could alert ch eckout pers onnel th at a tag is unread
able on a s canned item and th at th e pers onnel s h ould ch eck
th e item f or tam pering .
[ 003 7] Th e abov e ex am ples illus trate s ev eral em bodi
m ents of th e pres ent inv ention in detail With ref erence to th e
? g ures . Th e pres ent inv ention is als o s uitable f or us e in oth er
contex ts , With out departing f rom th e principles of th e inv en
tion, as Will be des cribed brie? y beloW.
[ 003 8] Medicine packs in nurs ing h om es . In one em bodi
m ent, RFID tag s are us ed to m onitor th e dis pens ing of
m edication by nurs ing h om e em ploy ees to nurs ing h om e
res idents . Ph arm aceutical com panies prov ide dos es of m edi
cations f or res idents in s ing le dos e tear- of f blis ter packs to
nurs ing h om e em ploy ees . RFID tag s can be pos itioned to
s pan th e location Wh ere an em ploy ee tears of f th e dos e. An
RFID tag detection s y s tem can th en detect Wh en a tag is
dis abled by tearing of f a dos e, Wh ich enables m onitoring by
a doctor or ph arm aceutical com pany of Wh en m edications
are dis pens ed by em ploy ees . Th e s y s tem can als o detect
Wh en inv entory is running loW and alert pers onnel to order
additional s tock. Alternativ ely , th e s y s tem can be con? g ured
to directly alert a doctor or a ph arm aceutical com pany th at
s upplies are dWindling .
[ 003 9 ] Paper s eals . In one em bodim ent, RFID tag s are
us ed to ens ure th at paper s eals h av e not been com prom is ed.
For ex am ple, RFID tag s can be em bedded in th e paper
m oney h olders s o th at th e RFID tag is dis abled Wh en th e
bills are s eparated f rom th e s tack and us ed. Th us , an
anti- tam per RFID tag indicates Wh en th e bills are s eparated,
prev enting replacing internal bills in th e s tack With bills of
s m aller denom inations . As anoth er ex am ple, anti- tam per
US 2007/0008121 A1
RFID tag can be em bedded in th e paper s eals us ed to s eal
tes t booklets . If a tes t- taker tears open th e booklet prior to
th e s tart of th e ex am ination, th e RFID tag Would indicate
Wh ich tes t taker s tarted th e ex am ination early . A tracking
s y s tem could als o indicate ex actly Wh en each tes t- taker
beg an th e ex am ination.
[ 004 0] Security Tape. In one em bodim ent, RFID tag s are
em bedded in s ecurity adh es iv e tape. Th e s ecurity adh es iv e
tape can th en be placed acros s a s pan, s uch as betWeen a
door and th e door j am , s uch th at th e opening of th e door
dis ables th e RFID tag . Th is s ecurity adh es iv e tape could be
us ed to indicate if th e door to a h om e, or car, or s af e, or
s af ety depos it box , or th e like h as been opened.
[ 004 1] Wine Corks . In one em bodim ent, an RFID tag is
attach ed to a Wine bottle and cork s uch th at th e opening of
th e Wine bottle dis ables th e RFID tag . For ex am ple, an RFID
tag detection s y s tem in a res taurant can determ ine if a bottle
h as been opened, and th us is of les s v alue, or if an opened
bottle is pres ent th at s h ould be us ed prior to opening oth er
bottles .
[ 004 2] Security lug g ag e s eal. In one em bodim ent, an
RFID tag is placed on s earch ed lug g ag e at an airline bag g ag e
s creening f acility af ter th e lug g ag e h as been s earch ed s o th at
any opening of th e bag res ults in th e dis ablem ent of th e tag .
Th us , th e dis ablem ent of th e RFID tag indicates th at a
prev ious ly s earch ed bag h as been opened.
[ 004 3 ] Car odom eters and s ealed dev ices under Warranty .
Modif y ing certain dev ices , s uch as car odom eters , is ag ains t
th e laW. Modif y ing oth er dev ices , s uch as th os e under
Warranty , v oids th e Warranty . In one em bodim ent, an RFID
tag is a? ix ed to th e dev ice s uch th at th e opening of th e
dev ice res ults in th e dis ablem ent of th e RFID tag . In th es e
s ituations , an RFID tag reader could be us ed to determ ine if
th e odom eter or oth er dev ice h as been opened. For ex am ple,
a repair s h op could detect th e broken s eal us ing an RFID tag
reader, rath er th an dis as s em bling th e product to v is ually
ins pect th e s eal.
[ 004 4 ] Env ironm ental s uits . In one em bodim ent, RFID
tag s are a? ix ed to env ironm ental s uits Worn by pers onnel
s uch th at an RFID tag is dis abled if a tear h as occurred th at
com prom is es th e integ rity of th e s uit. Th us , an RFID tag
s y s tem can alert pers onnel of th e tear and s af ety ris k ev en if
it is not v is ually apparent. Furth erm ore, m ultiple tag s could
be pos itioned in s uit m aterial or on th e s uit m aterial s uch th at
th e num ber of dis abled tag s indicates th e s ev erity of th e tear.
[ 004 5 ] SCUBA o- ring and oth er g as eous container s eals .
In one em bodim ent, RFID tag s are a? ix ed to th e container
s eals s uch th at a dis ablem ent of th e RFID tag indicates a
breakdoWn in th e s eal. For ex am ple, one or m ore em bedded
RFID tag s can be placed s o th at a connection betWeen
com ponents s pans th e m ax im um dis tance around th e ring
s eal. In th is ex am ple, Wh en th e connection betWeen th e
com ponents of th e RFID tag is broken, it indicates a f ailure
in th e s eal.
[ 004 6 ] D if f erentiating N eW and Us ed Products . In one
em bodim ent, an RFID tag is us ed to dif f erentiate betWeen
truly neW products and us ed products th at h av e been
res ealed s o as to appear neW. To determ ine if a us ed product
h as been res ealed With an RFID tag to appear neW, a
com paris on is m ade betWeen th e RFID tag on th e us ed
product, and th e RFID tag orig inally as s ociated With th e
J an. 11, 2007
product by th e m anuf acturer. Wh ereas neW products Will
retain th eir orig inal RFID tag , us ed products th at h av e been
res ealed With an RFID tag s o as to appear neW Will not. Any
dis crepancy betWeen th e ex pected RFID tag f rom th e m anu
f acturer and th e RFID tag actually a? ix ed to th e product
m eans th e product is us ed.
[ 004 7] Liq uid in containers . In one em bodim ent, RFID
tag s are us ed to detect h oW m uch liq uid rem ains ins ide of a
container. FIG. 8 s h oWs an ex am ple im plem entation of a
s y s tem 800 f or determ ining h oW m uch liq uid res ides in a
container 820 us ing RFID tag s 83 2a- d, according to one
em bodim ent of th e pres ent inv ention. Pos itiv e poWer leads
83 4 a- d to each of s ev eral RFID tag s 83 2a- d are placed at
v arious depth s along th e ins ide of a container 820 h olding
liq uid contents . A ? oating poWer s ource 83 1 ? oats in th e
liq uid ins ide th e container 820 cons trained by th e g uide rail
83 0 f or th e ? oating poWer s ource 83 1. Th e g uide rail 83 0
could be s ealed ag ains t liq uid intrus ion in s om e em bodi
m ents by us ing a Waterproof curtain ( not s h oWn) attach ed at
th e top and bottom of th e ? oating poWer s ource 83 1. Th e
neg ativ e lead connector 83 5 of th e ? oating poWer s ource
83 1 is g rounded. As th e lev el of contents increas es or
decreas es ins ide th e container 820, th e ? oating poWer s ource
ris es or f alls , res pectiv ely . Wh en th e lev el of liq uid ch ang es
enoug h , th e ? oating poWer s ource 83 1 Will ceas e m aking a
connection With one pos itiv e poWer lead, f or ex am ple 83 4 a,
and beg in m aking a connection With anoth er pos itiv e poWer
lead, f or ex am ple 83 4 1) . Wh en ? oating poWer s ource 83 1 is
connected to a pos itiv e poWer lead 83 4 a- d, th e corres pond
ing RFID tag 83 2a- d is able to trans m it a s ig nal. Wh en
? oating poWer s ource 83 1 is not connected to th e pos itiv e
poWer lead 83 4 a- d corres ponding to th e RFID tag 83 2a- d,
th e RFID tag 83 2a- d is not able to trans m it a s ig nal. Th us ,
an RFID reader pos itioned to receiv e s ig nals f rom an RFID
tag 83 2a- d can be us ed to determ ine th e lev el of th e liq uid
ins ide th e container 820 With out v is ual ins pection of th e
container 820 or its contents . FIG. 8 s h oWs an em bodim ent
us ing f our RFID tag s 83 2a- d. Alternativ ely , m ore or f eWer
RFID tag s can be us ed. In one em bodim ent, only one
pos itiv e poWer lead 83 4 11 to one RFID tag 83 211 is placed s o
as to be connected to th e ? oating poWer s ource 83 1, th us
enabling trans m is s ion, Wh en a re? ll of th e container is
needed.
[ 004 8] Force s ens ors . In one em bodim ent, RFID tag s are
us ed to detect th e am ount of f orce applied to a f orce s ens or.
As th e am ount of f orce applied to one or m ore f orce s ens ors
attach ed to poWer s ources and/or integ rated circuits ch ang es ,
poWer ? oWs th roug h dif f erent leads Wh ich corres pond to
dif f erent RFID tag s . In th is em bodim ent, an RFID reader can
th en determ ine f rom Wh ich RFID tag or tag s are trans m itting
th e Weig h t of m aterial eith er rem aining or m is s ing . In one
em bodim ent, th is s y s tem can be built into s torag e or dis play
dev ices or apparatus and us ed f or inv entory tracking pur
pos es to m eas ure ev en v ery s m all Weig h t dif f erences .
Wh at is claim ed is :
1. A dev ice f or s ig naling a ch ang e in s tate of an obj ect, th e
dev ice com pris ing :
a radio f req uency identi? cation tag ; and
a com ponent f or dis abling th e radio f req uency identi? ca
tion tag res pons iv e to a ch ang e in s tate of th e obj ect.
US 2007/0008121 A1
2. Th e dev ice of claim 1, wh erein th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag com pris es an antenna and Wh erein th e
com ponent f or dis abling th e radio f req uency identi? cation
tag dis ables th e antenna.
3 . Th e dev ice of claim 1, Wh erein th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag com pris es an integ rated circuit and
Wh erein th e com ponent f or dis abling th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag dis ables th e integ rated circuit.
identi? cation tag com pris es an energ y receptor and Wh erein
th e com ponent f or dis abling th e radio f req uency identi? ca
tion tag dis ables th e energ y receptor.
identi? cation tag com pris es a poWer s ource and Wh erein th e
com ponent f or dis abling th e radio f req uency identi? cation
tag dis ables th e poWer s ource.
identi? cation tag com pris es an antenna, an integ rated circuit,
and an energ y receptor, and Wh erein th e com ponent f or
dis abling th e radio f req uency identi? cation tag dis connects
at leas t one of th e antenna, th e integ rated circuit, and th e
energ y receptor.
7. Th e dev ice of claim 1, Wh erein th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag com pris es an integ rated circuit and a
poWer s ource, and Wh erein th e com ponent f or dis abling th e
radio f req uency identi? cation tag dis connects th e poWer
s ource f rom th e integ rated circuit.
8. Th e dev ice of claim 1, Wh erein th e ch ang e in s tate of
th e obj ect is one s elected f rom th e g roup cons is ting of an
uns ealing , an opening , an unattach m ent, a lev el of Wear, and
a lev el of contents .
9 . Th e dev ice of claim 1, Wh erein th e obj ect com pris es a
container and Wh erein th e com ponent dis ables th e RFID tag
res pons iv e to th e container being opened.
10. Th e dev ice of claim 1, Wh erein th e obj ect com pris es
a product packag ing and Wh erein th e com ponent dis ables th e
RFID tag res pons iv e to th e product packag ing being opened.
a CD cas e and Wh erein th e com ponent dis ables th e RFID tag
res pons iv e to th e CD cas e being opened.
a tire and Wh erein th e com ponent dis ables th e RFID tag
res pons iv e to th e tire attaining a lev el of Wear.
identi? cation tag is af ? x ed to th e obj ect.
14 . Th e dev ice of claim 1, Wh erein th e com ponent com
pris es a portion of th e obj ect.
15 . A dev ice f or s ig naling a ch ang e in s tate of an obj ect,
th e dev ice com pris ing :
a radio f req uency identi? cation tag ; and
a com ponent f or enabling th e radio f req uency identi? ca
tion tag res pons iv e to a ch ang e in s tate of th e obj ect.
16 . Th e dev ice of claim 15 , Wh erein th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag com pris es an antenna and Wh erein th e
com ponent f or enabling th e radio f req uency identi? cation
tag enables th e antenna.
17. Th e dev ice of claim 15 , Wh erein th e radio f req uency
Wh erein th e com ponent f or enabling th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag enables th e integ rated circuit.
J an. 11, 2007
th e com ponent f or enabling th e radio f req uency identi? ca
tion tag enables th e energ y receptor.
19 . Th e dev ice of claim 15 , Wh erein th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag com pris es a poWer s ource and Wh erein th e
com ponent f or enabling th e radio f req uency identi? cation
tag enables th e poWer s ource.
and an energ y receptor, and Wh erein th e com ponent f or
enabling th e radio f req uency identi? cation tag connects at
leas t one of th e antenna, th e integ rated circuit, and th e
energ y receptor.
poWer s ource, and Wh erein th e com ponent f or enabling th e
radio f req uency identi? cation tag connects th e poWer s ource
and th e integ rated circuit.
22. Th e dev ice of claim 15 , Wh erein th e ch ang e in s tate of
th e obj ect is one s elected f rom th e g roup cons is ting of an
23 . Th e dev ice of claim 15 , Wh erein th e obj ect com pris es
a container and Wh erein th e com ponent enables th e RFID
tag res pons iv e to th e container being opened.
a product packag ing and Wh erein th e com ponent enables th e
RFID tag res pons iv e to th e product packag ing being opened.
a CD cas e and Wh erein th e com ponent enables th e RFID tag
res pons iv e to th e CD cas e being opened.
a tire and Wh erein th e com ponent enables th e RFID tag
res pons iv e to th e tire attaining a lev el of Wear.
28. Th e dev ice of claim 15 , Wh erein th e com ponent
com pris es a portion of th e obj ect.
29 . A m eth od of detecting a ch ang e in s tate of an obj ect,
th e m eth od com pris ing :
receiv ing a s ig nal f rom a radio f req uency identi? cation
tag ; and
receiv ing an indication th at th e radio f req uency identi?
cation tag h as been dis abled res pons iv e to a ch ang e in
s tate of th e obj ect.
3 0. Th e m eth od of claim 29 , Wh erein th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag com pris es an antenna and Wh erein dis
abling th e radio f req uency identi? cation tag com pris es dis
abling th e antenna.
Wh erein dis abling th e radio f req uency identi? cation tag
com pris es dis abling th e integ rated circuit.
dis abling th e radio f req uency identi? cation tag com pris es
dis abling th e energ y receptor.
3 3 . Th e m eth od of claim 29 , Wh erein th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag com pris es a poWer s ource and Wh erein
dis abling th e radio f req uency identi? cation tag com pris es
dis abling th e poWer s ource.
and an energ y receptor, and Wh erein dis abling th e radio
US 2007/0008121 A1
f req uency identi? cation tag com pris es dis connecting at leas t
one of th e antenna, th e integ rated circuit, and th e energ y
receptor.
poWer s ource, and Wh erein th e dis abling th e radio f req uency
identi? cation tag com pris es dis connecting th e poWer s ource
f rom th e integ rated circuit.
3 6 . Th e m eth od of claim 29 , Wh erein th e ch ang e in s tate
of th e obj ect is one s elected f rom th e g roup cons is ting of an
3 7. Th e m eth od of claim 29 , Wh erein th e obj ect com pris es
a container and Wh erein receiv ing an indication th at th e
radio f req uency identi? cation tag h as been dis abled is
res pons iv e to th e container being opened.
J an. 11, 2007
a product packag ing and Wh erein receiv ing an indication
th at th e radio f req uency identi? cation tag h as been dis abled
is res pons iv e to th e product packag ing being opened.
3 9 . Th e m eth od of claim 29 , Wh erein th e obj ect com pris es
a CD cas e and Wh erein receiv ing an indication th at th e radio
f req uency identi? cation tag h as been dis abled is res pons iv e
to th e CD cas e being opened.
a tire and Wh erein receiv ing an indication th at th e radio
f req uency identi? cation tag h as been dis abled is res pons iv e
to th e tire attaining a lev el of Wear.
* * * * *

United States: (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2007/0008121 A1

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United States: (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2007/0008121 A1

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US 20070008121Al

( 12) Patent Application Publication ( 10) Pub. N o. : US 2007/0008121 A1

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