Abstract:
A radio frequency identification tag is provided. The radio frequency identification tag includes a body and a cutting indication formed on the body. The body includes a substrate, an antenna disposed on the substrate and an integrated circuit disposed on the substrate and electrically connected to the antenna for performing a radio frequency communication. An extension of the cutting indication intersects with the antenna to separate the body into two parts after breaking.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an identification tag and its fabrication method, and more particularly to a radio frequency identification tag and its fabrication method. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the general logistics management system, the distributed goods have the identification elements for the identification use. Most of the identification elements are bar codes or radio frequency identification (RFID) tags currently. The general application of the bar code is to attach the bar code on the goods for identification use, and the saved information of the goods can be found in the database of the logistics management, after the bar code reader reads the code. Then the information of the goods can be further updated, if required. Although the cost of using bar codes is lower than that of using RFID tags, however the bar codes can be easily smudged or fallen off, and then the bar codes lose the identification function. Moreover, the bar code reader can read only single code each time, and the distance between the bar code and the bar code reader is limited to a short distance. Therefore the time cost is increased in the logistics management. 
     The application of RFID tag is to use the RFID reading and writing machine to read or to write the information of goods. The RFID reading and writing machine can read the information of hundreds of goods each time within the detection range of the radio frequency. The identification function still works, even though the RFID tags are covered by the non-metal materials, e.g. paper, wood, plastic, etc. In addition, the RFID tags are not easy to be damaged and can be reused repeatedly, and the information of RFID tags can be updated repeatedly. For those people who need to arrange a lot of laboring for tracking the warehouse goods in the past, the RFID tags are able to provide the warehouse and logistics management with high efficiency for them. 
     However the convenience of RFID tags has caused the issue of privacy invasion at the same time, since the RFID tags can be read by other RFID readers as long as those RFID tags are within the detection range of the radio frequency. The merchandise bought by the customers can not only be tracked, but also can be monitored by the RFID readers ubiquitously existing in the streets. Therefore, this new RFID technology is repulsive to a lot of customers. In order to solve this problem, currently most sellers disable the RFID function by detaching the RFID tags or by deleting the information data of the RFID tags, when the merchandise is sold. However, this way causes the management problem on the follow-up tracking for the post sale service, for example, the merchandise return, because the information can not be resumed by the RFID tags. On the other hand, some sellers provide special bags, inside which the RFID of the merchandise can not be read by the RFID readers, but this type of special bags are not cheap. 
     In order to solve the mentioned problems, the inventors of the present invention develop a new RFID tag, its fabrication method and its use method, after a lot of trials and improvements. The present invention is described below. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a radio frequency identification tag is provided for solving the inconvenience problem of bar codes in the warehouse and logistics management and for solving the privacy invasion problem of radio frequency identification systems. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a radio frequency identification tag is provided. The radio frequency identification tag includes a body and a cutting indication formed on the body. The body includes a substrate, an antenna disposed on the substrate and an integrated circuit disposed on the substrate and electrically connected to the antenna for performing a radio frequency communication. An extension of the cutting indication intersects with the antenna to separate the body into two parts after breaking. 
     Preferably, the body further includes two covering pieces for packaging the substrate, the antenna and the integrated circuit between the two covering pieces. The integrated circuit includes a memory for storing information. 
     Preferably, the two covering pieces are made of a flexible material. 
     Preferably, the body further includes a piece for packaging the antenna and the integrated circuit between the substrate and the piece. 
     Preferably, the piece is made of a flexible material. 
     Preferably, the substrate is made of a flexible material, and the antenna is a loop circuit. 
     Preferably, the flexible material is selected from a group consisting of a fiber, a synthetic paper, a plastic, and a polymer material. 
     Preferably, the antenna includes two circuits mounted respectively on two opposite sides of the integrated circuit. 
     Preferably, the cutting indication is one of a cutting line and a cutting notch. 
     Preferably, the material of the antenna is selected from a group consisting of conductive ink, conductive polymer, gold, copper, iron, silver, aluminum, chrome, and alloy thereof. 
     Preferably, one of the two parts includes the integrated circuit and a first part of the antenna, and the other of the two parts includes only a second part of the antenna. 
     Preferably, the one of the two parts includes the integrated circuit, and the first part of the antenna is capable of performing the radio frequency communication. 
     In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a method for fabricating a radio frequency identification tag is provided. The method for fabricating a radio frequency identification tag includes the steps of a) providing a substrate, b) forming a body by disposing an integrated circuit and an antenna on a surface of the substrate, c) electrically connecting the integrated circuit and the antenna for performing a radio frequency communication, and d) forming a cutting indication on the body, where an extension of the cutting indication intersects with the antenna to separate the body into two parts after breaking. 
     Preferably, the method for fabricating a radio frequency identification tag further includes a step of providing a piece for packaging the antenna and the integrated circuit between the substrate and the piece, before forming the cutting indication. 
     Preferably, the method for fabricating a radio frequency identification tag further includes a step of providing two pieces for packaging the antenna and the integrated circuit between the two pieces, before forming the cutting indication. 
     Preferably, one of the two parts includes the integrated circuit and a first part of the antenna, the other of the two parts includes only a second part of the antenna, and the cutting indication is one of a cutting line and a cutting notch. 
     In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a use of a radio frequency identification tag is provided. The radio frequency identification tag includes a body, and a cutting indication formed on the body. The body includes a substrate, an antenna mounted on the substrate, and an integrated circuit mounted on the substrate and electrically connected to the antenna for performing a radio frequency communication. An extension of the cutting indication intersects with the antenna to separate the body into two parts after breaking. The use of a radio frequency identification tag includes steps of a) disposing the radio frequency identification tag on an article, and b) separating the radio frequency identification tag into two parts and leaving the part comprising the integrated circuit and a part of the antenna on the article. 
     Preferably, the use of a radio frequency identification tag further includes a step of updating information of the article by performing another radio frequency communication with the part of the radio frequency identification tag kept by the buyer. 
     Preferably, the separating step is performed by tearing along the cutting indication and the cutting indication is one of a cutting line and a cutting notch. 
     The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed descriptions and accompanying drawings, in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a schematic diagram showing the radio frequency identification tag according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is a schematic diagram showing the radio frequency identification tag according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1C  is a schematic diagram showing the radio frequency identification tag according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the radio frequency identification tag according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the radio frequency identification tag according to a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram showing the radio frequency identification tag of  FIG. 1  after breaking along the cutting indication. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for the purposes of illustration and description only; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1A , which is a schematic diagram showing the radio frequency identification tag according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1A , the RFID tag  1  includes a substrate  11 , an integrated circuit  12  and an antenna  13 , where the integrated circuit  12  and the antenna  13  are disposed on the substrate  11 . The integrated circuit  12  containing a memory with the saved identification information is electrically connected to the antenna  13 . In addition, the RFID tag  1  further includes two cutting lines  14 , either of which is located on the extension line of the other. The extension line of the cutting line  14  will pass the antenna  13 , which will be separated into two parts after breaking along the cutting lines  14 . 
     The substrate  11  can be made in various shapes according to the requirements of the various applications. For example, when the RFID tag  1  is used in the hospital for the identification of the patent, the RFID tag  1  can be made like a hand chain put on the wrist of the patient. If the substrate  11  is made of flexible material, then a lot of applications and convenience will be added on this type of RFID tag  1 . The flexible materials include fibers, synthetic paper, plastic, polymer materials, etc. The antenna  13  of this embodiment includes two circuits mounted respectively on two opposite sides of the integrated circuit. The circuits of the antenna  13  can be designed as loop circuits. In practice, the pattern of the antenna  13  can be variously designed according to the actual requirements. Basically, the bigger the size of the antenna  13  is, the longer the communication distance of the radio frequency will be. The materials of the antenna  13  can be conductive ink, conductive polymer, gold, copper, iron, silver, aluminum, chrome, or the alloys of the above metals. Copper is widely used, since its conductivity is high and can be intricately finely manufactured. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1B , which is a schematic diagram showing the radio frequency identification tag according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the first embodiment and this embodiment is that this embodiment contains only one cutting line  14 . The same effect as the first embodiment will be achieved for this embodiment after breaking along the cutting line  14 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1C , which is a schematic diagram showing the radio frequency identification tag according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the second embodiment and this embodiment is that this embodiment contains a cutting notch  15  in lieu of the cutting line  14  in the second embodiment. The cutting notch  15  is located on the edge of the RFID tag  1 , and is pointing to the antenna  13 . The location of the cutting notch  15  can be set as long as the antenna  13  is separated into two parts without damaging the integrated circuit  12  after breaking along the cutting notch  15 . More than one cutting notch  15  can be disposed in this embodiment according to the actual requirements. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2 , which is an exploded view of the radio frequency identification tag according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention. The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiments is that the RFID tag  2  of this embodiment further includes a piece of cover plate  21 , which can protect the antenna  13  and the integrated circuit  12 . The material of the cover plate  21  can be the same as or different from that of the substrate  11 . However, if the flexible material is also used for the cover plate  21 , then a lot of applications and convenience will be added on this type of RFID tag  2 . The flexible materials include fibers, synthetic paper, plastic, polymer materials, etc. The sizes of the antenna  13  and the integrated circuit  12  can be smaller than those of the substrate  11  and the covering plate  21 , so that the antenna  13  and the integrated circuit  12  can be hermetically packaged between the substrate  11  and the covering plate  21 . The packaging methods include adherence by the glue, lamination, thermal forming, seal pressing, injection molding, dripping forming, etc., depending on the materials and shapes of the substrate  11  and the covering plate  21 . The RFID tag  2  of this embodiment includes two cutting lines  14 , either of which is located on the extension line of the other. The extension line of the cutting line  14  passes the antenna  13 , so that the RFID tag  2  including the substrate  11 , the antenna  13  and the covering plate  21  can all be separated into two parts after breaking along the cutting line  14 . The materials and patterns of the antenna  13  are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are not mentioned again here. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 3 , which is an exploded view of the radio frequency identification tag according to a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention. The difference between this embodiment and the fourth embodiments is that the RFID tag  3  of this embodiment includes two pieces of cover plates, the top covering plate  31  and the bottom covering plate  32 . Therefore, the substrate  11 , the antenna  13  and the integrated circuit  12  can be packaged between the top covering plate  31  and the bottom covering plate  32 . The materials and the packaging methods of the covering plates are the same as those of the fourth embodiment, and are not mentioned again here. 
     The application methods of the RFID tags  1 ,  2  and  3  are described as follows. The RFID reading and writing machine can transmit radio energy with the specific frequency to the RFID tags  1 ,  2  and  3 , in order to activate the integrated circuit  12  to transmit the stored identification information out, and then the RFID reading and writing machine can receive and decode this information and send it to the database of the system for the follow-up applications. Currently the available frequency band of the RFID is in the ultra high frequency band. The transmission distance of the RFID tags  1 ,  2  and  3  can reach up to 5 meters by using this ultra high frequency band. Since the RFID tags are readable and available for the long distance communication, the RFID reading and writing machine can monitor the moving history of the merchandise. If a thief has the RFID reading and writing machine, then he can know what kind of merchandise is in the bags carried by all the customers walking out the store. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 4 , which is a schematic diagram showing the radio frequency identification tag  1  of  FIG. 1  after breaking along the cutting line  14 . In order to solve the privacy invasion problem involved with the RFID system, the present invention provides a cutting line  14  on the RFID tag  1 . When the merchandise is sold, the seller can break the RFID tag  1  along the cutting line  14  into two parts. The first part  31  contains the integrated circuit  12  and a part of the antenna  13 , while the second part  32  contains only the other part of the antenna  13 . The first part  31  of the RFID tag  1  is attached to the merchandise, which is carried out of the store by the customer. Since a part of the antenna  13  on the RFID tag  1  is damaged after breaking, the communication distance of the RFID  1  is largely shortened, and therefore the customer does not need to worry about the privacy invasion problem anymore. Furthermore, if the customer wants to return or to replace the merchandise, the first part  31  of the RFID tag  1  still maintains the identification function, though the antenna  13  of the first part  31  of the RFID tag  1  has been partially damaged. The seller still can use the RFID reading and writing machine within the specific distance from the merchandise to catch the information for the follow-up control and management. This specific distance can be varied according to the various pattern designs of the antenna before and after breaking. In one embodiment, this specific distance can be as short as 5 centimeters. Therefore, the location of the cutting line  14  can be designed anywhere as long as the integrated circuit  12  is not damaged and some part of antenna  13  is still connected to the integrated circuit  12  after breaking. Then the goals of both shortening the communication distance of the RFID tags and reusing the RFID tags can be achieved. More than one cutting line can be disposed as well to further reduce the size of the antenna  13 . Therefore, by using the present invention, the customers can keep the privacy, and the sellers can have the convenience for the warehouse and logistics control and management. 
     The RFID tags  1 ,  2  and  3  of the present invention are not limited to the use of labeling the merchandise in the retail business. The RFID systems have been applied to a lot of fields widely. It is within the protecting scope of the present invention to use the design of the cutting line or cutting notch to damage the antenna without affecting the identification function in the shorter radio communication distance. 
     While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.