Abstract:
An RFID Tag ( 10, 25, 36, 37 ) includes a transponder unit ( 29 ) that has at least a chip ( 21 ) and an antenna means ( 17 ) and further including a molded body ( 15, 27, 38, 44 ) for accommodating the transponder unit, the molded body being made from an elastic and deformable material.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an RFID Tag, and more particularly to an RFID Tag including a transponder unit and a molded body for accommodating the transponder unit. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    RFID Tags have up to now been widely used in various fields of application, especially in the field of recognition or identification of objects and specifically personal belongings. For example, the known RFID Tags designed for garment identification are formed as buttons or the like which have to be arranged either onto the outside of garments or textiles, or sewn into the garments or textiles, resulting in a visible witness mark and possibly interfering with the wearing comfort. As a result of the outside arrangement, some RFID Tags are readily discernible and thus disturb the outer appearance of garments or textiles being provided within the RFID Tags. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]    Embodiments of the RFID Tag are described in greater detail below with reference to the figures, whereby: 
           [0004]      FIG. 1  shows an RFID Tag fixed on the spot; 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  shows the RFID Tag depicted in  FIG. 1  in top view; 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  shows a cross-section of the RFID Tag shown in  FIG. 2  and taken along lines III-III; 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  shows a top view of another embodiment of an RFID Tag; 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a cross-section view of the RFID Tag shown in  FIG. 4  and taken along line V-V; 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  shows a cross-section of another embodiment of an RFID Tag having a top layer and a bottom layer consisting of different materials; 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  shows a cross-section of another embodiment of an RFID Tag having an adhesive coating covering a bottom layer of the molded body. 
       
    
    
       [0011]    While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
       OVERVIEW 
       [0012]    Examples of the present invention can provide an RFID Tag for application in garments without creating any discomfort for the wearer of these garments and without being readily discernible. 
         [0013]    According to an embodiment of the invention, an RFID Tag comprises a transponder unit and a molded body for accommodating the transponder unit, the molded body being made from an elastic and deformable material. 
         [0014]    According to an embodiment of the invention, the RFID Tag features a molded body for accommodating the transponder unit and thus exhibits a sealing encapsulation preventing the RFID Tag from being damaged by humidity, for example when being subjected to a washing procedure with the garment. As a result of the elastic and deformable material chosen for manufacturing the molded body, the transponder unit being accommodated in the molded body is protected against any impacts which may occur during handling the garments. Another advantage of the elastic and deformable characteristics of the material lies in that the RFID Tags may be applied to nearly any site of the garment, since the Tag is easily adaptable to any contour of the garments. Hence, the inventive RFID Tag can, for example, be placed into a hem and fixed by an stitching action, if necessary, without creating an discomfort to the wearer. 
         [0015]    Another effect of the aforementioned adaptation characteristics of the RFID Tag is that not only the expectations of the wearer of the garment as to aesthetics and comfort are fulfilled, but also safety and anti-theft aspects respectively are considered, since the RFID Tag cannot be noticed by any potential thief, and thus an anti-theft marker is realized without the necessity to remove the RFID Tag from the garment after sale, as is the case with the known more or less bulky embodiments of respective markers which are readily discernible fixed onto the outside of the garment, thus impairing wearing comfort. 
         [0016]    The RFID Tag can be easily manufactured when there is a foil used as substrate for arrangement of the antenna means, the foil being accommodated within the molded body. Thus, based on the foil-mounted antenna means connected to the at least one chip, the foil serves as base unit for manufacturing the RFID Tag. Consequently, in order to complete the RFID Tag, it is only necessary to encapsulate the foil with the molding material. There are different possibilities available to produce the molded body of the RFID Tag. One approach is to have a top surface and a bottom surface of the foil covered with a top layer and a bottom layer respectively consisting of the elastic and deformable material forming the molded body. 
         [0017]    These two covering layers can be made from the same or different materials depending on the intended characteristics. 
         [0018]    Depending on the materials chosen for the bottom and top layers and the foil substrate respectively, it might be favorable to provide for an adhesive layer in order to achieve a reliable connection between the layers and/or the layers and the substrate. 
         [0019]    In order to impart additional functions to the RFID-Tag going beyond the recognition or identification function according to one embodiment of the invention there is at least one intermediate layer between the foil substrate and the top layer or the bottom layer which might have for example cosmetic characteristics, i.e., flavor emitting or the like. 
         [0020]    Another approach lies in forming the molded body homogeneously, for example by using injection molding methods, the application of which leads to an RFID Tag having the foil encapsulated. 
         [0021]    As has turned out, an example of the present invention can include the antenna means is made from a conductive layer being arranged onto the surface of the foil. Thus, the extreme flexibility of the foil is in as little as possible interfered with the antenna means. According to an embodiment of the invention, the RFID Tag is made from an elastomer being a commonly-used and thus widely available material offering the characteristics for the material of the molded body. 
         [0022]    In an example silicone rubber is used for the molded body, as this material has turned out to be particularly resistant to detergents. 
         [0023]    Independently from the embodiment of the RFID Tag having a top and a bottom layer attached onto the respective surfaces of the foil or having one molded body encapsulating the foil, the present structure can have different transparencies of the outer surfaces of the top side and the bottom side, for example adapted to the color or transparency of the textiles covering the RFID tag. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]      FIG. 1  shows an RFID Tag  10  fixed on the spot within a shirt collar  11 , the RFID Tag being depicted with dash-dotted lines and being accommodated between two textile layers  12 ,  13  forming the shirt color  11 . 
         [0025]    As can be seen from a combination of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the RFID Tag  10  has a foil substrate  14  accommodated within a molded body  15 , the foil substrate  14  having arranged onto a top surface  16  an antenna means  17  which is here embodied as an UHF-antenna having a connection area  18  being connected with bumps  19 ,  20  of a chip  21 . As to the depicted embodiment of the antenna means  17 , the antenna means  17 , is made from a conductive coating  22  arranged with two branches  23 ,  24  being formed as continuous reciprocating steps. As can be seen particularly from  FIG. 3 , the molded body  15  surrounds all sides of the foil substrate  14  and is formed as a homogeneous body made from one and the same material. 
         [0026]      FIGS. 4 and 5  show an RFID Tag  25  having a foil substrate  26  extending over the whole length of a molded body  27  accommodating the foil substrate  26 . The foil substrate  26  has arranged onto a top surface  28  a transponder unit  29  being identical to the transponder unit  29  being arranged onto the foil substrate  14  of the RFID Tag  10  depicted in  FIGS. 1 to 3  and having an antenna means  17  and a chip  21 . 
         [0027]    Differing from the RFID Tag  10 , the RFID Tag  25  has end faces  30 ,  31  of the molded body  27  having end sections  32 ,  33  of the foil substrate  26  flush with the end faces  30 ,  31  and thus parting the end faces  30 ,  31  in an upper end face  34  and a lower end face  35 . 
         [0028]      FIGS. 6 and 7  show as further embodiments RFID tags  36  and  37  in cross section. The RFID Tag  36  exhibits a molded body  38  differing from the molded body  27  shown in  FIG. 5  in so far as the molded body  38  is composed of a top layer  39  and a bottom layer  40  each being arranged on a top surface  41  and a bottom surface  42  respectively of the foil substrate  26  being identical to the foil substrate  26  of RFID Tag  25  shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The bottom and top layers  39  and  40  can be identical but also different in material or transparency as it is the case with the RFID-Tag  36  of  FIG. 6 . 
         [0029]    The RFID Tag shown in  FIG. 7  has an adhesive coating  45  applied onto a bottom surface  43  of a molded body  44 . The molded body  44  can be composed of different layers or can be made homogeneous from one material covering the top surface  41  and the bottom surface  42  of the foil substrate  26  as well.