Abstract:
A disposable and tamper-resistant RFID lock that employs an RFID tag. Use of tamper evident housing. Disabling an RFID tag contained in the housing cutting, crushing, or puncturing the RFID tag.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and 37 C.F.R. 1.78(b) based upon copending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/875,726 for Disposable and Tamper-Resistant RFID Lock of Fastener filed Dec. 19, 2006 and which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to tamper resistant locks and fasteners, or more specifically to tamper resistant locking or fastening devices that house RFID tags, which also enable tracking and identification of goods and assets. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The use of radio frequency identification (“RFID”) technology is increasingly being utilized to identify, track and locate goods or assets being shipped or transported. Various industries are coming to understand the benefits of RFID technology and as such are devoting more resources to this new technology. As a result, RFID technology is well known in the art. For example, RFID technology is now being used in various forms in the airline, food and drug industries to identify, track and locate an industry&#39;s particular goods or assets. 
         [0004]    In addition to identifying, tracking and locating goods or assets, various industries are also attempting to employ prophylactic measures that prevent tampering of, theft of and terrorist activities directed to their assets or goods. The food and beverage industries in particular share such concerns. As an example, there is the potential for a bioterrorist or poisonous attack on food and beverages shipped or transported from manufacturers to packagers, wholesalers, distributors or retailers. To further illustrate the danger of such an attack, one may consider a typical manufacture, shipment and packaging of a dry food. Once a dry food is manufactured it may be shipped or transported in bulk to the manufacturer&#39;s packaging plant. The dry food is typically transported by a truck towing a trailer. The trailer may have openings at its top and bottom. Initially, the dry food is loaded through the openings at the top of the truck&#39;s trailer. The openings may take the form of a hatch or round opening with a cover. The truck will then transport the dry food to, for example, the packaging plant where the bottom openings of the truck&#39;s trailer are opened allowing the dry food to pour out into receptacles located beneath the truck and in the packaging plant. The drivers of the trucks transporting the dry food frequently make stops to eat, sleep and refuel the trucks. During such stops, trailers attached to the truck are particularly vulnerable to theft and tampering of the goods contained in the trailers. Individuals may gain access to the contents of the trailers via the openings on the top or bottom of the trailer. Locks may be used to secure the openings of the trailer, but such locks do not convey any information regarding the identification or location of a particular good or asset. Additionally, for the most part, locks fail to convey information that an individual attempted to tamper with a trailer&#39;s opening. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, there is a need for a lock or fastener that prevents tampering of goods and assets and in addition, conveys information as to the identification and location of a good or asset contained and shipped via transportable containers. There is a also a need for a lock or fastener that indicates whether there has been an attempt to tamper with goods or assets contained and shipped via transportable containers. Finally, there is a need for a low cost, effective and disposable lock or fastener that prevents tampering of goods and assets while also providing information as to the identification and location of the good or asset contained and shipped via transportable containers. 
         [0006]    Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. 
         [0007]    The drawings, including  FIGS. 1 ,  1   a ,  2  and  2   a  constitute a part of this specification, include exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a first embodiment of a RFID lock according to the invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 1   a  is a front view of the first embodiment of a disabled RFID lock according to the invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of second embodiment of a RFID lock according to the invention with walls broken away to illustrate details thereof; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 2   a  is a view similar to  FIG. 2  of the second embodiment and shows a disabled or crushed RFID element according to the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an exploded side perspective view of a third embodiment of an RFID lock according to the invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3   a  is an exploded bottom perspective view of the third embodiment of an RFID lock according to the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a top view of an RFID tag. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
         [0016]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , one embodiment of the invention, a Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”) lock  10 , is shown comprising a housing  100  that contains a flexible RFID tag  110 , a plate  120 , a spring  130 , a portion of a locking stem  140  attached to the plate  120  and a locking washer  150 . The housing  100  has openings at the top  160  and bottom  170  of its structure. The top opening  160  allows a user to thread the RFID tag  110  into a cavity  180  of the housing  100 . The top opening  160  is configured to allow a narrow RFID tag  110  to be threaded into the cavity  180 . In addition, the top opening  160  is sufficiently narrow to prevent other items with greater width than the RFID tag  110  from entering the cavity  180  and to substantially prevent the RFID tag  110  from inadvertently passing back through the top opening  160 . The bottom opening  170  of the housing  100 , is configured to allow the locking stem  140  to move freely in and out of the housing  110 . The housing is made of any suitable material, such as plastic, metal or ceramic, that is resistant to moisture and electrical charge. In addition, the housing must be made of any suitable material that allows a signal from a RFID tag&#39;s antenna to be detected. Pulling the locking stem  140  in a direction away from the bottom opening  170  of the housing  100 , causes the plate  120  attached to the locking stem  140  to compress or “load” the spring  130 . The locking stem  140  further comprises a plurality of one way ratchets  141  which when passed through the locking washer  150 , prevents the locking stem  140  from moving in a reverse direction through the locking washer  150 . As a result of the one way ratchets, when the tail end  142  of the locking stem  140  passes through the locking washer  150 , the only direction the locking stem  140  may move is away from the bottom opening  170  of the housing  100 . Since the plate  120  is attached to the locking stem  140 , it too may only move in one direction once the locking washer  150  has engaged the locking stem  140 . Such direction would be down towards the bottom opening  170  of the housing  100 . 
         [0017]    By way of example, an embodiment of the present invention may be used to secure or lock the hatch or opening (described above) of a trailer containing dry food. The hatch or opening of a trailer may have a first metal ring attached to the trailer and a second metal ring attached to the hatch. The first metal ring aligns with the second metal ring attached to the hatch. In order to secure the hatch or opening, a user of the present invention would first thread the tail end  142  of the locking stem  140  through the second metal ring attached to the hatch. The width or diameter of the housing  100  is configured to prevent the housing  100  from passing through the second metal ring or the first metal ring. The user would next thread the tail end  142  of the locking stem  140  through the first metal ring. In order to lock or secure the hatch to the trailer, the user would then thread and pull the tail end  142  of the locking stem  140  through the locking washer  150 . The user of the present invention would continue to pull the tail end  142  until the plate  120  loads the spring  130  sufficiently near the bottom opening  170  of the housing  100 . As described previously, the one way ratchets  141  of the locking stem  140  prevent the locking stem  140  or plate  120  from moving upwards or into the cavity  180  of the housing  100 . The one way ratchets  141  also prevent others from unlocking the RFID lock  10  from the hatch or opening of the trailer unless they cut the locking stem  140  in the area between the bottom opening  170  of the housing  100  and the locking washer  150 . Once the hatch of the trailer is locked by the RFID lock  10 , the user would lastly thread a RFID tag  110  through the top opening of the housing  160 . 
         [0018]    Turning now to  FIG. 1   a , one advantage of an embodiment of the present invention is shown when the locking stem  140  is cut. A user would know both visually and through the disablement of the RFID tag  110  that someone may have opened the hatch and tampered with the goods or assets located therein. In an embodiment of the present invention, the severing of the locking stem  140  disables the RFID tag  110 . An RFID reader (not pictured) would be unable to detect a signal from the RFID tag  110  because the release of the locking stem  140  from the locking washer  150  results in the spring  130  unloading or decompressing and pushing the plate  120  towards the top opening of the housing  100  thereby crushing or crumpling the RFID tag  110 . The plate  120  is of sufficient diameter or width such that when it is pushed by the spring  130  towards the top opening  160  of the housing  100 , it will crush or crumple the RFID tag  110 . It is well known in the art that even slightly bending an RFID tag (to a radius of 25 mm or less) will result in an RFID tag&#39;s antenna being unable to respond to a signal put out by an RFID reader. As such, the crushing means of an embodiment of the present invention will result in the effective disablement of the RFID tag  110 . 
         [0019]    A user of an embodiment of the present invention would be alerted not only that the RFID tag  110  was not putting out a signal, but in addition, that tampering may have occurred by visually observing that the spring  130  was unloaded and that the plate  120  was in a position near the top of the housing  100 . 
         [0020]    An embodiment of the present invention also allows one to quickly identify and locate a particular asset or good secured by the RFID lock  10 . Prior to transporting a good or asset contained in a transportable container, a user of an embodiment of the present invention would record each unique identifying code associated with each RFID tag  110  contained in a housing  100 . At every location with an RFID reader system in place, the user would then be able to monitor the unique identifying codes associated with the goods or assets. The user may know not only what the particular good or asset was, but in addition, may know the location of the good or asset at the time the RFID tag  110  was read. In addition, as described previously, if an RFID tag  110  was disabled during the course of the transportation of the asset or good, the user would quickly be able to determine the good or asset and that someone potentially tampered with such good or asset. The use of RFID tags to identify and locate assets or goods is well known in the art. 
         [0021]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , another embodiment of the present invention is shown comprising a housing  200  having a bottom opening  201 , an RFID slot  202  configured to receive and hold a flexible RFID tag  240  in place in the housing  200 , a spring  210 , a portion of a locking stem  220 , a hinge  230 , an RFID tag  240 ; and a locking washer  250 . The housing may be made of any suitable material, such a plastic, ceramic or metal, that is resistant to moisture and electrical charge. In addition, the housing must be made of any suitable material that allows a signal from the RFID tag&#39;s antenna to be detected.  FIG. 2  shows the spring  210  in a compressed state and the hinge  230  in a horizontal position (relative to the vertically positioned RFID tag  240 ) located underneath the RFID tag  240 . Positioning the hinge  230  underneath the RFID tag  240  is accomplished by first pulling the locking stem  220  in a direction that is downward or away from the bottom opening  201  of the housing  200 . The locking stem  220  is connected to the hinge  230 . Pulling the locking stem  220  downward forces the hinge  230  to move downward towards the bottom opening of the housing  200  and in addition loads or compresses the spring  210 . Prior to pulling the locking stem  200  down, the hinge  230  rests against the RFID tag  240  in a vertical position adjacent the top end of the housing  200 . As the hinge  230  is pulled downwards, the pulling force from the locking stem  220  incrementally turns the hinge  230  from its vertical position to the horizontal position seen in  FIG. 2 . Once the hinge  230  turns to its horizontal position, it locks into such horizontal position by way of a locking hinge mechanism. While a simple and cost-effective embodiment is shown in  FIG. 2 , it is contemplated that several mechanisms exist and may be utilized to hold an RFID tag in a housing and load a spring. The embodiment in  FIG. 2  is shown by way of example and is not meant to limit the means of holding an RFID tag and loading a spring. After the hinge  230  is positioned underneath the RFID tag  240 , the locking washer  250  is used to secure the locking stem  220 . The locking stem  220  is secured by the locking washer  250  through a one-way ratchet design of the locking stem  220 . A plurality of ratchets  221 ,  222  are located on the locking stem  220 . The ratchets  221 ,  222  prevent the locking stem  220  from moving back through the locking washer  250  because of the one way ratchet design. A user will continue to pull the locking stem  220  through the locking washer  250  until the locking washer  250  rests against the bottom of the housing  200 . In this way, the spring  210  remains in a loaded or compressed state unless and until the locking stem  220  is cut or the locking washer  250  removed from the locking stem  220 . 
         [0022]    Referring now to  FIG. 2   a , the embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIG. 2  is now shown in a disabled or tampered state. The locking washer  250  has been removed from the locking stem  220 . With nothing to prevent the spring  210  from returning to its uncompressed state, the locking stem  220  and hinge  230  are pushed upwards from the force of the spring  210  uncoiling. Since the hinge  230  is locked in its horizontal position underneath the RFID tag  240 , the upward pushing force of the spring necessarily crushes or crumples the RFID tag  240 . It is well known in the art that an RFID tag that is crushed or crumpled becomes unreadable or virtually unreadable because of the disruption in the signal emitted from the antenna of an RFID tag. The embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 2   a  is provided by way of example only and is not meant to limit the means for crushing or disabling an RFID tag. For example, it is contemplated that an RFID tag may be disabled by way of a cutting means. In such a device, tampering with the RFID lock would result in a sharp object cutting the RFID tag in a location such that it would be effectively unreadable by an RFID reader. Yet another example contemplated as a means for disabling the RFID tag is a pneumatic force that is activated by the tampering of the RFID tag. In lieu of a spring, the activation of a pneumatic force would push a hinge or tab located underneath the RFID tag so that it crushes or crumples the RFID tag. In such a device, a housing may be vacuum sealed with a sealed hose extending from the bottom end of the housing. A cutting of the hose would introduce air pressure into the housing thereby forcing a tab upwards and crushing an RFID tag. 
         [0023]    Referring now to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 3   a , another embodiment of the present invention is shown comprising an RFID lock  300  having a foundation  310 , a cover  320 ; a fastener end container  330 ; a blade holder  340 , a blade  350 , a spring  360 , a fastener  370 , and a one-way ratchet fastener lock  380 . The foundation  310  may be made of any suitable material that is weatherproof and resistant to easy breakage including but not limited to metal, plastic or ceramic. Without limiting the scope of the present embodiment of the invention, the foundation  310  may be formed from a hard plastic substance such as polyethylene, have a disc shaped bottom base that is generally flat on its bottom surface. Alternatively, the bottom base of the foundation may be square, rectangular, oval, or any other shape that a user of the embodiment of the invention deems appropriate for a particular application. The foundation  310  may also have two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312  extending from the top surface of its disc shaped bottom base. Alternatively, the foundation  310  may have two matching rectangular or square cuboids. The circular sectors  311 ,  312  are separated by a gap  313 . The gap  313  when covered by the raised semicircular wedge  321  of the cover  320 , forms a passageway that restricts the lateral movement of the fastener end container  330 , the blade holder  340  and the blade  350  such that the fastener end container  330 , blade holder  340  and blade  350  may move vertically but not horizontally. The foundation  310  also has a fastener hole  314  extending through its disc shaped bottom base and located between its two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312  in the area of the gap  313 . The foundation  310  may also have locking holes  315 ,  316 ,  317  that extend through its disc shaped bottom base. 
         [0024]    The shape of the cover  320  of the RFID lock  300  is made so that it generally matches the shape of the raised surface of the foundation  310 . Additionally, the shape of the cover  320  is made so that it tightly encloses the foundation&#39;s  310  two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312  and the top surface of the foundation&#39;s disc shaped bottom base. Alternatively, if the foundation  310  has two matching raised rectangular or square cuboids, the cover  320  would also be made so that it tightly encloses such raised structures on the foundation&#39;s  310  top surface. However, in the present embodiment of the invention, the cover  320  has a disc shaped bottom base and a raised hollow semicircular wedge  321  extending from the top surface of the disc shaped bottom base. As shown in  FIG. 3   a , when viewed from the bottom of the cover  320 , the hollow semicircular wedge forms a cavity that accepts the two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312  of the foundation  310 . The cover  320  may also have a portal through its disc shaped bottom surface that allows an identifying number, such as a bar code number, placed on the foundation  310  to be read. The cover  320  like the foundation  310  may be made of any suitable material that is weatherproof and resistant to easy breakage including but not limited to metal, plastic or ceramic. In addition, the material used to fashion the cover and the foundation must be of any suitable material, which allows a signal to be detected from a radio frequency identification tag&#39;s antenna. The semicircular wedge  321  of the cover  320  has a dome  323  formed at its top which allows the dome  323  to accept the fastener end container  330 , the blade  350  and the blade holder  340  in the event of a “triggering event.” The cover  320  may have also have locking holes  315   a ,  316   a ,  317   a  that extend through the surface of its disc shaped bottom base and that match and correspond to the locking holes  315 ,  316 ,  317  of the foundation  310 . 
         [0025]    The spring  360  may be any suitable helical compression spring. When compressed, the spring  360  will exert a force on the bottom surface of the fastener end container  330 . 
         [0026]    In the present embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIG. 3 , a zip tie fastener  370  made of any suitable material such as plastic or metal may first have its non-fastening end  371  guided through an opening  331  located in the bottom of the fastener end container  330 . The fastener end container  330  may be fashioned in the form of a cup shape having an open top, raised sides and a bottom. The opening  331  in the bottom of the fastener end container  330  is of sufficient dimensions to allow the non-fastening end  371  of the fastener to pass through, as well as the entire length and diameter of the fastener  370 , except for the fastening end  372 . Such a design allows a user to freely pull on the fastener  370  until the fastening end  372  of a fastener  370  engages the opening  331 . Once this occurs, since the fastening end  372  may not be pulled through the opening  331  of the fastening end container  330 , further pulling of the fastener  370  will force the fastener end container&#39;s  330  bottom to load or compress an end of a spring  360  placed in the gap  313 . 
         [0027]    Next, the spring  360  is placed in the area formed by the gap  313  of the foundation  310 . The user guides the non-fastening end  372  of the fastener  370  through the central diameter of the spring  360 , and then through the fastener hole  314  located through the surface of the foundation  310 . The blade holder  340  and blade  350  may also fit in or be attached to the fastener end holder  330 . The blade holder  340  may be of any suitable shape that fits within or attaches to the open cup space of the fastener end holder  330 . For example, the blade holder  340  may take the shape of a semi-cylindrical wedge with a groove formed to accept the blade  350 . The blade  350  is attached to the blade holder  340  by any suitable means including, but not limited to, gluing or welding. Moreover, the blade holder  340  may be attached to the fastener end container  330  through any suitable means including, but not limited to, gluing or welding. 
         [0028]    To set the current embodiment of the invention, a user would continue to pull the non-fastening end  372  of the fastener  370  until the tip of the blade  350  is below the area of the gap  313  spanning the highest points of the two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312 . Preferably, a user pulls the non-fastening end  372  of the fastener  370  away from the bottom surface of the foundation  310  until the fastener end container  330  can no longer travel in a downward direction away from the dome  323  of the cover  320  and the blade  350  is at its further location away from the dome  323 . 
         [0029]    Next, an RFID tag  400 , shown in  FIG. 4 , that is adhesive on one side is placed with its adhesive side facing the surfaces of the curved arcs of the two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312 . Proper placement of the RFID tag  400  will result in a majority of the RFID tag  400  adhering to the surface of the curved arcs of the two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312  and a portion of the RFID tag  400 , which is not adhered to the surface of the curved arcs, tautly spanning the top of the gap  313  between the two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312 . The cover  320  of the RFID lock  300  is then placed over the foundation  310  so that the locking holes  315   a ,  316   a ,  317   a  match the locking holes  315 ,  316 ,  317  on the foundation  310 . 
         [0030]    A one-way ratchet fastener lock  380  may then be placed in locking holes  315   a  and  317   a . Securing means such as bolts, rivets or screws may be used to secure the one-way ratchet fastener lock  380 , the cover  320  and the foundation  310  of the RFID lock  300  tightly together. Care must be taken so that a user does not allow the fastener end container  330  holding the blade  350  to move back in a direction towards the dome  323  after the RFID tag  400  is adhered to the surfaces of the curved arcs of the two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312 . Releasing the fastener  370  will result in a triggering event that disables the RFID tag  400 . Releasing the non-fastening end of the fastener  370  will cause the spring  360  to unload and thereby thrust the fastening end container  330 , blade  350  and blade holder  340  in a direction towards the dome  323  of the cover  320 . The blade  350  that is employed is sufficiently sharp and configured so that it will substantially cut the antenna portion of the RFID tag  400  that tautly spans the gap  313 . Cutting an RFID tag will result in its disablement so that an RFID tag reader will be unable to discern a signal from the antenna of the RFID tag. 
         [0031]    Next, taking care that the blade  350  does not cut the RFID tag  400 , the user will guide the non-fastening end  372  of the fastener  370  first through, for example, the metal rings of a door or hatch that the user desires to secure. The fastener  370  is then guided through the locking holes  316 ,  316   a  from the bottom surface of the foundation  310 , through to the top surface of the cover  320 . In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a one-way ratchet locking washer such as the one shown and described in  FIG. 2  may be employed directly beneath the bottom surface of the foundation  310  in order to attach the RFID lock  300  to the opening that the user desires to secure and to prevent the fastener  370  from moving back in the direction of the RFID lock  300 . As explained previously, the fastener  370  has ratchets that ensure it will not move in reverse direction once it is pulled through the one-way ratchet fastener lock  380 . The user pulls the fastener  370  until there is no slack left in the fastener  370  between the RFID lock  300 , the opening to be secured and the fastener lock  380 . 
         [0032]    The embodiment of the present invention is now in a set position and if a person attempts to tamper with the RFID lock  300  by cutting the area of the fastener  370  between the one-way ratchet fastener lock  380  and the bottom of the foundation  310 , the spring  360  will unload and thrust the blade  350  through the portion of the RFID tag  400  spanning the gap  313  between the two raised circular sectors  311 ,  312 . This in turn will disable the RFID tag  400  and once a truck, for example, passes through an RFID reader gate, the user of the embodiment of the invention will quickly and easily know that the RFID lock has been tampered with and/or disabled because a signal will not be detected from the tampered RFID tag&#39;s antenna. 
         [0033]    The present invention contemplates that there are many ways in which an RFID tag may be cut, crushed or ultimately disabled within a housing. The foregoing embodiments are provided by way of example only and in no way are meant to limit the present invention. 
         [0034]    In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. Moreover, the description and illustration of the inventions is by way of example, and the scope of the inventions is not limited to the exact details shown or described. 
         [0035]    Certain changes may be made in embodying the above invention, and in the construction thereof, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not meant in a limiting sense.