Patent ID: 7384496

Claim:
A method for forming a series of items having human readable printed indicia and EAS or RFID security circuitry integral with said items, each of said items comprising at least a portion of a product to be protected by said security circuitry or a package for a product to be protected by said security circuitry or some other printed material packaged with a product to be protected by said security circuitry, each of said items not being an EAS or RFID security tag itself, each of said items having a surface, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing an integrated surface processing system including a printing device and a security circuit fabrication device, said security circuit fabrication device being arranged for fabricating in situ said EAS or RFID security circuitry on each of said items; b) providing a first adhesive in a predetermined pattern to said surface of each of said items using said security circuit fabrication device; c) applying a first conductive foil to said first adhesive on each of said items using said security fabrication device; d) die cutting said first conductive foil corresponding to said pattern and removing remaining portions of said first conductive foil from each of said items using said security fabrication device to thereby form a first conductive trace in situ upon said surface of each of said items, said first conductive trace forming a component of said security circuitry and being integral with said item; e) printing indicia on at least a portion of each of said items by said printing device to thereby form said series of items, with said security circuitry being integral therewith and located at a predetermined position with respect to said indicia; f) providing a second adhesive in a predetermined pattern to a portion of a surface area of said item, said surface area comprising said surface and said first conductive trace; g) applying a second conductive foil to said second adhesive to adhere said second conductive foil to said surface area forming a second conductive trace; and h) electrically coupling portions of said first and second conductive traces to each other.