Identification device in the form of a tag-like strip affixable to an article and method for its manufacture

An identification device in the form of a flat tag-like construction affixable to an object comprising:

• a flexible planar, nonconductive substrate defining a foldline about which said substrate may be folded;
• a first conductive element, comprising an inductive element formed of flat, connected, conductive paths affixed to and disposed on one side of said foldline,
• a second conductive element, affixed to said substrate on an opposite side of said foldline and registered relative to said first conductive element;
• a dielectric element disposed over at least a portion of one of said conductive elements;
• said first and said second conductive elements forming upon the folding over of said substrate about said foldline, a resonant circuit comprising inductive and capacitive elements wherein said first conductive element comprises a first path comprising a plurality of connected, conductive first segments of predetermined first length and first width forming a first spiral path and wherein the spacing between adjacent, spaced segments are at first predetermined intervals;
• and wherein
• said second element comprises a second path comprising a like plurality of connected, conductive second segments of predetermined second length and second width forming a second spiral path and wherein the spacing between adjacent, spaced segments are at predetermined second intervals and wherein upon the folding over of said substrate about said foldline said plurality of first segments are mutually aligned to the plurality of second segments thereby forming pairs of segments and wherein said first and said second widths are chosen such that an overlapping is formed of said first segments relative to said second segments which sequentially alternates for each said pair of segments between said first spiral path and said second spiral path.

A circular resonant tag device comprising:

• a flexible, nonconductive substrate;
• a resonant circuit affixed to said substrate comprising:
• a first conductive member affixed to said substrate on one side thereof comprising a flat, arcuately shaped first element including a first set of spaced circumferential ends;
• a second conductive member affixed to said substrate, in registration with said first conductive member, comprising a flat second arcuately shaped element including a second set of spaced circumferential ends;
• said second conductive member being registered and rotated to said first conductive member such that upon vertical alignment of said first and second conductive members said first and second arcuately shaped elements are substantially mutually aligned and said first and second sets of spaced circumferenced ends are rotationally positioned relative to one another by a predetermined amount such that said first and second arcuately shaped elements overlap each other in at least two common areas forming a plurality of plates for at least two distinct capacitors, and
• a dielectric layer interposing said common or overlapping areas.

A method of constructing a resonant circuit in the form of a flexible, planar tag comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a flexible, non-conductive substrate;
• b. depositing on said substrate a conductive central path;
• c. perforating said central path to form a longitudinally extending foldline,
• d. deposition on said substrate, on one side of said central path, in electrical communication therewith a conductive first element;
• e. depositing on said substrate, on the other side of said central path, in electrical communication therewith, a conductive second element registered relative to said first element;
• f. folding over said substrate about said foldline to place said first and second elements in a mutually aligned opposing relation;
• g. providing a dielectric insulating layer between predetermined portions of said first and second elements.

For use in electronic security and control systems an identification device in the form of a tag-like strip affixable to an article, comprising:

• an insulative, flexible substrate;
• a first conductive element consisting of various first flat conductor strip portions which in a series connection form a first flat conductive spiral pattern affixed to said substrate and including first multiple turns;
• a second conductive element consisting of various second flat conductor strip portions which in a series connection form a second flat conductive spiral pattern affixed to said substrate and including second multiple turns;
• said first and second flat conductive spiral patterns being electrically insulated from each other and oppositely wound with respect to each other and registered in an opposing and aligned relationship to each other;
• a dielectric element in the form of a thin insulative layer extending at least between said first and second flat conductor strip portions of said first and second conductive spiral patterns and disposed therebetween for dielectrically spacing at least respective facing parts of said first and second conductive elements;
• said oppositely wound first and second multiple turns of said respective first and second flat conductive spiral patterns cooperating to form an inductive member and in mutual opposition overlying parts of said first and second conductive elements spaced by said dielectric element forming a capacitive member of a substantially planer resonant circuit which thus has both its inductance and capacitance distributed in a strip-line manner.

The use in electronic security and control systems an identification device in the form of a tag-like strip affixable to an article, comprising:

• an insulative, flexible substrate;
• a first conductive element comprising a first conductive pattern formed of various first flat conductor strip portions which in a series connection form a flat conductive spiral path affixed to said substrate and having multiple turns and forming an inductive member;
• and
• two second flat conductor strip portions affixed to said substrates and representing the innermost and outermost portions of said flat conductive spiral path;
• a second conductive element comprising a second conductive pattern formed of two third flat conductor strip portions and a fourth flat conductor strip portion electrically connecting said third flat conductor strip portions one to another;
• said first and second conductive elements being electrically insulated from each other and arranged in a registrated relationship to each other such that each one of said third conductor strip portions of said second conductive pattern is, at least in part, aligned in mutual opposition with a respective one of said second flat conductor strip portions of said first conductive pattern;
• a dielectric element in the form of a thin insulative layer extending at least between said third and second and between said fourth and first flat conductor strips portions, insulatively spacing said second and first conductive patterns one from another, and wherein said dielectric element, in cooperation with said second and third conductor strip portions, form a capacitive member of a substantially planar resonant circuit.

For use in electronic security and control systems an identification device in the form of a tag-like strip affixable to and article, comprising

• an insulative, flexible substrate;
• a line of perforations formed in said substrate and dividing said substrate into two adjacent portions;
• a first conductive element, comprising a first conductive pattern formed of a plurality of first flat conductor strip portions which in a series connection form a flat conductive spiral path having multiple turns and forming an inductive member, including
• two second flat conductor strip portions representing the innermost and outermost portions of said flat conductive spiral paths,
• each of said first and second flat conductor strip portions being affixed to one portion of said substrate on one side of said line of perforations in a precise and defined registration relative to said line of perforations;
• a second conductive element comprising a second conductive pattern formed of two third flat conductor strip portions and a fourth flat conductor strip portion electrically connecting said third flat conductor strip portions one to another;
• each of said third and fourth flat conductor strip portions being affixed to the opposite portion of said substrate on the opposite side of said line of perforations in a precise and defined registration relative to said line of perforations;
• said line of perforations defining a foldline about which said portions of said substrate material may be folded onto each other;
• a dielectric element in the form of a thin insulative layer extending at least over a portion of one of said conductive elements;
• and wherein said first and second conductive elements form, upon folding over said substrate about said foldline in a manner to place said respective second and third conductor strip portions in an opposing aligned relationship to each other spaced by said dielectric element, a resonant circuit comprising inductive and capacitive elements.

For use in electronic security and control systems an identification device in the form of a tag-like strip affixable to an article, comprising;

• an insulative, flexible substrate;
• a first conductive element affixed to said substrate and comprising a plurality of serially connected first flat conductor strip portions having individual first lengths and first widths and being arranged to form a first flat conductive spiral path having first multiple turns and running from a first innermost to a first outermost conductor strip portion and wherein the spacings between adjacent conductor strips are at predetermined first intervals and define a first spiral spacing path;
• a second conductive element comprising a like plurality of serially connected second flat conductor strip portions having individual second lengths and second widths and being arranged to form a second flat conductive spiral path having second multiple turns and running from a second innermost to a second outermost conductor strip portion and wherein the spacings between adjacent conductor strips are at predetermined second intervals and define a second spiral spacing path;
• a dielectric element in the form of a thin insulative layer extending over at least a portion of one of said conductive elements;
• wherein
• said first widths of said first conductor strip portions are narrower than said second intervals, wherein
• said second widths of said second conductor strip portions are narrower than said first intervals;
• wherein said first and second conductor strip portions substantially lie within said second and first respective intervals, thus providing said first conductive spiral path to interlace with said second conductive spiral path to form an inductive member having both first and second multiple turns arranged substantially in a single plane and having an extremely low leakage capacitance, wherein
• at least one respective pair of both innermost and outermost conductor strip portions of said first and second conductive spiral paths is wider than any one of the other conductor strip portions of said first and second conductive spiral paths and are, at least in part, registrated in a mutually aligned opposition, one strip portion to the other, and in cooperation with said dielectric element spacing one from another forms plates of a discrete capacitive member;
• and
• said inductive and capacitive member forming a planar resonant circuit.

For use in electronic security and control systems, an identification device in the form of a tag-like strip affixable to an article, comprising:

• an insulative, flexible substrate;
• a longitudinally extending central conductive path affixed to said substrate and including a line of perforations substantially oriented through the center thereof;
• wherein said central path and said substrate form at least a twin-layer construction, and wherein
• said line of perforations forms a foldline about which said substrate and said central path may be folded;
• a first conductive element, affixed to said substrate and disposed on one side of said foldline and in electrical communication with said central conductive path, comprising a plurality of first flat conductor strip portions having individual first lengths and first widths, said first flat conductor strip portions in a series connection forming a flat conductive spiral pattern affixed to said substrate and having multiple turns, and wherein each of said flat conductor strip portions is registered relative to said line of perforations;
• a second conductive element, affixed to said substrate and disposed on an opposite side of that foldline, and in electrical communication with said central conductive path, and registered relative to said line of perforations;
• a dielectric element disposed over at least a portion of one of said conductive elements;
• said first and said second conductive elements forming, upon the folding over of said substrate about said foldline in a manner to place said first and said second conductive elements in an opposingly aligned registration one relative to another spaced by said dielectric element, a resonant circuit comprising inductive and capacitive elements.

A method of constructing a resonant circuit in the form of a flexible, planar tag-like strip comprising the steps of:

• a. continuously providing a flexible, insulative substrate having a first and second face;
• b. continuously depositing on said first face of said substrate an etchant impervious sealing layer having a resealing capability
• c. continuously providing a continuous metal foil having a first and second face;
• d. continuously combining said sealantly equipped substrate with said first face of said metal foil;
• e. continuously laminating said combination, in a manner to form at least a tri-layered sandwich construction having the resealing layer as a central component, by activating said sealing layer for a first time;
• f. continuously providing said sandwich construction with suitable pilot means for repetitionally precise transportation and for folding over said substrate about a foldline;
• g. continuously depositing a dielectric material on said second face of said metal foil to form a plurality of dielectric paths thereon forming repetitive etchant resistive mask patterns each of which have an outline which defines the outlines of at least first and second conductor path portions of respective first and second conductive elements to be generated thereon;
• h. continuously etching the sandwich construction;
• i. continuously drying the etched construction;
• k. continuously recreating the sealing capability of said sealing layer in all places in which the metal has been removed by chemically treating the dried construction;
• l. continuously folding over the etched and sealingly recreated construction such, that said first and second conductive elements are aligned in an opposing relation one to another and spaced at least by the double width of said dielectric paths of said etchant resistive mask patterns;
• m. continuously laminating the folding over construction by activating said sealing layer a second time;
• and
• n. repetitively dividing the folded over and sealed construction into individual resonant circuits which can be washed and sewn.