PRIOR APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/268,100, filed February 16, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Logos that contain antennas for radio frequency identification ("RFID") tags and, more specifically, to RFID antennas formed inside branding indicia such as words, shapes, or logos and methods of making and using thereof are described herein.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Radio frequency systems, such as near field communication ("NFC") and radio frequency identification ("RFID") systems, allow users (e.g., consumers, retail brand owners, and retailers) to use smartphones and other handheld devices to receive messages from nearby radio frequency tags. For customers/consumers, such tags can receive targeted marketing and discount information, access websites of interest, provide store or venue location information, register the consumer's presence in the store or venue, and automatically sign consumers into local WIFI networks, among other suitable operations customizable for the particular store or venue.

[0004] Radio frequency tags that operate in the high frequency ("HF") range, such as NFC and RFID tags, include an antenna suitable for HF radio waves, such as a coil antenna. In the tag, a RFID circuit, which may be implemented as an integrated circuit ("IC"), or an RFID chip, is coupled to the coil antenna and receives power when excited by a nearby electromagnetic field that emits the resonant frequency of the transponder. Once the chip has received sufficient power, (e.g., 10 pW), the chip turns on and transmits a coded return signal or message via the coil antenna. For NFC tags, a capable smartphone can receive and decode the coded return signal from the radio frequency tag, and interpret the message to enable the operations described above. [0005] Many HF antennas for radio frequency tags use flat, concentric spirals of conductive material to form a coil antenna. Suitable conductive materials can include metal foils such as aluminum foil or copper clad foil. The space saving spiral conductor arrangement helps to minimize the footprint of radio frequency tags, allowing such tags to be placed on a wide variety of consumer items.

[0006] For designers and users of many consumer products, such as apparel and fashion accessories, it may be desirable for the RFID tag to be inconspicuous, visually, so that the tag's presence does not detract from the visual appearance of the item on which it is placed.

[0007] Accordingly, a need exists for solutions that facilitate incorporation of RFID tags in apparel, fashion accessories, and similar products.

SUMMARY

[0008] An HF antenna including a conductive element such as a letter, a shape, or a logo from indicia associated with a brand, and an insulating gap disposed in the conductive element, tags containing the same, and methods of making and using thereof are described herein. The insulating gap follows a generally spiral path through at least part of the conductive element. The insulating gap electrically insulates areas of the conductive element adjacent to the insulating gap, resulting in a HF antenna being formed in the conductive element.

[0009] In some embodiments, the HF radio frequency tag includes indicia, such as a letter, a shape, or a logo associated with a brand, that includes a least on

[0010] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an HF antenna, including: a conductive element including at least a portion of visual indicia associated with a brand, the conductive element defining an insulating gap; and wherein the insulating gap generally follows a generally spiral path in at least a part of the conductive element, wherein the insulating gap electrically insulates areas of the conductive element adjacent to the insulating gap, and wherein the HF antenna is formed in the conductive element by the insulating gap.

[0011] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a HF radio transmission tag, including: indicia associated with a brand, at least a portion of the indicia including a conductive element; and an HF coil antenna formed in the conductive element of the indicia, and including an insulating gap defined in the conductive element that follows an approximately spiral path through at least a portion of the conductive element and that electrically insulates areas of the conductive element on opposing sides of the insulating gap; wherein the conductive element is selected from the group consisting of a letter, a portion of a letter, a group of connected letters, a shape, a portion of a shape, a group of connected shapes, and a portion of a logo.

[0012] In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, including: forming a conductive element in the shape of at least a portion of indicia associated with a brand; and forming an insulating gap in the conductive element to form an HF coil antenna in the conductive element; wherein the insulating gap follows an approximately spiral path in at least a part of the conductive element; wherein the insulating gap electrically insulates areas of the conductive element adjacent to the insulating gap, and wherein the conductive element is selected from the group consisting of a letter, a portion of a letter, a shape, a portion of a shape, a group of connected shapes, a logo, and a portion of a logo conductive element, and an HF coil antenna. The HF coil antenna is formed in the conductive element by an insulating gap that follows an approximately spiral path and electrically insulates areas of the conductive element on adjacent sides of the insulating gap.

[0013] In other embodiments, method for making and using the above are described herein. In some embodiments, the method includes configuring a conductive element in the shape of, part of, or all of, indicia associated with a brand, and creating an insulating gap in the conductive element to form an HF coil antenna in the conductive element. The insulating gap follows an approximately spiral path in the conductive element and electrically insulates areas of the conductive element adjacent to the insulating gap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Various embodiments will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.

[0015] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a logo.

[0016] FIG. 2 depicts a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a coil antenna for a near field communication device using conductive logo elements.

[0017] FIG. 3 depicts a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a coil antenna for a near field communication device using conductive logo elements.

[0018] FIG. 4 depicts a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a coil antenna for a near field communication device using conductive logo elements.

[0019] FIG. 5 depicts a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a coil antenna for a near field communication device using conductive logo elements. [0020] FIG. 6 depicts a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a coil antenna for a near field communication device using conductive logo elements.

[0021] FIG. 7 depicts a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a coil antenna for a near field communication device using conductive logo elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The systems and methods disclosed herein are described in detail by way of examples and with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. It will be appreciated that modifications to disclosed and described examples, arrangements, configurations, components, elements, apparatuses, devices methods, systems, etc. can suitably be made and may be desired for a specific application. In this disclosure, any identification of specific techniques, arrangements, etc. are either related to a specific example presented or are merely a general description of such a technique, arrangement, etc. Identifications of specific details or examples are not intended to be, and should not be, construed as mandatory or limiting unless specifically designated as such.

[0023] The systems and methods disclosed herein describe various structures that can be used as antennas for HF radio tags including NFC devices, Radio Frequency Identification ("RFID") devices, and NFC RFID devices. As can be appreciated, many consumer items have indicia such as logos, words, and other shapes that can be constructed from conductive materials and used as an HF antenna. The present disclosure illustrates new modalities of making HF antennas from logos or other branding indicia associated with an item of commerce or packaging associated with the item of commerce.

[0024] HF systems, such as NFC and RFID devices, operate using HF radio waves, nominally at 13.56 MHz. Such systems typically use a flat, space saving arrangement of concentric spirals made of conductive material to minimize the antenna footprint. Although the systems and methods described herein are particularly applicable to NFC and RFID antennas, the structures and methodologies can be adapted for use with other types of wireless tags operating at, or near, HF frequencies. For example, electronic article surveillance ("EAS") systems use HF radio waves, nominally at 8.2 MHz, and can use similar coil antennas as described in greater detail below.

[0025] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary logo 100. The example logo 100 includes a first logo element 102 and a second logo element 104. It is common for companies to use a series of letters and/or shapes to form identifying indicia such as the illustrated example logo 100. The logo 100 may be positioned prominently on packaging for an item of commerce or the item of commerce itself. The dimensions of the logo 100 are not drawn to scale but are intended to show that logos 100 have three dimensional aspects. For example, the logo 100 can be a layer printed on the surface of an article of commerce and can be less than a millimeter thick, or the logo 100 can be a thin layer of material such as a colored film with an adhesive backing, among other possible materials. If one or more of the logo elements 102, 104 were to be made of a conductive material, it would be possible to use some or all of the logo 100 as an antenna.

[0026] FIG. 2 is, an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a logo 200 that includes a low visual impact coil antenna for HF radio transmission. The logo 200 includes a first logo element 202 and a second logo element 204. The first logo element 202 contains a metal foil such as an aluminum foil or copper clad foil. The second logo element 204 can contain the same material as the first logo element 202 or another material as desired. A spiral gap 206 is created in a portion of the first logo element 202 to form a coil antenna out of the metal foil of the first logo element 202. A spiral gap 206 having a width of between approximately 100 pm to approximately 200 pm can be etched, or otherwise formed, in the metal foil of the first logo element 202 using a suitable technique. One such technique involves laser etching, for example, using a laser having a small focused spot size of approximately 50 pm. Other techniques may likewise be used, such as photolithography and chemical etching, additive manufacturing techniques, or other suitable technique. The resulting spiral gap 206 can insulate adjacent areas of the metal foil from one another, thereby creating a coiled HF antenna out of the adjacent metal foil sections.

[0027] As can be appreciated, minimizing the visual impact of the spiral gap 206 on the logo 200 can be important. Logos and other indicia are generally considered important to a brand's image. Therefore, alterations caused by the spiral gap 206 should have as low an impact on the visual appearance of the logo 200 as possible. For smaller logos 200, even a relatively narrow spiral gap 206 may create a significant and undesirable visual distraction. By reducing or minimizing the size of the spiral gap 206 relative to the size of the logo 200 the gap's visual impact can be minimized.

[0028] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a logo 300 that includes a low visual impact coil antenna for HF radio transmission. The logo 300 includes a first logo element 302 and a second logo element 304. The first logo element 302 comprises a metal foil and the second logo element 304 can contain the same material or a different material as desired. A complex path spiral gap 306 is created in the first logo element 302 to form a coil antenna as described above. However, instead of following a straight or curvilinear path as illustrated for the spiral gap 206 of FIG. 2, the complex path spiral gap 306 instead follows a visually complex path as illustrated. Whereas straight or curvilinear paths can generate evenly spaced repeating parallel lines that draw a consumer's attention, the complex path spiral gap 306 generates an irregular pattern in the first logo element 302 that minimizes the visual impact of the complex path spiral gap 306, without significantly impacting the electrical properties of the coil antenna. Any suitable complex visual path can be used as would be understood in the art. The complex path spiral gap 306 illustrated in FIG. 3 is not intended to limit the disclosure to a single embodiment.

[0029] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a logo 400 that includes a low visual impact coil antenna for HF radio transmission. The logo 400 includes a first logo element 402 and a second logo element 404. The first logo element 402 contains a metal foil and the second logo element 404 can contain the same material or a different material as desired. A spiral gap 406 is created in the first logo element 402 to form a coil antenna as described above. A non-conductive layer 408 is then placed over the spiral gap 406 to reduce the visual impact of the spiral gap 406 on the logo 400. The non- conductive layer 408 can be over-printed on the logo 400 or applied as a film. In certain embodiments, suitable non-conductive layers can be formed of polyethylene terephthalate ("PET"). As can be appreciated however, suitable non-conductive layers can be formed of other materials as known in the art. In certain embodiments, the non-conductive layer 408 can be sized so as to substantially cover the spiral gap 406. In other embodiments, the non-conductive layer 408 can be sized so as to cover the entire first logo element 402. In certain embodiments, the non-conductive layer 408 can be applied to the second logo element 404 to ensure a consistent appearance across the entire logo 400.

[0030] FIG. 5 is an illustration of another embodiment of a logo 500 that includes a low visual impact coil antenna for HF radio transmission. The logo 500 includes a first logo element 502 and a second logo element 504. The first logo element 502 contains a metal foil and the second logo element 504 can contain the same material or a different material as desired. A feature tracking spiral gap 506 is created in the first logo element 502 to form a coil antenna as described above. The path of the feature tracking spiral gap 506 follows the edges of smaller logo elements 508 in the first logo element 502. By following the edges of the smaller logo elements 508 that are already visible, the visual impact of the feature tracking spiral gap 506 can be further minimized.

[0031] FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a logo 600 that includes a low visual impact coil antenna for HF radio transmission. The logo 600 contains a metal foil 602 and a non- conductive substrate 604. In certain embodiments, suitable non-conductive layers can be formed of PET. As can be appreciated however, suitable non-conductive layers can be formed of other materials as known in the art. A pattern matching spiral gap 606 is created in the metal foil 602 to form a coil antenna. As illustrated in the upper section view, the pattern matching spiral gap 606 is etched, or otherwise created, in the metal foil 602 down to the non-conductive substrate 604 to insulate adjacent areas of the metal foil 602 from one another. The path of the pattern matching spiral gap 606 is configured to blend in with decorative pattern elements 608 in the metal foil 602 thereby minimizing the visual impact of the pattern matching spiral gap 606. As illustrated in the lower section view, the decorative pattern elements 608 are etched into the metal foil 602 to present visual decorative features in the logo 600, but are etched to a lesser depth than the pattern matching spiral gap 606. The decorative pattern elements 608 retain conductivity with adjacent areas of the metal foil 602 and therefore do not determine the shape of the coil antenna. Any suitably shaped pattern matching spiral gap 606 and decorative pattern elements 608 can be used as would be understood in the art. The pattern used to illustrate the concept in FIG. 6 is not intended to limit the disclosure to a single embodiment.

[0032] In a further embodiment, the pattern matching spiral gap is etched down to a depth where the resistance between elements 602 is relatively high compared to the resistance of the spiral coil; for example, the spiral coil may have a resistance of 2 ohms, and the resistance between elements 602 per unit length, for example 500 ohms per 10 mm for a spiral coil consisting of 100 mm of total etched line, giving a total resistance across gap 602 of 50 ohms, allowing the RFID tag to operate as the shortest path for current to flow is along the spiral track. The thin material in gap 502, although, in the case of a foil, may still be highly optically reflective reducing the impact on the visual aspects of the logo.

[0033] FIG. 7 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a logo 700 that includes a low visual impact coil antenna for HF radio transmission. The logo 700 contains a first conductive layer 702 and a second conductive layer 704. A spiral gap 706 is created in the first conductive layer 702 to form a coil antenna as described above. A second conductive layer 704 is positioned over the spiral gap 706 to minimize the visual impact of the spiral gap 706 on the logo 700. The first conductive layer 702 and second conductive layer 704 are electrically insulated from one another, for example using an insulating layer (not shown). The second conductive layer 704 is sized to substantially cover the spiral gap 706.

[0034] The second conductive layer 704 includes a center hole 710 that prevents the second conductive layer 704 from being a continuous conductor. The second conductive layer 704 includes narrow gap 708 that prevents the second conductive layer 704 from being a closed loop. Coil type antennas operate with magnetic fields. If the spiral loop that forms the coiled antenna in the first conductive layer 702 were to be placed in proximity to a continuous conductor or a closed loop, that conductor would act as a shorted turn, dissipate energy, and detune the coiled antenna. The narrow gap 708 in the second conductive layer 704 prevents a circulating (e.g., eddy) current from forming in the second conductive layer 704 and degrading the performance of the coiled antenna, while causing minimal visual impact on the logo 700.

[0035] Additional Notes and Examples [0036] Example 1 is an HF antenna, comprising: a conductive element comprising at least a portion of visual indicia associated with a brand, the conductive element defining an insulating gap; and wherein the insulating gap generally follows a generally spiral path in at least a part of the conductive element, wherein the insulating gap electrically insulates areas of the conductive element adjacent to the insulating gap, and wherein the HF antenna is formed in the conductive element by the insulating gap.

[0037] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 includes, wherein the conductive element comprises a metal foil.

[0038] In Example 3, the subject matter of Example 2 includes, wherein the metal foil is selected from the group consisting of an aluminum foil and a copper clad metal foil.

[0039] In Example 4, the subject matter of Examples 1-3 includes, wherein the conductive element is selected from the group consisting of a letter, a portion of a letter, a group of connected letters, a shape, a portion of a shape, a group of connected shapes, and a portion of a logo.

[0040] In Example 5, the subject matter of Examples 1-4 includes, wherein the antenna comprises an antenna coil.

[0041] In Example 6, the subject matter of Examples 1-5 includes, wherein the antenna is electrically coupled for use as an antenna in an NFC tag, an RFID tag, or an NFC RFID tag.

[0042] In Example 7, the subject matter of Examples 1-6 includes, wherein the insulating gap has a width between approximately 100 pm and approximately 200 pm.

[0043] In Example 8, the subject matter of Examples 1-7 includes, wherein the insulating gap follows a substantially nonlinear and non-curvilinear complex path in the conductive element.

[0044] In Example 9, the subject matter of Examples 1-8 includes, wherein the path of the insulating gap substantially follows edges associated with one or more logo elements of the conductive element.

[0045] In Example 10, the subject matter of Examples 1-9 includes, wherein the path of the insulating gap substantially matches at least a portion of shapes associated with a decorative pattern of the conductive element.

[0046] In Example 11, the subject matter of Example 10 includes, a non-conductive substrate adjacent with the conductive element, wherein the insulating gap is at a first depth in the conductive element that exposes the non-conductive substrate, and wherein the decorative pattern of the conductive element is at a second depth in the conductive element substantially above the non- conductive substrate such that the decorative pattern does not substantially contribute to electrical characteristics associated with the HF antenna formed in the conductive element by the insulating gap. [0047] In Example 12, the subject matter of Examples 1-11 includes, a non-conductive layer disposed on the conductive element substantially covering the insulating gap, wherein the non- conductive layer is configured to substantially match an appearance of the conductive element.

[0048] In Example 13, the subject matter of Examples 1-12 includes, a conductive layer disposed on the conductive element substantially covering the insulating gap, wherein the conductive layer is electrically insulated from the conductive element, wherein the conductive layer includes a center hole configured to prevent the conductive layer from forming a continuous conductor over the HF antenna in the conductive element, wherein the conductive layer defines a gap that is situated to prevent the conductive layer from forming a closed loop over the HF antenna formed in the conductive element, and wherein the conductive layer is formed to substantially match an appearance of the conductive element.

[0049] Example 14 is an HF radio transmission tag, comprising: indicia associated with a brand, at least a portion of the indicia comprising a conductive element; and an HF coil antenna formed in the conductive element of the indicia, and comprising an insulating gap defined in the conductive element that follows an approximately spiral path through at least a portion of the conductive element and that electrically insulates areas of the conductive element on opposing sides of the insulating gap; wherein the conductive element is selected from the group consisting of a letter, a portion of a letter, a group of connected letters, a shape, a portion of a shape, a group of connected shapes, and a portion of a logo.

[0050] In Example 15, the subject matter of Example 14 includes, wherein the HF radio transmission tag is an NFC tag, an RFID tag, or an NFC RFID tag.

[0051] In Example 16, the subject matter of Examples 14-15 includes, a layer configured to substantially cover at least the insulating gap and substantially match an appearance of the conductive element, wherein the layer is selected from the group consisting of a non-conductive layer, and a conductive layer that includes a center hole configured to prevent the conductive layer from forming a continuous conductor over the HF coil antenna in the conductive element, and a gap formed to prevent the conductive layer from achieving a closed loop over the HF coil antenna formed in the conductive element.

[0052] Example 17 is a method, comprising: forming a conductive element in the shape of at least a portion of indicia associated with a brand; and forming an insulating gap in the conductive element to form an HF coil antenna in the conductive element; wherein the insulating gap follows an approximately spiral path in at least a part of the conductive element; wherein the insulating gap electrically insulates areas of the conductive element adjacent to the insulating gap, and wherein the conductive element is selected from the group consisting of a letter, a portion of a letter, a shape, a portion of a shape, a group of connected shapes, a logo, and a portion of a logo.

[0053] In Example 18, the subject matter of Example 17 includes, wherein the conductive element comprises a layer of metal foil, and wherein the operation of creating the insulating gap further comprises: etching, using a laser having a spot diameter of approximately 50 pm, the metal foil to form an insulating gap having a width of approximately 100 pm to approximately 200 pm along the length of the spiral path.

[0054] In Example 19, the subject matter of Example 18 includes, attaching, to the conductive layer, a non-conductive substrate; and etching, using the laser, a decorative pattern in the metal foil to a depth substantially above the non-conductive substrate such that the decorative pattern does not substantially contribute to electrical characteristics associated with the HF coil antenna formed in the conductive element by the insulating gap, and wherein the operation of etching to form the insulating gap is performed on the metal foil to a depth that exposes the non-conductive substrate and insulates areas of the metal foil adjacent to the insulating gap.

[0055] In Example 20, the subject matter of Examples 17-19 includes, attaching, to the conductive layer, a layer selected from the group consisting of a non-conductive layer, and a conductive layer that includes a center hole formed to prevent the conductive layer from achieving a continuous conductor over the HF coil antenna in the conductive element, and a gap formed to prevent the conductive layer from achieving a closed loop over the HF coil antenna formed in the conductive element; wherein the layer substantially covers at least the insulating gap, and wherein the layer substantially matches an appearance of the conductive element.

[0056] The values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. It should be understood that every maximum numerical limitation given throughout this specification includes every lower numerical limitation, as if such lower numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every minimum numerical limitation given throughout this specification will include every higher numerical limitation, as if such higher numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every numerical range given throughout this specification will include every narrower numerical range that falls within such broader numerical range, as if such narrower numerical ranges were all expressly written herein. [0057] Every document cited herein, including any cross-referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests, or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in the document shall govern.

[0058] The foregoing description of embodiments and examples has been presented for purposes of description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described for illustration of various embodiments. The scope is, of course, not limited to the examples or embodiments set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent articles by those of ordinary skill in the art. Rather it is hereby intended the scope be defined by the claims appended hereto.