Method and apparatus pertaining to a placement of a radio-frequency identification tag
View Patent ↗An RFID tag is secured to an electrically-conductive object having an external peripheral edge where first and second non-coplanar sides of the object meet one another, wherein at least the first non-coplanar side comprises electrically-conductive material. By one approach the RFID tag is secured to the first non-coplanar side of the object at the external peripheral edge such that a first portion of the RFID tag's antenna proximally overlies an electrically-conductive portion of the first non-coplanar side of the object while a second portion of the RFID tag's antenna does not proximally overlie any electrically-conductive portion of the object. Determining the size of the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna that will overlie the first non-coplanar side of the object comprises tuning the capacitive coupling between the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna and the object to thereby achieve a desired range and/or degree of RFID tag performance.
1. A method comprising:
providing a package having an external peripheral edge where first and second non-coplanar sides of the package meet one another, wherein at least the first non-coplanar side comprises electrically-conductive material;
securing a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag to the first non-coplanar side of the package at the external peripheral edge such that a first portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies an electrically-conductive portion of the first non-coplanar side of the package and a second portion of the RFID tag's antenna does not overlie any electrically-conductive portion of the package, wherein the second portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies one of:
the second non-coplanar side of the package; and
no part of the package.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the package comprises a parallelepiped.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the parallelepiped comprises a rectangular cuboid.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag comprises a planar substrate that supports the antenna.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the planar substrate is parallel to the first non-coplanar side of the package and perpendicular to the second non-coplanar side of the package.
6. The method of claim 4 wherein the planar substrate comprises a substantially transparent material.
7. The method of claim 4 wherein the planar substrate comprises a resilient material.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining the size of the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna to overlie the first non-coplanar side of the package to thereby tune capacitive coupling between the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna and the package to achieve a desired range of performance.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the desired range of performance comprises, at least in part, a desired range of radio frequency performance by the RFID tag.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the package includes a substantially coextensive metal liner.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the metal liner of the package serves as a plate of a capacitor having a remaining plate that comprises the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna.
12. An apparatus comprising:
a package having an external peripheral edge where first and second non-coplanar sides of the package meet one another, wherein at least the first non-coplanar side comprises electrically-conductive material;
a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag secured to the first non-coplanar side of the package at the external peripheral edge such that a first portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies an electrically-conductive portion of the first non-coplanar side of the package and a second portion of the RFID tag's antenna does not overlie any electrically-conductive portion of the package, wherein the second portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies one of:
the second non-coplanar side of the package; and
no part of the package.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the package comprises a rectangular cuboid.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the RFID tag comprises a planar substrate that supports the antenna.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the planar substrate is parallel to the first non-coplanar side of the package and perpendicular to the second non-coplanar side of the package.
16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the planar substrate comprises a substantially transparent material.
17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the planar substrate comprises a resilient material.
18. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the size of the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna that overlies the first non-planar side of the package is selected to tune capacitive coupling between the first portion of the RFID tag's antenna and the package to achieve a desired range of RFID tag performance.
19. A method comprising:
providing an electrically-conductive object having an external peripheral edge where first and second non-coplanar sides of the object meet one another, wherein at least the first non-coplanar side comprises electrically-conductive material;
securing a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag to the first non-coplanar side of the object at the external peripheral edge such that a first portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies an electrically-conductive portion of the first non-coplanar side of the object and a second portion of the RFID tag's antenna does not overlie any electrically-conductive portion of the object, wherein the second portion of the RFID tag's antenna overlies one of:
the second non-coplanar side of the package; and
no part of the package.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the object comprises one of:
a part of a shelf;
a container.