Radio frequency identification (RFID) tag with deactivatable link
An electronic article surveillance (“EAS”) tag for an EAS system, comprising an antenna, a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) chip configured to transmit and/or receive a wireless signal via the antenna; and a magnetically-actuatable switch configured to move between a first position and a second position. The switch is configured to electrically couple the RFID chip to the antenna in the first position. The switch is further configured to electrically decouple the RFID chip from the antenna in the second position.
1. A method of operating an electronic article surveillance (“EAS”) tag, comprising:
performing, by a communication element of the EAS tag using an antenna of the EAS tag, communication operations with an EAS system based on a movable switch of the EAS tag being in a first position that electrically couples the communication element to the antenna with the switch communicatively connecting a first antenna trace portion of the antenna to a second antenna trace portion of the antenna; and
preventing the communication element from performing the communication operations with the EAS system by changing a position of the movable switch from the first position to a second position that electrically decouples the communication element from the antenna with the switch not connecting the first antenna trace portion to the second antenna trace portion,
wherein the movable switch comprises a magnetically-actuatable switch.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
subsequently changing the position of the magnetically-actuatable switch from the second position to the first position to enable performing, by the communication element using the antenna, other communication operations with the EAS system.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the magnetically-actuatable switch has a demagnetized state in the first position and a magnetized state in the second position.
4. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein changing the position of the switch from the first position to the second position comprises changing, in response to a magnetic field being applied to the EAS tag.
5. The method of claim 4 ,
wherein the magnetically-actuatable switch comprises a ferrofluid.
6. The method of claim 4 ,
wherein the magnetically-actuatable switch comprises a Reed switch, wherein the Reed switch comprises at least one of a control element and a switching element, the control element or the switching element comprising a magnetic bias.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein changing the position of the switch from the first position to the second position comprises moving a cantilever of the magnetically-actuatable switch based on a magnetization state of a magnetizable ferromagnetic element of the magnetically-actuatable switch.
8. The method of claim 4 , wherein changing the position of the switch from the first position to the second position comprises moving a cantilever of the magnetically-actuatable switch based on a magnetic field applied to a magnetic shape memory alloy (“MSMA”) element of the magnetically-actuatable switch.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication element is a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip.