A transaction card, and processes for the manufacture thereof, having a core layer, optionally, one or more layers or coatings over the core layer, and at least one of a magnetic stripe, a machine readable code, and a payment module chip disposed in or on the card and suitable for rendering the card operable for conducting a transaction. The core layer comprises a metal-doped cured epoxy comprised of metal particles distributed in a binder consisting essentially of a cured, polymerized epoxy resin, the core comprising greater than 50%, preferably greater than 75%, and more preferably greater than 90%, of the weight and/or volume of the card. In some embodiments, the core includes a metal insert enveloped with the metal-doped curable epoxy, wherein the periphery of the epoxy extends beyond the periphery of the metal insert and has material properties more conducive to cutting or punching than the metal insert.

A carrier for securing a tracking component includes a housing. The housing includes a recess formed into a face of the housing that is adapted to secure the tracking component. The recess includes a wall that surrounds a periphery of the recess and a hole formed through a bottom surface of the recess.

An RFID tag includes a core formed by a first elastic material and having a first surface, a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface, and a pair of end parts provided on mutually opposite sides and connecting to the first surface and the second surface. The RFID tag further includes a metal layer provided on the first surface, a semiconductor chip provided on the second surface, and a dipole antenna provided on the second surface and electrically connected to the semiconductor chip. One of the metal layer and the dipole antenna is folded at folded parts at the pair of end parts, and the metal layer and the dipole antenna overlap at the folded parts.

RFID-enabled metal transaction cards may include a specially treated thin decorative layer attached to a thick core layer of metal or metal layers (with a discontinuity to function as a coupling frame), or a combination of ceramic and metal separated by a polymeric material, wherein the thin decorative layer is designed to provide selected color(s) and/or selected texture(s) to a surface of the metal core cards. The decorative layer may comprise (a) an anodized metal layer with a discontinuity; or (b) a ceramic layer on a flexible polymeric material. A ceramic-containing transaction card may comprise a monolithic ceramic layer of ultra-thin, flexible zirconia. A PET or PEN layer laminated to the ultra-thin ceramic layer may absorb mechanical stress from flexing or torsion of the ceramic card body.

A transaction card is provided comprising a card body comprising a metallic material, the card body including a primary surface, a secondary surface, an aperture and a slit, wherein the primary surface and the secondary surface are coated with a diamond like carbon (DLC) coating.

A transaction card construction and a method for making transaction cards provides increased security for transaction card magnetic strips. The transaction card construct on includes a card inlay and a clear card body. The card inlay is formed via a lamination press process with the magnetic strip attached to a back surface of the card inlay. The card body may have a window through which a data storage element may be exposed for accessing, such as by a magnetic stripe reader or EMV chip reader. The card body may be formed by adhering the card inlay to the clear card body.

Personal portable items are subject to potential loss or misplacement by their owners or authorized users. A system and method is operative with personal portable items which are locally associated with a processor, memory, and sensors (either built-in or via attached sensing device). The memory stores environmental parameters which indicate a potential chance or possibility that an item may be lost, stolen, or misplaced in the near-term, proximate future. The stored parameters are customized to the historical or expected uses of the portable item by a particular user or owner in particular, user-specific contexts. The sensors sense the environment of the portable item in real-time. If the sensed environment or sensed item usage matches the environmental parameters which indicate risk of loss or misplacement, an alert element signals the portable item's user, enabling the user to take anticipatory action to prevent item loss. In an embodiment, at least one first portable item of two or more portable items which are both intended to be substantially on-person of an authorized user, is configured to monitor a status of a second other portable item with which it is paired. If the first portable item detects an anomalous status of the second portable item, the first portable item alerts the authorized user that the second item is at risk of being lost, misplaced, or stolen.

A portable item reporting device (PIRD) automatically learns a use of a portable item which is selected by an owner or authorized user of the portable item, where the PIRD is configured to be attached to and in substantial collocation with the selected portable item, or to be integrated into the portable item. The PIRD includes environmental monitors which monitor item location, item movement, and/or other environmental factors. The PIRD detects obtains and analyzes environmental data during usage of the portable item by the authorized user, or during user-designated storage of the portable item in a storage location. The PIRD further identifies and/or learns, based on the detected environmental data, one or more repeated patterns and/or context-determined patterns of usage or physical storage of the user's portable item. The PIRD then stores the past, learned pattern(s) of usage data as indicative of expected and/or normal, future use/storage by the authorized user of the portable item. In some embodiments, the PIRD includes linking elements to ensure that the PIRD remains attached to, and/or in substantial colocation with, a designated portable item of an owner or authorized user.

A medical instrument and a medical transponder communication system. The medical instrument has an instrument body, which has a prepared depression or opening in an instrument body surface, and an installed transponder module having: a transponder, preferably an RFID transponder, particularly preferably a glass transponder, a housing which has an upper side and a lower side and in which the transponder is accommodated and which is provided and designed to be installed or inserted into the prepared depression or opening in the medical instrument with its lower side facing towards the depression so that the lower side is set back relative to the upper side and the instrument body surface, and a screen that is signal-opaque to electromagnetic waves and has a signal-transparent screen opening. The transponder is spaced from and set back relative to the screen towards the lower side.

The invention relates to a method and system that uses ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) for counting and identifying a variety of objects during medical or surgical operations. The method includes passive UHF RFID tag, a RFID scanner to communicate with host equipment and storage in a database cloud. The method includes a water-proof antenna and microchip supported by a substrate with covering overlay materials. The invention further discloses a tracking method for counting process, with software implementation, to assist the count-in count-out function to track multiple medical devices, resulting in reduction of counting errors during surgical procedures when the current UHF RFID process is utilized.