Among other things, the invention concerns an apparatus for securing a product against forgery, the apparatus including a microchip with an integrated circuit that may be read out in a contactless manner, a first metallization layer arranged on a first chip side of the microchip, and a second metallization layer arranged on a second chip side opposite to the first chip side. The first and second metallization layers are each electrically coupled to the integrated circuit and function as electrodes for a capacitive readout of the integrated circuit. The microchip is fixable to the product or integrable into the product. The invention further concerns the use of a microchip as a security feature in a product as well as a method for securing a product against forgery.

A method for configuring a sensor tag may include providing a flexible substrate layer comprising a thin film of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU); depositing a sensor inlay on the flexible substrate layer; and applying a protective coating over the sensor inlay encapsulating the sensor inlay between the flexible substrate layer and the protective coating.

A tracking and monitoring system that uses “smart” tracking labels with printed label information on the top and electronics and sensors embedded in thin, flexible layers underneath. Labels may be used to track the location of items, and to monitor item parameters such as temperature, shock, weight, or tampering. Tracking labels may have communications interfaces to transmit label location and sensor data to a centralized server for monitoring and analysis; interfaces may include for example Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, or Amazon Sidewalk. Label location may be determined from an integrated GPS, by triangulation using received signals from cellular or other networks, or from the location of nearby connected devices. Labels may be battery powered and may use energy harvesting to obtain power from the environment. To conserve battery life, manufactured labels may be put into a hibernation state, and activated when they are placed on an item.

Systems and methods are provided for labeling a piece of merchandise with a wireless communication device. In addition to a wireless communication device, the merchandise tag includes an associated label made of a washable fabric material. The wireless communication device is incorporated into the label and includes an RFID chip and a slot-loop hybrid antenna, with the antenna including a conductor sheet that defines a slot. The label is secured to a piece of merchandise at a sew line, with the sew line dividing the label into an upper portion and a lower portion. The RFID chip and the slot of the antenna, along with a relatively high conductance piece or portion of the conductor sheet, are positioned within the upper portion of the label, while a relatively low conductance piece or portion of the conductor sheet is positioned within the lower portion of the label.

A hybrid document includes a flexible document having visible markings. One or more light-controlling elements and a controller are embedded in or on the flexible document. The controller is electrically connected to the one or more light-controlling elements to control the one or more light-controlling elements. A power input connection is electrically connected to the controller, or one or more light-controlling elements, or both. A power source can be connected to the power input connection, for example a piezoelectric or photovoltaic power source. In response to applied power, the controller causes the one or more light-controlling elements to emit light. In some embodiments, the controller includes a memory and a value can be stored in the memory and displayed by the light-controlling element(s). In some embodiments, the value can be assigned or varied by a hybrid currency teller machine.

A multilayer stack includes a first stretchable layer having a first length, a first adhesive layer disposed on a top surface of the first stretchable layer and having the first length, a second stretchable layer disposed on a top surface of the first adhesive layer and having a second length smaller than the first length, a radio frequency identification tag including an antenna having a spiral form and disposed on a top surface of the second stretchable layer or on a bottom surface of the second stretchable layer, a second adhesive layer disposed on the second stretchable layer and having a third length less than the first length and greater than the second length where the second adhesive layer encapsulates the second stretchable layer, and a third stretchable layer disposed on a top surface of the second adhesive layer and having the third length.

Label constructions comprise a first section and a second section that are laminate constructions of a card stock top surface that may include printed indicia, an adhesive layer disposed underneath the card stock, and a removable liner adhered to the adhesive layer and common to the first and second sections. The first section includes an RFID device. The first section may be configured once removed from the liner to fold on itself to form an RFID tag, or to form an RFID adhesive label. The second section once separately removed from the liner forms an adhesive label. The construction first and second sections are positioned adjacent one another and are formed during the same manufacturing process for purposes of manufacturing efficiency. The first and second sections may be treated to facilitate separate removal from the liner to provide labeling flexibility.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus comprising: a substrate; communication circuitry deposited on said substrate; and ballot circuitry deposited on said substrate. The ballot circuitry comprises: a plurality of voting circuitry elements, each voting circuitry element being responsive to a voting operation to change a conductive state of that voting circuitry element; and logic circuitry communicatively coupled with each of the plurality of voting circuitry elements and with the communication circuitry. The logic circuitry is configured to: detect the conductive state of each of the plurality of voting circuitry elements; and transmit, via the communication circuitry and based on the conductive state of each of the plurality of voting circuitry elements, a voting result.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media pertaining to a battery-less identification tag for embedding into products may be provided. Embodiments may include a flexible substrate; a first differential antenna on the flexible substrate, the first differential antenna including a first meandering arm and a second meandering arm, and the first differential antenna being of a first size; a second differential antenna on the flexible substrate, the second differential antenna including a third meandering arm and fourth meandering arm, and the second differential antenna being of a second size smaller than the first size; and at least one communications chip connected to the first differential antenna and the second differential antenna.

An Internet of Thing (IoT) device includes a body with a processor, a camera and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor.