Systems and methods for making a marker. The methods comprise: disposing a resonator with a flat planar cross-sectional profile in a cavity formed in a first substrate partially defining a marker housing; sealing the cavity using a second substrate; placing a first bias element adjacent to the second substrate so that the resonator will be biased by the first bias element when the marker is in use to oscillate at a frequency of a received transmit burst; and using a physical structure in the cavity or a magnetic field passing through the cavity to reduce frictional forces between the resonator and at least the second substrate.

An anti-theft AM label is formed with a housing that includes concave and/or convex patterns and wordings on the upper surface thereof. The concave and/or convex patterns and wordings provide a different appearance for anti-theft AM labels that can deter shoplifters from finding and removing the labels from the goods the labels are protecting. The concave and/or convex patterns can be the logo of the store in which the labels are used. The upper surface of the housing can be formed with a cold forming process or a hot forming process. The shape of the housing can be varied between square, rectangular, circular, sector and oval configurations, as desired by the customer. The depth of the patterns and words relative to a flat portion of the upper surface of the housing is in the range of 0.05-1.0 mm or, more preferably, in the range of 0.2-1.0 mm.

A laminate contains conductive circuit patterns, a substrate material, and an adhesive pattern or other bond. Each conductive circuit pattern and the substrate material are interconnected by the adhesive pattern or other bond, having its size and shape substantially matching the main outlines of each conductive circuit pattern. Each conductive circuit pattern has thin lines and thin interline spaces, patterned on top of the adhesive pattern or other bond by a removal of conductive material, such that the circuit pattern's thin interline spaces may have residues of the adhesive patterns or other bond. Outside the conductive circuit patterns' main outlines, the substrate material is substantially void of an adhesive or other bond, with the exception of edge areas of the main outlines.

An electronic device and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. One method of manufacturing the electronic device includes forming a first metal layer on a first substrate, forming an electrical device on a second substrate, forming electrical connectors on input and/or output terminals of the electrical device, selectively depositing a second metal on at least part of the first metal layer, and electrically connecting the electrical connectors to the first metal layer by contacting the electrical connectors to the second metal. The second metal is different from the first metal. The second metal improves adhesion and/or electrical connectivity of the first metal layer to the electrical connectors on the electrical device.

RFID devices for use in electronic surveillance article (EAS) systems may be differently configured, resulting in different performance at the operating frequency or range of frequencies of an EAS system. The performance of differently configured RFID devices may be converged or rendered substantially similar by testing the performance of such RFID devices in a range of frequencies. At least one of the RFID devices is reconfigured to converge the performance of the RFID devices in the range of frequencies if the performance of the RFID devices is not sufficiently similar. This may include changing the configuration of an antenna, an RFID chip, and/or a non-functional component of an RFID device and/or the location in which an RFID device is associated to an article. Differently configured RFID devices may all be manufactured from the same initial configuration, with different RFID devices being differently processed before incorporation in an EAS system.

A method comprises forming a structure, the structure comprising at least one of a wafer, a panel and a roll to roll structure and forming a plurality of integrated circuit chips from the structure. At least a given one of the plurality of integrated circuit chips or a heterogeneous integrated sub-component thereof forms a smart tag comprising a processor, a non-volatile memory, an internal power source, and a transceiver configured for two-way communication with a reader external to the smart tag. The given integrated circuit chip less than 10 cubic millimeters in size.

An electronic article surveillance (EAS) assembly is installable in a workstation that processes products associated with targets to be electro-optically read. The assembly includes a radio frequency (RF) antenna having a pair of RF feed lines and a conductive loop for generating an electromagnetic field to deactivate EAS tags associated with the products to be processed, and a protective carrier for supporting and protecting the antenna during the installation in a predetermined position in the workstation.

RFID devices are provided for improving the performance of electronic surveillance article systems. The RFID devices may be modified in any of a number of ways to decrease their peak sensitivity and increase their bandwidth, thereby stabilizing their read range. The performance of an RFID device will depend on the nature of the article to which it is associated, such that the nature of the article to which the RFID device is to be associated may be factored into the design of the RFID device to equalize the performance at an operating frequency of RFID devices associated with different articles. By reducing the peak sensitivity and increasing the bandwidth of RFID devices in an electronic article surveillance system, the size of a transition zone between two read zones of the system may be reduced.

A system, method, and device for improving the functioning of security tags for use with merchandise are provided. A security tag device, to be used in conjunction with a tag monitoring device, may be provided with a product. The product may be conductive or may have metallic packaging. The security tag may include a planar dielectric substrate having a first side and an opposing side. An electronic article surveillance (EAS) circuit may be placed on the first side of the planar dielectric substrate. A ferrite sheet having a first side and an opposing side may be coupled to the opposing side of the planar dielectric substrate. A metal backing sheet may be coupled to the opposing side of the ferrite sheet. The planar dielectric substrate may be centered or offset on the ferrite sheet and the ferrite sheet may be centered or offset on the metal backing sheet.

Systems (100) and methods (600) for making a marker. The methods comprise: obtaining a resonator material which has been annealed under a tensile force selected to provide a maximum resonant amplitude at a bias field H.sub.max in the marker; and providing with the bias material of the marker an operating bias field H.sub.operating with a value less than a value of said bias field H.sub.max. The value of H.sub.operating is reduced by performing at least one of the following operations: selectively modifying a geometry of a bias material which is to be disposed in a housing of the marker; selectively modifying a spacing between the resonator material and the bias material arranged in a stacked configuration; and partially de-gaussing the bias material subsequent to being fully saturated.