Wrist watch containing tag

Details Wrist watch containing tag Wrist watch containing tag

2002-11-13

2004-04-20

Martin, David (Department: 2841)

Horology: time measuring systems or devices

Combined with disparate device

C368S278000, C368S279000, C368S280000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06724690

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wrist watch containing tag which uses radio frequency identification.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, plates such as ID charts and name cards are used in visually identifying persons and objects, but only a very limited amount of information can be displayed on such plates. For this reason, a tag has recently been developed which has an identification function electronically appended thereto by using RFID (radio frequency identification). The tag for identification comprises an IC chip and an antenna, electrically connected to the IC chip, and is attached on the plate, enabling information printed on the surface of the plate to be identified by sight, and making it possible to store a wide variety of information on the plate. For example, incoming/outgoing persons and objects can be controlled by attaching the tagged plates to them, and automatically reading the information stored in the IC chips.
Recently, this type of tag for identification is used as an identification device at entrance gates of ski lifts and rides in amusement parks, and as a ticket or commuter pass for trains and buses. By using this type of tag for identification in entrance gates and transportation systems, passengers attempting to board a ski lift, an amusement park ride, and a bus or train, can identify themselves as legitimate passengers by a simple operation of holding their tags near to an identification unit, provided at the gate.
The passengers who board the lifts, rides, buses, and the like, are usually wearing wrist watches. For this reason, there have been attempts to install tags for identification in the wrist watches. If this could be achieved, there would be no need to carry the tag for identification separately from the wrist watch, and the tag for identification could be fitted to a passenger's wrist without any sense of discomfort, potentially increasing its conventional field of use.
FIG. 19
shows a conventional wrist watch having a watch case
2
, comprising a ring-shaped frame
2
a,
a glass lid
2
b
which seals the top side of the ring-shaped frame
2
a,
and a bottom lid
2
c
which seals the bottom side of the ring-shaped frame
2
a,
a drive section
3
which is accommodated inside the watch case
2
, and a display section
4
which displays the time and is driven by the drive section, accommodated in the watch case
2
. The display section
4
and the drive section
3
are provided in that order inside the ring-shaped frame
2
a,
the top side of which is sealed by the glass lid
2
b,
and lastly the bottom side of the ring-shaped frame
2
a
is sealed by the bottom lid
2
c,
to complete the structure of the wrist watch
1
. Therefore, to provide a tag for identification in the conventional wrist watch
1
, a coil is wound round the comparatively spacious area around the drive section
3
(i.e. along the inner face of the ring-shaped frame
2
a
) so as to surround the drive section
3
, and this coil is used as an antenna for an RFID tag. The magnetic axis of the antenna comprising the coil is perpendicular to the watchface, which has the largest area, and consequently increases the sensitivity of the RFID tag when utilizing the wrist watch as an identification device, and lengthens its operational distance.
However, the ring-shaped frame of conventional wrist watches is made of an electrically conductive metal, in order to ensure durability and obtain a sense of luxury. As a result, when a coil is wound along the frame member so as to accommodate an antenna inside the wrist watch, an inductive current flows to the frame member when the antenna receives radio waves, canceling the electrical waves from the outside. In addition, when an electrical current has flowed along the coil forming the antenna, current may also flow into the metallic frame member, greatly deteriorating the sensitivity of the antenna and greatly shortening the operational distance of the RFID tag. One conceivable method of eliminating these problems is to use a frame member of nonconductive resin in the watch case of the wrist watch, but a frame member comprising resin does not produce any sense of luxury, and has poor durability. For the same reasons as the frame member, the bottom lid provided on the bottom side of the frame member is preferably made of metal, but a metal bottom lid fails to achieve sufficient antenna sensitivity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a first object of this invention to provide a wrist watch containing tag which contains an RFID tag having high antenna sensitivity, and is durable and expresses a sense of luxury.
The wrist watch containing tag of this invention comprises a watch case having a ring-shaped frame, a glass lid which seals a top side of the ring-shaped frame, and a bottom lid which seals a bottom side of the ring-shaped frame; a drive section which is accommodated inside the watch case, a display section for displaying time which is accommodated inside the watch case and is driven by the drive section, and an RFID tag which is accommodated inside the watch case and comprises an antenna and an IC chip. The antenna comprises a wound coil which runs along the inner face of the ring-shaped frame so as to surround the drive section. At least one of the ring-shaped frame and the bottom lid comprises a metal material, and in addition, a slit for preventing the generation of inductive current is provided in at least one of the ring-shaped frame and the bottom lid which comprise the metal material.
This constitution is characterized in that the ring-shaped frame comprises a metal material, the bottom lid comprises an electrical insulating material, a slit is provided in at least one position of the ring-shaped frame by cutting across the ring-shaped frame, and the antenna has a coil which is wound along the inner face of the ring-shaped frame so as to surround the drive section.
When the wrist watch containing tag is worn on the wrist, the metal material of the ring-shaped frame around the glass lid expresses the original sense of luxury of the wrist watch. Since the bottom lid is comprised of an electrically insulated material, it does not obstruct the radio waves which are to be received by the antenna of the RFID tag accommodated inside the watch case.
Further, since the coil of the antenna is wound along the inner face of the ring-shaped frame so as to surround the drive section, the magnetic axis of the antenna becomes perpendicular to the watchface, increasing the sensitivity of the RFID tag and achieving a comparatively long operation distance. In this case, since the ring-shaped frame has at least one slit, no inductive current flows to the ring-shaped frame member, thereby ensuring that the sensitivity of the antenna does not deteriorate.
In the wrist watch containing tag of this invention, the slit is filled with a nonconductive resin, affixing together opposing cutaway planes which form the slit.
Since the opposing cutaway planes of the slit, which is cut across the ring-shaped frame, are affixed together, dust, water droplets, and such like, can be prevented from entering the slit, and the strength of the ring-shaped frame is prevented from deteriorating due to the provision of the slit. The watch case comprising the ring-shaped frame maintains its durability.
In the wrist watch containing tag of this invention, the opposing cutaway planes which form the slit comprise a plurality of continuous cutaway planes.
This increases the adhesive strength of the nonconductive resin, which is filled in the slit comprising the plurality of cutaway planes, and increases the strength of the ring-shaped frame.
Further, according to the wrist watch containing tag of this invention, an indent is provided in the top side and/or the bottom side of the ring-shaped frame, the slit is provided across the indent, and a clip member comprising the same material as the ring-shaped frame is affixed in the indent with the nonconductive resin therebetween.
Since the nonconductive

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