The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 47newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover an invention relating to 3D RF Signatures that are able to detect tampering in a physical article such as retail packaging or luggage while also applying to self-propelled vehicles and beyond.

Granted Patent: 3D RF Signatures

Apple's newly granted patent covers their invention relating to Radio Frequency (RF) tags and, more particularly, to three dimensional RF tag signatures. RF tags may be used in many applications, and the number of applications of RF tags has been increasing dramatically in the last few years. For example, RF tags are used in retail establishments to keep track of merchandise, in manufacturing to keep track of inventory, in corporations for example in building access badges, and in many other fields.

According to Apple, the three dimensional signature provided by a set of RF tags disposed within a given volume may be used in many different applications. For example, a signature may be obtained from a box of items. If the signature changes, it may be that the box has been opened.

Similarly from a security standpoint, if one or more RF tags are associated with a piece of luggage, detecting a change in the luggage signature may indicate that the luggage has been opened, which may indicate that something has been stolen or added to the piece of luggage. In either instance, further inspection of the luggage may be warranted. The three dimensional signatures may be used in other applications as well and the invention is not limited to these several mentioned applications.

Similarly, where the location of the RF tag has been fixed and the RF tag reader is mobile, knowing the direction from the reader to the RF tag, and optionally the distance between the reader and the RF tag, may help the RF tag reader stay on a desired side of the fixed RF tags. This may be useful, for example in connection with self-propelled vehicles and in other applications.

For example, if the RF tags are embedded in a roadway, the three dimensional signatures may enable an RF tag reader in an automobile to know whether it is traveling on the left side or right side of the RF tags.

Beyond Apple Store Packaging and/or inventory security, it's unknown what future applications Apple may have in mind for their new 3D RF Signature technology. 

Apple credits three Canadian engineers, Peter Ashwood-Smith, Delfin Montuno and Abel Dasylva, as the inventors of granted patent 9,013,308 which was originally filed in Q4 2012 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

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