Paul Moskowitz

Dr. Paul A. Moskowitz is a Research Staff Member at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Hawthorne, NY.

Physics of radio frequency identification (RFID)

Paul Moskowitz and an RFID-tagged item

Dr. Moskowitz is a leading expert on the physics of RFID. He holds a Ph.D. in physics, is a registered professional engineer, and is a prolific inventor. Dr. Moskowitz has been awarded sixty-eight United States patents. Many of his RFID and automotive telematics inventions are fundamental to their technologies and have been cited in technical publications and news articles. He has represented IBM on the Bluetooth Automotive standards committee, and now represents IBM at the Hardware Action Group of EPCglobal. Moskowitz's area of research centers on privacy for wireless technology, including the "Clipped Tag" approach to RFID privacy.

The Clipped Tag for enhancing RFID privacy

The privacy-protecting tag, the “Clipped Tag” has been suggested by IBM as a consumer privacy mechanism. The clipped tag puts the option of privacy protection in the hands of the consumer. It provides a visible means of enhancing privacy protection by allowing the transformation of a long-range tag into a proximity tag that still may be read, but only at short range – less than a few inches or centimeters. This enables later use of the tag for returns or recalls.

Thin flexible RFID tag

Among Moskowitz's many patents is United States Patent 5,528,222, "Radio frequency circuit and memory in thin flexible package". This invention forms the basis for the design of today's RFID tags for the retail supply chain. These tags are manufactured in the billions. The United States patent states "The elements of the package (substrate, antenna, and laminated covers) are flexible. The elements of the package are all thin. The tag is thin and flexible, enabling a unique range of applications including: RF ID tagging of credit cards, passports, admission tickets, and postage stamps." This patent was once the subject of litigation between two of the major players in the RFID field, Intermec and Symbol Technologies.

Coffee-cup-on-the-car patent

Image from US Patent 6,163,250

Another Moskowitz patent is United States Patent 6,163,250, titled "System and method for sensing objects on surface of vehicle."

According to the patent, "Typically, vehicle drivers and/or passengers place objects on, for example, the roof or hood of their vehicle. Oftentimes, the driver and/or passengers forget that they have placed the objects there, and proceed to enter the car and drive away. The objects are usually grocery or food items, or beverages such as coffee or soft drinks, etc., but may include other items. Indeed, in one reported case, a baby was placed on the top of a vehicle and the vehicle driver drove away without knowing the baby was on the roof of the vehicle. The results of this sequence of events range from the comic to the tragic."

The patent provides a system such that "objects adjacent or on the surface of a vehicle (e.g., on the vehicle hood, roof or trunk) can be reliably sensed and preventive measures may be taken by the driver and/or passenger."

External links

• Paul Moskowitz's IBM business web site

• United States Patent 5,528,222, USPTO

• United States Patent 6,163,250, USPTO

• Data protection and data sharing in telematics, Mobile Networks and Applications, December 2004

• IBM Proposes Privacy-Protecting Tag, RFID Journal, November 7, 2005

• Retail-Safe RFID Unveiled, Wired News, May 1, 2006