Patent Application
20120318873
The present invention relates to books. More particularly, the present invention relates to soft cover books with a concealed signal responsive tag for inventory or security purposes.
Shrinkage of inventory of articles offered in retail sales is a continuing and expensive problem for retailers. Shrinkage arises primarily from theft of inventory. To deter theft, inventory tracking devices often are attached to the article or the package for the article, which articles are particularly susceptible to pilferage and improper removal from a warehouse or retail store. The inventory tracking devices include acoustic magnetic security strips and radio frequency response tags. These devices are embodied in tags, pods, labels, or patches. The strips and tags may have a pressure sensitive adhesive surface for attaching the inventory tracking device to the article or package. The inventory tracking device includes a detectable sensor. One known type of tag has a circuit that resonates at a predetermined detection frequency range. A transmitter provides electromagnetic energy that excites the circuit. A receiver detects the output signal from the resonating circuit. The transmitter and the receiver are located at detection points, often exits from retail facilities. As the article with the inventory tracking device is carried through the detection point, the receiver signals an alert when the device is activated in response to an interrogation signal from the transmitter. For articles that are permitted to pass (such as purchased articles), a separate device is used to deactivate the detectable sensor prior to passage. Other devices include RFID devices that communicate digital signals. In some known RFID devices, the signal is indicative of unique identifiers for tracking particular containers. Moreover, thin-film RFID devices have recently been developed that provide very thin device configurations.
Often large retailers require manufacturers of articles to include tracking and monitoring devices with the article or package. For smaller retailers and smaller inventories of articles, the tracking and monitoring devices may not be included. In such circumstances, the articles may be provided with after-market tracking and monitoring devices. For example, electronic article surveillance tags are available with adhesive backing to secure the tags to the articles or containers. Manual tagging of articles however is time consuming and removes sales personnel from customer service activities.
While the articles are then subject to article tracking and surveillance, the adhesively attached tags experience problems during use. One significant problem is that the tags, being on the exterior of the article or package, are susceptible to observation and removal. Removing the tag facilitates unauthorized removal of the article from the secured area. However, removal by a purchaser also causes problems. The covering to which the security tag attaches may become torn or ripped. The package with the security tag, or without such by removal, is unattractive. The security tag may also overlie or cover over ornamental graphics or text on the packaging. Mass produced “soft cover” books present difficulties in attaching inventory tracking and security tags. Such books have thin covers (for example, about 6 point to about 24 point thickness). A tag that projects above a planar surface of the cover causes the books to be difficult to group together in boxes for shipping. The visible tag may be removed either intentionally or inadvertently during handling. After-manufacturing placement of a tag on an inside cover or back cover is time consuming. The book has adhesive in the spine that binds together the pages in the book block, but unlike hard cover books, there is no gap to receive a tag.
Accordingly there is a need in the art for providing book products with a concealed signal responsive tag for inventory and security purposes. It is to such that the present invention is directed.
The present invention meets the need in the art by providing a book product, in which a cover sheet pre-cut to a selected size defines in portions thereof spaced-apart opposing front cover and back cover for the book product, and defines a spine portion between the two portions for the front cover and the back cover. The spine portion defines a laydown area comprising less than a majority of the spine portion and a residual non-laydown area. The front cover and the back cover are foldable towards each other along respective spaced-part lines defined by the spine portion. A book block having a plurality of pages attaches together with a first adhesive layer on a spine side of the book block and the first adhesive layer cooperatively attaches to the spine portion of the cover sheet. A signal responsive tag for inventory or security purposes attaches with a second adhesive layer to the spine portion in alignment with the laydown area of the spine portion, whereby the signal responsive tag is disposed between the spine portion and the spine side of the book block for concealing the signal responsive tag from indication of its presence and being held within the first adhesive layer after attachment of the book block to the outer cover safely and securely therein during manufacture of the book product and during normal use thereof for book product purposes. The first adhesive layer between the spine portion and the spine side of the book block has a first thickness in the laydown area of the spine and a second thickness in the non-laydown area of the spine, the first thickness of adhesive less than the second thickness of adhesive and the first thickness of adhesive plus a thickness of the signal responsive tag substantially the same as the second thickness. The signal responsive tag for being responsive to a signal while the opposing portions of the cover sheet that define the front cover and back cover are moveable together and apart foldably along the lines defined by opposing sides of the spine portion while supporting and enclosing the book block within the book product. In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a book product, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing cover sheet pre-cut to a selected size and defining in portions thereof spaced-apart opposing front cover and back cover for the book product, and defining a spine portion between the two portions for the front cover and the back cover, the spine portion defining a laydown area and a residual non-laydown area, the front cover and the back cover foldable along respective spaced-part lines defined by the spine portion;
(b) attaching a signal responsive tag for inventory or security purposes to the spine portion in alignment with the laydown area of the spine portion
(c) binding a plurality of pages together with an adhesive layer applied on a spine side thereof to form a book block;
(d) cooperatively attaching the book block to the spine portion of the liner sheet so that the signal responsive tag is encased within the adhesive layer and held between the spine portion and the spine side of the book block in alignment with the laydown area of the spine portion during manufacture of the book product and during normal use thereof for book product purposes for concealing the signal responsive tag from casual indication of its presence, the adhesive layer thereafter having a first thickness in the laydown area of the spine and a second thickness in the non-laydown area of the spine, the first thickness of adhesive less than the second thickness of adhesive and the first thickness of adhesive plus a thickness of the signal responsive tag substantially the same as the second thickness,
whereby the signal responsive tag being responsive to a signal while the opposing portions of the cover sheet that define the front cover and back cover move together foldably along the lines defined by opposing sides of the spine portion for supporting and enclosing the bound assembly within the book product.
Objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from reading of the following detailed description of the invention and claims in view of the appended drawings.
Referring now in more detail to the drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views,
As illustrated in
With continuing reference to
The signal responsive tag 14 responds to an inquiry signal communicated from an information apparatus. Signal responsive tags 14 include both passive and active tags of a type conventionally used for product inventory or security purposes. These tags include EAS, RF, AM, and RFID or other such inventory and security devices. Passive tags respond to a detection signal from an information apparatus while active tags include a microprocessor that may be programmed to communicate information to an interrogator in response to a signal from the interrogator. The information apparatus includes presence detectors and inventory tracking devices. A presence detector may communicate a signal generally in a small area such as around an exit door of a store. If the book product 10 is carried through the detector area without first deactivating the signal response tag 14, the tag upon receiving the signal provides a response signal, sound, or alert. The store personnel are thereby alerted to a possible theft of the book product 10. Other detector devices include product bar code scanners at product purchasing stands or registers. These devices may deactivate the signal response tag 14 while receiving the bar code information for inventory control or pricing. The inventory tracking device communicates with an active signal response tag 14, for example, to receive from the tag a unique serial number associated with the particular book product 10.
Signal responsive tags 14 are conventional and available in different forms. EAS (electronic article surveillance) tags address product security needs. The signaling function responds passively to a general detection signal, for example, a signal communicated by a detector in a small area. The EAS tag is disabled at a cash register as discussed above. Similarly, the RF tag and AM acoustic magnetic tag also are passive as sensor-only devices for inventory theft control purposes. The RFID tag is a security device that contains a trackable sequence code, which code may be unique in order to track the specific product in which the RFID tag is installed. The RFID tag includes a microprocessor which may be programmed for inventory tracking and control purposes and a battery or other power supply. The RFID tag is active in that information transmits in from the interrogator device and may transmit responsive information out to the interrogator. For example, the interrogator may send a signal that essentially requests the tag to respond with the unique product sequence code. Thin-film RFID devices have thin, planar configurations or sheets, such as RAFSEC tags available from UPM Raflatac at www.upmraflatac.com
A cover supply 46 holds a supply of the covers 12. A tag applicator 48 receives a web 50 that holds a plurality of tags 14. The tag applicator 48 detaches the tags 14 in sequence and deposits the detached tag onto the laydown area 24 on the spine portion 22 of the cover 12. Tag applicators are conventional and manufactured by a number of companies. Applicator devices that receive webs and detach tags are conventional. A presser 52 supports the cover 12 with the attached tag 14, and the inverted book block 16 is moved into contact with the cover 12 so that adhesive layer 32 attaches to the spine portion 22. A folding device 54 has a V-shaped tapering channel that as the book 10 passes through, the front cover 18 and back cover 20 fold upwardly to close the book 10 together 56. The assembled book 10 passes through a drying tower (not illustrated) and a knife trimmer to cut the book to size on the top, bottom and outer edge opposing the spine-side. A stacker (not illustrated) receives the closed book 55 and places the book in a stack of books for packaging, storing, and shipping.
With reference to
With reference to
A cover 12 moves from the supply 46. The tag applicator 48 detaches one of the tags 14 from the web 50 and applies the tag to the laydown area 24 in the spine portion 22 of the cover 12. As the hot melt adhesive begins to cool, the cover 12 with the attached signal responsive tag 14 moves into bearing contact with the adhesive layer 32. The adhesive layer 32 cooperatively holds the collated plurality of pages 30 and attaches to the cover 12 to assemble the book 10. The assembled book 10 passes through the folding device 54 and the front cover 18 and back cover 20 fold upwardly to close the book 10 together. The hot melt adhesive 32 finishes curing in the dryer and the knives trim the book 10 to a selected size. The stacker receives the closed book 10 and places the book in a stack of books for packaging, storing, and shipping.
The method of embedding the security device within the adhesive layer 32 may be gainfully used with hard cover book products as illustrated in
Thus, the front and back covers 18, 20 may be multilayer laminated sheets, including paper sheet, plastic or film laminated sheets, liquid lamination, paper-based sheets, chipboard, pasted chipboard or other suitable cover-forming material. Generally, the cover 12 material is nominally about 6 to 24 point but chipboard thickness may be thicker, for example up to about 56 point as a single or multi-layer laminated sheet (pasted chipboard). For example, two 50-point chipboards may be pasted together to make a 100 point pasted chipboard, having increased mass and rigidity.
The
It is to be appreciated that in an alternate embodiment, the signal responsive tag 14 attaches to the spine-side of the book block 16 prior to coating with the adhesive layer 32. The resulting book with concealed signal responsive tag 14 is not as satisfactory because the pressure sensitive adhesive 28 does not bind together the several of the pages over which the signal responsive tag 14 is positioned. Rather the adhesive 28 is in contact with the spine-side edge of these pages. That minority portion of the spine of the book occupied by the tag 14 would have the appearance and performance of a book not properly bound by the adhesive layer 32.
The concealed signal responsive tag 14 provides the book 10 with a device that responds to signals from an inventory or security system interrogation transmitter, yet the tag is not readily observable encased within the uniform appearing spine portion of the book, so as to avoid readily being detected visually by a person handling the book.
This specification has described the present invention that provides the book product with the signal responsive tag concealed within the book product including the steps necessary for making and using various embodiments thereof. It is to be understood, however, that numerous changes and variations may be made in the construction of the present book product within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and that modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.
