The present invention relates to an electronic tag housing used to support an electronic tag. More particularly, the present invention relates to a housing which supports an electronic tag and which may be secured to a container such as a bottle.
It is widely known to use electronic tags for various purposes. Electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags as well as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are used for purposes such as tracking sales and shipments of products to which they are attached. They also may be used to provide theft deterrence to articles to which they are attached.
It is also known to apply such electronic tags to various product containers such as beverage bottles. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,696,955 and 6,324,838 show housings for EAS markers which are used in combination with containers having an inlet/outlet port. The tag housing is configured to be passable through the port for residence within the container.
Other housings which accommodate electronic tags may be supported between the neck of a bottle and the removable bottle cap. Such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,604,643 and 4,813,564.
Other devices support the tag housing directly in the cap itself such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,413.
While each of these devices serves adequately for its intended purposes, it is desirable to provide an electronic tag housing which may be easily applied to the exterior surface of the bottle. Placing such tags directly on the exterior surface of the bottle has significant drawbacks. First, placement on the exterior surface of the bottle may be cumbersome and may interfere with use of the bottle. Second, such placement on an exterior surface of the bottle makes it readily apparent and, therefore, susceptible to unauthorized removal.
It is desirable to provide an electronic tag housing which may be easily applied to the exterior of a bottle, yet remain unobtrusive during use.
The present invention provides an electronic tag housing for support within a recessed bottom of a bottle such as a beverage bottle. The tag housing supports an electronic tag and has a configuration such that it is received and retained in the recess of the bottle bottom. The housing is accommodated within the bottle bottom without interfering with the ability of the bottle to stand upright.
Preferably, the housing may be adhesively secured within the recess of the bottle bottom. The housing may be configured to correspond to different configurations of bottle bottom recesses.
The present invention provides a housing for supporting an electronic tag such an electronic article surveillance (EAS) tag or a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. The tag housing of the present invention is designed for use with various types of bottles having recessed bottoms. Such bottles include beverage bottles, particularly liquor bottles.
As shown in
Referring to
The generally circular bottom of housing 10 is approximately the size of the recess of the bottle onto which it is secured. Furthermore, the upstanding wall 14 also corresponds to the depth and configuration of the recess. It is contemplated that the housing may be secured within the recess of the body by applying adhesive to wall 14.
The housing 10 is supported within the recess of the bottle such that the circular base 12 is recessed from the bottle bottom such that it does not protrude out from the recess and thereby is both unobtrusive and out of interference with the ability of the bottle to stand upright. In this manner, the beverage bottle may be sold and used without calling attention to the housing supporting the electronic tag.
A further embodiment of the tag housing is show in
A still further embodiment of a housing is shown in
Housing 200 includes a central slot 210 provided in the flat upper surface 205. The slot 210 supports an electronic tag 212 therein. A cover 215 may be secured over slot 210 to enclose the tag 212. The cover 215 maybe snap fitted into slot 210 using tabs 216.
It may be appreciated that the present invention allows an electronic tag to be supported to a beverage bottle in a manner which does not interfere with the use of the bottle. Moreover, the tag remains relatively hidden from ordinary view, thereby reducing the likelihood of an unauthorized removal therefrom.
Various changes to the foregoing described and shown structures would now be evident to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the particularly disclosed scope of the invention is set forth in the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/720,815, filed on Sep. 27, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60720815 | Sep 2005 | US |