Patent Application
20170193776
Electronic article surveillance (EAS) labels are well known. Such labels can be adhered to products or other objects and cause an alarm when the object is taken to an exit of a store. But thieves can prevent such an alarm by removing the EAS label. There is need of an affordable EAS label that, when attempted to be removed, tears to leave behind a portion of the label, thereby discouraging theft or resale.
The present disclosure is directed to a security label and a method of manufacturing same. In one aspect, a security label includes a planar EAS component having opposing first and second surfaces; and an adhesive layer adhered to the second surface of the planar EAS component and configured to adhere the planar EAS component to an object; wherein the first surface of the planar EAS component comprises a perforation line defining a closed interior portion of the planar EAS component and an exterior portion of the planar EAS component; and wherein the adhesive layer has a strength such that, when the adhesive layer is adhered to the object and the exterior portion is peeled away from the object, the planar EAS component tears along the perforation line and the interior portion remains adhered to the object.
In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a security label includes providing a planar EAS component having opposing first and second surfaces; applying an adhesive layer to the second surface, the adhesive layer configured to adhere the planar EAS component to an object; and cutting a perforation line in the planar EAS component, the perforation fine defining a closed interior portion of the planar EAS component and an exterior portion of the planar EAS component; wherein the adhesive layer has a strength such dun when the adhesive layer is adhered to the object and the exterior portion is peeled away from the object, the planar EAS component tears along the perforation line and the interior portion remains adhered to the object.
In yet another aspect, a security label includes a planar EAS component having opposing first and second surfaces and a capacitor plate; and a single adhesive layer adhered to the second surface of the planar EAS component and configured to adhere the planar EAS component to an object; wherein the first surface of the planar EAS component comprises a perforation line defining a closed interior portion of the planar EAS component and an exterior portion of the planar EAS component; wherein the interior portion comprises the capacitor plate; wherein the perforation line has a depth extending from the first surface of the planar EAS component to the single adhesive layer of the planar EAS component and wherein the single adhesive layer has a strength such that, when the single adhesive layer is adhered to the object and the exterior portion is peeled away from the object, the planar EAS component tears along the perforation line and the interior portion remains adhered to the object.
The invention of the present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention or inventions. The description of illustrative embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “left,” “right,” “top,” “bottom,” “front” and “rear” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated as such. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” “secured” and other similar terms refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. The discussion herein describes and illustrates some possible non-limiting combinations of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is to be interpreted as a logical operator that results in true whenever one or more of its operands are true.
Referring now to the drawings,
The first surface 22 of the planar EAS component 20 can include a perforation line 50 defining a closed interior portion 52 of the planar EAS component 20 (the portion inside the closed perforation line 50) and an exterior portion 54 of the planar EAS component 20 (the portion outside the closed perforation line 50). The exemplified interior portion 52 has a circular shape that includes a portion of the conductor (namely, the first capacitor plate 32) and a center point C of the first surface 22 of the planar EAS component 20. Other embodiments can use other shapes (e.g., oval square, rectangle, triangle) and sizes, and can locate the interior portion anywhere on the first surface 22, including in a location such that the interior portion does not include the center point and/or does not include a conductor.
As will be described in more detail below, the label 10 can further comprise an adhesive layer adhered to the second surface of the planar EAS component 20 and configured to adhere the planar EAS component 20 to an object (see
Referring now to
A first conductor 30 is positioned on a top side of the dielectric layer 34, and a second conductor 31 is positioned on a bottom side of the dielectric layer 34. The first conductor 30 includes a first capacitor plate 32, and the second conductor 31 includes a second capacitor plate 36. At least one of the conductors (in this embodiment, the first conductor 30) includes a coil 38 that can function as an inductor. The coil 38 has a spiral path surrounding the first capacitor plate 32, although an inductor 24 may be formed by other configurations. The first and second conductors 30, 31 can together form an inductive-capacitance resonant circuit 26. Such a circuit is capable of resonating when exposed to a certain electromagnetic field. For example, an EAS gate at an exit can provide an electromagnetic field that causes the label 10 to resonate, and the EAS gate can detect the resonating tag and alarm to indicate a potential theft.
The RF capacitor formed by the first capacitor plate 32 and the second capacitor plate 36 can be operably coupled to the coil 38. The first capacitor plate 32 and the coil 38 can be formed from the first conductor 30, and therefore these two components may be formed (e.g., via deposition and etching) already electrically coupled. To operably connect the RF capacitor to the coil 38, an electrical connection can be made between the second capacitor plate 36 of the RF capacitor, which was formed out of the second conductor 30, and the coil 38. The electrical connection may be made using commonly used crimping or welding processes.
In the present embodiment, it is preferred that each of the conductors 30, 31 be substantially planar and flexible. The conductors 30, 31 are preferably made from aluminum, specifically aluminum foil. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that other conductive materials, such as copper or nickel, may be used for the conductors 30, 31. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the conductors 30, 31 may be made from different conductive materials.
The conductors can be formed on the top and bottom sides of the dielectric layer 34, for example, by a dry lamination process or an extrusion coating process (not shown). One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the process of forming the basic label structure comprising the conductors on the dielectric layer 34 is not specifically pertinent to an understanding of the disclosure and is well known in the prior art. Further description of this part of the fabrication process is not believed to be necessary nor is it limiting.
The exemplified label 10 includes a first polymeric film 28 adhered to and covering the first conductor 30 and the top side of the dielectric layer 34, and a second polymeric film 29 covering the second conductor 31 and the bottom side of the dielectric layer 34. The polymeric films 28, 29 can be both flexible and substantially planar to facilitate fabrication of the label 10 and adherence of the label 10 to non-planar surfaces on a wide variety of products and other objects to be protected by an electronic article surveillance system. The polymeric films 28, 29 can have a low moisture absorption, which can be advantageous in that a smooth, wrinkle-free printing surface and substantially consistent heat transfer properties are maintained, allowing easier fabrication of labels. The polymeric films 28, 29 can be made from any polymeric material, including polyester (e.g., Mylar or Melinex), polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and other plastics. The polymeric films 28, 29, however, are not required, and in some embodiments it is preferred that the first and second polymeric films 28, 29 be omitted.
The label 10 can further include adhesive layers. Such adhesive layers can include an application adhesive layer 40 adhered to the second surface 24 of the planar EAS component 20 and configured to adhere the planar EAS component 20 to an object (see
The label 10 Can further include additional adhesive layers (not shown), including adhesive layers that adhere each polymeric film to each respective conductor and side of the dielectric layer 34. In one embodiment, the adhesive layers each have a thickness of 0.5 to 2.0 mils.
The release liner 42 can comprise a paper or plastic film that is releasably adhered to the planar EAS component 20 (in the exemplified embodiment, the bottom side of the second polymeric film 29). The release liner 42 can be removed from the label 10 prior to attachment of the label 10 to the object to be protected. In some embodiments, the release liner 42 can have properties similar to the properties of the polymeric films 28, 29 discussed above. In other embodiments, the release liner 42 can be omitted and the planar EAS component 20 can be adhered directly to an object.
The cross-sectional view of
It is noted that the exemplified planar EAS component 20 utilizes RF EAS technology. In other embodiments, however, the planar EAS component 20 can utilize other EAS technologies, including acousto-magnetic, magnetic, and/or RFID (active or passive) technology.
The planar EAS component 20 is attached to the object 12 by the application adhesive layer 40. The planar EAS component 20 has a first surface 22 and a second surface 24. The application adhesive layer 40 is adhered to the second surface 24 of the planar EAS component 20 and is configured to adhere the planar EAS component 20 to the object 12. The perforation line 50 extends from the first surface 22 of the planar EAS component 20 to the bottom of the adhesive layer 40. The perforation line 50 divides the interior portion $2 of the planar EAS component 20 from the exterior portion 54 of the planar EAS component 20. The interior portion 52 is adhered to the object 12 by the adhesive interior portion 56, and the exterior portion 54 is adhered to the object 12 by the adhesive exterior portion 58.
In certain embodiments, a perforation line 150 is made in two steps. First, the label 120 can be die cut around the first capacitor plate 132 before the capacitor plate 132 is folded. Once the capacitor plate 132 is folded, a polymeric film (similar to first polymeric film 28) can be applied, and a second die cut through all layers of the planar'EAS component 120 can be made.
This figure also shows the interior portion 152 including indicia 160 indicating an unauthorized removal of the exterior portion 154. In the exemplified embodiment, the indicia 160 states “Not for Resale.” Thus, when a thief removes the exterior portion 154, the interior portion 152 will remain on the object to which it was adhered, and will still state “Not for Resale,” thereby hindering a thief's ability to resell the object. Other indicia could include other language, a store logo, an image giving the appearance of continued EAS protection, or other indicia.
Similar to security label 10 of
Also similar to earlier embodiments, the first surface 322 of the planar EAS component 320 of the exemplified label 310 comprises a perforation line 350 defining a closed interior portion 352 of the planar EAS component 320 and an exterior portion 354 of the planar EAS component 352. The application adhesive layer 340 can have a strength such that, when the application adhesive layer 340 is adhered to an object and the exterior portion 354 is peeled away from the object, the planar EAS component 320 tears along the perforation line 350 and the interior portion 352 remains adhered to the object. In this embodiment, the interior portion 352 comprises a portion of the RFID inlay 375, namely, the IC 374 and the near field antenna 372. In other embodiments, the interior portion 352 can comprise other portions of the planar EAS component 320.
The exemplified labels can provide several advantages. The remaining interior portion acts as a further deterrent to theft. For example, the remaining portion can include portions of the EAS component or an image (such as a lock image or an image of an EAS label) creating the illusion that the label is still providing EAS protection. Further, the remaining portion can include language (e.g., “Not for Resale”) that make resale difficult. Further, the exemplified labels can provide all these advantages at little to no additional cost. This is because the exemplified labels do not require additional materials, but instead simply require that the perforation line is cut, which can be done inexpensively during manufacture.
The use of a single adhesive layer for application to the object can provide strong adhesion that makes removal difficult. This assists the in enabling the planar EAS component to be torn when a thief attempts to peel off the label. The tearing along the perforation line, along with the strong adhesion provided by the application adhesive layer, ensures that the interior portion of the planar EAS component is left behind.
While the various example embodiments have been described with respect to specific examples, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above that may be implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and function& modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, the spirit and scope should be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.
