Patent Application
20140218197
The present invention relates generally to commercial anti-theft alarming devices, and, more particularly, to a special type of acousto-magnetic (AM) marker having multiple resonators.
AM technology has been widely used in electronic article surveillance (EAS) for over twenty years. The original U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,489 disclosed that some of amorphous materials have high magnetic-elastic coupling coefficient, led to strong resonating signal, and used this principle successfully applied these materials into commercial anti-theft system (AM system), such as large supermarket's anti-theft system. AM system includes detector, deactivator, and anti-theft AM markers. There are two types of anti-theft AM markers currently: anti-theft hard tags and anti-theft soft labels. Former uses the amorphous as resonators, uses permanent magnetic materials (such as bonded ferrite magnets, rare-earth bonded magnets or sintered magnets) as bias. This type of markers cannot be deactivated, which is used inside the store repeatedly. Later also uses amorphous as resonators, conventionally a semi-hard magnetic material (such as DC coercivity 10-55 Oe) as bias, or a soft magnetic material with DC coercivity less than 10 Oe used as bias, by same inventor on another invention recently. This type of anti-theft AM marker, (will be called in short as “AM label” or “label” in following) can be repeatedly deactivating or activating. After being deactivated by a deactivator, the label attached to paid merchandise will no longer set off the alarm when it is leaving detector installed at the store gate.
At present, the resonator width of anti-theft markers is generally 6 mm (so far, there are not any commercial AM markers using resonator width below 6 mm). The conventional notion is that the narrower resonator will not make practical AM labels with acceptable detection performance. Thus, the bias width and glue tape area cannot be further reduced with conventional resonator width. Any technical inventions to reduce material costs will have a big achievable economic benefit because of the large amount of AM labels consumed in multiple billions of pieces annually in worldwide market.
The resonators are made of expensive alloys containing Ni or Co (such as FeNiMoB resonators, FeNiCoSiB resonators). The bias alloys also use expensive Ni. To prevent the AM labels from being peeled off easily by shoplifters, due to unavoidable label's raised shape of the hollow resonator house, the double tape has to be made of expensive glue with thicker layer and higher affinity. Wider resonator and wider bias and bigger bottom for double tape glue area led to higher raw material costs. Narrower AM labels can reduce the raw material costs significantly. More important goal is to extend AM label application fields: the stores have some finer or slimmer merchandise, or the area on the package allowed for placement of the AM label without covering important product information or barcode information etc. is smaller, therefore the stores hope to have a narrower AM label for effectively protection. Furthermore, narrower AM label, compared to conventional labels, looks more exquisite to be favored by stores.
This invention overcame conventional technology's deficiency and broke the technical prejudice, provided an AM label with high performance/cost ratio, by using narrower resonators width than current 6 mm width of conventional resonator, to offer the narrower width AM labels.
The technical solutions of above mentioned invention are realized through following technical proposals:
A narrow width AM label having multiple resonators, includes in an elongated resonating house, resonators, house cover, and magnetic bias. The resonators are placed inside the resonating house, aforementioned house bottom connected with cover resulted in resonators being contained inside the house. The number of aforementioned resonators is two to five. The resonators' width is 1.6 mm-5.3 mm. Conventional resonator width is 6 mm, resonator number can be one (such as LE label made by Tyco/Sensormatic) or two (such as DR labels made by Tyco/Sensormatic, or T2 labels made by Ningbo Signatronic Technologies, Ltd.) or three (such as T3 labels made by Ningbo Signatronic Technologies, Ltd.). This inventor has found that the alarming distance dropping is much slower in labels having multiple resonators, compared to labels having single resonator. For example, when the thickness of resonators are basically same, reduce three resonators width from 6 mm to 4.5 mm, the alarming distance of the AM label will still be about 95% of original distance. In contrast, a single resonator reduce to same width, the alarming distance is dropped more than 40%. One possible explanation is that the effective width of multiple resonators will be bigger than single resonator width. Meanwhile, the interaction among multiple resonators results in a more complicated resonating characteristics compared to a single resonator, lead to such alarming distance dropping rate difference. The experimental data are listed in Table I.
As a high performance/cost ratio AM label, the anti-theft label with this structure (4.5 mm width resonator) saves expensive amorphous materials, bias materials, double tape glue, meanwhile it can protect narrower merchandise. This invention is to offer a narrow AM label having active resonating frequency range of 57.5-58.5 kHz.
To the labels with narrower sizes (further reduce the resonator width to 1.5-4.3 mm), it reduced the width to be used for protecting narrower merchandise.
As a preferred example, aforementioned resonator house has at least one place having width of 3.5-6.5 mm, here corresponding house cover width is 4.0-7.5 mm. Another technical solution is: at least one place of the cover has width of 4.0-7.8 mm.
As preferred solution, at least one resonator's thickness is 20-40 μm among aforementioned resonators. The further preferred solution is at least one resonator's thickness is 25-35 μm.
As preferred solution, at least one resonator's width is 3.3-4.8 mm among aforementioned resonators. A further preferred solution is one resonator's width is 4.4-4.6 mm. The optimum solution is the resonator width is 4.5 mm. After having reduced three resonator's width from 6 mm to 4.5 mm, there is still about 95% alarming distance of original distance retained.
As preferred solution, aforementioned label resonating frequency is 57.5-58.5 kHz.
Aforementioned magnetic bias is an elongated piece, with length=15-40 mm, width-0.2-2 mm, thickness 0.2-2 mm. Another solution for bias is a thin piece shape, length=15-40 mm, width 1-5 mm, thickness 0.03-0.12 mm.
As preferred solution, at least one resonator is an amorphous alloy of FeNiMoB (2826MB), in aforementioned resonators. Another preferred solution is a FeNiCoSiB based amorphous alloy in aforementioned resonators.
As preferred solution, the resonating house is made of PE/PS composite plastic films.
As preferred solution, aforementioned house cover is made with seal layer of PE/PET composite film, as well as the double tape glue over the PET side. The PE side of the seal layer is hot sealed to the PE side of PE/PS house.
As preferred solution, the magnetic bias can be elongated piece or thin piece.
As preferred solution, aforementioned resonator number is three.
A narrow AM anti-theft label having multiple resonators, including in elongated resonating house, resonators, cover and magnetic bias piece. The resonators are placed inside the resonating house, aforementioned cover is connected to the resonating house base to enclose the resonators inside the house. Aforementioned resonator number is 2-5. Resonator width is 1.5-5.7 mm, resonator length is 36-40 mm. Aforementioned bias is elongated piece having length=15-40 mm, width=0.2-2 mm, thickness=0.2-2 mm, or aforementioned magnetic bias is thin piece having length=15-40 mm, width 1-5 mm, thickness=0.03-0.12 mm.
As preferred solution, aforementioned house has at least one place having width=3.5-6.5 mm, corresponding cover's narrowest width is 4.0-7.5 mm, or aforementioned house has at least one place having width of 4.0-7.8 mm.
As preferred solution, at least one resonator's thickness is 20-40 μm in aforementioned resonators. At least one resonator's width is 3.3-4.8 mm.
As preferred solution, aforementioned label's resonating frequency is 57.5-58.5 kHz.
As preferred solution, at least one resonator is FeNiMoB based amorphous alloy in aforementioned resonators, or at least one resonator is FeNiCoSiB based amorphous alloy.
During the experiments to reduce the resonators' width, this inventor has found that multiple resonators' resonating signal is not dropping linearly or rapidly below 6 mm (Therefore previously sold AM label's resonator width was fixed at 6 mm in last decade). Instead, the multiple resonators' signal drops gradually when resonator width is above 3.5 mm. For instance, three 4.5 mm resonators' signal level can still be kept at about 95% of that from three 6 mm resonators. Thus, narrow label made by this way shows unexpected technical effect, practically still can be used in current commercial detection systems. Consequently, the narrower AM anti-theft labels, made by this invention to use amorphous (thickness=20-40 μm) having acousto-magnetic effect, are having stable property, easy to manufacture. Due to using the smaller sizes of resonators than conventional resonators, it satisfied the customer needs for a narrower label to protect smaller and more exquisite items. Meanwhile, the usages of expensive amorphous materials, and bias materials and double tapes are less which leads to raw material cost reduction.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description that follows, in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention.
Referring now to the drawings, a special narrow configuration of an acousto-magnetic anti-theft label can best be seen. Followings are the further descriptions to this invention's technical proposals, through embodiments combining with figures.
The alarming distance of the label in this embodiment 1 in an Ultramax™ detector is 67 cm.
A narrow AM anti-theft label having multiple resonators, including in elongated resonating house 3, the cavity 6 and a magnetic bias piece 1. There are four resonators over the magnetic bias piece 1. The cover 5 with double tape 7 sealed to house 3. The resonator width is 2.6 mm, length is 38.2 mm, and thickness is 37 μm. The house 3 is the plastic house made of PS/PE composite film. The seal layer of cover 5 is made of PE/PET to connect to house 3. The house outside width is 3.8 mm, The width of cover is 5.2 mm.
The alarming distance of the label in this embodiment 2 in an Ultramax™ detector is 17 cm.
A narrow AM anti-theft label having multiple resonators, including in an elongated house 3 and the magnetic bias thin piece 1. There are three resonators placed over magnetic bias thin piece 1 inside the cavity of the house. On the top, the cover 5 with double tape 7 is sealed to house 3. The FeNiCoSiB based amorphous alloy width is 4.4 mm, length is 38.4 mm, and thickness is 26 μm. The house 3 is the plastic house made of PS/PE composite film. The seal layer of cover 5 connecting to house 3 is made of PE/PET. The house outside width is 5.4 mm. The cover width is 6.9 mm.
The alarming distance of the label in this embodiment 3 in an Ultramax™ detector is 74 cm.
As shown in
The alarming distance of the label in this embodiment 4 in an Ultramax™ detector is 76 cm.
The alarming distance of the label in this embodiment 5 in an Ultramax™ detector is 28 cm.
A narrow AM anti-theft label having multiple resonators, the concrete technical proposal is same as embodiment 1 except for following differences: The resonator width is 1.6 mm, total five resonators, the resonator grade is 2826MB (FeNiMoB amorphous alloy). The bias length is 34 mm, thickness is 0.05 mm, and width is 1.5 mm. The outside width of the house is 2.8 mm, the cover width is 4.6 mm.
The alarming distance of the label in this embodiment 6 in an Ultramax detector is 12 cm.
A narrow AM anti-theft label having multiple resonators, the concrete technical proposal is same as embodiment 1 except for following differences: The resonator width is 5.3 mm. The bias length is 34 mm, thickness is 0.08 mm, and width is 4.0 mm. The outside width of the house is 6.1 mm, the cover width is 7.8 mm.
The alarming distance of the label in this embodiment 7 in an Ultramax™ detector is 79 cm.
A narrow AM anti-theft label having multiple resonators, the concrete technical proposal is same as embodiment 1 except for following differences: One of the resonator's widths is 4.3 mm, and the width of the other resonator is 3.4 mm. The outside width of the house is 5.8 mm, the cover width is 7.5 mm.
The alarming distance of the label in this embodiment 8 in an Ultramax™ detector is 55 cm.
Above contents are the further detailed descriptions to this invention, using concrete preferred embodiments. It cannot regarded that the invention concrete implementations are only limited to these descriptions. A skilled person in this field can derive multiple technical proposals without leaving the basic thought of this invention. For instance, the magnetic bias piece can be more than one. The bias can be irregular shapes. The bias position can be not parallel to the resonators, as long as the label resonator frequency falls into target range (57.5-58.5 kHz). Also, the elongated resonator house might be non-rectangular shape, so that along the narrowest width direction, the label might not have a fixed width, as long as at least one position of the cover width falls into the claimed range. Furthermore, the widths of multiple resonators can be different, as long as at least one of resonator widths falls into claimed ranges. Making some simple deviations or substitutions will still be regarded to fall into the claim ranges of this invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201210360855.6 | Sep 2012 | CN | national |
