Patent Application
20170132891
The present invention is a security tag with a swivel head. In particular, the present invention relates to a security tag with a swivel head that includes an electronic security device.
Theft deterrent security tags attached to clothing, shoes and a wide variety of merchandise are well known. Electronic tags attached to articles have a wide variety of uses, including tracking, inventory control and security. These electronic tags can also provide electronically readable information pertaining to the articles.
These tags or markers may include radio frequency identification (RFID) tags or electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags. EAS tags may be used with an alarm system to provide theft deterrence by monitoring the location of the tags and any unauthorized movement of the article containing the EAS tag from a predetermined area. The tags can be enclosed in or attached to a variety of different devices, such as holders or housings, which accommodate the electronic tag and are used to attach the tags to articles. The tags are secured to the article so that they remain with the article until after the time of purchase.
With many of the EAS markers, by nature of the marker itself or by the article to which it attached, location of the EAS marker on the article is readily apparent to the prospective purchaser. Since the purchaser is aware of the presence of the EAS marker, the purchaser may attempt to remove the EAS marker in an unauthorized manner to defeat the electronic surveillance system.
One method of attaching an EAS marker to an article is through the use of a security tag, such as the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,624,753, which provides a housing for supporting the EAS marker. A strap or cable tie is attached to the housing and the strap may be inserted into or around the article to be protected and permanently attached again to the housing. In the past, individuals have attempted to remove the security tag by twisting the housing to rotate the tag with respect to the strap. This causes tension in the strap which, upon application of sufficient force, may break the strap and allow the tag to be removed from the article. Thus, while it is desirable to use security tags for various applications, prior art security tags suffer from disadvantages.
Certain prior art security tags do provide a rotatable connection between the article to be protected and the housing of such hang tag. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,518,521 discloses a security tag including a rotating inner core which cooperates with a wire element for attaching the tag to an article to be protected. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that applications exists in the marketplace which require a plastic strap, as compared to the wire or line of the mentioned publication. Moreover, the prior art design disclosed in the '521 patent can present both manufacturing and assembly issues, which increase the cost and complexity of such product.
Another security tag having a rotatable head is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,183,914. Although the '914 patent discloses a tag employing a plastic strap, the design requires the strap to pass through a portion of the rotatable head, leaving a tail portion extending from the head after the tag is secured to the article. This exposed tail can be unsightly and/or undesirable in a retail setting. Moreover, the manufacture of the head/strap assembly of the '914 patent is complex and expensive.
Accordingly, there is a need for a security tag that can both support an EAS marker and be secured to an article via a rotatable connection, which reduces the likelihood that the security tag can be removed from the article in an unauthorized manner. There is a further need in the art for this same security tag to be easily and securely attached to an article, as well as simple and cost efficient to manufacture. It is, therefore, desirable to provide a tag housing which may be secured to an article and cannot be readily removed therefrom.
In accordance with the present invention, a security tag with a swivel head is provided. In one embodiment, the security tag comprises, consists of or consists essentially of a housing, an electronic security device, first and second opposing outwardly curved walls, a swivel lock, and a locking pin. The housing includes first and second housing sections having first and second side walls with perimeters and first and second ends. The first and second housing sections can have first and second perimetrical side walls that extend from the perimeters of the first and second side walls, respectively. When the first and second housing sections are joined together, an enclosed space bounded by the first and second perimetrical side walls is formed therebetween. The perimeter of the first side wall can be less than the perimeter of the second side wall so that the first side wall snugly engages the second side wall, when they are joined together, and the first and second housing sections snap-fit together.
An electronic security device can be disposed between the two housing sections to provide protection against theft and/or to identify the goods attached to the tag for inventory control. The electronic security device can be a radio frequency identification (RFID) device or an electronic article surveillance (EAS) device.
The first and second opposing outwardly curved walls are connected to the first end of each housing section. When the two housing sections are joined together to form the housing, the opposing outwardly curved walls form a chamber and an opening opposite the housing.
The swivel lock has a body connected to a retainer by a neck. A longitudinal axis extends from the retainer through the neck to the body. The retainer extends radially from the longitudinal axis and the neck and is rotatably disposed in the chamber. The retainer can be disc-shaped or substantially round and can have a diameter. The opening formed by the first and second opposing outwardly curved walls has a diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the retainer. The neck passes through the opening. The body of the swivel lock can be concave and has an aperture, preferably located in the central portion of the body.
The locking pin is secured to the body of the swivel lock and can have a base and a shaft that extends from the base. The shaft is inserted into the aperture in the body of the swivel lock to secure the locking pin to the swivel lock. The locking pin can have a bulbous distal end that passes through the aperture in the swivel lock body and cannot be removed without damaging the swivel lock body. The base of the locking pin can be substantially flat and substantially round.
In another embodiment, the security tag comprises, consists of or consists essentially of a housing, an electronic security device, a globe-shaped housing, a swivel lock and a locking pin. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment except that the outwardly curved walls on the first end of the housing are replaced by the globe-shaped structure.
The preferred embodiments of the security tag with a swivel head of the present invention, as well as other objects, features and advantages of this invention, will be apparent from the accompanying drawings wherein:
The present invention is a security tag with a swivel head that is attached to an article to prevent theft and to facilitate electronic identification of the article. The security tag has a housing with a chamber formed on one end. The chamber encloses a disc that is connected through an opening in the top of the chamber to a swivel lock by a neck. The sizes of the disc and the chamber are selected so that the disc can freely rotate inside the chamber. The sizes of the disc and the opening in the chamber are also selected so that the neck can be moved from left to right with respect to its longitudinal axis. A locking pin with a base and a shaft is secured to the swivel lock to attach the tag to an article. The shaft passes through an opening in the article (such as a buttonhole in clothing, an opening for a shoestring or an opening for a baseball cap) and is retained by the base. The tip of the shaft is then inserted into the swivel lock to secure the tag to the article. Preferably, the locking pin and swivel lock are designed so that they cannot be easily separated once the locking pin is locked into the swivel lock. Typically, the tag is removed by the purchaser of the article by cutting the end of locking pin shaft that passes through the opening in the swivel lock. The side of the swivel lock opposite the locking pin has a “scissors” logo that indicates where the locking pin shaft is cut.
The two housing sections are snap-fit or sealed together in a manner that makes it difficult to separate them and remove the electronic security device. The housing sections are preferably welded together but they can also be joined using an adhesive. The housing sections are formed from a thermoplastic material such as polystyrene and the lock and pin are preferably made from polypropylene, polyethylene or a blend of both materials. However, the invention is not limited by the type of materials used to form the tag and a variety of different materials can be used. The security tag can include a radio frequency identification (RFID) device or an electronic article surveillance (EAS) device located inside the housing. This allows the article to which the tag is attached to be electronically identified and also provides security against theft.
Referring now to the drawings,
Thus, while there have been described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will realize that other embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to include all such further modifications and changes as come within the true scope of the claims set forth herein.
This application claims priority from provisional application Ser. No. 62/251,167, filed on Nov. 5, 2015, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62251167 | Nov 2015 | US |
