Solid housing tag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9324015-B2
Application number	US-201313804237-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	May 22, 2012
Publication date	Apr 26, 2016
Grant date	Apr 26, 2016

Abstract

A solid housing tag and method to form the solid housing tag, the method including for example, an injection molding process. The solid housing tag has a single, continuous housing of which at least partially surrounds one or more various tag components arranged about a frame. The tag components may include a lock component and/or security component. The security component may include EAS elements, such as AM, EM, and/or RF technology elements; RFID elements; and/or benefit denial type elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tag comprising:
a core piece, comprising:
a security component;
a lock component, wherein the lock component comprises a lock component opening for receiving a first end of a lock pin, the lock component configured to lock the lock pin to the tag and thereby secure merchandise between a pin head at a second end of the lock pin and the tag; and
a frame, wherein the security component and lock component are arranged about the frame; and

a single-piece housing enclosing all sides of the core piece except for an accessway configured to provide the first end of the lock pin access to the lock component opening.

2. The tag of claim 1 , wherein the frame is a single skeleton piece.

3. The tag of claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed in the general shape of the core piece.

4. The tag of claim 1 , wherein the security component is an acousto-magnetic element or a radio frequency element.

5. The tag of claim 4 , wherein the acousto-magnetic element as the security component comprises:
a wire wrapped around a closed encasing portion of the frame;
a capacitor connected to opposite ends of the wire, wherein the capacitor is located about the closed encasing portion; and
a ferrite rod located inside the closed encasing portion of the frame, wherein the ferrite rod is positioned in an open end of the closed encasing portion at a particular length inside the closed encasing portion to attain a proper frequency for detection of the acousto-magnetic element by a detector.

6. The tag of claim 4 , wherein the radio frequency element as the security component comprises:
a wire wrapped around a perimeter piece of the frame, wherein the perimeter piece encircles a remainder of the frame and connects to the remainder of the frame by one or more bridge portions of the frame; and
a capacitor connected to opposite ends of the wire, wherein the capacitor is located about the perimeter piece of the frame.

7. The tag of claim 1 , wherein the frame comprises:
a lock component cavity formed within a lock component compartment and a lock component compartment dome, wherein the lock component compartment is a wall extending around a circumference of the lock component cavity and wherein a bottom edge of a dome wall of the lock component compartment dome connects to a top edge of the lock component compartment and wherein the dome wall extends up from the connection with the top edge of the lock component compartment and reduces in circumference further from the connection with the top edge of the lock component compartment to form the lock component compartment dome,
wherein the lock component is partially located in the lock component cavity, and wherein the lock component compartment and the lock component compartment dome form a portion of the frame.

8. The tag of claim 7 , wherein the lock component comprises:
a spring;
a pusher having a closed end and an open end opposite the closed end, wherein a first end of the spring is positioned through the open end of the pusher and against an internal side of the closed end of the pusher;
two or more balls located against an external side of the closed end of the pusher; and
a lock component chamber having an open end and a floor end opposite the open end of the lock component chamber, wherein the two or more balls are located internally in the lock component chamber on an internal side of the floor end and wherein the floor end comprises the lock component opening through the floor end,
wherein a second end of the spring is located against the lock component dome inside the lock component cavity, and
wherein when the first end of the lock pin is located through the lock component opening in the floor end of the lock component chamber, the lock pin is in engagement with the two or more balls to lock the lock pin to the tag.

9. A method for forming a tag comprising:
assembling a security component and a lock component about a frame to form a core piece; and
forming a housing around the core piece by applying a housing material, via an injection molding process, over and about the core piece such that the housing material encloses all sides of the core piece except for an accessway configured to provide the first end of a lock pin access to a lock component opening;
wherein the lock component opening is configured to receive a first end of the lock pin; and
wherein the lock component is configured to lock the lock pin to the tag and thereby secure merchandise between a pin head at a second end of the lock pin and the tag.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein assembling the security component about the frame further comprises assembling the security component, wherein the security component is an acousto-magnetic element or a radio frequency element.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein assembling the acousto-magnetic element about the frame comprises:
wrapping a wire around a closed encasing portion of the frame;
connecting a capacitor to opposite ends of the wire, wherein the capacitor is located about the closed encasing portion of the frame; and
positioning a ferrite rod inside the closed encasing portion of the frame at a particular length so as to attain a proper frequency for detection of the acousto-magnetic element at a detector.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein assembling the radio frequency element about the frame comprises:
wrapping a wire around a perimeter piece of the frame, wherein the perimeter piece encircles the remainder of the frame and connects to the remainder of the frame by one or more bridge portions of the frame; and
connecting a capacitor to opposite ends of the wire and positioning the capacitor about the perimeter piece.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
forming a lock component cavity within a lock component compartment and a lock component compartment dome, wherein the lock component compartment is a wall extending around a circumference of the lock component cavity and wherein a bottom edge of a dome wall of the lock component compartment dome connects to a top edge of the lock component compartment and wherein the dome wall extends up from the connection with the top edge of the lock component compartment and reduces in circumference further from the connection with the top edge of the lock component compartment to form the lock component compartment dome; and
forming the lock component partially inside the lock component cavity,
wherein the lock component compartment and the lock component compartment dome form a portion of the frame.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein forming the lock component partially inside the lock component cavity comprises:
positioning a first end of a spring against the lock component dome inside the lock component cavity;
positioning a second end of the spring through an open end of a pusher and against an internal side of a closed end of the pusher, wherein the pusher comprises the closed end and the open end opposite of the closed end;
positioning two or more balls against an external side of the closed end of the pusher; and
positioning the two or more balls through an open end of a lock component chamber and against an internal side of a chamber floor end of the lock component chamber, wherein the chamber floor end comprises the lock component opening on the chamber floor end and wherein the chamber floor end is opposite the open end of the lock component chamber;
wherein when the lock component opening receives the first end of the lock pin, the lock pin is in engagement with the two or more balls to lock the lock pin to the tag.

15. The method of

Assignees

• Checkpoint Systems Inc

Inventors

• Wu Wei
• Qiao Yong
• Mazoki Gary T

Classifications

• G08B13/2434 Primary

  Tag housing and attachment details · CPC title

• E05B73/0017

  Anti-theft devices, e.g. tags or monitors, fixed to articles, e.g. clothes, and to be removed at the check-out of shops · CPC title

• Y10T29/49002

  Electrical device making · CPC title

• G06K19/06 Primary

  characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code · CPC title

• G08B13/244

  Tag manufacturing, e.g. continuous manufacturing processes · CPC title