Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-21
2001-08-28
Mayes, Curtis (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S249000, C156S361000, C156S379000, C156S542000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280544
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to systems for labeling inventory, luggage of airline passengers, and other items. More particularly, it relates to methods and apparatus for applying an electronic tag to the back face of a label and to a label including an electronic tag.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
There are many situations in which units of inventory and other items are labeled to assist in the identification and/or tracking of the items. The use of bar code labels on items for consumer purchase has become virtually universal. Bar code labels are also commonly used by shipping companies to identify packages being shipped. Another technique for identifying items is to apply radio frequency (RF) tags to the items. The tags may be active, i.e. transmit identifying signals without being queried by an outside source, or passive, i.e. provide an identifying signal only when activated by an inquiry signal. In the latter case, the inquiry signal is sufficient to energize the tag to enable the sending of the identifying signal. An advantage of RF tags, as opposed to bar codes, is that the orientation of the tag and the inquiring apparatus with respect to each other is noncritical in the case of the RF tags. An example of a type of RF tag is the tag sold by Texas Instruments under the trademark TIRIS. As used herein, the term “RF tag” is used broadly to include any type of magneto resonant tag.
The inventors perceived that it would be advantageous to embed RF tags into thermal or thermal transfer bar code labels or bar code labels produced by other printing processes. One approach would be to embed the tags at media conversion plants where the label media is prepared from large rolls of material by cutting the rolls into desired widths and, as appropriate, die cutting the reduced width sections of the rolls to produce the desired lengths of the labels. This approach has a number of serious drawbacks that make it impractical. First, several hundred different lengths and widths of die-cut labels are in common use. Label media and the material used to produce it typically include label stock, made from paper or plastic, having a front face for printing and an opposite back face with adhesive thereon, and a liner adjacent to the adhesive to prevent the adhesive from sticking to adjacent coils of label stock or other items prior to application of a label. The machinery required to apply RF tags between the labels and liner and then die cut the labels for all possible label sizes would be prohibitively expensive and complicated.
Another serious problem is that, once tags are applied to the labels, their additional and uneven thickness would cause serious problems in rewinding the converted stock into rolls. This drawback is present equally whether the conventional label stock/liner material is used or a type of linerless media is used. Because of considerations of waste and environmental protection, interest in use of linerless media has been increasing. The converted stock, with or without a liner, when wound into rolls, would have an uneven thickness that could cause the rolls to telescope. The increased thickness would also the reduce the number of labels which can be wound on a standard diameter roll to one-third the normal number. Another problem is that, in the current state of the technology, not every tag in a roll of tags is functional because of low production yields. If the tags are applied at the media conversion plant, each bad tag would result in the loss of a label.
Perhaps the most significant problem is the problem of printing over the tag area on a label that has a pre-applied RF tag. Even small RF tags occupy two square inches of area. Within this area, the overall media thickness increases from a nominal 0.007 inch (for label, liner and adhesive) to 0.011 inch. The portion of the tag on which the silicon chip is located is even thicker, with a nominal thickness of 0.022 inch. This last thickness would ordinarily require that no printing be allowed within a certain distance of the chip location. On small labels, this requirement could prevent any printing at all. The best situation that could be hoped for is that the labels would have to be reformatted to accommodate the “no-print zone”. Such reformatting would cause additional time and expense and would be unacceptable to at least most customers of suppliers of printers and label media.
The present invention seeks to provide labels having electronic, e.g. RF, tags while avoiding the problems discussed above in relation to embedding the tags at the media conversion plant where the label media is prepared for sale and shipment to customers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a system for printing labels and applying electronic tags to labels.
A subject of the invention is an attachment for a printer. According to an aspect of the invention, the attachment comprises a tag supply station configured to receive a strip of electronic tags, a tag application station, and a tag guide pathway. The tag application station is positioned to apply an electronic tag to the back face of a label that has been printed in the printer. The pathway for the strip of tags extends between the tag supply station and the tag application station.
As used herein, the term “electronic tag” includes any type of magneto resonant tag, as discussed above in relation to the term “RF tag” and, more generally, any type of magnetic or inductive tag or other tag having an electronic device, whether active or passive.
Preferably, each electronic tag has an adhesive-coated surface. It may be possible to provide the strip of electronic tags without including a liner by use of various techniques for handling adhesive-coated linerless media. Currently, it is anticipated that, in most instances in which the system of the invention is used, the strips of electronic tags will include a continuous liner and discrete tags with adhesive surfaces adjacent to the liner. The term “discrete” applies to strips of tags that have been die cut with possibly a small web of material remaining between adjacent tags, as well as strips in which the tags are fully physically separate, with or without a gap between adjacent tags, and are carried by the continuous liner. When the strips of tags are provided in a form including a liner, the attachment preferably further comprises a take-up roller for the liner. In the currently preferred embodiment, the tag application station includes a tag strip bar defining a location at which a face of a tag opposite said adhesive surface of the tag is brought into contact with adhesive on the back face of a label. The bar is configured to provide a sharp turn in a pathway for the liner at the location to strip the tag from the liner. As used herein, the term “strip bar” includes a very small radius roller or rod as well as the type of fixed member with a pointed or small radius strip point shown in
FIG. 2
of this application.
The attachment is also preferably provided with features to help minimize the waste of labels and detect bad tags. One such feature that relates to RF tags is the provision of an RF write head positioned between the tag supply station and the tag application station. This feature allows the determination of what RF information is placed on the tag at the time the label is being prepared so that the information may be accurately coordinated with the needs of the particular situation. Another such feature is-the provision of an RF read station positioned downstream of the tag application station. This feature provides a verification of accurate RF information and also a means to detect immediately any problems that may be experienced with the functioning of the RF write head or the handling of the tag during the application procedure.
In an alternative waste-saving arrangement the sharp turn in the tag liner pathway is provided by a sharp edge portion of the tag strip bar. The tag strip bar is pivotable to pivot the sharp edge portion away from the contact location to prevent application of selected ta
Bledsoe David N.
Fox Duane M.
Intermec IP Corp.
Mayes Curtis
Pauly Joan H.
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