Tag device

Details Tag device Tag device

2002-05-15

2004-05-04

Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2636)

Communications: electrical

Condition responsive indicating system

Specific condition

C340S572100, C070S018000, C070S057100, C070S063000, C070S053000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06731212

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to tag devices to be attached to articles such as bags for preventing the article from being stolen or unlawfully brought out of a predetermined monitoring area.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Tag devices of the type mentioned already known comprise a tag body and a wire having a base end fixed to the tag body and a forward end provided with a lock pin which is connected to the tag body as releasably locked thereto. The tag device is attached to an article by unlocking the lock pin from the tag body, winding the wire around the article and thereafter locking the lock pin to the tag body.
When an attempt is made to bring out the article having the tag device thus attached thereto from a predetermined monitoring area (for example, from a store), the tag device receives radio waves (alarm actuating signal) emitted from an entrance-exit gate, whereupon a buzzer in the tag body goes on, giving notice of the occurrence of theft. Alternatively if it is attempted to cut the wire of the tag device attached to the article and bring out the article only from the monitoring area, the break in the wire is detected by the tag body, whereupon the buzzer in the tag body goes on, giving notice of the occurrence of theft.
With the conventional tag device, the lock pin attached to the forward end of the wire is locked to the tag body by pushing the lock pin into a metal latch member to thereby engage the latch member with the lock pin, and is released from the tag body by elastically deforming the latch member with use of an unlocking member and thereby disengaging the latch member from the lock pin. In order to lock the lock pin to the tag body by the latch member reliably, therefore, the portion of the latch member to be engaged with the lock pin needs to be as high as possible in rigidity (difficulty of elastic deformation) so as not to elastically deform easily under the action of an impact or the like.
Nevertheless, giving high rigidity to the portion of the latch member to be engaged with the lock pin requires a great force for unlocking the lock pin with use of the unlocking member, entailing the problem of making the unlocking member difficult to use. Even if the unlocking member is driven by a solenoid or the like, there arises the problem of necessitating a great electric power. Additionally, the higher the rigidity of the engagement portion of the latch member for the lock pin, the greater is the elastic repulsive force involved in the engagement. Since the elastic repulsive force acts toward the direction unlocking, there is a likelihood that the lock pin will be unlocked when subjected to a small impact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a tag device which is adapted to realize a reliable locked state and yet which ensures facilitated unlocking.
The present invention provides a tag device comprising a tag body
10
and a wire
2
fixed at a base end
21
thereof to the tag body
10
and having a lock pin
22
attached to a forward end
23
thereof. The lock pin
22
has a thick rod portion
26
at an outer end of a thin rod portion
25
. The tag body
10
comprises a case
1
having a pin insertion hole
13
permitting the lock pin
22
to pass therethrough, and a latch member
3
disposed inside the case
1
and engageable with the lock pin
22
as inserted through the hole
13
.
The latch member
3
comprises a main body
31
supported inside the case
1
and reciprocatingly movable in directions orthogonal to the direction of insertion of the lock pin
22
, and a spring piece
32
provided on the main body
31
and elastically shiftable in a direction intersecting the direction of insertion of the lock pin
22
. The latch member
3
permits the spring piece
32
to be opposed to the thin rod portion
25
of the lock pin
22
in an inserted position to prevent the thick rod portion
26
from moving in a slipping-off direction when moved in one direction to a limit position, and permits the spring piece
32
to be positioned away from the thin rod portion
25
of the lock pin
22
in the inserted position to allow the thick rod portion
26
to move in the slipping-off direction when moved in the other direction to a limit position.
According to the tag device of the invention, with the latch member
3
moved in the above-mentioned one direction to the limit position, the lock pin
22
is pushed into the latch member
3
through the pin insertion hole
13
in the tag body
10
, whereby the thick rod portion
26
of the lock pin
22
is moved past the spring piece
32
of the latch member
3
, positioning the thin rod portion
25
as opposed to the spring piece
32
. In this process, the spring piece
32
of the latch member
3
is elastically deformed by sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of the thick rod portion
26
and is thereafter opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the thin rod portion
25
to elastically restore itself. As positioned in proximity to the outer peripheral surface of the thin rod portion
25
, the spring piece
32
prevents the thick rod portion
26
from moving in the slipping-off direction (locked state). Accordingly, even if an external force acts in a direction to withdraw the lock pin
22
from the tag body
10
, the thick rod portion
26
bears on the spring piece
32
of the latch member
3
, whereby the lock pin
22
is prevented from slipping out of the tag body.
When the lock pin
22
is to be lawfully handled for removal from the tag body
10
, the latch member
3
is moved in the other direction to the corresponding limit position, and the lock pin
22
is thereafter pulled out from the tag body
10
. The movement of the latch member
3
moves the spring piece
32
away from the thin rod portion
25
of the lock pin
22
, permitting the thick rod portion
26
to move in the slipping-off direction, so that the lock pin thick rod portion
26
moves without being restrained by the spring piece
32
, slipping out of the pin insertion hole
13
of the tag body
10
.
The movement of the latch member
3
between the locking position and the unlocking position merely involves slight frictional resistance offered to the latch member
3
by the neighboring members. The latch member
3
can therefore be driven reciprocatingly without requiring any great force.
Stated more specifically, the thick rod portion
26
of the lock pin
22
is provided at an outer end thereof with a tapered face
27
for elastically shifting the spring piece
32
of the latch member
3
by pushing with the insertion of the lock pin
22
. Accordingly, while the lock pin
22
is being pushed into the latch member
3
, the tapered face
27
of the lock pin
22
comes into pressing contact with the spring piece
32
of the latch member
3
and elastically shifts the spring piece. Thus, the thick rod portion
26
of the lock pin
22
is brought into sliding contact with the latch member spring piece
32
.
Further stated more specifically, the tag body
10
has incorporated therein a solenoid
5
for reciprocatingly driving the latch member
3
by an attracting/releasing movement of a rod
51
, and a control circuit for controlling the operation of the solenoid
5
. The latch member
3
can then be reciprocatingly moved between a locking position and an unlocking position by the rod
51
attracting/releasing movement of the solenoid
5
.
The solenoid
5
as unenergized retains a locking operative state, for example by virtue of the magnetic force of a permanent magnet incorporated therein, to hold the latch member
3
moved to a lock pin
22
locking position. Accordingly, no electric power is required for holding the latch member
3
in the locking position, hence a reduction in power consumption.
The solenoid
5
is provided with a spring
53
for biasing the rod
51
from the locking operative state toward an unlocking operative state. Accordingly, the force required for moving the latch member
3
from the locking position to the unlocking position is partly provi

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