Article identification and surveillance tag

Details Article identification and surveillance tag Article identification and surveillance tag

1999-12-17

2001-10-16

Hofsass, Jeffery A. (Department: 2632)

Communications: electrical

Condition responsive indicating system

Specific condition

C340S572100, C340S568100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06304184

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to article identification and protection and pertains more particularly to tags having theft-deterrent capability.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,909, which issued on Aug. 31, 1999, applicants herein disclose a so-called “seal” comprising a one-piece body having first and second members closable one upon the other and thereupon defining first and second outer seal walls and a tail peripherally continuous with at least one of the first and second members at a third seal wall and having a hook at a free end thereof. The seal body defines a detent opening into the third outer seal wall for retentive reception of the tail hook interiorly of the seal. Seals of such general type are shown in Mainetti U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,055.
In contrast to such known seals, in the seal of the '909 patent, applicants provide a seal recess and dispose an EAS (electronic article surveillance) marker in the seal recess to be secured between the first and second outer seal walls upon closure of said first and second members. The EAS marker is a flat element, produced and sold by Sensormatic Electronics Corporation. If the EAS marker is not deactivated, such as at the checkout counter of a facility, an EAS surveillance system situated at an exit of the facility detects such non-deactivation and suitably alerts facility personnel to the possibility of a fraudulent act of shoplifting occurring.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, applicants have as their primary object to expand the technology of the '909 patent to article identification and surveillance tags.
In the attainment of this and other objects, applicants provide an article identification and surveillance tag comprising an elongate member having in longitudinal succession a top segment, a first fold portion, an intermediate segment, a second fold portion, a bottom segment, an EAS marker being secured centrally of at least one of a front surface of the intermediate segment and a front surface of said bottom segment, permanent sealable matter being disposed at marginal parts of at least one of the front surface of the intermediate segment and the front surface of said bottom segment, at least one of the rear surface of the bottom segment and the front surface of the top segment bearing a releasable sealable matter. A secured pocket is formed on folding of the bottom segment onto the intermediate segment, the EAS marker being thus contained in the pocket.
Rear surfaces of the top segment and the bottom segment have article identification imprinting thereof and, upon folding of the top segment onto the folded bottom segment, the top segment is releasably secured to the pocket containing the EAS member, i.e., to the folded rear surface of the bottom segment.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the releasable sealable matter is transparent, thus permitting viewability of the article identification imprinting located on the rear surface of the folded bottom segment. Apertures are formed in the top, intermediate and bottom segments adjacent the first and second folded portions, whereby a flexible filament may be passed through the assembled tag to permit securement thereof to an article to be identified and protected.
Otherwise viewed, with the elongate member folded and secured, the invention provides an upstanding article identification and surveillance tag comprising, in transverse succession, a first downwardly folded segment, a releasable sealable matter, an upwardly folded segment, an EAS marker bounded by permanent sealable matter, a second downwardly folded segment, a first fold portion being connected to said first downwardly folded segment and said second downwardly folded segment and a second fold portion being connected to said second downwardly folded segment and the upwardly folded segment.
The invention will be further understood from consideration of the following description of preferred embodiments thereof and from the drawings where like reference numerals identify like parts throughout.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5285191 (1994-02-01), Reeb
patent: 5294290 (1994-03-01), Reeb
patent: 5357240 (1994-10-01), Sanford et al.
patent: 5867102 (1999-02-01), Souder et al.
patent: 5920290 (1999-07-01), McDonough et al.
patent: 5945909 (1999-08-01), Kolton
patent: 5988462 (1999-11-01), Kolton
patent: 6019865 (2000-02-01), Palmer et al.

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