Theft deterrent tag with a cutting blade

A theft deterrent tag for protecting an article is disclosed wherein the tag comprises a tag body, a tack-like assembly for securing the tag body to an article and a cutting blade for cutting the article upon a preselected force being applied to the tag body or the tack-like assembly.

This invention relates to theft deterrent devices and, in particular, to a 
theft deterrent tag for attachment to an article and adapted to damage the 
article upon unauthorized removal from the article. 
Preventing theft of clothing, garments and other articles in the retail 
environment is particularly difficult. Various types of theft deterrent 
tags have been developed in an attempt to prevent this type of theft. In 
one type of theft deterrent tag, the tag is designed to trigger security 
systems situated at preselected interrogation areas (e.g., store exits) 
when the tag passes such areas. 
Various techniques having been tried by would-be thieves to remove these 
so-called electronic article surveillance ("EAS") tags from their articles 
in an attempt to defeat the tags. Thus, tag removal has been attempted by 
cutting the stem of the tack-like assembly securing the tag to the 
article, by using tools to remove the entire tack-like assembly from the 
tag or by cutting a large enough slit in the article to allow the plastic 
head of the tack-like assembly to slide out. As a way of countering these 
techniques, tag designers have modified the tag design so that the tag 
damages the article attached to the tag when the tag is tampered with in 
an attempt remove the tag from the article. 
In one theft deterrent tag of this type, a detrimental substance such as 
ink or a foul-smelling liquid is disposed within the tag and emitted to 
damage the article if an unauthorized removal of the tag is attempted. An 
example of this type of tag is the tag disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,483,049 to Gustavsson, et al. The Gustavsson, et al. tag contains a 
heavily staining and/or ill-smelling substance held in glass ampoules 
which break if an attempt is made to remove the tag by force from the 
article. Another example is the tag described is U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,397 
to Heaton et al. In this tag, vials containing a staining substance are 
damaged upon an attempted forceful removal of the tag and an electronic 
device is mounted in one side of the tag for indicating electronically 
whether the article has been removed from the store or other area to be 
protected. 
Yet another tag of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,172 to 
Hogan et al. In the Hogen, et al. tag, the pin of the tack-like assembly 
used to secure the tag to the article contains a breaker element. This 
element has a wedge-shaped surface which applies pressure against and 
fractures glass vials to release a detrimental substance, when a 
predetermined pressure is applied to the tag. 
While the above-described theft deterrent tags have proved successful, 
efforts are still underway to provide theft deterrent tags having improved 
or more desirable tamper proof capability. 
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
theft deterrent tag for articles. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved 
theft deterrent tag that damages the article upon attempted unlawful or 
unauthorized removal of the theft deterrent tag. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the principles of the present invention the above and 
other objectives are realized in a theft deterrent tag for protecting an 
article which comprises a tag body, engaging means adapted to engage the 
article and the tag body for securing the tag body to the article and 
cutting means for cutting the article upon application of a preselected 
force to one or more of the tag body and engaging means. 
In a first embodiment of the present invention, the engaging means of the 
tag body comprises a tack-like assembly including a stem having a pointed 
end for piercing and passing through the article and to be received by the 
tag body. The tack-like assembly also includes a cap attached to the other 
end of the stem for holding the article to the tag body. A cutting blade 
is mounted to the stem within an area surrounded by the walls of the cap 
and the tack-like assembly is adapted to allow the cutting blade to cut 
the article upon application of a preselected force to the tag body and/or 
the tack-like assembly. To this end, the cap is configured to fracture 
about its upper periphery upon application of such force, thereby exposing 
the cutting blade to the article. 
In another embodiment of the invention, the tack-like assembly includes a 
breaker element disposed within a cavity in the cap of the assembly. This 
breaker element is positioned to break fragile vials also disposed within 
the cavity and containing a detrimental substance upon application of a 
preselected force to the tag body and/or tack-like assembly. In this case, 
a cutting blade is slidably mounted to the stem exteriorly of the cavity 
in the cap but within an area surrounded by the walls of the cap. The 
cutting blade is urged away from this area to cut the article by a sleeve 
surrounding the stem and slidably mounted to the cap upon the sleeve being 
engaged by the breaker element after the breaker element has fractured the 
vials.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
FIG. 1 shows a theft deterrent tag 10 in accordance with the principles of 
the present invention. As shown, the theft deterrent tag 10 is to be 
attached to an article or garment 12 and comprises a tag body 14 and an 
engaging means in the form of a tack-like assembly 16. 
The tack-like assembly 16 is adapted to engage the article 12 and the tag 
body 14 for securing the tag body and article together. As shown, the 
tack-like assembly 16 includes a stem 18 having a first end 46 which is 
attached to a cap 20. The second end 45 of the stem 18 is pointed for 
piercing and passing through the article 12. This brings the cap 20 into 
engagement with the article 12 so that the article 12 is secured between 
the cap 20 and the tag body 14. 
In FIG. 1, the tag body 14 is provided with means for receiving and holding 
the stem 18 of the tack-like assembly 16. More particularly, the tag body 
14 includes a housing 24 having an area 22 surrounded by a wall 44 and 
provided with an opening 26. The stem 18 of the tack-like assembly 16, 
after piercing and passing through the article 12, passes into the opening 
26 with the cap 20 seating on the area 22 surrounded by the wall 44. A 
clutch lock or like mechanism (not shown) in the housing 24 receives and 
holds the stem 18 securely in place and thereby the tag 10 to the article 
12. A typical clutch lock mechanism might be the one disclosed in U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,995,990 to Humble, et al. 
As can be appreciated, the wall 44 encircles the cap 20 when the cap is 
seated on the area 22 and prevents access to the stem 18 at the interface 
between the cap 20 and the housing 24. This helps deter cutting of the 
stem 18 at the interface location. 
Also included in the tag housing 24, is a sensor element or an electronic 
device (not shown) which permits the tag 10 to be detected upon 
unauthorized removal of the article 12 from the store or area where it is 
located. The sensor or electronic device might be a device, such as 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,063,229, 4,510,489 or 4,660,025. Such a 
sensor or electronic device would be detected by suitable equipment 
located near the exits of the store or premises, as disclosed in the 
aforesaid patents. 
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the theft 
deterrent tag 10 is further adapted to prevent tampering with the tag so 
as to deter removal of the tag from the article 12. To this end, the tag 
10 is providing with a cutting mechanism which causes the article 12 to be 
cut and, therefore, damaged when preselected force is applied to the tag 
body 14, the cap 20 or the article 12 in trying to detach the tag from the 
article. 
As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the aforesaid cutting mechanism comprises a 
cutting member 28 affixed to the stem 18 below its end 46. In the case 
shown, the cutting member is mounted within an area 20D surrounded by the 
walls 20A of the cap 20. The cap 20 is, in turn, provided with a relief or 
weakened area 20B which allows the walls 20A of the cap to break around 
the peripheral area 20C when the aforementioned preselected force is 
applied to the cap, tag body or article. This permits the cutting blade 28 
to engage the article 12 and thereby cut the article as the tack-like 
assembly and cap are being forcibly detached from the tag body. 
As shown in FIG. 3, the cutting member 28 includes a triangular base 30 
from whose sides extend cutting blades 32. Each of these blades is 
triangular in shape with a sharpened cutting surface or edge 36 as shown 
in FIG. 4. 
In the present case, the cutting member 28 is coaxial with and mounted to 
the stem 18 of the tack-like assembly 16 in order to secure the member 28 
within the confines of the walls of the cap 20. This provides a stable 
mounting for the cutting member 28 when a force is applied to the cap or 
tag body. However, the cutting member 28 may also be supported in other 
ways within the cap 20 and can have other blade configurations as long as 
the cutting member is brought into engagement with the article when the 
preselected force is applied. 
FIG. 5 illustrates a second embodiment of a tack-like assembly 16' 
incorporating a cutting member 28' and usable with the tag body 14 of FIG. 
1 to realize a theft deterrent tag in accordance with the invention. In 
this embodiment, the tack-like assembly 16' and its cap 20' are of a type 
used in theft deterrent tags in which destructive substances are caused to 
be emitted when there is an unauthorized tampering with the tag. 
As shown in FIG. 5, the cutting blade 28' is slidably mounted to the stem 
18' of the tack-like assembly 16'. The blade 28' is mounted so as to be 
outside the cavity 21' defined by the cap 20', but within an area 22' 
surrounded by the walls 23' of the cap. Mounted within the cavity 21' of 
the cap 20' on the opposite sides of the stem 18' are fragile vials 38' 
made of glass or the like. Each of these vials contains ink or a 
foul-smelling substance which spills out when the respective vial is 
broken or fractured, leaving the article 12 damaged and/or ruined. 
A breaker 40' is coaxially affixed to the stem 18' abutting its top end 46' 
and so that it is adjacent to the vials 38'. The breaker 40' fractures the 
vials 38' upon the application of a preselected force to one or more of 
the tag body 14, the tack-like assembly 16' and/or the article 12. When 
the preselected force is applied and the breaker 40' engages and fractures 
the vials 38', the breaker 40' moves downward with the stem 18' to engage 
a sleeve 42'. 
The sleeve 42' is in coaxial relationship with the stem 18' and is slidably 
mounted in an aperture 50' in the lower part of the walls 23' of the cap 
20' just above the cutting blade 28'. As the breaker and stem continue 
downward, the engaged sleeve 42' is also moved downward. This downward 
movement causes the sleeve 42' to meet the cutting blade 28'. The blade is 
thereby forced away from the area 22' and against the article 12 as the 
article 12 is being pulled over its edges 36'. The article 12 is thereby 
cut, adding to the damage caused by the substance issued from the vials 
38'. 
In all cases it is understood that the above-described arrangements are 
merely illustrative of the many possible specific embodiments which 
represent applications of the present invention. Numerous and varied other 
arrangements, can be readily devised in accordance with the principles of 
the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the 
invention.