Patent Publication Number: US-9404289-B2

Title: Anti-theft device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application claims the benefit of priority of the U.S. Utility Provisional Patent Application No. 61/443,697, filed on Feb. 16, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention is related to loss prevention and Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) and, more particularly, to an EAS tag that secure onto an article and allow the presence of this article to be detected by compatible EAS equipment. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     It is a common practice for retail stores to protect articles with EAS tags to prevent theft of the article by shoplifters. There are several methods of tagging articles or merchandise, most common of which is attaching an EAS tag or EAS labels using adhesive, pins, lanyards or straps to trigger the EAS security system resulting in an alarm. The EAS labels are easy to remove while the cables or strapped tags are sometimes bulky or obtrusive to the person trying on the protected merchandise like a pair of shoes or boots to determine the fit. This makes the trying on process inconvenient and ineffective. In other words, for most instances, the EAS tag must be removed by an authorized person before a buyer can try on the article. Further to this, the cables or straps used to attach the conventional tag to the merchandise can be cut which then makes it easy for shoplifters to remove these tags, rendering the article unsecure and unprotected. 
     There remains a long standing and continuing need for an advance in the art of EAS and theft deterrent tags that makes the tags more difficult to defeat, simpler in both design and use, more economical and efficient in their construction and use, and provide a more secure and reliable engagement of the article to be monitored without damaging or permanently altering the article. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A non-limiting, exemplary aspect of the present invention provides an anti-theft tag, comprising: a fixed component and a moving component, with the moving component moved to frictionally clamp and secure the anti-theft tag onto an article without damaging the article. 
     Another non-limiting, exemplary aspect of the present invention provides an EAS tag, comprising: a fixed component and a moving component, with the moving component moved to frictionally clamp and secure the anti-theft tag onto an article without damaging the article. The fixed component is comprised of a body, a shoulder, and a cantilever arm that define a gap with substantially “U” shaped profile for securing the article therein, with the body including a through-hole for insertion of the moving component. 
     Still another non-limiting, exemplary aspect of the present invneiton provides an EAS tag, comprising a fixed component having a gap with substantially “U” shaped profile for securing an article therein the gap, and a moving component with a grip portion that contacts the article for frictionally clamping and securing the article within the gap. 
     Such stated advantages of the invention are only examples and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of preferred non-limiting exemplary embodiments, taken together with the drawings and the claims that follow. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       It is to be understood that the drawings are to be used for the purposes of exemplary illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention. Throughout the disclosure, the word “exemplary” is used exclusively to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. 
       Referring to the drawings in which like reference character(s) present corresponding part(s) throughout: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are non-limiting, exemplary illustrations of an EAS tag mounted onto a non-limiting, exemplary article in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIGS. 1C to 1G  are non-limiting, exemplary illustrations of the various views of the EAS tag illustrated in  FIGS. 1A to 1B  in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a non-limiting, exemplary schematic illustration of a cross-sectional view of the EAS tag illustrated in  FIGS. 1A to 1G  in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 3A  is a non-limiting, exemplary illustration of a moving component of the EAS tag split into two pieces, illustrating intermediate members within the moving component in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIGS. 3B and 3C  are non-limiting, exemplary illustrations of the various views of the intermediate members in accordance with the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 4A to 4G  are non-limiting, exemplary illustrations of the housing, and internal components of the EAS tag of  FIGS. 1A to 3C  in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed and or utilized. 
     The present invention provides an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) tag that overcomes the disadvantages of the conventional tags, including providing an EAS anti-theft tag that is cost-efficient, durable, compact, is detachable when used with an authorized detaching unit, and can be attached to an item to be monitored without damaging or permanently altering the item. 
     The EAS device of the present invention can be quickly and easily secured to an article made of varying materials, dimensions, and configurations to prevent the unauthorized removal of the article, is a rugged theft deterrent unit to permit the repeated use thereof, and provides a quick engagement and disengagement feature. Further, and in keeping with the principles of the present invention, a unique EAS theft deterrent tag is disclosed wherein the tag is capable of engaging articles that are to be monitored without necessitating the puncture of the articles, for example, with a pin. In addition, by providing an adjustable attachment mechanism, labor, time, and costs are reduced when attaching or removing the tag from a variety of sizes of article being protected thereby. 
     The present invention provides a more secure attachment by using a low profile (small form-factor), EAS ferrite embedded, durable Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) tag that conveniently detachably attaches to the merchandise by frictionally clamping onto the article without damaging it. The article then becomes more secure, more convenient to try on (while the tag is still attached) because of the tag small form-factor and therefore, the article itself becomes more marketable. The EAS tag of the present invention can also be used with any other merchandise where the EAS tag can frictionally grip onto the article. 
     In particular, and as detailed below, the EAS tag of the present invention has a quick install mechanism that is pressed and rotated to tightly and frictionally secure the merchandise, has a quick release mechanism that automatically retracts when the tag is placed on an appropriate magnetic detacher, and a rotating thumb dial that is rotated to prepare the EAS tag for the next install. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are non-limiting, exemplary illustrations of an EAS tag mounted onto a non-limiting, exemplary article in accordance with the present invention. As illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the EAS tag  100  of the present invention has a low profile (small form-factor) that conveniently detachably attaches to the merchandise (boot  101 ) by frictionally clamping onto the article  101  without damaging it. The article  101  then becomes more secure, more convenient for fitting (to try on by a potential buyer while the EAS tag  100  is still attached) because of the EAS tag  100  small form-factor. Therefore, the article  101  itself becomes more marketable in that a potential buyer can easily try on the article  101  for fitting while the EAS tag  100  is still attached without requiring the removal of the EAS tag  100 . The EAS tag  100  of the present invention can also be used with any other merchandise where the EAS tag  100  can frictionally and securely grip onto the article. 
       FIGS. 1C to 1G  are non-limiting, exemplary illustrations of the various views of the EAS tag illustrated in  FIGS. 1A to 1B  in accordance with the present invention. As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1C to 1G , the EAS tag  100  of the present invention is comprised of a fixed component  102  and a moving component  104 , with the moving component  104  moved along the reciprocating path  110  to frictionally clamp and secure the EAS tag  100  onto an article within a gap  106  without damaging the article. That is, as the moving component  104  is pressed by an external force  108 , the component  104  moves along the reciprocating path  112  within the gap  106  to close the gap  106  between a grip portion  114  of the moving component  104  and the base-support portion  116  of a cantilever arm  124  to secure an article in between within the gap  106 . The moving component  104  maintains its desired position by a set of serrations  122  that interlock with a locking mechanism  306  ( FIG. 4A ) that is housed within a body  126  of the fixed component  102 . 
     As further illustrated, the fixed component  102  is comprised of a body  126 , a shoulder portion  150  that extends substantially transverse a longitudinal axis  103  of EAS tag  100 , and the cantilever arm  124  coupled with the shoulder portion  150  that extends substantially parallel the longitudinal axis  103 . The cantilever arm  124  has a length  105  that is optionally shorter than the length  107  of the body  126 . The body  126 , shoulder  150 , and the cantilever arm  124  define the gap  106  with substantially “U” shaped profile for securing an article therein. The body  126  includes a through-hole  202  ( FIG. 2 ), transverse the longitudinal axis  103  for insertion of the moving component  104 . 
     As further illustrated, the moving component  104  has a length  109  ( FIG. 1G ) and a width  111  ( FIG. 4C ), with the length  109  of the moving component  104  having a span that is greater than the length  113  ( FIG. 1G ) of the through-hole  202  of the fixed component  102 . The moving component  104  is comprised of the grip portion  114  that contacts the article with which the EAS tag  100  is coupled for frictionally clamping and securing the article in the gap  106 . The moving component  104  further includes a piston  118  that has a translational movement that enables the moving component  104  to move along the reciprocating path  110  though the through-hole  202 . Further included along the exterior surface of the piston  118  are first set of interlocking beveled serrations  122  that are oriented complementary in relation with a second set of interlocking beveled serrations  318  ( FIG. 4E ) of a lock mechanism  306  to lock the moving component  104  at a desired position. As further illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the piston  118  accommodates a moving subcomponent  204  that pivotally extends translationally along the path  112  within the gap  106  by a rotating mechanism (pivoting knob)  120  to further tighten the grip portion  114  contact with the article. 
     As further illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the rotating mechanisms is comprised of the pivoting knob  120  that when rotated along a reciprocating path  128  ( FIG. 1E ) moves the subcomponent  204  to one of open and closed orientations by a first and second intermediate members  208  and  206 . That is, as the pivot knob  120  is rotated, the subcomponent  204  rotates and “unwinds,” with the grip portion  114  moving closer towards the base-support portion  116  (i.e., the “closed” orientation) for a tighter grip with the article. 
       FIG. 3A  is a non-limiting exemplary illustration of the moving component of the EAS tag, illustrating the intermediate members within the moving component in accordance with the present invention. As illustrated, the moving component  104  in  FIG. 3A  is split open into two pieces  411  and  413 , with the second piece  413  rotated to illustrated the internal structure. That is, when put together, the corner  402 A of the first piece  411  and the corner  402 B of the second piece come together, and corner  404 A of the first piece  411  and the corner  404 B of the second piece  413  come together. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 3A to 3C , the first intermediate member  208  is comprised of a first side  401  ( FIG. 3B ) that has a set of protuberances  414  coupled with first set of flanges  502 ,  504 ,  506  (with a common center  518  illustrated in  FIG. 3C ), with the protuberances  414  interlocking (shown by arrows  412  in  FIG. 3A ) with complementary set of cavities  403  located on the knob  120 . The first intermediate member  208  further includes a second side  405  ( FIGS. 3B and 3C ) that accommodates the second intermediate member  206  in orientation shown by the arrow  520 . 
     The second intermediate member  206  includes first and second flanges  508  and  510  with distal ends  508 A and  510 A that are serrated and contact and interlock with a serrated periphery inner wall  512  of the second side  405  of the first intermediate member  208 . The second intermediate member  206  further includes a threaded male connector  410  ( FIG. 3C ) on a side  516  thereof that couples with complementary threaded female connector  406  of the moving subcomponent  204 . When the pivot knob  120  is rotated, the first intermediate member  208  rotates, which turns the second intermediate member  206  to “threadingly” (via the threaded connections  410  and  406 ) rotate to move (along reciprocating path  408 ) the moving subcomponent  204  toward a closed position to further tighten grip of the grip portion  104  onto the article. Rotation of the first intermediate member  208  in a first direction (e.g., clockwise) engages the first intermediate member serrations  512  with the second intermediate member serrations  508 A/ 510 A, forcing the second intermediate member  206  to rotate. In other words, due to orientation of the serrations  508 A/ 510 A on the flanges  508  and  510  of the second intermediate member  206 , the first and second intermediate members  208  and  206  engage and interlock at their respective serrations at first direction (e.g., clockwise), which results in interlocked, simultaneous movement of the first and second intermediate member  208  and  206 . 
     The respective first and second intermediate members  208  and  206  prevent loosening the already tightened pivot knob  120  when the EAS tag  100  is on the merchandise because rotating the pivot knob  120  in a second direction (e.g., counterclockwise) prevents the first and second intermediate members  208  and  206  from interlocking within one another via their respective serrations  512  and  508 A/ 510 A. In other words, due to orientation of the serrations  508 A/ 510 A on the flanges  508  and  510  of the second intermediate member  206 , the first and second intermediate members  208  and  206  frictionally engage, but do not interlock when rotated in the second direction (e.g., counterclockwise), which results in free movement of the second intermediate member  206  inside the first  208 . On the other hand, when rotated in the first direction, the serrations of the first and second intermediate members  208  and  206  interlock to enable the rotation of the second member  206 , and further tightening of the gap  106 . It should further be noted that if the moving component  104  is released and is not in the locking position (to reduce size of the gap  106 ), the rotation (e.g., second direction) of the first and second intermediate members  206  and  208  will result in withdrawal of the subcomponent  204  from its extended position. Further to this, several combinations of this same mechanism can be incorporated in reverse direction from each other thereby creating a tension regulator that only allows the device to be tightened onto the merchandise only to a certain predesigned pressure. This facilitates application of appropriate level of pressure onto delicate merchandise, while maintaining secure hold of the article. 
     As best illustrated n  FIGS. 2 and 4A to 4G , the body  126  includes a cavity  501  that accommodates the electronic surveillance system components that includes at least one exemplary resonant circuit for disruption of a detecting field for sounding an alarm. Non-limiting example of a resonant circuit includes a ferrite  214 , ferrite core  302 , and a capacitor  304  tuned to resonance. It should be noted that one or more transponders that receive or send signals and that may trigger an internal and or an external alarms in case of an unauthorized removal of an article from a secure surveillance zone may be used and accommodated within the cavity  501 . Each of the one or more transponder antennas may be tuned to a different resonant frequency for activation of different types of EAS systems, non-limiting examples of which may include AM, RF, Microwave, and etc. 
     As further illustrated in  FIGS. 4A to 4G , the cavity  501  further houses the interlocking mechanism  306  within the chamber  505  ( FIG. 4E ) with the interlocking mechanism  306  comprising a biasing mechanism  308  that biases a first side  318  of a clutch  316  with serrations  503  against the serrations  122  of the piston  118 , with first side  318  of the clutch  316  and the piston  118  having complementary oriented beveled serrations  503  and  122  that interlock to maintain the desired gap closure. The clutch  316  is accommodated in a clutch housing  310 . The body  126  further includes a set of guiding notches  317  that enable the guiding protuberances  320  ( FIG. 4E ) of the moving component  104  to move along a reciprocating path  110  within the though-hole  202 , preventing the moving component  104  form wobbling while being moved. The cavity  501  further accommodates a set of lateral biasing mechanisms  210  and  212  ( FIG. 2 ) that bias and support the moving component  104  at a default open orientation, defining the open gap  106 . That is, when the moving component  104  is pushed to reduce the size of the gap  106 , the serrations  122  interlock with the serration  503  ( FIG. 4G ) of the clutch  316  to lock the moving component  104  at desired position against the biasing force of the lateral biasing mechanism  210  and  212 . Please note that in  FIGS. 4E and 4G , the piston  118  is split into two for illustrating the various aspects of the piston for better understanding and clarity. A magnetic detacher may be used to release and pull back the clutch  316  from its biased position, and out and away from the serrations  122  of the moving component  104  to release moving component  104  to its default open position. To disengage the clutch  316 , the engaging surface  318  is retracted, released, and disengaged from the interlocked and engaged position with the serrations  122  when the magnetic detacher overcomes the force exerted by the resilient member  308 . That is, the engaging surface  318  is released, retracted and disengaged from the interlock serrations  122  when the force exerted by the resilient member  308  is reversed, with the reversed force pulling the engaging surface  318  out and away from the interlock serrations  122 , against the biasing mechanism  308 . That is, to release an article, the clutch housing  310  (i.e., the chamber  505  of the body  126 ) is brought into physical contact with well-known suitable (in terms of magnetic strength, for example) magnetic detacher that enables the release and removal of the engaging surface  318  from the serrations  122 . The magnetic detacher magnetically pulls-in the clutch  316  in the reciprocating path  312  against the push of the biasing mechanism  308  (compresses the illustrated spring  308 ) to thereby pull-out the engaging surface  318  away from the serrations  122 . The release of the clutch  316  enables the moving component  104  to move to its default, open position by the aid of the biasing members  210  and  212 . 
     Although the invention has been described in considerable detail in language specific to structural features and or method acts, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary preferred forms of implementing the claimed invention. Stated otherwise, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Therefore, while exemplary illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described, numerous variations and alternative embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, the tag can be used on leather goods with just a change in the frictional material, or the tag can be modified so the frictional surface has miniature pins in them to allow use on fabrics and the like. Such variations and alternate embodiments are contemplated, and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     It should further be noted that throughout the entire disclosure, the labels such as left, right, front, back, top, bottom, forward, reverse, clockwise, counter clockwise, up, down, or other similar terms such as upper, lower, aft, fore, vertical, horizontal, oblique, proximal, distal, parallel, perpendicular, transverse, longitudinal, etc. have been used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to imply any particular fixed direction or orientation. Instead, they are used to reflect relative locations and/or directions/orientations between various portions of an object. 
     In addition, reference to “first,” “second,” “third,” and etc. members throughout the disclosure (and in particular, claims) is not used to show a serial or numerical limitation but instead is used to distinguish or identify the various members of the group. 
     In addition, any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of,” “act of,” “operation of,” or “operational act of in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112, Paragraph 6.