Patent Publication Number: US-8967574-B2

Title: Reinforcement of hang tags

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Disclosure 
     The present subject matter relates to merchandise hang tags. More particularly, the present subject matter relates to systems and methods for attaching and reinforcing merchandise hang tags. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     It is known to employ radio frequency identification (“RFID”) technology in an area (for example within a store or other retail environment) for various purposes. In one example, an RFID reader is associated with a point-of-sale location or check-out counter of a store and detects a tag associated with an item being purchased to register the price of the item. In another example, an RFID-readable tag or transponder is attached to each piece of merchandise in a store or storage area. The tags are scanned using an RFID reader to keep proper count of the product inventory. In yet another example, RFID technology is used as a security measure. In a typical RFID-based security system for a store, one or more RFID readers are installed adjacent to an exit, while guard tags are associated with (often by means of a hang tag or label) individual items sold in the store. When a customer purchases an item, the cashier will either remove or otherwise deactivate the guard tag associated therewith. If the guard tag has not been removed or deactivated (for example if a customer attempts to remove the item from the store without paying for it), the RFID reader or readers in the read field will sense the guard tag as the customer is exiting the store. Upon sensing the guard tag, the read field causes an alarm or other alert to trigger, thereby alerting store personnel to possible theft of the item. 
     SUMMARY 
     There are several aspects of the present subject matter which may be embodied separately or together in the devices and systems described and claimed below. These aspects may be employed alone or in combination with other aspects of the subject matter described herein, and the description of these aspects together is not intended to preclude the use of these aspects separately or the claiming of such aspects separately or in different combinations as may be set forth in the claims appended hereto. 
     In one aspect, a merchandise hang tag comprises a card and a region of reinforcing material. The card has a plurality of edges, including a top edge. The region of reinforcing material is located at or adjacent to the top edge and defines the shape of a pair of intersecting elongated openings, such as ovals or elipses. Other geometric shapes by be used such as squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, slits, etc. 
     In another aspect, an attachment device is provided for attaching a hang tag to a piece of merchandise. The attachment device includes a housing having a handle configured to be gripped by a hand and a pin extending from the housing. Also provided are a supply of fasteners and a supply of reinforcing material, both associated with the pin. An actuator of the attachment device is configured to be operated to substantially simultaneously deploy a fastener and a portion of the reinforcing material to a hang tag. 
     In yet another aspect, a method is provided for attaching a hang tag to a piece of merchandise using an attachment device having a pin and an actuator. The hang tag is positioned adjacent to a piece of merchandise and then the pin of the attachment device is pressed through the hang tag and/or the piece of merchandise. The actuator of the attachment device is then operated to substantially simultaneously deploy a fastener and a reinforcing material to the hang tag. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a merchandise hang tag according to aspects of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a detail view of the reinforcing material of the hang tag of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of an applicator gun suitable for substantially simultaneously attaching the hang tag of  FIG. 1  to a piece of merchandise and applying the reinforcing material of  FIG. 2  to the hang tag. 
         FIG. 4  is an embodiment of the current invention in which the reinforcing material of the hang tag contains a RFID-reactive strip. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriate manner. 
     As hang tags are used to prevent theft of merchandise, a thief has an incentive to remove the hang tag prior to passing through an area monitored by an RFID reader. The most common way to remove a hang tag is to grip it and abruptly pull downwardly. A hang tag generally includes a hole or aperture near its top edge for receipt of a fastener or tether, so pulling downwardly on the hang tag is common because it will require the minimum amount of force to rip the tag about the tether.  FIG. 1  illustrates an improved hang tag  10  according to the present disclosure. 
     The hang tag  10  of  FIG. 1  is comparable to known hang tags in that it includes a card  12  having a plurality of edges, with a region of reinforcing material  14  printed or otherwise applied to the card  12  at or adjacent to one of the edges  16  (referred to herein as the top edge). In contrast to hang tags of known design, the hang tag  10  of  FIG. 1  has reinforcing material  14  arranged in an optimal shape for preventing theft-related rupture of the hang tag  10 , while avoiding the use of unnecessary reinforcing material. As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the reinforcing material  14  is arranged in the shape of a pair of intersecting elongated shapes  18  and  20  which (as shown in  FIG. 2 ) may be geometric ellipses ovals or the like. It should be understood that the pair of intersecting ovals are for illustration and that other geometric shapes by be used such as squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, slits, etc. 
     Each of the elongated shapes when measured from the centre point of the hole, provides a length of reinforcing material that in the direction of most likely pull is at least twice that of the length of the material in the least likely direction, that is transverse to the direction of pull, and when engaged onto a ticket/tag, the edge of the elongated shape does not extend to the edge of the ticket to make it harder to peel the shape off. Defining the angular positions, such that the top of the ticket is 0 degrees, the length in the direction center to 0 degrees is &gt;2× the length in the direction to 180 degrees, and that the length in direction to center 90 degrees and 270 degrees is &gt;1.5× the length in direction 180 degrees. 
     In one embodiment, the reinforcing material  14  is present on the card  12  in a single layer, while in another embodiment the reinforcing material  14  is formed from the actual overlay of the two elongated shapes  18  and  20 , such as ovals or elliptical shapes resulting in an area  22  with two layers or thicknesses of reinforcing material where the elongated shapes  18  and  20  overlap. In an illustrated arrangement, a surface area of one oval  18  engages an opposite-facing surface area of the other oval  20 . A hole or aperture  24  for receiving a fastener or tether  26  ( FIG. 1 ) may be positioned in the area  22  where the elongated shapes  18  and  20  overlap (either conceptually or physically). 
     It may be advantageous for the aperture  24  to be positioned relatively low—as oriented in  FIG. 1  and FIG.  2 —in the overlapping area  22  (i.e., farther from the top edge  16  of the card  12  of  FIG. 1 ) to place more reinforcing material between the aperture  24  and the top edge  16 , thereby increasing the force required to rip the card  12  through its top edge  16 . 
     Each oval  18 ,  20  has a major axis  28 ,  30 , respectively, and, if provided as an ellipse, each oval has a minor axis  32 ,  34 , respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the elongated shapes  18  and  20  are substantially identical to each other, with respective major axes  28  and  30  and minor axes  32  and  34  that are of substantially the same length and orientation. 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , one of the elongated shapes  18  is oriented substantially vertically, with its major axis  28  substantially perpendicular to the top edge  16  of the card  12  and its minor axis  32  substantially parallel to the top edge  16  of the card  12 . The other oval  20  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  is oriented substantially horizontally, with its major axis  30  substantially parallel to the top edge  16  of the card  12  and its minor axis  34  substantially perpendicular to the top edge  16  of the card  12 . In this orientation, the respective major axes  28  and  30  of the respective elongated shapes  18  and  20  (e.g. ovals or other elliptical shapes) are substantially perpendicular to each other. If the horizontally-oriented oval  20  is centered with respect to the vertically-oriented oval  18 , the minor axis  34  of the horizontally-oriented oval  20  is aligned with the major axis  28  of the vertically-oriented oval  18  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     By such a configuration of the reinforcing material  14 , it can be seen that more material is positioned directly between the aperture  24  and the top edge  16  of the card  12  than between the aperture  24  and any other edge of the card  12 . As described above, this is the portion of the hang tag  10  that is most likely to be ripped by a would-be thief when attempting to remove the hang tag  10 , so it is advantageous for more reinforcing material  14  to be positioned there than in any other location on the card  12 . The hang tag  10  may be pulled in a different direction, such as laterally to attempt to rip through one of its side edges, but doing so would require a difficult grip or pulling the fastener  26  through the entire length of the card  12 , so there is less need for reinforcing material  14  in other locations around the aperture  24 . 
     The reinforcing material  14  may constitute any of a variety of materials (e.g., reinforced cellulosic material, such as fabric-reinforced paper, or a polymer such as polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene), or such materials in combination with metallic elements, such as steel or other foil, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the reinforcing material  14  has RFID properties, such as by carrying an RFID-reactive strap  52 . If so configured, the reinforcing material  14 , either by operating alone or in combination with the card  12  (e.g., if the card  12  includes an integrated antenna structure), serves to render the hang tag  10  visible by an RFID-reader. The reinforcing material  14  may also, or alternatively, have electrical properties, such as being a conductive “loop” or having a defined dielectric constant or magnetic permeability, such that the placement of the reinforcing material  14  alters the response of an RFID-readable device  52  integrated into the card  12 . 
     In other embodiments, the reinforcing material  14  may have colored and/or optical (e.g., holographic) properties. A particular color may indicate the size of the associated merchandise (in the case of a piece of clothing, for example), while a hologram may act as an anti-counterfeit measure, while also enhancing the appearance of the hang tag  10 . The reinforcing material  14  may further include additional or alternative coding, such as a rotational bar code or dot code. Combinations of these color, hologram, additional coding and/or alternative coding features can be provided in the products. In addition, the shape, in addition to providing the desired reinforcing, may be in the form of a logo or other recognizable indicator. 
     It may be advantageous for the reinforcing material  14  to be sufficiently strong that applying a downward force (in the orientation of  FIG. 1 ) will cause damage to the piece of merchandise to which the hang tag  10  is attached prior to the hang tag  10  itself ripping. If the merchandise becomes damaged, it will reduce or eliminate its value to the thief, who may then abandon the attempt to pilfer the merchandise. This may be impractical or impossible for hang tags having reinforcing material arranged according to convention, but reinforcing material  14  as arranged according to the principles of the present disclosure make it possible. 
     For example, it has been found that the card of a hang tag having a conventionally shaped region of reinforcing material may be ripped through its top edge at a force of approximately 40 Newtons. In contrast, it has been found that significantly more force is required to rip through the top edge of a hang tag  10  having reinforcing material  14  arranged as in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In one test, 140 Newtons of force was required to rip the card  12 , in which case it was the body of the card  12  itself ripping, rather than the fastener  26  ripping through the reinforcing material  14  and the top edge  16  of the card  12 . By applying a thicker or thinner layer of reinforcing material  14 , applying the reinforcing material  14  in a larger or smaller region, and/or using an inherently stronger or weaker substance, the force required to rip through the reinforcing material  14  may be varied according to the needs of the user. 
     In another embodiment, rather than applying a thicker layer of reinforcing material  14 , a similar effect may be achieved by applying a number of thinner layers to the hang tag  10 . If the reinforcing material  14  is applied in multiple layers, the layers may be differently constituted (e.g., being comprised of slightly or substantially different materials or differing thicknesses) or be substantially identical to each other. 
     The reinforcing material  14  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  may be applied by any of a number of methods, such as by a printing operation. In one version of such a process, the aperture  24  is cut or otherwise made in the card  12  prior to applying the reinforcing material  14 . With the aperture  24  already defined, it may act as a guide by which to properly position the card  12  in a printer or comparable printing device and then the reinforcing material  14  may be applied to the card  12  in the proper region, surrounding the aperture  24 . If there is to be any other printed material on the card  12  (e.g., a barcode or product information, etc.), it may be applied by the same printer or applied during a separate printing stage. With the hang tag  10  fully formed, it may subsequently be attached to a piece of merchandise according to known practice (i.e., with a standard applicator gun). 
     Alternatively, rather than applying the reinforcing material  14  prior to attaching the hang tag  10  to a piece of merchandise, the reinforcing material  14  may be applied at substantially the same time that the hang tag  10  is attached to the merchandise. To carry out such an application-attachment procedure, an attachment device or applicator gun  36  of the type illustrated in  FIG. 3  may be employed. 
     The applicator gun  36  comprises a housing  38  with a generally downwardly extending handle  40  which is configured to be gripped by the hand of a user. The handle  40  includes an actuator or trigger  42  which is squeezed toward the handle  40  or otherwise operated by the user to substantially simultaneously deploy a fastener  26  ( FIG. 1 ) and reinforcing material  14  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) to the hang tag  10 , as will be described in greater detail herein. 
     A pin or needle  44  extends from a front end  46  of the housing  38  to apply a fastener  26  from a fastener supply  48  according to conventional design, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,721 to Duchin, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     In addition to the fastener supply  48 , the applicator gun  36  includes a reinforcing material supply  50  which is associated with the pin  44 . To apply the reinforcing material  14 , a hang tag  10  is positioned adjacent to a piece of merchandise. The pin  44  is pressed through the aperture  24  of the hang tag  10  and/or the piece of merchandise. Next, the actuator  42  is operated, which substantially simultaneously deploys a fastener  26  and the reinforcing material  14 . As is conventional, the fastener  26  may be deployed by passing through a lumen or slot of the pin  44 , with a forward T-bar end of the fastener  26  being positioned on a side of the merchandise opposite the side where the hang tag  10  is located. A trailing T-bar end of the fastener  26  prevents the hang tag  10  from detaching from the merchandise. 
     The manner in which the applicator gun  36  deploys the reinforcing material  14  to the hang tag  12  may vary, depending on the nature of the reinforcing material  14 . In one embodiment, the reinforcing material supply  50  is provided as a plurality of individual decals or stickers which are shaped as in  FIGS. 1 and 2  and positioned on a roll of low-adhesion release paper. As the actuator  42  is operated, the reinforcing material  14  is pressed against the hang tag  10  (either manually by moving the front end  46  of the housing  38  into engagement with the hang tag  10  or by function of a portion of the front end  46  moving to an extended position which presses the reinforcing material  14  against the hang tag  10 ), thereby applying the reinforcing material  14  to the hang tag  10 . The roll of reinforcing material  14  may be manually or automatically advanced, such that a new decal will be properly positioned for when the actuator  42  is next operated by the user. 
     It will be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative of some of the applications of the principles of the present subject matter. Numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter, including those combinations of features that are individually disclosed or claimed herein. For these reasons, the scope hereof is not limited to the above description but is as set forth in the following claims, and it is understood that claims may be directed to the features hereof, including as combinations of features that are individually disclosed or claimed herein.