Patent Publication Number: US-2023162581-A1

Title: Electronic article surveillance and security devices

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/317,184, filed Mar. 7, 2022, entitled “Electronic Article Surveillance And Security Devices,” U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/238,568, filed Aug. 30, 2021, entitled “Electronic Article Surveillance Devices,” and PCT Application Serial No. PCT/US21/14577, filed Jan. 22, 2021, entitled “Electronic Article Surveillance Devices,” and which latter application claims benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/964,736, filed Jan. 23, 2020, entitled “Electronic Article Surveillance Labels,” which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to electronic article surveillance (EAS) devices and security devices. More particularly, the invention relates to keepers with means to be attached onto high value hard goods such as, but no limited to, battery packs, USB memory cards, razor blade packs, medicine boxes, perfumes, health-care items, wines, alcohols, DIY (Do It Yourself) accessories and the like (“Hard Goods”). 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     EAS keepers and security devices (“Keepers”) are generally known in the art, including as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,676,175 and 7,095,327 which are incorporated herein by reference. Since the advent of Keepers in the 1980s, retailers have applied millions of these Keepers to Hard Goods in order to prevent shoplifting. Keepers initially emerged to protect very high value Hard Goods like CDs and audiocassettes where the traditional EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) adhesive label was no longer effective as easily identified and neutralized by a shoplifter. Keepers have proven to be a very effective way of combatting shoplifting of high value Hard Goods but have always presented a number of challenges and drawbacks such as but no limited to: 
     1. Keepers are generally made of clear polycarbonate that is perfectly transparent when they are new but slowly get scratched when the store clerks remove them at the point of sales, pile them up and recirculate them to be used again and again. Progressively these scratches, including through the friction caused by one blister pack placed over another, become so serious they alter the visibility of the Hard Goods inside them and its inscriptions such as the barcode or important product information for medicines for example which slow the checkout process and impact revenue. 
     2. Keepers tend to accumulate dirt and dust as they can be used well over five years by a retailer making the visibility of a protected product even worse. 
     3. Keepers are by nature far bigger in total volume and size than the Hard Goods they are protecting as they encase the Hard Goods they protect and need means to be locked and unlocked which require additional volume. This additional volume is in general from 20 to 35% of the Hard Goods without the security Keepers which proportionally decreases the number of products to be displayed, thus impacting sales revenue for retailers as less product is displayed (20 to 35%) to the eyes of potential customers in a self-service environment. 
     4. Some product manufacturers such as batteries or razor blades purchase these keepers branded with their names to deliver them to specific retailers to help combat shrinkage and avoid retailers from locking their Hard Goods behind a counter that in turn kills sales revenues. These retailers use for example: Keepers purchased by manufacturer A to be used on their batteries for other products such as cosmetics from other brands as these Keepers are big enough to fit a large variety of high theft items. This creates a double problem for manufacturer A: its Hard Good will not be properly secured as many will be left without Keepers generating losses because shoplifting will increase and financial burden as manufacturer A purchased Keepers being used for other products and brands. 
     5. Some popular Keepers designed to secure Hard Goods such as batteries with a cardboard backing and razor blades packs do not encase the entire product package leaving out of the Keeper the upper flap of the package where the peg-hole is located and used to hang the packs on self-service display systems. The Keepers add extra weight for which the packs were not designed thus easily breaking and falling off the displays. Also, these peg-holes not being encased by the keeper make it easy for a shoplifter to break off the packs out of self-service display systems. 
     6. With the advent of self-checkouts in the retail environment, especially in super and hyper markets, Keepers are a nuisance as customers cannot remove them needing the assistance of a store sales clerk which goes in total opposition to the essence of a self-checkout where a customer is intended to checkout a product without store assistance. 
     7. Keepers are a very labor-intensive security device for retailers as they need to be removed at the checkout counter, sorted by type, recycled to the back of the store, sorted by model and used again to encase and secure a new Hard Good. 
     8. In the event a shoplifter succeeds in stealing a Hard Good inside a Keeper, he may purchase online a specific detacher device to remove the product from the Keeper without causing any damage to it thus making it very easy to resell on the black-market. 
     9. Retailers wishing to protect wine and spirits bottles need at least a small, a medium and a large Keeper to protect the immense variety of sizes and shapes that wine and spirits companies manufacture. This results in very important investments and headaches determining which Keeper best fits each specific bottle of wine and/or spirits. Retailers can also protect wine and spirits with adhesive rigid Keeper tags such as related in U.S. Pat. 7,095,327 which in opposition to the ones described just earlier are disposable but are quite easy to remove without tools as they present an easy grab and will cause unperceivable damage to wine and spirits bottles if forcibly removed as these were not designed to combat Organized Retail Crime (ORC). They were solely designed to shield the EAS label meant to trigger EAS gates at the exit of a retail store to a shoplifter. If a shoplifter steals a wine or spirits bottle with such rigid tag, it can be easily and totally removed at home without leaving marks or damage, thus being able to re-sell the product in the black market. Also, such tag when affixed on a product label or barcode will partially or totally shield the view of such product label or barcode as they were never thought to be transparent. 
     10. Retailers that wish to protect high theft items such as infant formula, beer, soda, food or deodorant which are sold in metal/aluminum/iron cans need to use very bulky and expensive re-usable EAS keepers as standard inexpensive EAS disposable labels when positioned on metal/aluminum/iron cans do not trigger EAS gates installed after the point of sale as metal/aluminum/iron absorb the electromagnetic energy emitted by EAS gates. This results in leaving no option to retailers who wish to protect products sold in metal cans to use expensive and very labor intensive re-usable tags. 
     11. When retailers do not have EAS systems installed at their stores or have EAS systems that no longer properly function due to, for example, a lack of maintenance, the Keepers will no longer work to combat shoplifting as Keepers, as EAS labels are designed to trigger EAS systems at the entrances/exits of retail stores. In the beforementioned case, a shoplifter can easily withdraw a high value item inside a Keeper or protected by an EAS label or tag and leave the store without triggering an alarm. The shoplifter will then have the time to remove the Keeper or tag using high gauss magnets or tools and remove or simply leave the EAS label to either use the stolen product or resell it as a new one. In summary: Keepers are a good solution to combat theft but present numerous drawbacks affecting the shoppers purchasing experience and financial loses to retailers. 
     As seen above, the current Keepers for Hard Goods and other items have various shortcomings. An improved Keeper is highly desirable. These and other shortcomings of these known Keepers are addressed by the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to solve the above challenges with current Keepers, the invention is directed to an improved Keeper made of a rigid and generally transparent casing with a generally transparent adhesive means of attachment which can be used in conjunction with (1) known EAS labels, including RF and acousto-magnetic labels such as manufactured or sold by All-Tag Corporation USA and Sensormatic, a division of Johnson Controls USA; (2) RFID label inlays manufactured or sold by Avery Denison USA; and (3) non-EAS adhesive labels pre-printed with deterrent messages to: (a) deter shoplifters from stealing; (b) to deter buyers from buying stolen merchandise; and (c) to help law enforcement officers to recognize stolen goods. 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved EAS or non-EAS Keeper. The Keeper of the present invention is intended to include: 
     1. A casing made of a rigid or flexible material such as, but not limited to, polycarbonate plastic, acrylic plastic, thermoplastic styrene-butadiene copolymer (SBC) plastic, non-transparent ABS plastic or an eco-friendly biodegradable material that will not totally encase a product or product packaging (collectively “product”) as a traditional Keeper would do. The Keeper is designed to, in general, be positioned on the front side of a product over the product label and/or the location on a packaging where the Hard Good is visible or accessible, circling the peg-hole hook of the packaging when applicable or over the area(s) where a Hard Good product packaging is to be opened by a consumer. The Keeper structure may alternatively be positioned to the back, right or left side of a product but will not fully encase it where if removed would permanently damage the product or the product&#39;s label. 
     2. A flexible and generally transparent support permanently attached to the Keeper with a strong glue meant to be wrapped around the product and the Keeper casing to hold the Keeper structure securely attached to a product preventing a shoplifter from removing it by hand or accessing the area where the Hard Good, the EAS label or the non-EAS label are located. The flexible support may have a peel-off paper for ease of application and pre-printed instructions and/or warning messages and/or a printed/opaque area to mask selective areas of the product. 
     3. At least one RF and/or AM EAS label and/or RFID inlay and/or a non-EAS printed label is affixed to the Keeper casing and/or to the flexible support. 
     Another primary object of the invention is to provide an improved Keeper for use with high value Hard Goods including semi-sharp teeth on its perimeter to make the removal of the improved Keeper extremely difficult without the use of a hand tool as the teeth may hurt a shoplifter&#39;s fingers when trying to forcibly remove the improved Keeper in a retail store. 
     Another primary object of the invention is to provide an improved Keeper for use with high value Hard Goods including semi-sharp teeth on its perimeter surrounded by a security detachable frame with no sharp edges to make the removal of the improved Keeper extremely difficult without the use of a hand tool as the teeth may hurt a shoplifter&#39;s fingers when trying to forcibly remove the improved Keeper in a retail store. The detachable frame will protect an honest customer from involuntarily hurting herself by shielding the semi-sharp teeth. In the event a shoplifter tries to remove the improved Keeper, the detachable frame surrounding the semi-sharp teeth will be the first to detach exposing the semi-sharp teeth that can cause injury if excess force is applied in attempting to remove it. 
     Another primary object of the invention is to provide an improved Keeper which does not include a locking mechanism and, therefore, the Keeper will not be required to be removed at the point of sale. Upon checkout the de-activatable EAS label or re-programmable RFID inlay when applicable will be deactivated or turned-off to allow a paying customer to leave the store without triggering the EAS Security Gates when applicable. This feature will save substantial time and money to retailers and will allow customers to pay using self-checkouts without the assistance of sales staff to unlock or remove the Keepers, thereby expediting the checkout process. The paying customer will then remove the improved Keeper at home when needed, using for example, a pair of scissors. In the event the improved Keeper does not carry an EAS label, a paying customer can walk out the store with its purchase ticket which proves the product was paid for. 
     Another primary object of the invention is for the improved Keeper and its attached flexible transparent support to destroy the product&#39;s packaging and/or product brand label when forcibly removed to extract the product inside it or use the product to avoid a shoplifter from reselling it on the black market. This feature will deter shoplifting, will help the fight against ORC and will help law enforcement officers to locate stolen goods. 
     Another primary object of the invention is to provide an improved Keeper that adds a minimal additional volume to a Hard Good or its packaging when affixed to it. In opposition to traditional Keepers which add 15 to 30% more volume, the Keeper of the invention will not impact the number of products on display in a self-service environment. This feature will increase sales as more Hard Goods will be exposed in comparison to traditional Keepers. 
     Another primary object of the invention is to provide an improved Keeper that in addition to the above-mentioned improvements brings a physical reinforcement to the peg-hole of a carboard package to deter a shoplifter from pulling a Keeper with a cardboard package off a store display by tearing it off (breaking the cardboard peg-hole). This reinforcement will be most effective on secured store displays such as the T100 or Helix device from In-View Systems, a Charlotte, N.C. company, that prevents a shoplifter from pulling out several items at the same time from a display system. This feature will help reduce theft. 
     Another primary object of the invention is to provide an improved Keeper that in addition to the above-mentioned improvements brings a physical reinforcement to the opening(s) of a product packaging to deter a shoplifter opening a package inside a store to extract goods inside the store and then leave an empty or partially empty package that may be purchased by an honest customer. 
     A variant of the invention is to provide an improved Keeper that perfectly matches the geometry/morphology of a specific section of a specific Hard Good packaging thus reducing the possibility of it being used on other Hard Goods it was not designed for. As an example: an improved Keeper can be made to match the geometry/morphology of a pack of AA batteries of Brand A that would not match the geometry/morphology of a pack of AA batteries of Brand B as for example the peg-hole of the AA battery pack of Brand B would be obstructed by the Keeper made for Brand A. 
     A variant of the invention is to provide an improved Keeper that matches the geometry/morphology of a specific Hard Good A and includes a very specific opaque printing area on its clear flexible support that would mask very specific information of a very similar Hard Good B which would make Hard Good B in a Keeper for Hard Good A very difficult or impossible to sell. As an example: an improved Keeper can be made to match the geometry/morphology of a pack of AA batteries of Brand A whereas the opaque printing area does not mask important information when wrapped around it but when used on a very similar pack of AA batteries of Brand B would partially or totally mask the barcode or other critical information making it very difficult or impossible to sell as the barcode will not be read by the barcode reader at the checkout point and/or critical legal information will be masked. 
     The invention is directed to an improved Keeper comprising a rigid casing that substantially corresponds to the shape of a product and adapted to cover at least one side of the product but not fully enclosing the product; a security element or a non-EAS printed label attached to the casing and adapted to be inaccessible to a consumer when the Keeper is attached to the product; and a flexible adhesive support attached to the casing and adapted to wrap around the product. 
     The invention is further directed to a Keeper comprising a rigid casing that substantially corresponds to the shape of a product and adapted to cover at least one partial side of the product but not fully enclosing the product; a security element or a non-EAS printed label attached to the casing and adapted to be inaccessible to a consumer when the Keeper is attached to the product; and a two-sided adhesive extending around the perimeter of the casing, one side of the two-sided adhesive attached to the casing and the second side of the two-sided adhesive adapted to attach to the product to secure the Keeper to the product. 
     The invention is further directed to a Keeper comprising a rigid or semi-rigid casing that substantially corresponds to the shape of at least a portion of a product and adapted to cover at least part of a portion of the product but not fully enclosing the product; a security element or non-EAS printed label attached to the casing and adapted to be inaccessible to a consumer when the Keeper is attached to the product; and a two-sided adhesive is attached to the casing, one side of the two-sided adhesive attached to the casing and the second side of the two-sided adhesive adapted to attach to the product to secure the Keeper to the product. 
     The invention is further directed to a Keeper comprising clips and alignment pins in order to hold the Keeper onto a product before wrapping the strong transparent adhesive means of attachment around the product in a specific alignment between the alignment pins to avoid mispositioning the transparent adhesive means and needing to reposition the transparent adhesive means which can damage the product label. 
     The invention is further directed to a disposable Keeper that will be able to protect products sold in metal/aluminum/iron containers that, when applicable, can properly trigger EAS gates if the EAS and/or RFID label(s) are not deactivated at the point of sale. 
     These primary and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and from the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following detailed description of the specific non-limiting embodiments of the present invention can be best understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structures are indicated by like reference numbers. 
       Referring to the drawings: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of the improved Keeper of the present invention with an AM label. 
         FIG.  2    is a back view of the improved Keeper of  FIG.  1    having the flexible adhesive support with its pre-cut holes connected to arrow shape barbs and the AM label. 
         FIG.  3    is an enlarged side view of the top of the Keeper of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4 A  is a partial view of a side wall of the Keeper of  FIG.  1    showing the arrow shaped barbs and the connection to the flexible adhesive support having perforations. 
         FIG.  4 B  is an enlarged side view of the arrow shaped barb of  FIG.  4 A . 
         FIGS.  5 A- 5 D  are views of the Keeper of  FIG.  1   , with an AM label, being attached to a product and showing the steps of attaching the Keeper to the product. 
         FIGS.  6 A and  6 B  represent a comparison of an identical product on display using the improved Keeper of  FIG.  1    in  FIG.  6 A  wherein X and Y for four products is less than X′ and Y′ of  FIG.  6 B  using a prior art Keeper because the improved Keeper requires less space on a retail display. 
         FIGS.  7 A- 7 D  show the improved Keeper of  FIG.  1    affixed to two similar products from two different brands wherein the improved Keeper has a pre-defined cover-up print section designed to selectively mask information to guarantee that a specific improved Keeper with a specific pre-defined cover-up area will only be usable on a specific product from a specific brand. 
         FIGS.  8 A- 8 D  show a comparison of use of the Keeper of  FIG.  1   , wherein  FIGS.  8 A and  8 B  show the improved Keeper in place on Brand A protecting the peg-hole from being broken and  FIGS.  8 C and  8 D  show the same Brand A product without the improved Keeper allowing it to be broken by a shoplifter. 
         FIGS.  9 A- 9 C  represent an alternative means of attachment for the improved Keeper wherein the flexible adhesive support is replaced by a double-side glue label to protect the product on one side only. 
         FIGS.  10 A- 10 D  represent an alternative method of attaching the improved Keeper to a product wherein a standard roll of clear tape is used instead of the flexible adhesive support. 
         FIG.  11 A- 11 B  illustrate two improved Keepers on a product, one on the top and one on the bottom. Referring to  FIG.  11 A , the top Keeper has a peg-hole for a product with a peg-hole.  FIG.  11 B  is similar to  11 A but the two Keepers are the same and the top Keeper does not have a peg-hole. 
         FIGS.  12 A- 12 H  represent an alternative improved Keeper with alternative means of attachment wherein the flexible adhesive support is replaced by two double-sided glue labels to protect the product on one side only showing an alternative method of attaching the AM label to the improved Keeper and showing pre-determined grooved sections that fragilize the improved Keeper to create breaks if forced. 
         FIGS.  13 A- 13 D  represent an alternative semi-rigid improved Keeper with alternative means of attachment wherein the flexible adhesive support is replaced by one double-sided glue label to protect the product on one side only showing an alternative method of attaching the AM label to the improved Keeper using an extra plastic clip-on drawer. 
         FIGS.  14 A- 14 D  represent an alternative concave improved Keeper to protect rounded products such as bottles with alternative means of attachment wherein the flexible adhesive support is replaced by one double-sided glue label to protect the product on one side only showing an alternative method of attaching the AM label to the improved Keeper using an extra plastic clip-on drawer. 
         FIGS.  15 A- 15 F  represent an alternative set of improved Keepers with alternative means of attachment wherein the flexible adhesive support is replaced by two double-sided glue labels to protect products of various sizes on one side only but in two different sections of the product. 
         FIGS.  16 A- 16 H  represent an alternative improved Keeper with alternative means of attachment wherein the flexible adhesive support is replaced by one or two double-sided glue labels to protect products with lids on one side only allowing the product&#39;s lid to be opened after separation of the improved Keeper into two parts showing an alternative method of attaching two AM label side by side in the same magnetization polarity to the improved Keeper and showing waved plastic edges on the point of separation that do not harm the user of the product when opening and closing the lid of the product. 
         FIGS.  17 A- 17 C  show the embodiments of  FIGS.  16 A- 16 H  adding a separable section to allow the insertion of an EAS self-alarming device to enhance the security level of the overall embodiment. 
         FIGS.  18 A- 18 C  show the embodiments of  FIGS.  5 A- 5 D  adding clips and guide pins in order to hold the improved Keeper onto a product by clipping to it to facilitate the wrapping of the product using transparent adhesive means of attachment on a specific alignment path determined by the clips and guide pins. 
         FIGS.  19 A- 19 F  show the embodiments of  FIGS.  14 A-D  wherein a flexible improved Keeper is able to be affixed by the intermediary of a strong double-sided adhesive onto rounded or perfectly flat surfaces resulting in an improved Keeper that can cover a very large variety of wine and spirits bottles of different geometries and sizes. 
         FIGS.  20 A- 20 C  show an improved Keeper designed to protect metal/aluminum/iron products sold in cans or metal containers such as those used to sell powder infant formula, deodorant, food, beer and soda among others. This improved Keeper has a special housing not accessible to the shoplifter that fits the EAS label(s) (AM and/or RF and/or RFID) that has been modified in order to create a small gap between the EAS label(s) affixed to the improved Keeper and the metal/aluminum/iron cans of the products in order to enhance the detection performance of such EAS label as metal/aluminum/iron absorbs most of the electromagnetic energy emitted by EAS antennas installed after the point of sale at retail stores. In this configuration the improved Keeper affixed to metal/aluminum/iron cans will be able to properly trigger the EAS antennas and effectively combat shoplifting. 
         FIGS.  21 A- 21 D  show an improved Keeper that includes alignment pins that allow a perfect alignment of the improved Keeper to specific areas of high theft items such as but not limited to battery packs. The alignment pins are also useful when manufacturing the improved Keeper in order to ease the proper positioning of the double-sided adhesive pads onto the improved Keepers at the point of manufacture that will allow store personnel to affix the improved keeper onto a product. 
         FIGS.  22 A- 22 C  show the embodiments of  FIGS.  18 A-C  where the EAS label has been replaced by a non-EAS plain label  16 ′ that carries a deterrent message and a second deterrent and/or preventive message has been pre-printed on the flexible adhesive support wrapped around the product. 
         FIGS.  23 A- 23 F  show the embodiments of  FIGS.  19 A-D  whereas the EAS labels have been replaced by non-EAS plain labels that carries a deterrent message and/or preventive message. 
         FIGS.  24 A- 24 D  show the improved Keeper with an additional security detachable frame with no sharp edges that surrounds the semi-sharp teeth to provide a physical security barrier between the semi-sharp teeth and a paying customer who might inadvertently get in contact with the improve Keeper. If a shoplifter tries to remove the improved Keeper from a product the security frame will easily detach first exposing the semi-sharp teeth that may injure a shoplifter when excess force is applied in trying to remove the Keeper from the product. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 - 4   , there is shown the improved Keeper  10  comprising a rigid casing  12 , a flexible adhesive support  14  affixed to the casing  12  via the pre-cut perforations on the flexible support  14  and the arrow shape barbs on the casing  12  as described below. The casing  12  includes a security device  16 . 
     The casing  12  includes a frame  20  which may be of different shapes to conform to the Hard Good upon which the Keeper  10  is to be attached. The frame  20  shown in  FIGS.  1 - 4    is rectangular as this is a common shape of Hard Good products. Frame  20  includes a top wall  22 , bottom wall  24  and side walls  26 ,  28 . Extending from top wall  22  is an upwardly extending support  30 . Support  30  includes an elbow  31  which allows the support to be placed through a Hard Good product peg-hole as shown, for example, in  FIGS.  5  and  6   . Support  30  includes an opening  33  which corresponds to a Hard Good package peg-hole for hanging the Hard Good product on a display rack in a store. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B , the frame  20  side wall  26  may include arrow shaped barbs  34  for attachment of flexible adhesive support  14  as discussed below. Referring to  FIG.  2   , side wall  28  is adapted to receive a security element  16  which may be adhered to side wall  28  by any suitable means such as an adhesive. The security element  16  is not accessible to consumers such that it cannot be removed and preferably cannot be seen. Case  12  may include one or more apertures A in the walls to provide for a lighter weight Keeper and to require less material in the manufacture of the Keeper, thereby saving cost in manufacture. 
     Frame  20  further includes an open window  36  shown, for example, in  FIGS.  1  and  2   . This represents an area of the rigid casing  12  with no material and which matches the geometry and the position of the Hard Good. The Keeper  10  thereby reduces the total amount of material required and produces a lighter and cheaper antitheft solution. The Keeper  10  fits in place to surround a product  80 . 
     The rigid casing  12  may be manufactured from a transparent material such as, but no limited to, polycarbonate plastic; a non-transparent ABS plastic; or an eco-friendly biodegradable material. While the preferred embodiment is for casing  12  to be transparent, a translucent or an opaque casing may be used, including a casing using the trade dress of the Hard Good product to be secured. 
     The flexible adhesive support  14  comprises a clear tape  40  with a strong glue and a peel-off paper backing  42 . The clear adhesive tape  40  is meant to wrap around the package of a product and the Keeper  10  to hold all together by the strong glue of tape  40 . Support  14  further includes a plurality of perforations  44  for mating with arrow barbs  34  and attaching the support  14  to casing  12 . 
     The flexible support  14  may be manufactured from a clear plastic material such as, but not limited to, polypropylene or an eco-friendly biodegradable material. A presently preferred strong glue on tape  40  is UPM Permanent adhesive that will destroy printed matter on the back of a product&#39;s packaging if removed by a shoplifter, making the product hard to resell. 
     The security element  16  may include one or a combination of an EAS label; an antenna; or a security device or electronic label such as an RFID element/antenna for the purpose such as, but not limited to, one or multiple traceability, merchandising, marketing, pricing or inventory purposes. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  and  2   , there is disclosed a presently preferred shape and dimensions of the improved Keeper  10 . However, it is understood that other shapes and dimensions may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention. Specifically, the improved Keeper  10  of the invention preferably will correspond to the shape of the Hard Good being secured, including, but not limited to, rectangular, square, oval or the like. 
       FIGS.  5 A- 5 D  show a pack of batteries  80  secured with an improved Keeper  10  having an acousto-magnetic label  16  wherein the transparent flexible adhesive tape  40  is wrapped around the pack of batteries  80 . After the product  80  has been wrapped, the batteries are no longer accessible without forcing the package open. The strong permanent adhesive on transparent tape  40  will destroy the printed material  82  on the pack of batteries  80  if forcefully removed. Referring to  FIG.  5 A , there is shown the Keeper  10  being attached to a package of batteries  80 . Support  30  is placed through the peg-hole of the batteries  80 . The flexible adhesive support  14  is pulled out and away from the casing  12 . Referring to  FIG.  5 B , support  30  is seen through the peg-hole of batteries  80  and the top thereof is adjacent to the top of the batteries  80 . Peel-off layer  42  is pulled back from flexible adhesive support  14  exposing tape  40  with the strong permanent adhesive. Referring to  FIG.  5 C , the clear tape  40  is wrapped around the back of the battery pack  80  and all product information may be read and does not cover it. Referring to  FIG.  5 D , the clear tape  40  is now completely wrapped around the battery pack and covering the open area  36  of casing  12  and the Keeper is fully attached to the battery pack  80  and the Keeper and the battery pack  80  constitute one unitary product. Thereafter, a customer may purchase the battery pack  80  at a cashier with the barcode, as shown in  FIGS.  5 B and  5 C , visible for a cashier to scan the product. Similarly, at the checkout, the AM security element  16  may be deactivated by the cashier and the customer takes the product home. The customer thereafter may remove or cut the clear tape  40 . 
       FIGS.  6 A and  6 B  show a comparison of Keeper  10  in  FIG.  6 A  and prior art Keepers K in  FIG.  6 B .  FIG.  6 A  shows a series of improved Keepers  10 , protecting a series of identical battery packs  80  hanging off a retail display fixture F.  FIG.  6 B  shows display fixture F with identical battery pack  80  in a prior art Keeper K. The lines X and Y in  FIG.  6 A  will always be less for the same number of products than the lines X′ and Y′ in  FIG.  6 B  as the new improved Keeper  10  will need less space on retail display fixtures F. For the same quantity of battery packs  80 , typically, X with the improved Keeper will be from 15 to 30% less than X′ with the prior art Keepers and Y will be from 5 to 15% less than Y′. 
       FIGS.  7 A- 7 D  represent the improved Keeper  10  affixed to product  80  from Brand A and product  80 ′ from Brand B, wherein the transparent adhesive tape  40  of support  14  has one or more pre-defined cover up sections  70 . Referring to  FIGS.  7 A and  7 B , cover up section  70  does not mask any critical information of the section  84  of the product  80  from Brand A.  FIGS.  7 C and  7 D  show the same improved Keeper  10  and the same transparent adhesive tape  40  of support  14  on product  80 ′ from Brand B similar to Brand A, wherein the same clear adhesive tape  40  of support  14  has the same pre-defined cover up printed section  70  that masks critical information  84 ′ of the product  80 ′, thus product  80 ′ of Brand B cannot be sold with Keeper  10  designed for Brand A as the critical information, e.g. a barcode, is covered and cannot be scanned. 
       FIGS.  8 A and  8 B  show the improved Keeper  10  upper section  30  of the casing  12  perfectly fitting/matching the area of the product  80  packaging peg-hole in order to meet two criteria: (1) the upper section  30  of the casing  12  matches the peg-hole of the Brand A′s packaging; and (2) the upper section  30  reinforces the peg-hole typically made of cardboard in order to keep shoplifters from pulling/ripping out one or several products from a retail display fixture by breaking the cardboard peg-hole from product  80 ′ as shown in  FIGS.  8 C and  8 D . 
       FIGS.  9 A- 9 C  represent an alternative means of attachment for another embodiment of the improved Keeper  100  wherein the flexible adhesive support  14  is replaced by a double-sided glue  140  with peel-off paper  142 . The glue  140  is located on the perimeter of the improved Keeper  100  in order to attached it onto a product  80  protecting only one side of the product  80 .  FIG.  9 C  represents this alternative embodiment  100  with the peel-off paper  142  totally removed and in the process of being glued onto the product packaging  80 . The other parts of Keeper  100  are substantially the same as Keeper  10 . 
       FIGS.  10 A- 10 D  show an alternative Keeper  210  which is substantially similar to Keeper  10  except that it does not include the flexible adhesive support  14 . The Keeper  210  is attached to the product  80  using a standard roll of clear tape  160  as shown in  FIGS.  10 A- 10 D . Referring to  FIG.  10 A , there is shown a package of batteries  80 . Referring to  FIG.  10 B , there is shown a Keeper  210  with support  30  placed through the peg-hole of the batteries  80 . Referring to  FIGS.  10 C and  10 D , the clear tape  240  is wrapped around the front and then the back of the battery pack  80 . All product information may be read and is not covered. Referring to  FIG.  10 D , the clear tape  240  is now completely wrapped around the battery pack and a scissors or similar instrument are used to cut the excess clear tape  240 . Thereafter, a customer may purchase the battery pack  80  at a cashier with the barcode, as shown in  FIG.  10 D , visible for a cashier to scan the product. Similarly, at the checkout, the AM security element  16  may be deactivated by the cashier and the customer takes the product home. The customer thereafter may remove or cut the clear tape  142 . 
       FIGS.  11 A and  11 B  illustrate the use of two Keepers  310  and  410  at the top and bottom of a Hard Good  180  and a clear adhesive member  190  is wrapped around the Hard Good to hold the Keepers  310  and  410  in place.  FIG.  11 A  shows Keeper  310  having a peg-hole for holding the Hard Good.  FIG.  11 B  shows the Keeper  310  without a peg-hole. 
       FIGS.  12 A- 12 H  represent an alternative means of attachment for another embodiment of the improved Keeper  300  made of a thin rigid plastic material, e.g. 1 mm in thickness. The flexible adhesive support  14  of the prior discussed Keepers is replaced by a double-sided glue  140  with peel-off paper  142 . One side of glue  140  is attached to Keeper  300  and a second side of glue  140  will be attached to product  90 . The second side of glue  140  covers most of the surface of the improved Keeper  300  in contact with a product  90  in order to attach Keeper  300  to the product  90 .  FIG.  12 F  shows Keeper  300  with the peel-off paper  142  totally removed and in the process of being glued onto the product packaging  90 .  FIGS.  12 B- 12 D  represent an alternative way to affix the EAS label  162  on the Keeper  300  to allow the pre-printed area of an EAS label  185  to be seen by a customer and/or shoplifter. The label  162  is first glued onto the plastic drawer  175  by means of its self-adhesive double-sided glue, the drawer  175  with the EAS label is then fastened by clip-on onto the Keeper  300 . The EAS label will remain out of access to a shoplifter at all times.  FIGS.  12 F- 12 H  shows the Keeper  300  with pre-determined grooves  152  on its surface created during the plastic injection process and designed to break when forced as shown at  152 ′.  FIG.  12 G  shows how the improved Keeper  300  damages the printed material of the product packaging  90  if foreseeably removed. 
       FIGS.  13 A- 13 D  represent an alternative means of attachment for another embodiment of an improved semi-rigid plastic Keeper  400  wherein the adhesive support  14  of the prior Keepers is replaced by a double-sided glue  140  with peel-off paper  142 . The glue  140  is located on most of the surface of the improved Keeper  400  that makes contact with the product  95  in order to attach it to the product  95 , thereby protecting one side of the product.  FIG.  13 D  shows Keeper  400  with the peel-off paper  142  totally removed and in the process of being glued onto the product packaging  95 .  FIG.  13 A  shows Keeper  400  in place on the product packaging  95  showing the EAS label&#39;s pre-printed area  162  can be seen by a customer or shoplifter.  FIG.  13 B  shows Keeper  400  preferably made of flexible clear plastic showing a certain latitude to adapt to oval or concave product packages or products.  FIG.  13 C  shows the Keeper  400  with slightly sharp teeth  195  around its perimeter in order to make it harder for a shoplifter to remove the Keeper  400  from the product packaging  95  as the teeth will tend to harm a shoplifter&#39;s fingers. 
       FIGS.  14 A- 14 D  represent an alternative means of attachment for another embodiment of the improved Keeper  500  designed to match concave surfaces of products such as wines and spirits.  FIG.  14 A  shows the Keeper  500  attached to a spirit bottle  108 .  FIG.  14 B  shows the Keeper  500  with a slightly concave shape and its EAS label  162  in place and not accessible by a customer or shoplifter. Keeper  500  is made of a thin rigid or semi-rigid plastic.  FIG.  14 C  shows the Keeper  500  with the peel-off paper  142  totally removed and in the process of being glued onto the product  108  whereas the improved Keeper  500  covers a printed area such as a fiscal stamp  207  of the product&#39;s label.  FIG.  14 D  shows how the improved Keeper  500  permanently damages the printed area of the product  108  such as a fiscal stamp which will reduce the resale value of product  108  in the grey or black markets. 
       FIGS.  15 A- 15 F  represent an alternative means of attachment for another embodiment of the improved Keeper  600  designed to prevent a product packaging from being opened from at least two of its sides in addition to preventing theft.  FIG.  15 A  shows the Keeper  600  made of two distinct sub-Keepers  600 A and  600 B attached to each other by easily separable means of attachment such as thin plastic junctures  305  and  305 ′. Keeper  600  is made of a thin rigid or semi-rigid plastic. An RF or RFID EAS label  162  and an AM EAS label  162 ′ are glued respectively to sub-Keeper  600 A and  600 B.  FIG.  15 B  shows sub-Keeper  600 B being attached by means of a double-sided glue without its peel-off backing paper to one side of a product packaging and sized to prevent the package from being opened to extract the product inside.  FIG.  15 C  shows sub-Keeper  600 A being attached by means of a double-sided glue without its peel-off backing paper to another side of the same packaging and sized to prevent it from being opened to extract the product inside.  FIGS.  15 D- 15 E  show the same improved Keeper  600  and its same sub-Keepers  600 A and  600 B attached to a same category of product packagings of different sizes such as small, medium, and large to prevent a shoplifter from opening a package to remove a high value item from inside the packaging or shoplift it. Improved Keeper  600  will save money to retailers as one size device can protect multiple sizes of a same product category. 
       FIG.  16 A  represents an alternative means of attachment for another embodiment of the improved Keeper  700  wherein the flexible adhesive support  14  is replaced by a double-sided glue  140  with peel-off paper  142 . The glue  140  covers most of the surface of the improved Keeper  700 B section. There is no double-sided glue on section  700 A which is snapped onto a product  508  lid to prevent it from being opened. The perimeter of Keeper  700  has semi-sharp teeth  195  to make it harder for shoplifter to remove/unglue the  700 B section. Junction  308  made of wave sections allows the separation of section  700 A from  700 B without leaving any sharp edges or angles to avoid hurting a recurrent user of the product who recurrently opens and closes the lid.  FIG.  16 B  shows Keeper  700  with the peel-off paper  142  totally removed and in the process of being glued onto the product packaging  508  where section  700 B will permanently adhere to the printed matter surface of product  508  and section  700 A will be clipped/snapped in place to prevent the lid  608  from being opened so a shoplifter cannot remove the contents of the product in the store.  FIGS.  16 C- 16 E  shows Keeper  700  affixed to product  508  showing how section  700 B with the permanent double-sided adhesive covering a large portion of the printed label of product  508 , shows two AM EAS labels  162  positioned side by side in the same magnetization polarity to amplify the resonating amplitude of the AM label resonators affixed to the plastic drawer  175  snapped onto section  700 B. Positioning two AM labels in opposing polarities increases the detection range between AM EAS gates in retail stores as this dual opposing configuration helps counter the loss of detection in a product such as baby formula whereas the packaging has a thin inner layer of aluminum paper that absorbs a large part of the electromagnetic signal emitted by AM EAS gates.  FIGS.  16 F- 16 H  show the removal of  700 A to open container  508 . In  FIG.  16 F , a paying customer separates section  700 A that had no double-sided adhesive from section  700 B to free the top lid for opening and closing. More specifically,  FIGS.  16 G and  16 H  show how the wave sections  308  that remain after the separation of sections  700 A and  700 B are harmless for a person needing to open and close the lid  608  numerous times. 
       FIGS.  17 A-C  show the embodiments of  FIGS.  16 A- 16 H  adding a separable section  800  that includes a peg hole  800 A to allow the insertion of an EAS self-alarming device  900  such as a cable lock manufactured by Checkpoint Systems to add an additional layer of electronic alarming security.  FIG.  17 B  show how the EAS self-alarming device is affix through the peg hole  800 A of section  800  and depicts various dents  805  in the perimeter of section  800  to fragilize this section.  FIG.  17 C  show how the EAS self-alarming device  900  along with separable section  800  detaches from the main section  700 A and  700 B destroying the printed matter under it thanks do the double-sided adhesive  140 . When section  800  separates because of dents  805  breaking, both or at least a single EAS label(s)  162  would remain affixed to product  508  to make sure it triggers the EAS gates at the entrance-exits of retail stores in case a shoplifter tries to extract product  508 . 
       FIGS.  18 A-C  show a pack of batteries  80  secured with an improved Keeper  10  having an AM Acousto-Magnetic label  16  wherein the transparent flexible adhesive tape  40  is wrapped around the pack of batteries  80  in between the guide pins  133  and  134  forming alignments A-A′ and B-B′ to avoid mis-positioning the transparent flexible adhesive tape  40 . The guide pins  133  and  134  also serves to properly position and hold in place the pack of batteries  80  before starting to wrap the transparent flexible adhesive tape  40  by clipping onto the pack of batteries. After the product  80  has been wrapped, the batteries are no longer accessible without forcing the package open. The strong permanent adhesive on transparent tape  40  will destroy the printed material  82  on the pack of batteries  80  if forcefully removed. Referring to  FIG.  18 A , there is shown the Keeper  10  with its guide pins  133  and  134  as well as an AM EAS label  16 . Referring to  FIG.  18 B , the pack of batteries  80  is first clipped by the clips end of guide pins  133  and then clipped onto the batteries by guide pins  134  that will hold the Keeper  10  onto the battery pack  80  temporarily in place. Once the battery pack  80  is in position, guide pins  133  and  134  will guide the flexible adhesive tape  40  to properly be wrapped following alignments A-A′ and B-B′. Referring to  FIG.  18 C , the clear tape  40  is now completely wrapped around the battery pack after going once again between guide pins  133  for a perfect alignment of the clear tape  40  on the battery pack  80  covering the area  36  of casing  12  and the Keeper is fully attached to the battery pack  80  and the Keeper and the battery pack  80  constitute one unitary product. Thereafter, a customer may purchase the battery pack  80  at a cashier with the barcode, as shown in  FIG.  18 B , visible for a cashier to scan the product. Similarly, at the checkout, the AM security element  16  may be deactivated by the cashier and the customer takes the product home. The customer thereafter may remove or cut the clear tape  40 . 
       FIGS.  19 A-F  represent an alternative means of attachment for another two embodiments of the improved Keeper  500  and  500 ′ designed to match concave and flat surfaces of products such as wine and spirits bottles.  FIG.  19 A  show the Keepers  500  and  500 ′ whereas  500 ′ has an EAS-RF label and/or a RFID flat label  162  affixed to it between the Keeper and a double side adhesive pad  127  and  500  has an EAS-AM label affixed to it between the Keeper and a double side adhesive pad  127  as seen in  FIG.  19 B . Keeper  500  has semi-sharp teeth  113  on all its perimeter to make the unlawful removal of the improved Kepper  500  by a shoplifter extremely difficult without using a hand tool and permanently damaging the product making it difficult to resell on the black market.  FIG.  19 B  shows the improved Keeper  500  in its natural concave position and in its totally flat position in order to match various types of bottle geometries.  FIG.  19 C  shows debilitating sections  145  at the extremities on both sides of the cavity that houses the EAS-AM label  162 ′ in order to allow the improved Keeper  500  to lay perfectly flat reducing the spring effect allowing a strong double side adhesive  127  to hold the improved Keeper  500  perfectly in place either in a concave or flat surface.  FIG.  19 D  represents the edge of the perimeter of the improved Keeper  500  in a knife sharp shape to make it harder to remove by a shoplifter.  FIG.  19 E  shows the same improved Keepers  500 ′ being placed on a curved product  108  and flat product  108 ′ thanks to the strong and clear double sided adhesive  127 .  FIG.  19 F  shows the same improved Keeper  500  being placed on a curved product  108  and flat product  108 ′ thanks to the strong and clear double sided adhesive  127 . 
       FIGS.  20 A-C  represent an alternative improved Keeper designed to protect product containers or packaging with a high content of metal/aluminum/iron. The Keeper design will compensate for the loss of the electromagnetic interrogation signal emitted by EAS gates installed after the point of sale which will make AM, RF or RFID labels affixed to metal products or metal containers to resonate and trigger the EAS gates.  FIGS.  20 A-C  represent the improved Keeper  444  affixed to a metallic infant formula can  767  and a metal beer can  787 .  FIG.  20 B  shows an A-A′ view of can  767  showing the housing  979  of the improved Keeper  444  where one or two AM labels  327  are separated by a distance Y from the metal can  767 . Y can be anywhere between 2 and 10 mm depending on the quantity of metal contained in the product or product packaging. A metal beer can will need a smaller Y distance compared to a big can made of iron for a product such as canned food. The Y distance will be needed no matter the technology of the EAS label (AM, RF or RFID). The EAS labels  327  inside the housing  979  are not accessible from the outside to a shoplifter, if the housing  979  is tampered it will permanently damage the product label thanks to the very strong double-sided adhesive used to affix the improved Keeper. 
       FIGS.  21 A-D  show an improved Keeper  810  that includes alignment pins that may be on the peg-hook area among other areas to allow a perfect alignment between, as an example, the improved Keeper peg-hook area and an area on specific high theft items such as but not limited to battery packs that have peg-hook openings. As the improved Keeper uses a very strong double-sided adhesive glue with a very strong initial tack to bond onto a product it is very important to properly align it on products to avoid the need to remove the improved Keeper after a faulty positioning to replace it as such action can damage the product&#39;s label and/or packaging. The alignment pins are also useful when manufacturing the enhanced Keeper to facilitate the proper alignment/positioning of the double-sided adhesive pad onto the improved Keeper.  FIG.  21 A  shows an improved Keeper  810  perfectly in place whereas the peg-hook area of the improved Keeper  710 ′ perfectly matches the peg-hook area of the battery back  636  that was not damaged by several positioning attempts.  FIG.  21 B  shows the double-sided strong glue adhesive pad  850  with its peel-off paper  702 , its peel off tab  703  and its peg-hook die-cut area  710 . It also shows the improved Keeper  810  with its alignment pins  715 . It also depicts the strong double sided adhesive pad  850  with one side being perfectly aligned thanks to the alignment pins  715  to the improved Keeper  810 .  FIG.  21 C  shows how the peel-off paper  702  of the strong double-sided adhesive pad  850  is being removed by pulling on the peel-off tab  703  to expose the second side of the strong double-sided adhesive pad  705 ′.  FIG.  21 D  shows how the improved Keeper  810  is aligned to perfectly match the common peg-hook areas of battery pack  636  thanks to the alignment pins  715 . This is only one example of how alignment pins such as  715  can help align an improved Keeper using very strong double-sided adhesive onto a specific area of a product or product packaging. 
       FIGS.  22 A-C  show the embodiments of  FIGS.  18 A-C  where on  FIG.  22 A  the EAS label  16  has been replaced by a non-EAS plain label  16 ′ that carries a deterrent message not accessible from the outside to a shoplifter to deter a shoplifter inside a retail store.  FIG.  22 C  shows and a second deterrent and/or preventive message not accessible from the outside to a shoplifter that has been pre-printed on the inward side of the flexible adhesive support  40  wrapped around the product meant to help law enforcement officers detect a stolen product to return it to its owner. If forcibly removed the improved Keeper and its flexible adhesive support will damage the product label packaging  80  and product label  82  considerably reducing the value of the stolen good. This improved Keeper variation operates as a benefit denial antitheft device which is independent from an EAS detection system. 
       FIG.  23 A-F  show the embodiments of  FIGS.  19 A-F  wherein the EAS labels  162  and  162 ′ have been replaced by non-EAS plain labels  163  and  163 ′.  FIG.  23 A  shows improved Keepers  500  and  500 ′ wherein EAS labels  162  and  162 ′ have been replaced by non-EAS plain labels  163  and  163 ′pre-printed with a deterrent and/or preventive message.  FIGS.  23 E and  23 F  show how if forcibly removed the improved Keepers  500  and  500 ′ will damage the products  108  and  108 ′ labels considerably reducing the value of the stolen good thus fighting organized retail crime. This improved Keeper variation operates as a benefit denial antitheft device which is independent from an EAS detection system. 
       FIGS.  24 A-D  show an improved Keeper with an additional security detachable frame to avoid paying customers or store operators from potentially getting injured by the semi-sharp teeth.  FIG.  24 A  shows the Keeper  123  with its semi-sharp teeth  234  surrounded by a security frame  345  that circles the entire perimeter of semi-sharp teeth and the security or pre-printed label element  678 .  FIG.  24 B  show the improved Keeper  123  bonded onto battery pack  987  using strong double-sided adhesive where the semi-sharp teeth  234  are protected by security frame  345  that prevents a paying customer or store user from being injured by the semi-sharp teeth  234 .  FIG.  24 C  shows a shoplifter&#39;s or store operator&#39;s hand trying to remove the keeper  123  from packaging  987  wherein the security frame  345  is the first to detach from the keeper  123  causing initial damage to the printed label of packaging  987 .  FIG.  24 D  shows a shoplifter&#39;s hand having removed the security frame  345  exposing the semi-sharp teeth  234  that may injure the shoplifter&#39;s hand after applying force to remove what is left of the Keeper  123  further damaging the battery pack packaging  987 . 
     The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, various modifications can be made within the scope of the aforesaid description. Such modifications being within the ability of one skilled in the art form a part of the present invention and are embraced by the appended claim.