Patent Publication Number: US-6991175-B1

Title: Label to be attached on a plastic product formed in a mold and identifiable by a detecting device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is a divisional application of, and claims the priority benefit of, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/946,795 filed on Sep. 21, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,957,777. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a label to be attached on a plastic product formed in a mold and identifiable by a detecting device, particularly to one having a radio frequency identifiable device provided on an outer surface of the label. The label includes the soft circuit board, a protective layer fixed on the outer surface of the soft circuit board, and an adhering layer fixed on an inner surface to be adhered on a plastic product. Then the label with a plastic product can be affixed on by an object such as a container, an appliance, etc. so as to permit the object identified by a radio-frequency signal transmitted by a detecting device. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Labels to be attached on a plastic product are widely used nowadays on various commodities for speeding circulation, identification, confirmation and classification of products. Conventional labels to be attached on a plastic product and identifiable by a wireless detecting device are generally have a soft circuit board with its outer surface adhered with a wireless identifiable chip, and then the soft circuit board is adhered on an object or a commodity, and the outer surface of the soft circuit board is coated with a protective layer for protecting the wireless identifiable chip from destroyed or wearing. 
   The drawback of the conventional labels provided with a wireless identifiable chip is manual work for gluing the protective layer on the soft circuit board, which needs much manual labor to worsen productive efficiency and raising its cost. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention has been devised to offer a label to be attached on a plastic product formed in a mold and identifiable by a detecting device, in order to facilitate its use and to boost producing efficiency. 
   One feature of the invention is a radio frequency identifiable device fixed on an outer surface of a soft circuit board of the label, and a protective layer formed on an outer surface of the soft circuit board, and adhesive layer fixed on an inner surface of the soft circuit board. 
   Another feature of the invention is the label to be attached on a plastic product formed in a mold during molding process, becoming integral with a plastic product, and with the adhering layer adhered on the plastic product. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is an upper side view of a first embodiment of a label in the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional of the first embodiment of a label in the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a label in the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention being applied and affixed to an object; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention being applied and affixed to an object as shown in  FIG. 4  in a first mode; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention being applied and affixed to object in a second mode; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention being applied and affixed to object in a third mode; 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of the label in the present invention being applied and affixed to object in a fourth mode; 
       FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of the label in the present invention being applied and affixed to an object in a fifth mode; 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention applied and affixed to an object in a sixth mode; 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention being affixed to an object in the sixth mode; 
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention being applied and affixed to an object in a seventh mode; 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention being applied and affixed to an object in an eighth mode; 
       FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention being applied and affixed to an object in a ninth mode; 
       FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the label in the present inventin affixed to an object in the eight mode; and, 
       FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the label in the present invention applied and affixed to an object like a bucket. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   A first embodiment of a label (A) to be attached to a plastic product formed in a mold and identifiable by a detectable device in the present invention, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , includes a soft circuit board  1 , a protective layer  2  and an adhesive layer  3  combined together. 
   The soft circuit board  1  has an outer surface  10 , and a radio frequency identifiable device (RFID)  11  composing of a radio frequency identifiable chip and an antenna. The radio frequency identifiable chip is adhered on the outer surface of the soft circuit board  1 , possible to be a read-only-memory (ROM) or read-accessible-memory (RAM) chip according to the condition needed. 
   The protective layer  2  is fixed on the outer surface of the soft circuit board  1  and the RFID  11  for protecting the RFID  11  from wearing and tearing, transparent so as to permit the RFID  11  identifiable by a transmitted signal sent by a detecting device. 
   The adhesive layer  3  is fixed on an inner surface of the soft circuit board  1  for protecting the inner surface and for adhering the label (A) on a plastic product formed in a mold during the molding process. The adhesive layer  3  can be a single layer as shown in  FIG. 2 , or added with an auxiliary layer  30  as shown in  FIG. 2  to have a double layer as shown in  FIG. 3 . Further, the adhesive layer  3  and the auxiliary layer  30  is made of heat-insulating material, which may be unwoven cloth, or foam material or any material having heat-insulating function for protecting the RFID  11  from burned by high temperature. In case of a double adhesive layer, only the adhesive layer  3  or the auxiliary layer  30  is made of a heat-insulating material to cut the cost and its thickness. 
   Next, the finished label (A) in the invention is placed in a mold used for injecting molding, pushing molding, vacuum molding or blowing molding a plastic product  4 , and attached on the plastic product  4  as integral after finished molding. 
   Now, how the label (A) attached on a plastic product is utilized will be described. A first mode of utilizing the label (A) attached on the plastic product in the present invention is to have the plastic product  4  bored with plural holes  40  at two opposite sides, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Then the label (A) with the plastic product  4  is affixed to an object  5  by means fastening members  41  so that the object  5  is provided with the RFID of the label (A), without extra processing needed for the object  5 . 
   Next,  FIG. 6  shows a second mode of utilizing the label (A) with the plastic product  4 . The plastic product  4  is bored with plural holes  40  in the same way as the first mode, with screws  41  as shown in  FIG. 6  screwing with the holes  40  so as to affix it to an object  5 , which can then be easily identified by a transmitted signal sent by a detecting device. 
   Further,  FIG. 7  shows a third mode of utilizing the label (A) with a plastic product  4  in the present invention, wherein the plastic product  4  formed with a fastening member  41  as integral first, and then whole label (A) with the plastic product  4  with the fastening member  41  is to be affixed to an object  5 , which is then possible to be easily identified by a transmitted signal sent by a detecting device. 
   Next,  FIG. 8  shows a fourth mode of utilizing the label (A) with a plastic product  4 , with the plastic product first formed with a hole  40  at one side, and then an elongate fastening member  41  shown in  FIG. 8  is used to affix the label (A) with the plastic product  4  to an object  5  such as a baggage, as shown in  FIG. 11 . Thus, the object  5  can be easily identified by a wireless detecting device. In case the label (A) with the plastic product  4  should be needed to be reused, the fastening member  41  can be cut off the object  5 , letting the label (A) with the plastic product  4  usable again by using any of: the utilizing modes described so far. 
     FIG. 9  shows a fifth mode of utilizing the label (A) with the plastic product  4  for affixing to an object  5 , and the plastic product  4  has a groove  40  formed under one side of the plastic product  4  for an elongate fastening member  41  shown in  FIG. 9  to fit therein for affixing the label (A) with the plastic product  4  to an object  5  by means of the elongate fastening member  41 , letting the object easily identifiable by a wireless detecting device. Then the elongate fastening member  41  is also removable so as to let the label (A) reusable as the fourth mode shown in  FIG. 8 . 
   Moreover,  FIGS. 10 ,  11  and  12  show respectively a sixth, a seventh mode of utilizing the label (A) with the plastic product  4  to be affixed to an object  5  needed to be identified by a wireless detecting device, which transmits a radio frequency signal to the RFID  11  provided in the label (A). 
     FIGS. 13 and 14  show respectively an eighth and a ninth mode of utilizing the label (A) with the plastic product  4  formed with an elongate fastening member  41  to be affixed to an extraordinary large object  6  as shown in  FIG. 15 . Then the extraordinary large object  6  such as a container can be identified with ease by a wireless detecting device sending a signal to be received by the RFID  11  of the label (A) through the antenna  110 . The antenna  110  is provided with a male or female coupling  111  to be directly combined with the plastic product  4  as shown in  FIG. 13 , or to be connected to a female or male coupling  42  formed with the plastic product  4 , as shown in  FIG. 14 . Then the antenna  110  is extended substantially long, and its length depends on the place where the label (A) with the plastic product  4  is used. In case of an object  6  like a container, the antenna  110  has a length enough for extending from the rear end of the container  6  to the vehicle head to facilitate transmitted signals by a detecting device received by the RFID of the label (A). 
   Lastly,  FIG. 16  shows a ninth mode of utilizing the label (A) with the plastic product  4  formed as a conventional plastic bucket. Practically, the label (A) can be applied to any thing, directly applied to any plastic product  4  that is formed in a mold, by injecting molding, pushing molding, blowing molding, or vacuum molding so that the plastic product  4  is provided with the RFID  11  for easily identifiable by a detecting device, and for keeping the product  4  from stolen or lost accidentally. 
   While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.