Patent Abstract:
An integrated theft deterrent tag 20 having a lanyard 38 emanating therefrom. The lanyard 38 having a pin 48 permanently attached thereto and the pin 48 being received within a locking mechanism 32 and enclosing an article to be protected.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The contents of this application are related to U.S. design patent applications having Ser. Nos. 29/182,901, 29/182,878, and 29/182,914, filed on Jun. 2, 2003, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to theft deterrent security tags in general, and in particular to an integrated security tag containing an attaching pin that emanates from the tag body for use in electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags for theft deterrence. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: 
       [0003]    Various types of electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems are known having the common feature of employing a marker or tag which is affixed to an article to be protected against theft from a controlled area, such as merchandise in a store. When a legitimate purchase of the article is made, the marker can either be removed from the article, or converted from an activated state to a deactivated state. Such systems employ a detection arrangement, commonly placed at all exits of a store, and if an activated marker passes through the detection system, it is detected by the detection system and an alarm is triggered. 
         [0004]    Such electronic detection arrangements, as used in the present invention, are well known in the art and are more clearly discussed in my co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/410,486, titled “Article Surveillance Tag Having a Metal Clip,” filed on Apr. 8, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the locking mechanism and removal tool, as used in the instant invention, are also well known in the art and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,588,280 to Martin A. J. Marens and U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,534 to Henry J. Martens et al. which disclosures are incorporated herein by reference for a complete understanding of the locking device employed in the present invention. A discussion of the inventions in the field, known to the inventor, and their differences from the present invention is provided below. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,911,534 and 3,974,581 to Henry J. Martens et al. disclose a security tag having the pin contained on a first strip that is attached by a hinge to a second strip that has the locking component thereon. The hinged attachment may lead to the bending of the pin when contacting the locking component because of the predetermined arc that it must travel as a result of the hinged arrangement. Furthermore, the hinged arrangement allows the pin to protrude vertically when the device has fallen to the floor and may lead to injury. The &#39;534 and &#39;581 patents also disclose a pin soldered to a chain at one end and the other end of the chain riveted to the tag cover. The riveting of the chain on the outside of the tag body may subject the tag easy defeat by unscrupulous individuals. Furthermore, the pin thereof will protrude vertically when the device has fallen to the floor and may lead to injury. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,918 to Paskert discloses a releasably attachable clip for attachment to certain cloth articles, wherein the pin component is incorporated into the tag. However, the pin once again is held in a substantially hinged relation to the locking component and may lead to bending of the pin as a result of the arc which must be traveled in order to engage the locking component. Furthermore, the &#39;918 patent may only be used with articles made of cloth and cannot engage solid components as disclosed in the instant invention. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,829 to Humble et al. discloses a security tag having the pin contained on a first strip that is attached by a hinge to a second strip that has the locking component thereon. The hinged attachment may lead to the bending of the pin when contacting the locking component because of the predetermined arc that it must travel as a result of the hinged arrangement. In addition, the hinged arrangement allows the pin to protrude vertically when the device has fallen to the floor and may lead to injury. Furthermore, the &#39;829 patent may only be used with articles made of cloth and cannot engage solid components as disclosed in the instant invention. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,130 to Nguyen et al. discloses a complex electronic tag having visual and audible alarm systems incorporated into the tag body itself. The tag also incorporates a lanyard that is made of an electrical circuit wire that will cause an audible or visual alarm in the tag body to be activated should the lanyard be cut. The Nguyen device, however, uses a traditional independent pin having a head to attach the lanyard to an article, thereby possibly leading to work place injuries when the pin is dropped on the floor. Furthermore, the electrical components incorporated into each tag make the manufacture and use thereof cost prohibitive. 
         [0009]    The prior art does not address the need for an integrated EAS tag that is difficult to defeat and easy to use. In addition, the prior art fails to provide a theft deterrent tag assembly that incorporates the pin, a lanyard and the tag body into one unit. Therefore, 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 engagement of the article. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
         [0011]    Therefore, it is a primary objective of the invention to provide an EAS tag wherein the tag body and the pin are an integrated unit. 
         [0012]    It is another objective of the invention to provide a cost-efficient EAS tag. 
         [0013]    It is another objective of the invention to provide an EAS tag that is durable. 
         [0014]    It is a further objective of the invention to provide an EAS tag that is detachable when used with an authorized detaching unit. 
         [0015]    It is a further objective of the invention to provide an EAS tag that provides an integrated pin to reduce the chances of injury to persons stepping on the pin, as is commonly a problem with the pins utilized in the prior art. 
         [0016]    It is still a further objective of the invention to provide a theft deterrent device that can be quickly and easily secured to an article made of varying materials to prevent the unauthorized removal of the article. 
         [0017]    It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a rugged theft deterrent unit to permit the repeated reuse thereof. 
         [0018]    In keeping with the principles of the present invention, a unique EAS theft deterrent tag is disclosed wherein the pin element is integrated into the tag body via an elongated element. In integrating the pin component with the tag body, labor time and costs are reduced when removing the tag from an article being protected thereby because separate bins are not required for storing the tag body and the pin component until they are reused. In addition, labor time and costs during attachment of the tag body to an article are also reduced because the pin component is integrated therewith and a separate search for a corresponding pin is eliminated. In addition, the risk of work place injury is reduced because when the tag body falls on the floor, the pin also lays flat on the floor and should not penetrate the foot of an employee stepping thereon. Conversely, the pins illustrated in the prior art have a head on which the pin will rest and leave the shaft thereof in a vertical plane thereby increasing the risk of foot injuries. 
         [0019]    Such stated objects and advantages of the invention are only examples and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. These and other objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the invention herein will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the claims that follow. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    It is to be understood that the drawings are to be used for the purposes of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention. In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of the tag of the instant invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the tag of the instant invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tag of the instant invention showing an alternate preferred embodiment. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the tag of the instant invention taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of the tag of the instant invention showing an alternate preferred embodiment that does not incorporate electromagnetic components therein. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the tag of the instant invention taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the tag of the instant invention showing an alternate preferred embodiment where the pin is not directly attached to the lanyard. 
           [0028]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the tag of the present invention showing an alternate preferred embodiment thereof. 
           [0029]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the tag of the present invention showing an alternate preferred embodiment thereof. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0030]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 , a tag  20  is illustrated having a first half  22  and a second half  24 . First and second halves  22  and  24  are preferably made of a hard or rigid material and are adapted to attach to one another and form a front end  21  and a rear end  23 . A usable rigid or hard material might be a hard plastic such as, for purposes of illustration but not limitation, an injection molded ABS plastic. If a plastic material is used, the mating of a first side wall  26  to a second side wall  28  can be accomplished via an ultrasonic weld or like joining mechanism. However, it is to be understood that other joining methods, such as adhesives, may also be used. When first half  22  and second half  24  are securely joined, first sidewall  26  and second sidewall  28  form a peripheral outer wall of tag  20 . Second half  24  has an apex region  25  that extends therefrom in an opposing direction to first half  22  in a substantially dome shaped manner. The dome shaped apex region  25  forces tag  20  to fall onto its side such that a pin  48  (described hereinafter) is not vertically oriented and prevents injury by accidentally stepping thereon. 
         [0031]    An opening  30  is defined on first half  22  and is axially aligned with apex region  25 . Apex region  25  encloses a locking mechanism  32 . Locking mechanism  32  is not the subject of the instant invention and a detailed description thereof is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,858,280 and 3,911,534 to Martens et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, first half  22  and second half  24  enclose a resonant tag circuit  34  which is not the subject of the instant invention and a detailed description thereof is disclosed in my U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/410,486, titled “Article Surveillance Tag Having a Metal Clip,” filed on Apr. 8, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. It is to be understood that alternate resonant tag circuitry that is known in the art may also be used with the instant invention. Resonant tag circuit  34  functions with electronic article surveillance systems that are well known in the art to prevent theft and similar unauthorized removal of articles from a controlled area. 
         [0032]    An aperture  36  is defined through tag  20  to allow a lanyard  38 , preferably formed of stainless steel cable, to pass therethrough. Lanyard  38  is flexible and has a first end  40  and a second end  42 . First end  40  is inserted through aperture  36  and an anchor  44 , having a greater diameter than aperture  36 , is attached to first end  40 . Anchor  44  may be formed by crimping a metal element onto first end  40  or by soldering thereon. In addition, anchor  44  may also preferably be formed by crimp splices. Anchor  44  securely maintains lanyard  38  within tag  20 . A reinforcement wall  46 , having a preferably tubular shape, extends inwardly from top half  22  and further defines aperture  36  such that a greater pull force would be required in order to pull lanyard  38  out of tag  20  through aperture  36 . After lanyard  38  has passed through aperture  36  and anchor  44  engaged therein, first half  22  and second half  24  are sonic welded together, thereby enclosing anchor  44  therein. 
         [0033]    Second end  42  of lanyard  38  receives a pin  48  thereon in substantially axial alignment. Pin  48  has a pointed end  50  and a dull end  52 . Grooves  54  extend circumferentially along pin  48  and provide a more secure engagement when pin  48  is received within locking mechanism  32 . Dull end  52  of pin  48  is attached to second end  42  of lanyard  38  by an attaching element  56 . Attaching element  56  may be formed by crimping a metal element around dull end  52  and second end  42  or by soldering a metal element thereon, thereby permanently fixing the attaching element  56 , dull end  52  and second end  42  together. In addition, attaching element  56  may also preferably be formed by crimp splices. 
         [0034]    Now referring to  FIG. 3 , an alternate preferred embodiment of tag  20  is disclosed wherein an extension barrier  58  extends outwardly from first half  22  and substantially encircles opening  30 . Extension barrier  58  is substantially tubular and is intended to prevent access to pin  48  when it is inserted within opening  30  and received within locking mechanism  32 . 
         [0035]    Now referring to  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  7 , an alternate preferred embodiment of tag  20  is disclosed wherein the resonant tag circuit  34  is removed in order to minimize the size of tag  20 . The alternate preferred embodiment is of compact size and is attachable to small articles, such as sunglasses, in order to provide theft deterrence. 
         [0036]    Now referring to  FIG. 8 , an alternate preferred embodiment of tag  20  is disclosed wherein the aperture  36  extends is defined by front end  21  and is perpendicular to the axis of opening  30 . Now referring to  FIG. 9 , an alternate preferred embodiment of tag  20  is disclosed wherein the aperture  36  is defined by rear end  23  and is perpendicular to the axis of opening  30 . 
         [0037]    For attachment of tag  20  to articles of clothing, pointed end  50  of pin  48  passes through the article of clothing and is inserted into opening  30  and received within locking mechanism  32 . For delicate fabrics, such as lingerie or silk blouses, the lanyard attaches around a portion of the article and forms a loop around the article when pin  48  is inserted into locking mechanism  32 . Tag  20  may also be used with solid articles, such as baseball bats, wherein a loop is formed by the lanyard around the solid article (i.e. the handle of the baseball bat). 
         [0038]    While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible without departing from the essential spirit of this invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiment illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8