GB2262501A

GB2262501A - A security price or bar code label.

Info

Publication number: GB2262501A
Application number: GB9215786A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ez Gabriel Ord
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-07-25
Filing date: 1992-07-24
Publication date: 1993-06-23
Also published as: GB9215786D0; GB9116097D0

Abstract

The label includes a layer 4 of paper or similar substance on which the price of an article to be sold can be directly provided or represented by a bar code and includes a releasable dye preferably in the form of a plurality of microcapsules 3 which under normal circumstances is retained intact but which ruptures if the label is bent, eg. if it is removed from the article to be sold, thereby preventing the label being fraudulently attached to other goods. The capsules 3 are interposed between the layer 4 and a further paper layer 1 coated with adhesive 2. The label may be coated or impregnated with a clear substance which turns a highly visible colour when the label is subjected to laser light by a barcode reader. <IMAGE>

Description

SECURITY PRICE OR BARCODE LABEL The present invention relates to the prevention of fraudulent purchase of goods from stores by use of price tickets or barcode labels for low value goods which have been substituted for those on goods of high value.

It is well known that stores are using more and more technology to assist with the process of price determination and verification of goods at the checkout. In particular the use of barcodes is now so prevalent that checkout staff, already under pressure to move the goods through the checkout quickly, simply accept the price generated by the EPOS equipment used to read the barcode. Indeed the price and description are in many cases not even read when displayed by the EPOS terminal.

This lack of attention leads to the possible abuse of the system by those of a dishonest disposition in that it is possible to remove the barcode or price label from a low value item, for example a pack of C60 cassette tapes, re-enter the shop and place it over the label on a pack of high value C90 metal tapes. In the case of a simple price label the risk is quite high as the checkout operator must enter the price by hand and so must evaluate the price related to the goods. In the case of a barcode, however, the checkout operator does not normally even look at the price and description as shown by the EPOS terminal, especially if the item is simply one of several being purchased.

The particularly skilled thief is therefore able by pickling the right choice of goods to leave a store having paid less than half the amount due for the goods being purchased. If the substitution is detected then the would be thief is foiled, although it still must be accepted that it is almost impossible to prosecute the thief as he is able to claim that the wrong price ticket must have been attached by the staff in the store, nevertheless, the thief would be prevented.

Known security tickets attempt to prevent this type of crime by for example sticking so well to the goods that they cannot be removed. Others are designed to break up when removed in an attempt to prevent reuse. Both of these methods are easily foiled, however, and in particular a barcode label may be read quite successfully with a number of tears and rips in it if reconstituted carefully.

The present invention attempts to make the process of replacing new labels with old ones either so obvious that the thief would not attempt it or to make the checkout operator realise that the label has been tampered with.

The present invention therefore provides a security price or barcode label for attachment to goods to be sold including a first layer of paper, a glue/adhesive substance for glueing in use said first layer of paper to the goods characterised in that the label includes an encapsulated dye releasable on bending of said label.

The present invention also provides a method of producing a security price or barcode label including the steps of attaching to a first layer of paper an encapsulated releasable dye and attaching to said encapsulated releasable dye a layer of glue/adhesive.

The present invention further provides a security or barcode label for attachment to goods to be sold including a first layer of paper for printing with a barcode or price of the goods characterised in that the label includes a dye made visible on subjecting the label to a laser readiny process.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example of its use and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 Shows an enlarged cross section of a price or barcode label according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 Shows a barcode label according to the present invention after scanning by the EPOS system.

With reference to Fig. 1 the label on which the price or barcode is printed comprises a thin layer of paper 1 upon which an adhesive 2 is coated with the price or barcode on the opposite surface 4 to the adhesive as is now well understood.

With the new invention, however, there is in a preferred embodiment between the upper 4 and lower 1 surface a special layer of material comprising a multitude of very small globules of dye each encapsulated within its own leak proof membrane 5.

The dye is of a highly visible nature, for example black or strong red and under normal handling and printing conditions remains within the membrane. When the label is peeled off, however, the extremely high stress involved in bending the paper and the pulling action as the label is peeled from its host causes the membrane to rupture and release the dye.

The amount of dye in each pocket is carefully controlled to prevent the process from staining the goods to which it is attached but is sufficient to cause the upper surface of the label 4 to become stained. In this way the fact that the label has been removed becomes obvious to the checkout operator trained to look for labels disfigured in this manner. If the label has been damaged whilst being attached to the goods by the staff in the store or has been damaged for any other genuine reason then the checkout assistant need only check the price before entering it into the till.

The dye may be a powder dissolved in a suitable solvent such as 1, 3, 5, trimethylbenzene, l-Methylnapthene or Dioctyl Phthalate. Alternatively the system may comprise a eutectic system of biphenyl and diphenyl ether. The dye may comprise violet lactone powder.

The dye need not be present across the whole label but could for example be printed in a criss-cross pattern. This would still become visible on bending of the label and will possibly be easier to detect than a complete colour change for the whole label.

With reference to Figure 2 the label 10 is coated or impregnated with a clear substance which is particularly sensitive to the wavelength of laser light used by the barcode reader. When the barcode is passed across the checkout scanner the action of doing this causes an optical change to take place in the substance such that where the laser has impinged upon it the substance turns a highly visible colour 11 such as red or blue. The colour change does not prevent the label from being scanned again as quite often a barcode has to be scanned a number of times before the equipment can read it correctly.

The visible stripe produced, however, signifies to the checkout operator that the barcode has been scanned previously and so allow him or her to take care checking the price and description displayed by the EPOS terminal.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, in the following claims, or the accompanying drawings express in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, or a class or group of substances or composition, as appropriate may separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse form thereof.

Claims

1. A security price or barcode label for attachment to goods to be sold including a first layer of paper, a glue/adhesive substance for glueing in use said first layer of paper to the goods, characterised in that the label includes an encapsulated dye releasable on bending of said label.

2. A security price or barcode label as claimed in Claim 1 in which the encapsulated dye is contained within microcapsules.

3. A security price or bar code label as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which a second layer of paper is positioned between said first layer of paper and said glue/adhesive substance and in which the plurality of microcapsules are positioned between said first and second layers of paper.

4. A security price or bar code label as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3 in which the dye is highly visible.

5. A security price or bar code label as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the dye comprises a powder dissolved in a suitable solvent.

6. A security price or bar code label as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the microcapsules containing the dye are formed by encapsulating the dye within a leak proof membrane the membrane being of a strength to be ruptured by the action of tearing off the label once glued on to the goods.

7. A security price or bar code label as claimed in claim 4 in which the solvent is 1, 2, 3- trimethylbenzene

8. A security price or bar code label as claimed in claim 5 in which the solvent is 1- Methylnaphthalene.

9. A security price or bar code label as claimed in claim 5 in which the solvent is Dioctyl Phthalate.

10. A security price or bar code label as claimed in claim 5 comprising a eutectic system of biphenyl and diphenyl ether.

11. A security price or bar code label as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 in which the dye comprises a crystal violet lactone powder.

12. A method of producing a security price or bar code label including the steps of attaching to a first layer of paper an encapsulated releasable dye and attaching to said plurality of microcapsules a layer of glue/adhesive.

13. A method of producing a security price or bar code label as claimed in claim 12 including an intermediate step of providing a second layer of paper between said plurality of microcapsules and said layer of glue/adhesive.

14. A security price or bar code label substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of producing a security price or bar code label substantially as described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A security price or barcode label for attachment to goods to be sold including a first layer of paper for printing with a bar code or price of the goods characterised in that the label includes a dye made visible on subjecting the label to a laser reading process