GB2290525A

GB2290525A - Label with security tag

Info

Publication number: GB2290525A
Application number: GB9411200A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Barry Aldous
Original assignee: Harland Machine Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Harland Machine Systems Ltd
Priority date: 1994-06-04
Filing date: 1994-06-04
Publication date: 1996-01-03
Anticipated expiration: 2014-06-04
Also published as: GB2290525B; GB9411200D0

Abstract

A label construction has a carrier (11) which supports multiple label sheets (12). The carrier (11) is cut in the region of each label sheet (12) such that a carrier portion (13) is separable from the remainder of the carrier material (11). The carrier portion (13) has a security tag (14) attached to it during formation of the label construction, during printing of the label sheets (12) prior to application or during application of the label sheet (12) to an article (16). When the label sheet (12) is separated from the carrier (11) except in the region of the carrier portion (13) and applied to the article (16), the security tag (14) and carrier portion (13) are concealed between the label sheet (12) and a surface of the article (16). <IMAGE>

Description

A METHOD OF FORMING A LABEL CONSTRUCTION This invention relates to a method of forming a label construction and more particularly to a method of forming such a construction having a concealed security tag to enable electronic article surveillance (EAS) to be undertaken.

Commonly, at the present time, goods for sale in retail outlets an shops have security tags attached to them so that if an attempt is made to remove the goods from the shop without making payment, an audible alarm is triggered by the tag via a detection system placed at the exit from the store. Security tags can be applied to the goods by the retailer or manufacturer of the articles. The present invention is concerned primarily with the latter, known as source tagging, although it is thought that it may be possible to adapt the method such that the part or all thereof can be performed by the retailer.

Many goods, such as luxury goods, bear decorated labels, e.g. wine, spirits, toiletries and cosmetic products and it is considered advantageous that the security tag should be concealed by the label.

Methods have been proposed previously which allow the attachment of a security tag to goods before subsequent application of a label to the goods which conceals the security tag. Problems have arisen with these prior proposed methods insofar as it may not be possible to allow for the goods to be correctly oriented at the stage in the production process where the tag can be applied to ensure consistent and accurate concealment of the tag by the label.

The present applicants have realised that consistent orientation can be guaranteed at the time when the label is applied to the goods.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of forming a label construction to which a security tag can be attached whereby on subsequent application of the label to an article consistent and accurate placement of the label and concealment of the tag by the label can be guaranteed.

According to a first aspect of the present invention therefore there is provided a method of forming a label construction comprising forming a label sheet removably mounted on a carrier, rendering separable from a remainder of said carrier in the region of said label sheet, a portion of said carrier for attachment of a security tag thereto whereby on application of said label sheet to an article, said carrier portion is interposed between said label sheet and a surface of said article.

With this arrangement it is possible to form a label construction with which a security tag can be applied to an article at the same time as application of the label sheet to the article in a particularly easy and convenient manner. Furthermore, the arrangement of the invention enables the security tag to be concealed by the label sheet.

Preferably said rendering separable of each carrier portion is achieved by severing a portion of said carrier so as to be wholly separated from the remainder thereof.

Preferably the security tag can be attached to the carrier portion during the formation of the label construction, during printing of the label sheets prior to application or during application of the label sheets to the article. In all cases the security tag is attached to the carrier portion prior to application of the label sheet to an article such that the tag is applied to the article at the same time as the label sheet is applied, thereby guaranteeing consistent orientation of the article on application and therefore consistent placement of the label and concealment of the tag.

Preferably a plurality of label sheets are provided on a continuous length of carrier material and such continuous length may be in the form of a reel.

According to a second aspect of the present invention therefore there is provided a label construction comprising a label sheet removably mounted on a carrier, wherein a portion of said carrier in the region of said label sheet is separable from a remainder of said carrier for attachment of a security tag thereto whereby on application of said label sheet to an article, said carrier portion is interposed between said label sheet and a surface of said article.

The second aspect of the invention may embody some or all of the features of the first aspect.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a label construction formed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of one stage of application of a label of Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a continuous reel of carrier material 11 upon which are removably mounted multiple label sheets 12.

The carrier 11 is cut in the region of each label sheet 12 such that a carrier portion 13 is separable from the remainder of the carrier material 11 for a purpose to be described hereinafter. The carrier portion 13 is intended to have a security tag 14 (see Fig. 2) attached thereto during the formation of the label construction, during printing of the label sheets prior to application or during application of the label sheet 12 to the article 16 (Fig. 2). Thus a security tag 14 can be attached to each label sheet either on the labelling machine, label sheet printing machine, label sheet application machine or any other machine as an intermediate step in the process. The only requirement in this respect is that the security tag 14 is attached to the carrier portion 1 3 in time to be applied to the article 16 at the same time as the label sheet 12 is applied thereto.

Fig. 2 shows the application of a label construction of the present invention to articles. As can be seen, the label sheet 12 is separated from the carrier 11 by drawing the construction around the end of a plate 17.

Drawing of the construction around the end of the plate 17 separates the label sheet 12 from the carrier 11 for application to an article 16. In the present invention the action of drawing the construction around the plate 17 separates the label sheet 12 from the carrier 11 except in the region of carrier portion 13 which remains attached to the sheet 12. The carrier portion 13 has a security tag 14 attached thereto. Thus, as can be seen from Fig. 2, when the label sheet 12 is attached to an article 16, the security tag 14 and carrier portion 13 are concealed interposed between the label sheet 12 and a surface of the article 16.

Thus it will be appreciated that the present invention enables security tags to be attached to articles in such a manner as to occupy a concealed position in a particularly convenient and efficient manner. Furthermore, the application of the tag at the same time as the label sheet ensures consistent placement of the tag on the article.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are described by way of example only.

Claims

1. A method of forming a label construction comprising forming a label sheet removably mounted on a carrier, rendering separable from a remainder of said carrier in the region of said label sheet, a portion of said carrier for attachment of a security tag thereto whereby on application of said label sheet to an article, said carrier portion is interposed between said label sheet and a surface of said article.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein each carrier portion is achieved by severing a portion of said carrier so as to be wholly separated from the remainder thereof.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the security tag is attached to the carrier portion during formation of the label construction, during printing of the label sheets prior to application of the label sheets to the article.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the security tag is attached to the carrier portion prior to application of the label sheet to an article such that the tag is applied to the article at the same time as the label sheet is applied.

5. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein a plurality of label sheets are provided on a continuous length of carrier material.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein said continuous length is in the form of a reel.

7. A label constructions comprising a label sheet removably mounted on a carrier, wherein a portion of said carrier in the region of said label sheet is separable from a remainder of said carrier for attachment of a security tag thereto whereby on application of said label sheet to an article, said carrier portion is interposed between said label sheet and a surface of said article.

8. A label construction formed in accordance with the method of any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A method of forming a label construction substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A label construction substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.