GB2603111A

GB2603111A - Anti-Wardrobing Article

Info

Publication number: GB2603111A
Application number: GB2100189.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Napthine Tom
Original assignee: Sekura Global LLP
Current assignee: Sekura Global IP LLP
Priority date: 2021-01-07
Filing date: 2021-01-07
Publication date: 2022-08-03
Also published as: GB2603111A8; GB202100189D0

Abstract

An anti-wardrobing device 10 for use in a retail environment comprises an elongate flexible strip of material. The strip is passed through an aperture in an item of clothing 2 and the ends of the strip adhered together to form a complete loop through the garment which cannot be removed without cutting the loop.

Description

Anti-Wardrobing Article

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to anti-wardrobing tags or articles for use in a retail environment.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The term wardrobing refers to the actions of purchasing an item, using the item, and then returning the item to the retail store for a refund.

This most commonly occurs with clothing, and in particular expensive clothing, but can also occur with other items such as accessories, electronic equipment, tools and decorations.

To prevent wardrobing it is known to attach a security tag to the item, which must still be attached to the item in order for the item to be returnable for a refund. The security tag will typically be attached to the item in an obvious or conspicuous place so as to deter or prevent use of the item without the tag being visible.

The anti-wardrobing security tag is removable by the customer at home, should they decide to keep the item. The design of an anti-wardrobing security tag is, however, such that the tag cannot be re-attached to the item in its original condition. This prevents a user removing the security tag, wearing the item and then re-attaching the security tag to return the item. One way to achieve this is to permanently break or disable a part of the security tag upon removal. Anti-wardrobing tags are, therefore, single use.

Many anti-wardrobing tags used for clothing currently comprise at least two -2 -components connected by a pin. These existing tags are designed such that the pin pierces the fabric of a part of the item of clothing. The tag can, however, be easily removed by the customer by cutting or breaking a part of the tag. A disadvantage of these tags is that they are relatively expensive. The use of a pin may also damage the fabric to which it is attached.

As anti-wardrobing tags are single use, it is desirable to reduce the cost of the tag as much as possible, as well as minimising the amount of material in the tag that must be disposed of. The anti-wardrobing tag must, however, remain conspicuous whilst it is attached to the item of clothing and must still be easy to remove by the purchaser of the clothing.

Against this background it is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved anti-wardrobing tag or article that is low cost, single use, and easy to attach and 15 remove from an item.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the present invention provides an assembly comprising: an item having an internal region; and an anti-wardrobing article comprising an elongate flexible strip of material formed as a complete loop around a part of the item such that a first part of the loop is disposed within the internal region and a second part of the loop is disposed externally to the item.

Preferably the strip of material comprises opposite first and second surfaces. The strip of material may comprise paper or polymer.

Preferably a length of the strip of material, between first and second ends, is more than 20 times the width of the strip or material, between first and second side edges.

More preferably the length of the strip of material is more than 40 times the width of the strip or material. -3 -

The first and second ends of the strip of material are preferably adhered together to form the complete loop.

The item is preferably an item of clothing. In some embodiments the item of clothing comprises a jacket and the strip of material extends through an inside of a main body portion of the jacket, through an inside of a sleeve of the jacket, and external to the jacket between an end of the sleeve and an edge of the main body of the jacket. In other embodiments the item of clothing comprises trousers, and the strip of material extends through an inside of one leg of the trousers and external to the trousers between an upper edge of the trousers and a lower edge of the leg of the trousers. In further embodiments the item of clothing comprises a skirt, and the first part of the loop is disposed on an inside of the skirt and a second part of the loop is disposed on an outside of the skirt.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of attaching an antiwardrobing article to an item comprising: threading an elongate flexible strip of material through a part of said item; and adhering a second end of the strip of material to a first end of the strip of material to form a complete loop, a first part of the loop being disposed in an internal region of the item and a second part of the loop being disposed externally to the item.

Preferably the strip of material comprises opposite first and second surfaces, and the method preferably comprises adhering a pad of the second surface at the second end of the strip of material to a part of the first surface at the first end of the strip of material. The strip of material may comprise paper or polymer.

The item is preferably an item of clothing.

Preferred and/or optional features of each aspect and embodiment described above -4 -may also be used, alone or in appropriate combination, in the other aspects and embodiments also.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of an anti-wardrobing article attached to a jacket; and Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the anti-wardrobing article of Figure 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An anti-wardrobing tag or article 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

The anti-wardrobing article 10 comprises an elongate flexible strip or band of material 12 extending between opposite first and second ends. The strip 12 is preferably flat and relatively narrow. The strip has opposite first and second surfaces 14, 16, and opposite first and second side edges 18, 20. An aspect ratio of the elongate strip 12 is high, with the length of the elongate strip 12 being significantly greater than a width or thickness of the elongate strip 12. The length of the elongate strip 12, between the first and second ends, is preferably more than twenty times the width of the elongate strip 12, between the first and second side edges 18, 20. More preferably the length of the elongate strip 12 is more than thirty times the width of the elongate strip 12, and most preferably the length of the elongate strip 12 is more than forty times the width of the elongate strip 12.

The thickness of the strip of material 12 is preferably such that the strip 12 is flexible, allowing the strip 12 to be formed into a loop as described below. -5 -

The strip of material 12 may be made from any suitable material but is preferably made from a material comprising paper or polymer. In particularly preferred embodiments the material is difficult to tear, but easy to cut with a knife or with a pair of scissors. The material may comprise a non-woven high density polyethylene material, such as Tyvek (RIM).

A layer of adhesive is preferably provided on a first end region of the first surface at the first end of the strip of material 12. Before use, a removable cover layer may be provided over the first end region and the layer of adhesive.

In this embodiment the anti-wardrobing article is engaged with an item of clothing 2. To secure the anti-wardrobing article to an item of clothing 2 the strip of material 12 is threaded through a part of the item of clothing 2. A second end region of the second surface at the second end of the strip 12 is then adhered to the first end region of the first surface at the first end of the strip of material, to form a complete loop. It will be appreciated that the removable cover layer, if provided, is removed to expose the layer of adhesive before the second end region of the strip is pressed into contact with the adhesive and the first end region of the strip. The first and second end regions together define an overlapped region 22 of the loop of the anti-wardrobing article.

After the anti-wardrobing article 10 has been attached to the item of clothing 2, the item of clothing 2 may be displayed in a retail store for purchase by a customer. The anti-wardrobing article 10 is preferably attached in a visible and prominent position on the item of clothing 2 so that the customer cannot wear the item with the antiwardrobing article 10 attached without the anti-wardrobing article 10 being visible and obvious. Preferably, however, the anti-wardrobing article 10 is attached to the item of clothing 2 in such a way that the item of clothing 2 can still be tried on by the customer.

The loop that is formed by the strip of material 12 preferably includes a first part or -6 -first portion 24 that extends through an internal region or inside of the item of clothing 2, and a second part or second region 26 that is external to the item of clothing 2. The second part 26 of the anti-wardrobing article 10 preferably remains clearly visible when the item of clothing 2 is being worn. The disposition of the loop through the item of clothing 2 may also restrict the movement of one part of the item of clothing 2 relative to a second part of the item of clothing 2. Again this acts to deter a customer from wearing the item of clothing 2 after purchase with the antiwardrobing article 10 still attached. As mentioned above, however, the disposition of the article 10 is preferably such that a user can try on the item of clothing 2.

In one example the item of clothing 2 is a jacket. To attach the anti-wardrobing article 10 to the jacket the strip of material 12 is threaded through the inside of the main body 4 of the jacket and through one of the sleeves 6 of the jacket, as illustrated in Figure 1. The ends of the strip of material 12 are then joined together to form a complete loop. A part of the loop is external to the jacket and extends between a lower edge of the sleeve 6 and an edge of the main body 4 of the jacket.

With the anti-wardrobing article 10 attached in this way it will be appreciated that movement of the sleeve 6, through which the loop extends, relative to the main body 4 of the jacket may be limited. It is still possible, however, for a customer to try on the jacket as it remains possible for a customer to insert his or her arm through the sleeve 6.

It will be appreciated that the anti-wardrobing article 10 may be secured in a similar manner to coats, shirts, jumpers, blouses, cardigans and other tops.

In a further example, the item of clothing 2 is a skirt. To attach the anti-wardrobing article 10 to the skirt the strip of material 12 is threaded through the inside of the skirt such that the ends of the strip of material 12 extend from upper and lower edges of the skirt. The ends can then be joined together to form a loop that extends through the inside of the skirt and external to the skirt between the upper and lower edges. -7 -

The part of the loop that is external to the skirt remains visible thereby deterring a customer from wearing the skirt after purchase and before returning it for a refund. The disposition of the loop, however, does not prevent a customer from trying on the skirt. The anti-wardrobing article 10 may be secured in a similar manner to dresses, with the strip of material 12 extending through the inside of the dress and a first end of the strip extending from a lower edge of the dress and a second end of the strip extending from a top neck region of the dress or from an arm hole or sleeve of the dress.

In another example the item of clothing 2 is a pair of trousers. To attach the anti-wardrobing article 10 to the trousers the strip of material 12 is threaded through one leg of the pair of trousers, such that a first end of the strip 12 extends from the waistband of the trousers and a second end of the strip 12 extends from a lower edge of the leg of the trousers. The ends can then be joined together to form a loop that extends through the inside of the leg of the trousers and external to the trousers between the waistband and the lower edge of the leg. The anti-wardrobing article 10 may be secured in a similar manner to shorts, dungarees and the like.

After purchase of the item of clothing 2, the customer takes the item of clothing 2 home with the anti-wardrobing article 10 remaining attached to the item of clothing 2. If the customer wishes to return the item of clothing 2, for example for a refund, the retail store may insist that the anti-wardrobing article 10 is still attached to the item. Once the customer has decided to keep the item, the customer can remove the anti-wardrobing article 10 themselves.

The strength of the adhesion between the first and second ends of the strip of material 12 is preferably such that these ends cannot easily be separated. Once the loop has been formed around the item of clothing 2 and the first and second ends adhered, the loop must be torn or cut to disengage and remove the anti-wardrobing article 10 from the item of clothing 2.

In this way the anti-wardrobing article 10 is single use and cannot be re-secured to -8 -the item of clothing 2 in its original state once it has been removed. This prevents a customer temporarily removing the anti-wardrobing article 10 and then reattaching it, for example after wearing the item of clothing 2, for subsequent return of the item of clothing 2 for a refund.

To prevent the strip of material 12 being torn accidentally, for example when a customer is trying on the item of clothing 2, the strip of material 12 may be made from a material that is difficult to tear, but may be easily cut by a knife or scissors. The strip of material 12 may therefore be made from a suitable polymeric material.

As the anti-wardrobing article 10 is single use it is desirable if the material from which the anti-wardrobing article 10 is made is recyclable. The anti-wardrobing article 10 may therefore be made from a suitable paper-based material, a biodegradable material, or a recyclable polymeric material.

The anti-wardrobing article 10 of the present invention is particularly suited to the purchase of clothing from online retailers. This clothing is purchased online and then delivered directly to the customer, rather than being purchased from a shop. The anti-wardrobing article 10 of the present invention may be used to prevent a customer purchasing an item of clothing online, wearing the item of clothing and then returning the item of clothing for a refund. The use of currently available antiwardrobing tags including a pin may not be suited to online retail and delivery of clothing, where the pin may be a safety concern.

Furthermore, the use of current anti-wardrobing tags typically involves piercing the clothing with a pin or similar, or gripping a part of the edge of the fabric. This may be undesirable for expensive items of clothing and items of clothing made from delicate fabrics, which may be easily damaged or misshapen. The anti-wardrobing article 10 of the present invention does not grip or pierce the fabric and, therefore, minimises the risk of damage to the fabric.

Although in the above embodiment the layer of adhesive was provided on a first end -9 -region of the first surface at the first end of the strip of material 12, in other embodiments the layer of adhesive may be provided on both the first end region of the first surface at the first end of the strip of material and the second end region of the second surface at the second end of the strip of material.

In yet further embodiments the strip of material 12 may not be provided with a layer of adhesive. In these embodiments the first and second ends of the strip of material may be joined together using other means, such as heat welding or by a single-use fastener.

Although in the above embodiments the anti-wardrobing article was engaged with an item of clothing, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments the antiwardrobing article may be engaged with other types of items in a retail environment. The anti-wardrobing article may, for example, be engaged with an item of footwear, a bag, a purse, a wallet, or swimwear. Importantly, the anti-wardrobing article is engaged with the item such that a first part of the loop of the anti-wardrobing article is disposed within an internal region of the item and a second part of the loop of the anti-wardrobing article is disposed externally to the item. Furthermore, the loop of the anti-wardrobing article is disposed around a part of the item such that the anti-wardrobing article cannot be removed from the item without tearing, cutting or otherwise breaking or disabling the anti-wardrobing article.

In one particular example the loop of the anti-wardrobing article may be wrapped around a part of a sandal. A first part of the loop may extend through an internal part of the sandal and the strip of material may extend through a toe hole of the sandal,

for example.

The present invention therefore provides an improved anti-wardrobing article that is low cost, single use, and easy to attach and remove from an item. Furthermore, the anti-wardrobing article does not pierce or grip the item to which it is attached, thereby decreasing the likelihood of damage to the item.

-10 -Other modifications and variations not explicitly disclosed above may also be contemplated without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An assembly comprising: an item having an internal region; and an anti-wardrobing article comprising an elongate flexible strip of material formed as a complete loop around a part of the item such that a first part of the loop is disposed within the internal region and a second part of the loop is disposed externally to the item.
2. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the strip of material comprises opposite first and second surfaces.
3. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the strip of material comprises paper or polymer.
4. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a length of the strip of material, between first and second ends, is more than 20 times the width of the strip or material, between first and second side edges.
5. An assembly as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the length of the strip of material is more than 40 times the width of the strip or material.
6. An assembly as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein the first and second ends of the strip of material are adhered together to form the complete loop.
7. An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the item is an item of clothing.
8. An assembly as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the item of clothing comprises a jacket and the strip of material extends through an inside of a main body portion of the jacket, through an inside of a sleeve of the jacket, and external to the jacket between an end of the sleeve and an edge of the main body of the jacket.
9. An assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the item of clothing comprises trousers, and the strip of material extends through an inside of one leg of the trousers and external to the trousers between an upper edge of the trousers and a lower edge of the leg of the trousers.
10. An assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the item of clothing comprises a skirt, and the first part of the loop is disposed on an inside of the skirt and a second part of the loop is disposed on an outside of the skirt.
11. A method of attaching an anti-wardrobing article to an item comprising: threading an elongate flexible strip of material through a part of said item; and adhering a second end of the strip of material to a first end of the strip of material to form a complete loop, a first part of the loop being disposed in an internal region of the item and a second part of the loop being disposed externally to the item.
12. A method as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the strip of material comprises opposite first and second surfaces, and the method comprises adhering a part of the second surface at the second end of the strip of material to a part of the first surface at the first end of the strip of material.
13. A method as claimed in Claim 11 or Claim 12, wherein the strip of material comprises paper or polymer.
14. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 13, wherein the item is an item of clothing.