JP2006078980A - String-held member and method for managing article - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a string-held member capable of disposing an RFID tag in the vicinity of an article tag 2, without changing specifications of the tag 2 currently used, which is called a "brand tag", when making the RFID tag accompany the article. <P>SOLUTION: The string-held member is disposed halfway along a string-like piece 3 which hangs the tag 2 to be attached to the article. An IC chip is inserted in a through-hole provided on a board, and electrically conductive wire rods are wound around the edge of the outer circumference of the board as an antenna. The RFID tag is embedded in a circle of 25 mm diameter or smaller. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a thread stopper member disposed in the middle of a thread-like body that hangs a display tag on a product, and more specifically, has an RFID tag embedded therein and has information about the product. The present invention relates to a thread fixing member capable of data communication and a product management method.

  In recent years, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags have been reduced in size and price, and attempts have been made to improve data management in logistics by performing data communication without contact. This RFID tag is also called a wireless IC tag, and consists of an IC (integrated circuit) chip and an antenna. Depending on the application and installation location, “label type”, “card type”, “box type”, “stick type” (rod type), “ It is formed in various shapes such as “cylindrical type” and “disc type”.

  Unlike bar codes, data can be input and output in a non-contact manner regardless of the direction in which radio waves can reach, so there is an advantage in that the labor of reading can be saved and large capacity Therefore, there is an advantage that not only the price but also a large amount of information can be held, and not only the price but also the history and other information can be recorded.

  In this RFID tag, the IC chip itself is 3 mm square or less, but an antenna portion in which a conductive wire is formed in a coil shape is necessary, and various shapes from a match stick size to a business card size are considered.

  In retail stores and the like, by attaching an RFID tag that records price information to a product, the RFID tag in the shopping basket is read at the time of checkout settlement to improve the efficiency of the cash register operation. In particular, when a multi-access type RFID tag is used, it can be read at the same time and the speed can be significantly increased. It is also very useful for automating inventory inventory.

  Therefore, in merchandise management, as shown in FIG. 10, it has been proposed to attach an IC chip to a display tag 2 that displays a merchandise name, size, price, and the like. The display tag 2 is suspended from a product by a filament 3 that forms a loop of a filament (or a thread or string) 3c by the engagement of the engagement male part 3a and the engagement female part 3b.

  One of these is printing an antenna pattern on the corner of a rectangular label substrate, attaching it to this antenna pattern terminal, and attaching a non-contact IC tag (RFID tag) to the memory of the non-contact IC tag. There has been proposed a label in which all or part of the same information as the recorded information is displayed on a visible display portion on the surface of the label main body substrate using characters, barcodes or the like. In this label, information can be recognized even when there is no reader / writer by this configuration, and inconvenience of reading and inconsistency of information are eliminated (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a price tag has been proposed in which price information and store information at a retail site can be input by rewriting product information inside the IC in a price tag with a built-in IC. In consideration of reusability, the price tag is preferably configured such that the IC chip portion can be separated from the price tag display portion, and is attached to the product mainly by adhesion (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  Further, as a price tag for displaying the price of a product and attaching it to the product, a price tag provided inside is proposed so that the RFID tag cannot be visually recognized from the outside (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

  However, in the apparel (clothing manufacturing industry), this display tag is often obtained by the customer, and when it is obtained, there is often a case where a purchase mind is generated. For this reason, display tags to be attached to high-end products are usually created with great care in terms of design, so-called design tags, and are not limited to visual impressions. Impression is also important. Therefore, it is created using very fine nerves not only for shape, size and thickness but also for paper quality.

  Therefore, there is a remarkable resistance to changing the shape and texture of the display tag. For this reason, attaching an IC chip to a part of the backside of the display tag is disliked from the viewpoint of appearance. Further, as a sub-optimal measure, when it is attached to the entire back side of the display tag, the thickness is increased, and the IC chip portion and the coil portion have a change in thickness.

  On the other hand, the display tag is also a means for sale. The shape and size of each tag differs depending on the type of product, and it is very difficult to adjust the size of the RFID tag accordingly. There is a need to prepare RFID tags of various shapes, and there is a problem that not only manufacturing but also inventory management becomes complicated.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to suspend the strip 5 containing the RFID tag having a long and narrow strip shape together with the conventional display tag 2 as shown in FIG. The RFID tag built-in strip 5 is formed in a strip-shaped plate by covering an IC chip, which is a circuit board made of IC and electronic components, with a resin case. And the coil used as an antenna part is wound and formed along this strip-shaped side.

  However, from the standpoint of product display, attaching a strip with a built-in RFID tag, which has not been used in the past, causes a problem that the matching with the design of the display tag is disturbed and the appearance is deteriorated, and the trouble of mounting is caused.

  On the other hand, in the apparel industry, the appearance of the hanging thread and string is improved when hanging the display tag in relatively high-grade items such as heavy clothing such as suits, jackets, and coats. In order to adjust the length of the thread and string, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the thread for hanging the display tag 2 on the thread stopper 4 of various designs such as a circle and a rectangle displaying the brand It is arranged in the middle of the thread-like body 3 such as a string.

  This thread fixing member is a generic term called “metal” in the apparel industry and the like. This thread stopper is an accessory for enhancing the brand image, and a brand display member for producing a high-class feeling such as a thread or string for attaching a brand tag (display tag) to a product is also a commercial product.

  In the past, metal frames made of stamped molds were the mainstream and many brand marks were expressed on the inside, but recently plastic materials have become overwhelmingly large. In the case of plastic, it may be called “plastic metal” to distinguish it from metal “metal”.

  As for the brand mark, the brand mark itself may be formed by a die-cut molding that has been designed, but since the cost of the mold etc. is expensive, recently, a paper to which a sticker or the like on which the brand mark is printed is attached. The tension is increasing.

  This thread-fastening member is significantly smaller than the display tag, and usually many of them are contained in a circle having an outer diameter of about 25 mmφ. For this reason, the thread fixing member is often not used for products that are remarkably small in size and cheaper than display tags, and thus have been excluded from the FRID tag placement targets.

However, the thickness of the thread fixing member is normally about 6 mm to 3 mm, which is considerably thicker than that of the display tag. In addition, the thread fixing member is usually formed of a synthetic resin and has a recess for embedding the FRID tag. Since it is easy to form, if the FRID tag can be made small and can be formed to a thickness that does not impair the design of the brand display member, it is considered that the FRID tag will be placed.
JP-A-2002-123805 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-84669 JP-A-2002-133518

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems by obtaining the above knowledge, and its purpose is to display a label currently used as a brand tag when a product is accompanied by a FRID tag. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thread stopper that can place an RFID tag in the vicinity of a product display tag without changing the specifications.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a product management method that can perform data management by inputting and outputting RFID tags without deteriorating the appearance of the product.

  The above-described thread stopper member for achieving the above object is an RFID tag formed by placing it in a circle having a size of 25 mmφ or less in a thread stopper member disposed in the middle of a thread-like body for hanging a display tag attached to a product. It is composed by embedding.

  This thread fixing member is an accessory for enhancing the brand image, and is generally called “metal” or “plastic metal” in the apparel industry. This thread stopper is used to improve the appearance of the hanging thread and string when hanging the display tag, and to adjust the length of the thread and string. It is intended to produce a high-class feeling such as a thread or string for attaching a brand, and a brand display member is also a commercial product. And it forms with various designs, such as a circle and a rectangle which displayed a brand, and is arranged in the middle of string-like objects, such as a thread and a string which hangs a display tag. In the present invention, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the one that displays the brand, and the starting point of the loop formed by the filament that is disposed between the display tag and the product of the hanging filament that connects the display tag and the product. Any member may be used as long as the two filaments are fixed in proximity to each other.

  This thread fixing member has a small outer shape and is usually hesitant to place the RFID tag due to the size of the RFID tag, but in the present invention, the size of the RFID tag is reduced to 25 mmφ or less by reducing the antenna portion. Preferably, it arrange | positions below 18 mmphi. Preferably, the thickness is 2 mm or less.

  The thread fixing member itself is manufactured using a common mold, an RFID tag is embedded in the concave portion of the brand display member, and a brand-designed paper (seal) for each company is stretched over the RFID tag. A built-in thread stopper.

  In the above-described thread fixing member, when the RFID tag is formed by fitting an IC chip into a through hole provided in a substrate and winding a conductive wire serving as an antenna around an outer peripheral side end surface of the substrate, the RFID tag Can be made thinner. That is, unlike the prior art, since the IC chip and the antenna portion are not arranged on the substrate, the thickness of the RFID tag can be set to the thickness of the IC chip or the thickness of the conductive wire serving as the antenna.

  Normally, a laminate film made of a synthetic resin is attached to both surfaces to fix and protect the IC chip, the antenna portion, and the substrate.

  In addition, a product management method for achieving the above-described object is a thread-like body that suspends a display tag attached to a product with a thread stopper member embedded with an RFID tag formed in a circle having a size of 25 mmφ or less. The product with the thread fixing member attached thereto is managed by inputting / outputting the data by interlocking the contents of the RIFD tag and the display tag.

  According to the thread fixing member according to the present invention, since the thickness thereof is conventionally 2 mm or more, an increase in thickness can be suppressed even if an RFID tag is incorporated, and the increase in thickness is compared with a display tag or the like. Since it is a member which is hard to be worried about, the problem that appearance deteriorates does not arise.

  Even if the RFID tag is somewhat thick or slightly different from the shape of the thread stopper, the conventional thread stopper is relatively large and can incorporate an RFID tag of 25 mmφ (preferably 18 mmφ) or less. Many. Therefore, there is no need to prepare RFID tags having various shapes and sizes, and RFID tag manufacturing management, inventory management, and the like can be simplified.

  And when the RFID tag is fitted into the through hole provided in the substrate with the IC chip and the antenna portion is formed by winding the conductive wire material serving as the antenna around the outer peripheral side end surface, the thickness of the RFID tag can be reduced, Unevenness can be almost eliminated. In addition, it is not necessary to bond the IC chip or the antenna part to the substrate, so that labor can be saved. Further, even if pressed, it can resist the pressing force with the substrate, and is not easily damaged.

  In addition, according to the product management method of the present invention, since the RFID tag is provided on a portion to be attached to a thread or the like, the RFID tag is attached to the product without changing the specifications of the currently used display tag called a design tag. A tag can be accompanied, and merchandise management using input / output of RFID tag data can be performed.

  Hereinafter, a brand display member according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the thread stopper 4 is a member that displays a brand placed in the middle of a thread or string 3 such as a thread or string that suspends a display tag 2 attached to a product. As shown, the thread fixing member 4 is configured by embedding a FRIC tag 4b in a base portion 4a and attaching a seal 4c indicating a brand from the top. In FIG. 6, the thread-like body 3 is formed in a loop shape, but in FIG. 7, an engagement male part 3 a and an engagement female part 3 b are respectively provided at the tips of the two thread-like bodies 3. To form a loop.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the FRIC tag 4 b is formed to include a substrate 41, an IC chip 42, a coil copper wire (conductive wire) 43 serving as an antenna portion, and a protective seal 44. . The size is 25 mmφ or less, preferably 18 mmφ or less, for example, 16 mmφ.

  The substrate 41 has a thickness of about 25 mmφ to 10 mmφ and a thickness of about 2 mm to 1 mm, and is formed with a thickness that maintains a certain flat state with a synthetic resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, or vinyl chloride, or paper, and is substantially in the center. Through holes are provided, and the IC chip 42 is fitted.

  The IC chip 42 has a size of 3 mm square or less and a thickness of 1 mm or less, and includes a storage circuit that stores items necessary for article management such as product numbers and physical distribution, a circuit that receives energy from an antenna unit, a transmission / reception circuit, and the like. , Input / output and storage of various data.

  In addition, the coil copper wire 43 is formed by being wound around the outer peripheral side end face of the substrate 41 and becomes an antenna portion. The range in which data communication can be performed is determined by the size of the coil of the antenna unit. However, if the outer diameter is about 20 mmφ, the range in which data communication can be performed is expanded to about 10 to 20 cm. Within this range, there is no problem in obtaining product information at a cash register or the like, or obtaining product information in a contactless manner at the time of product display.

  The protective seal 44 is formed of a laminated film made of synthetic resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and vinyl chloride. As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate 41, the IC chip 42, and coil copper serving as an antenna portion are formed. Affixed to both sides of the disk made of wire 43 to secure and protect them.

  With the configuration of the FRIC tag 4b, the thickness can be set to the thickness of the IC chip 42 or the thickness of the coil copper wire 43 serving as an antenna. In addition, since it is not necessary to bond the IC chip 42 and the antenna portion 43 to the substrate 41, labor can be saved.

  Further, since the thickness of the substrate 41 is set to the thickness of the IC chip 42 and the thickness of the antenna portion formed by the coil copper wire 43 is also set to be equal to or less than the thickness of the substrate 41, the unevenness is almost eliminated. As well as being preserved, the texture does not feel uneven. In particular, the planarity can be further improved by arranging the conductive wire 43a for connecting the IC chip 42 and the antenna in the recess 41a provided in the substrate 41.

  In addition, according to this configuration, it is not necessary to bond the IC chip 42 and the antenna portion 43 to the substrate 1, so that labor can be saved.

  Further, the shape of the substrate 41 and the shape of the FRID tag 4b are usually formed in a circular shape in plan view, and this is applied to the thread fixing member 4 having various shapes. As a result, it is not necessary to prepare RFID tags having various shapes and sizes, and RFID tag manufacturing management, inventory management, and the like can be simplified.

  However, the shape of the substrate 41 and the shape of the FRID tag 4b are not necessarily limited to a circle, and may be an ellipse, a square, a rectangle, a polygon, and other shapes. It can also be formed according to the shape of the member 4.

  As a configuration different from the configuration of the FRIC tag 4b, there is a configuration using an antenna pattern in which a metal foil such as aluminum is formed by photo etching or etching after resist printing. Alternatively, the conductive ink may be used for printing by offset, gravure, silk screen printing, or the like. In this case, the trouble of winding the coil copper wire 43 can be omitted, but since the antenna pattern is formed on the surface of the disk, there is a risk of disconnection or the like by pressing.

  The thread fixing member 4 can be formed not only in a circular shape as shown in FIGS. 1, 6, and 7, but also in a rectangular shape or an octagonal shape as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. It can be formed in various shapes such as an ellipse, a square, and a polygon. And it is large and is formed to have a thickness of about 25 mmφ and a thickness of about 5 mm.

  Then, the thread fixing member 4 is fixed to the thread-like body 3 for suspending the display tag 2. The thread-fastening member 4 is molded while the thread-like body 3 is fixed, or the thread fastening member 4 after the molding is opened, After the thread-like body 3 is hung on the part, the thread-fastening member 4 is closed and the thread-like body 3 is fixed.

  When the product is subjected to a cash register operation at the cash register, a radio wave having a predetermined frequency is irradiated from the data reader provided at the cash register to the antenna portion 43 of the RFID tag 4b of the thread fixing member 4. The resonance circuit resonates with the radio wave and absorbs the energy to generate power electricity. On the other hand, the IC chip 42 inputs and outputs data to and from the storage unit based on information obtained from radio waves. Data input to the IC chip 42 from the data reader enters the storage unit and is stored. Data requested by information from the radio wave enters the transmission unit from the storage unit and is transmitted to the outside. The transmitted data is received by the data reader, and the data on the RFID tag 4b side is input to the cashier side. If necessary, data is transmitted from the data writer on the cash register side, and data indicating that the cash register operation has been performed is input to the RFID tag 4b side.

  In inventory management such as inventory, when the data reader is brought close to the thread fixing member 4 during inventory work, the data on the RFID tag 4b side is input to the data reader as in the cash register operation. If necessary, data is transmitted from the data writer, and data indicating that the inventory work has been performed is input to the RFID tag 4b side.

  Therefore, the above-described merchandise management method allows the RFID tag 4b to accompany the merchandise without changing the specifications of the currently used display tag 2 called a design tag, and the RFID tag 4b and the display tag 3 The product management using the input and output of the data can be performed in conjunction with the contents of the.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the thread fixing member of embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the RFID tag of embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the RFID tag of FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the RFID tag in FIG. 3. It is the elements on larger scale which show the state which stuck the protective seal on both surfaces. It is a figure which shows the state of a thread fixing member, a display tag, and a filamentous body. It is another figure which shows the state of a thread fixing member, a display tag, and a filamentous body. It is a figure which shows the rectangular thread fixing member. It is a figure which shows the octagon-shaped thread fixing member. It is a figure which shows the filamentous body and display tag of a prior art. It is a figure which shows the other filamentous body and display tag of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

2 Display Tag 3 Threaded Body 4 Thread Stopping Member 4a Base 4b FRIC Tag 4c Seal 3a Engaging Male Part 3b Engaging Female Part 41 Substrate 42 IC Chip 43 Coil Copper Wire 44 Protective Seal

Claims (3)

  A thread-fastening member, which is disposed in the middle of a thread-like body for hanging a display tag attached to a product, embedded with an RFID tag formed by being enclosed in a circle having a size of 25 mmφ or less.   2. The thread clamp member according to claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is formed by fitting an IC chip into a through hole provided in a substrate and winding a conductive wire serving as an antenna around an end surface on the outer peripheral side of the substrate. . A thread stopper with an RFID tag embedded in a circle with a size of 25 mmφ or less is placed in the middle of the thread that hangs the display tag attached to the product, and the contents of the RIFD tag and the display tag are linked. A merchandise management method for managing merchandise to which the thread fixing member is attached by inputting and outputting the data.

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