CA1289641C

CA1289641C - Method of making tags

Info

Publication number: CA1289641C
Application number: CA000547134A
Authority: CA
Inventors: S. Eugene Benge; Robert L. Froning
Original assignee: Monarch Marking Systems Inc
Current assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corp
Priority date: 1986-09-29
Filing date: 1987-09-17
Publication date: 1991-09-24
Anticipated expiration: 2008-09-24
Also published as: BR8705001A; US4818312A; MX160465A; US4717438A

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure This invention relates to a tag useable with an electronic article surveillance system and comprised of planar conductive material cut into a pair of inverse, first and second spiral conductors wrapped about each other and positioned for capacitive and inductive coupling. The invention also relates to method of making tags wherein conductors are cut from a planar web of conductive material in a continuous process in a manner that the cutting results in the formation of two spiral conductors without accompanying waste of conductive material, and thereafter positioning the conductors to provide resonant circuits.

Description

~ZB9641 Docket M-488 METHOD OF MAKING TAGS
Backqround of the Invention Field of the Invention This invention relates to the art of res~nant tags used in electronic article surveillance systems and to method of making such tags.
Brief Description of the Prior Art The following U.S. patents are made of record:
4,482,874 to ~ubertus et al granted November 13, 1984 and 4,555,291 to Tait et al granted November 26, 1985.
Summary of the Invention This invention relate~ to a method of making tags each having a resonant circuit for use in an electronic article surveillance 8y8tem. Thi~ method has as one object the ma~s production on a continuous basis of such tags wherein there i~ virtually no waste of the materials of construction. The method o~ the invention avoids the need ~or chemical etching and plating used in certain prior art methods.
Aacording to a specific embodiment o~ the method of the invention, a web o~ conductive material i8 cut into a pair of inverse spiral conductors disposed in contiguous relation and wound abo~t each other, thereafter while ' ~L213~6~
Docket No. M-488 -2-~upported in a first web the first conductors are separated from the second conductors which are supported in a second web, thereafter the first conductors and the second conductors are positioned into pairs of first and second conductors capable of being in capacitive and inductive coupled relationship, and thereafter connecting each pair of such conductors to provide tags each having a resonant circuit.
According to a specific embodiment of the tag according to the invention, there is a generally planar dielectric inverse firs~ and second spiral conductors in capacitively and inductively coupled relationship on opposite sides of the dielectric means for electrically connecting the f irst and second conductors to provide a resonant circuit, wherein the firs~ and second conductor are formed by cutting conductive planar material spirally to provide pairs of first and second inverse conductors, and positioning a pair of the first and second conductors in said relationship. It is preferred to make the tags in a longitudinal series and preferably with a plurality of laterally extending tags.
Brief Description of the Drawinqs FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of a tag in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the tag ~hown in FIGURE l;
FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating method oP making a tag in accordance with the invention;
FIGURE 4 i~ a diagrammatic top plan view showing a mask having been applied to a f irst adhesive coated web and showing an electrically conductive web being laminated to the masked first adhesive coated web~
FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic top plan view showing the conductive web having bee~ cut to provide first and second Docket No. M-4B8 -3-pair~ of conductors and showing a masked second adhesive coated web being laminated to the conductive web, FIGURE 6 is a diagrammati~ top plan view showing the first coated web with the first conduc~ors adhered thereto being separated relative to the second coated web with the æecond conductors adhered thereto, and showing furthex the first coated web having been recoated with adhesive and two webs of dielectric being laminated to the recoated first coated web, and showinq the dielectric webs having been coated with adhesive;
FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic top plan view showing the second coated web with the second conductors adhered thereto having been shifted and l~minated over and to the dielectric webs and to the first coated web with the first conductors to provide a composite tag web, showing the staking of the first and second conductors of each tag ~o provide resonant circuits for each tag~ and showing sli tin~ of the composite tag web to provide a plural series of composite tag webs;
FIGURE 8 is a vertically exploded view showing the first and second coated webs with the first and second conductors that result from cutting the electrically conductive web spirally;
FIGUR~ 9 is a top plan view showing the first and second coated webs shifted by a distance equal to the width of one conductor spiral plus the width of one conductor; and FIGURE 10 is a top plan view of two tags with the dielectric web shown in phantom line~.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring initially to FIGURE 1, there i~ shown an i exploded view of a tag generally indicated at 19. The tag 19 is shown to include a ~heet 20T having pressure sensitive adhesive 21 and 22 on oppo~ite face~ thereo. A mask 23 in a spiral pattern covers a portion of the adhesive 21 and a relea~e sheet 24T is releasably adhered to the adhesive 22.
~he mask 23 render~ the adhe~ive 21 which it covers non-tacky or sub~tantially 80. A conductor ~piral indicated ~enerally .

' ~ 2~39~
Docket No. M-488 -4-at 25 includes a spiral conductor 26 having a number of turns. The conductor 26 is of substantially the same width throughout its length except for a connector bar 27 at the outer end portion of the conductor spiral 26. There is a sheet of dielectric 28T over and adhered to the conductor spiral 25 and the underlying sheet 20T by means of adhesive 29O A conductor spiral generally indicated at 30 includes a spiral conductor 31 having a number of turns. The conductor 31 i~ adhered to adhesive 29' on the dialectric 28T. The conductor 31 is substantially the same width throughout its length except for a connector bar 32 at the outer end portion of the conductor spiral 30. The conductor spirals 25 and 30 are generally aligned in face-to-face relationship except for portions 33 which are not face-to-face with the conductor 26 and except for portions 35 which are not face-to-face with the conductor 31. A sheet 37T has a coating of a pressure sensitive adhesive 38 masked off in a spiral pattern 39. The e~posed adhesive 38' is aligned with the conductor spiral 30.
Adhesive is shown in FIGURE 1 by heavy stippling and the masking i5 shown in FIGURE 1 by light stippling with cross-hatching. The connector bars 27 and 32 are electri~ally connected, as for example by staking 90. It should be noted that the staking 90 occurs where connector bars 27 are separatéd only by adhesive 29. There is no paper, film or the like between the connector bars 27 and 32.
Accordingly, the staking disclosed in the pr~sent application is reliable.
With reference to FIGURE 3, there is shown diagrammati~ally a method for making the tag 19 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. A roll 40 is shown to be comprised of a composite web 41 having a web 20 with a full gum or continuous coatings of pressure sensitive adhesive 21 and 22 on opposite faces thereof. The web 20 is "double-~aced" with adhesive. A release liner or web 42 i5 releasably adhered to the upper side of the web 20 by the preqsure sensitive adhesive 21, and the underside of the web 20 has a release 396~L3L
Docket No. M-488 -S-liner or web 24 releasably adhered to the pressure sensitive adhesive 22. As shown, the release liner 42 is delaminated from the web 20 to expose the adhesive 21. The adhesive coated web 20 together with the release liner 24 pass partially about a sandpaper roll 43 and between a pattern roll 44 and a back-up roll 45 where mask patterns 23 are applied onto the adhesive 21 to provide longitudinally recurring adhesive patterns ~1'. Masking material from a fountain 46 is applied to the pattern roll 44. With reference to FIGURE 4, the portion marked A represents the portion of the web 20 immediately upstream of the pattern roll 44. The portion marked B shows the mask patterns 23 printed by the roll 44. The patterns 23 are represented by cross-hatching in FIGURE 4. With reference to FIGURE 3, the web 20 now passes through a dryer 47 where the mask patterns 23 are dried or cured. The adhesive 21 is rendered non-tacky at the mask patterns 23. A web 49 of planar, electrically conductive material such as copper or aluminum from a roll 48 is laminated onto the coated web 20 as they pass between laminating rolls 50 and 50'. Reference character C in FIGURE
4 denotes the line where lamination of the webs ~0 and 49 occurs. With reference ~o FIGURE 3, the laminated webs 21 and 49 now pass between a cutting roll 51 having cutting blades 52 and a back-up roll 53. The blades 52 cut completely through the conductive material web 49 but preferably do not cut into the web 20. The blades 52 `cut the web 49 into a plurality of series of patterns 25 and 30 best shown in the portion marked D in FIGURE 5. With reference again to FIGURE 3, there is shQwn a roll 54 comprised of a composite web 55 having a web 37 with a full-gum or continuous coating of pressure ~ensitive adhesive 38 and a release liner 56 releasably adhered to the adhesive 38 on the web 37. The release liner 56 is separated from the web 37 and the web 37 passes about a sandpaper roll 57. From there the web 37 passes between a pattern roll 58 and a back-up roll 59 where mask pattern~ 39 are applied onto the adhesive ~2~
Docket No. M-488 -6-38 to render the adhesive 21 non tacky at the mask patterns 39 to provide longitudinally recurring adhesive pa~terns 38' (FIGURE 1). Masking material from a fountain 60 is applied to the pattern roll 58. The masking material of which the patterns 23 and 39 are comprised is a commercially available printable adhesive deadener such as sold under the name "Aqua Superadhesive Deadener by ~nvironmental Inks and Coating Corp, Morganton, North Carolina. From there the web 37 passes partially about a roll 61 and through a dryer 62 where the mask patterns 39 are dried or cured. The adhesive 38 is rendered non-tacky at the mask patterns 39. From there the webs 20, 49 and 37 pass between laminating rolls 63 and 64.
FIGURE 5 shows that lamination occurs along line ~ where the web 37 meets the web 49. When thus laminated, each adhesive pattern 21' registers only with an overlying conductor spiral 25 and each adhesive pattern 38' registers only with an underlying conductor spiral 30.
The webs 20, 37 and 49 pass successively partially about rolls 65 and 66 and from there the web 37 delaminates from the web 20 and pas es par~ially about a roll 67. At the place of delamination, the web 49 separates into two webs of conductor spirals 25 and 30. As shown in FIGURE 6, delamination occurs along the line marked F. When delamination occurs, the conductor spirals 30 adhere to the adhe~ive patterns 38' on the web 37, and the conductor spirals 25 adhere to the adhesive patterns 21' on the web 20.
Thus, the conductor spirals 30 extend in one web and the spirals 25 extend in another web. The web 20 passes partially about rolls 68, 69 and 70 and from there pass between an adhesive coating roll 71 and a back-up roll 72.
Adhesive 29' from a ~ountain 73 is applLed to the roll 71 which in turn applies a uniform or continuous coating of adhesive 29' to the web 20 and over conductive spirals 25.
The portion marked G in FIGURE 6 shows the portion of the ~eb 20 and conductor spirals 25 between the spaced rolls 66 and 72. The portion marked H shows the portion of t~e web 20 ~2~969!~

Docket No. M-488 -7-between the spaced rolls 72 and 74. With referense to FIGURE
3, the web 20 passes through a dryer 75 where the adhesive 29' is dried. A plurality, specifically two laterally spaced dialectric webs 28a and 28b wound in rolls 76 and 77 are laminated to the web 20 as the webs 20/ 28a a~d 28b pass between the rolls 74 and 74'. This laminating occurs along reference line I indicated in FIGURE 6. With reference to FIGURE 3, the web 20 with the csnductor spirals 25 and the dialectric webs 28a and 28b pass about rolls 78 and 79 and pass between an adhesive applicator roll 80 and a back-up roll 81. ~he roll 80 applies adhesive 82 received from a fountain 83 to the webs 28a and 28b and to the portions of the web 20 not covered thereby. From there, the webs 20, 28a and 28b pass through a dryer 84 and partially about a roll 85.
The web 37 which had been separated from the web 20 is laminated at the nip of laminating rolls 86 and 87 along a line marked J in FIGURE 7 to provide a composite tag web generally indicated at 88. The webs 20, 28a, 28b and 37 are laminated between rolls 86 and 87 after the conductor spirals 30 have been shifted longiutudinally with respect to the conductor ~pirals 25 so that each conductor spiral 30 is aligned or registered with an underlying conductor spiral 25.
The shifting can be equal to the pitch of one conductor spiral pattern as indicated at p ~FIGURE 9) plus the width w of one conductor, or by multiples of the pitch p plus the width w of one conductor. Thus, each pair of conductor ~piral~ 25 and 30 is capable of making a resonant circuit detectable by an appropriate article surveillance circuitO
FIGURE 8 ~hows the web 20 and the web 37 rotated apart by 180~. FIGURE 9 shows the web 20 and the web 37 rotated apart by 180 and as having been shifted with respect to each other so that the conductor spirals 25 and 30 are aligned. As best shown in FIGURE 10, the dielectric 28a terminates short of stakes 90 resulting from the staking operation. ~y this arrangement the stakes gO do not pass 12~3~364~
Docket No. M-488 B-through the dielectric 28a (or 28b). FIG~RE 10 shows theconductor spirals 25 and 30 substantially entirely overlapped or aligned with each other, except as indicated at 35 for the conductor spiral 25 and as indicated at 33 for the conductor spiral 30. Each circuit is completed by staking the conductor bar 27 and 32 to each other as indicated at 90 or by other suitable means. The staking 90 is performed by four ~piked wheels 89 which make four stake lines 90 in the composite web 88. The spiked wheels 8g pierce through the conductor bars ~7 and 32 and thus bring the eonductor bar~ 27 and 32 into electrically coupled relationship. The web composite 88 is slit into a plurality of narrow webs 91 and 92 by litter knife g3 and excess material 94 is trimmed by slitter knives 95. The webs 91 and 92 are next cut through up to but not into the release liner 24 by knives on a c~tter roll 96, unless it is desired to cut the tags T into separated tag~ in which event the web 88 is completely severed transversely. As shown, the webs 91 and 92 continue on and pass about respective rolls 97 and 98 and are wound into rolls 99 and 100. As shown in FIGURE 7, the skaking 90 takes place along a line marked R and the slitting takes place along a line marked L.
The sheet 37T, the dielectric 28T, the sheet 20T and the sheet 24T are respectively provide~ by cutting the web 37, the web 28a (or 28b), the web 20 and the web 24.
Other embodiments and modifications of the invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as come within the spirit of this invention are included within its ~cope as be~t defined by the appended claim~.

Claims

1. Method of making tags for use in an electric article surveillance system, comprising the steps of:
providing a first web having a series of longitudinally recurring first patterns of adhesive, providing a second web having a series of longitudinally recurring second patterns of adhesive, cutting a web of conductive material to form longitudinally recurring pairs of first and second contiguous, coplanar, spiral conductors wrapped about each other, the first and second webs being positioned on opposite sides of the conductive material web with the first adhesive patterns in contact with only the first conductors and with the second adhesive patterns in contact with only the second conductors, separating the first web with the first conductors adhered thereto and the second web with the second conductors adhered thereto from each other, thereafter positioning the first and second conductors into a related arrangement for capacitive and inductive coupling, and connecting the related first and second conductors to provide a composite tag web of a series of tags each having a resonant circuit.

2. Method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a first web having the recurring first adhesive patterns includes the step of applying to an adhesive coated first carrier web a series of longitudinally recurring patterns of masking material which prevent the second conductors from adhering to the first carrier web, and wherein the step of providing a second web having the recurring second adhesive patterns includes the step of applying to an adhesive-coated second carrier web a series of longitudinally recurring second patterns of masking material which prevent the first conductors form adhering to the second carrier web.

3. Method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of positioning the first and second webs includes the step of bringing a web of dielectric material between the first Docket No. M-488 -10-conductors on the first web and the second conductors on the second web.

4. Method as defined in claim 2, including the step of bringing a web of dielectric material between the first conductors on the first web and the second conductors on the second web.

5. Method as defined in claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of said resonant circuits formed laterally across the composite web, and slitting the composite tag web longitudinally to provide a plurality of series of tags.

6. Method of making tags for use in an electric article surveillance system, comprising the steps of:
providing a longitudinally extending web of conductive material, cutting the web of conductive material to form a plurality of sets of conductors with each set having contiguous, coplanar, first and second spiral conductors wrapped about each other, supporting the first spiral conductors in a first longitudinally extending conductor web, supporting the second spiral conductor in a second longitudinally extending conductor web, separating the first spiral conductor web and the second spiral conductor web from each other, shifting the first spiral conductor web and the second spiral conductor web longitudinaly relative to each other to bring the first spiral conductors and the second spiral conductors into related arrangement for capacitive and inductive coupling, and connecting the related first and second conductors to provide a series of tags each having a resonant circuit.

7. Method as defined in claim 6, wherein the shifting step includes shifting the first spiral conductor web and the second spiral conductor web relative to each other by a distance equal to the longitudinal pitch of the first conductors plus the width of the first conductors or to any multiple thereof.

8. Method of making tags for use in an electronic article surveillance system, comprising the steps of:

Docket No. M-488 -11-providing a first composite web including a first web having a full-gum coating of pressure-sensitive-adhesive and a release-coated first backing web, stripping the first backing web from the first coated web, applying a first masking pattern to the adhesive on the first coated web, drying the first masking pattern, laminating a web of conductive material onto the first coated web and against the unmasked adhesive on the first coated web, cutting the conductive material web to form longitudinally recurring pairs of first and second contiguous, coplanar, spiral conductors wrapped about each other and so that the first conductors are adhered to the unmasked adhesive on the first coated web, providing a second composite web including a second coated web having a full-gum coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive and a release coated second backing web, stripping the second backing web from the second coated web, applying a second masking pattern to the second coated web, drying the second masking pattern laminating the second coated web to the conductive material web, with the unmasked adhesive on the second coated web registered with the second conductors, delaminating the first coated web with the first conductors adhered thereto and the second coated web with the second conductors adhered thereto from each other, applying adhesive to the first coated web, drying the adhesive applied to the recoated first coated web, laminating a web of dielectric material onto the recoated first coated web, applying adhesive to the dielectric material web, drying the adhesive on the dielectric material web, laminating the first and second coated webs to each other with the web of dielectric material therebetween to provide a composite tag web, wherein the laminating step includes shifting the first and second coated webs longitudinally to bring the first and second conductors into a related arrangement for capacitive and inductive coupling, and staking the related first and second conductors to provide a series of connected tags each having a resonant circuit.

Docket M-488-C

9. Method as defined in claim 8, wherein there are a plurality of said resonant circuits found laterally across the composite tag web, and slitting the composite tag web longitudinally to provide a plurality of series of tags.

10. A tag web including tags for use in electronic article surveillance systems, the tag web comprising: a first web including first spiral conductors having turns in a first pattern and second spiral conductors having turns in a second pattern, a second web including first spiral conductors having turns in a first pattern and second spiral conductors having turns in a second pattern, wherein the second pattern corresponds in shape to space between and adjacent turns of the first pattern, wherein the first conductors of the first web and the second conductors of the second web are in generally face-to-face alignment but spaced apart and connected in pairs to provide first resonant circuits, and wherein the second conductors of the first web and the first conductors of the second web are in generally face-to-face alignment but spaced apart and connected in pairs to provide second resonant circuits.

11. A tag web as defined in claim 10, wherein the first and second resonant circuits alternate lengthwise of the tag web.

12. A tag web as defined in claim 10, wherein the first resonant circuits are identical to each other, and wherein the second resonant circuits are identical to each other.

13. A tag web as defined in claim 12, wherein the first and second resonant circuits are disposed at alternate locations lengthwise of the tag web.

14. A composite web for making a series of resonant circuits for use in electronic article surveillance systems, the composite web comprising: a pair of first and second webs each having a coating of adhesive, a web of conductive Docket M-488-C

material disposed between the first and second webs, the conductive material being cut at each of a series of longitudinal locations so that the cuts provide first and second spiral conductors in first and second patterns at each location, each spiral conductor having a plurality of turns, wherein the second pattern corresponds in shape to space between and adjacent turns of the first pattern, masking material on the first web covering the adhesive at each location of only the first spiral conductor or the second spiral conductor, masking material on the second web covering the adhesive at each location of only the first conductor or the second conductor, wherein the masking material on the first web is essentially out of alignment with masking material on the second web, so that when the first and second webs are separated one-half of the first and second spiral conductors adhere to the first web and the other one-half of the first and second spiral conductors adhere to the second web.