EP0773522A1

EP0773522A1 - Marker continuum

Info

Publication number: EP0773522A1
Application number: EP96117937A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Tomomi Sakaguchi; Tatsuya Matsumoto
Original assignee: Unitika Ltd
Current assignee: Unitika Ltd
Priority date: 1995-11-08
Filing date: 1996-11-08
Publication date: 1997-05-14
Also published as: BR9605445A; CA2189825A1; AR004549A1

Abstract

A marker continuum is disclosed for use in a labelling apparatus in which discrete markers are affixed to articles to be labelled in a labelling direction of the labelling apparatus. The marker continuum includes an upper adhesive tape, a lower adhesive tape and a continuous and amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section and a longitudinal axis disposed between said upper and lower tapes. The longitudinal axis of the metallic fiber is oriented in the labelling direction of the labelling apparatus. The marker continuum can be used in a labelling system which operates at a rate of 40 m/min or faster.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a marker continuum for use in an article monitoring system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a marker continuum for use in a labelling apparatus in which discrete markers are affixed to articles which are stably detected by a monitoring system.

2. Description of the Related Art

The use of antitheft and other preventive systems has expanded among retail stores such as supermarkets. When article having a label-like marker adhered thereto is illegally carried out of a stores (e.g., while being shoplifted), the article can be detected by a detection system such as an antitheft system to thereby prevent theft.
On the other hand, the adhesion of printed labels to bottles or boxes in a factory has heretofore been carried out by means of a labelling apparatus. Due to the limitation of the process for feeding labels from a labelling apparatus, the material that is supplied to the labelling apparatus is a combination of cut and separated labels arranged in line on a release paper. Therefore, the operating speed of the production line is limited to a labelling speed of not more than 40 m/min to allow for adhesion of the labels.
The recent trend in factories is to affix cut and separated label-like markers arranged in line on a release paper using a labelling apparatus similar to that described above.
Examples of cut and separated label-like markers arranged in line on a release paper include those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,660,025, 4,686,516, and 4,797,658. These markers each comprise an object to be detected by a detection system. These label-like markers are adhered to products on a production line is limited to the labelling speed which is not more than 40 m/min due to the morphological characteristic of the markers.
However, as adhesion of markers on production lines in the factory is expanding, there is a need for increasing the labelling speed. The foregoing marker configuration having cut and separated labels arranged in line on a release paper does not adequately meet this demand.
As a solution to the foregoing problem, a tag which can be attached to products to make their presence detectable is disclosed in EP Disclosure No. 0673007. This tag is in the form of a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape having a first surface coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition and a second surface coated with a releasant opposite the first surface. This tape is a tag material comprising a base material having a continuous synthetic resin material and a continuous electromagnetic sensor material which can be detected by a detector. In other words, this tag material comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape adhered to electromagnetic sensor material. According to this marker system, a tag can be automatically and rapidly attached to products at low cost at the factory.
If the object to be detected is a thin flat metallic material as disclosed in EP 0 673 007, it can be adhered to products with a marker having the foregoing configuration.
On the other hand, an amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section is a highly detectable and exhibits little misdetection. Therefore, this is a desirable sensor material for detection.
The inventors adhered an amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section to a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape to prepare a marker comprising a continuum of objects for detection having the same configuration as the tag material disclosed in EP 0 673 007. However, the amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section has a diameter of from 60 µm to 150 µm, which is greater than the thickness of ribbon metallic material (i.e., 10 to 30 µm). Furthermore, the amorphous metallic fiber has a circular section. Therefore, when adhered to the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, the amorphous metallic fiber contacts a small area of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. Accordingly, when a marker continuum is wound on a paper tube, the amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section slackens and thus is easily separated from the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. The amorphous metallic fiber at these separated portions is susceptible to being broken or bent.
Accordingly, when the marker continuum is cut while being affixed to an article for labelling, the amorphous metallic fiber is completely separated from the adhesive tape. As a result, the marker is not reliably affixed to the products. Furthermore, even if a marker comprising an amorphous metallic fiber incorporated therein can be affixed, the detectability of the labelled products is considerably deteriorated. Thus, the foregoing marker system is inadequate with respect to detection stability.
In other words, in the foregoing marker continuum, there is a problem in that the amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section tends to separate from the tape base material. Also, products thus labelled have reduced detectablility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a marker continuum which can be efficiently affixed to articles to be labelled even in a production line which runs at a rate of not less than 40 m/min or at a rate of faster than 40 m/min. Another object of the present invention is to provide a marker continuum comprising an amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section (i.e., the object to be detected), which is not susceptible to becoming separated from the tape base material while also exhibiting stable detection properties.
The inventors extensively studied the above problems of the prior art. As a result, the present inventors discovered that a marker continuum comprising a continuous amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section which is oriented in the same direction as the labelling direction of the labelling machine and which is disposed between upper and lower tapes makes it possible to efficiently affix markers to articles for labelling on a production line which runs at a rate of as high as not less than 40 m/min. This structure prevents the amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section from becoming separated from the tape base material while providing markedly enhanced detection stability. The present invention has been achieved based on the above findings.
Thus, the present invention provide a marker continuum for use in a labelling apparatus in which discrete markers are affixed to articles to be labelled in a labelling direction of said labelling apparatus, comprising an upper tape, a lower tape and a continuous amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section and a longitudinal axis disposed between said upper and lower tapes, wherein the longitudinal direction of said metallic fiber is oriented in the labelling direction of said labelling apparatus.
In accordance with the marker continuum of the present invention, markers can be efficiently affixed to articles to be labelled even on a production line which runs at a rate of as high as not less than 40 m/min.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the marker continuum of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a labelling operation using a marker continuum of the present invention in a production line; and
Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a conventional marker.

The reference numerals of Figs. 1 to 3 are described below.

1: Object to be detected
2: Upper tape
3, 5: Adhesive
4: Lower tape
6: Marker continuum
7: Wrapping film
8: Rotary cutter
9: Paper tube
10: Prior art marker
11: Release paper

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will be further described in reference to the drawings.
In a detection system such as an article monitoring system, an exciting magnetic field is usually generated across two panel sheets. When an article to be detected passes through this detection zone, a signal is detected by a detecting coil to sound an alarm and hence inform people of such incidence. This article monitoring system is generally called an antitheft system. This antitheft system is mainly used to prevent shoplifting in retail stores such as a supermarket.
A marker monitoring system determines the presence or absence of a marker to provide a feedback signal at a subsequent step.
The marker continuum of the present invention can be used in such systems.
Fig. 1 is a sectional view illustrating an embodiment of a marker continuum 6 of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the object to be detected is arranged in the same direction as the labelling direction of the marker. The labelling direction is shown by the arrow in Fig. 1.
The object 1 to be detected comprises an amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section. For example, the amorphous metallic fiber may comprise a soft magnetic metallic material which shows a Large Barkhausen jump.
The alloy constituting the amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section is preferably a cobalt-based or iron-based amorphous metallic material, more preferably a cobalt-based amorphous metallic material such as Co-Fe-Si-B, Co-Fe-Ni-Si-B, Co-Fe-Mo-Mn-Si-B and Co-Fe-Ni-Mo-Si-B or an iron-based amorphous metallic material such as Fe-Si-B and Fe-Mo-Si-B, most preferably a cobalt-based amorphous metallic material having an alloy composition such as Co_88.1Fe_4.4Si_4.4B_3.1, Co_47.3Fe_44.8Si_5.0B_2.9, Co_38.6Fe_7.6Ni_44.5Si_7.3B_2.0, Co_84.0Fe_1.4Mo_1.7Mn_4.1Si_6.9B_1.8 and Co_82.9Fe_4.4Ni_1.6Si_6.3B_2.4 (given in terms of % by weight) or an iron-based amorphous metallic material having an alloy composition such as Fe_92.2Si_4.3B_3.5 and Fe₄₀Ni₃₇Mo₅B₁₈ (given in terms of % by weight).
The amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section constituting the object 1 to be detected may be subjected to drawing and rolling or heat treatment to provide an enhanced detectability in the detection system.
The amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section of the present invention has a roundness as defined below.
The term "roundness" as used herein means Rmin/Rmax x 100 wherein Rmax and Rmin are the longest axis diameter and the shortest axis diameter, respectively, on the same section of an amorphous metallic fiber. The amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section of the present invention has a roundness of not less than 70% as defined above. The roundness of the amorphous metallic fiber is preferably not less than 80%, more preferably not less than 85%.
The diameter of the amorphous metallic fiber constituting the object 1 to be detected is preferably from 10 µm to 500 µm, more preferably from 30 µm to 200 µm. If the diameter of the amorphous metallic fiber is less than 10 µm, the signal that is generated when detected is too small for practical use. On the other hand, if the diameter of the amorphous metallic fiber exceeds 500 µm, the resulting marker continuum exhibits increased rigidity that causes defective winding or shortens the life of the cutter blade which cuts the marker continuum.
In the present invention, the foregoing object to be detected is disposed between an upper tape and a lower tape.
In Fig. 1, the upper tape 2 having an adhesive layer 3 is adapted to hold the object 1 to be detected as a marker with the lower tape 4. An adhesive layer 5 provided on the lower surface of the lower tape 4 is adapted to fix the marker to the article to be labelled.
In the present invention, the upper tape 2 having the adhesive layer 3 or the lower tape 4 having the adhesive layer 5 may be a pressure-sensitive tape coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The tape base material is preferably a synthetic resin film or paper. The synthetic resin film is preferably a polyester film, polypropylene film, polystyrene film or the like.
The thickness of the tape base material is preferably from 10 µm to 200 µm, more preferably from 15 µm to 100 µm.
The adhesive incorporated into the adhesive layer 3 or 5 may be a rubber, acrylic or silicone adhesive. The thickness of the adhesive layers 3 and 5 is preferably from 15 µm to 60 µm.
The marker continuum 6 having the structure shown in Fig. 1 may have a release paper provided on the adhesive layer 5 side of the lower tape 4. Alternatively, if the marker continuum 6 has no release paper on the adhesive layer 5 side, it may be treated with silicone for easy release on the upper side of the upper tape 2. If the marker continuum 6 is labelled on the article with the release paper being peeled off at a high speed by means of a labelling apparatus,the release paper thus peeled can interfere with the labelling operation can be disturbed by the release paper thus peeled. Further, it takes considerable time to dispose of the release paper thus peeled. Accordingly, a marker continuum treated with silicone on the upper side of the upper tape 2 is preferred because it can be easily used to label an article without producing waste release paper.
Referring to the labelling process, the marker continuum of the present invention is affixed to an article while being cut by means of a rotary cutter, shear cutter or the like.
Fig. 2 illustrates an example of the labelling operation using the marker continuum 6 on a production line. In Fig. 2, the marker continuum 6 of the present invention is labelled on a wrapping film 7 while being cut by means of a rotary cutter 8. The labelling direction is shown by the arrow in Fig. 2.
The marker of the present invention may comprise a semi-hard magnetic material for deactivating the amorphous metallic fiber (i.e., object not to be detected).
The semi-hard magnetic material there preferably has a coercive force of from 10 to 500 Oe, and more preferably is a Vicalloy or a FeCoCr alloy.
An arrangement of the semi-hard magnetic material in magnetic contact with the object to be detected means that when the semi-hard magnetic material is magnetized, the effect of the magnetic flux extends to the object to be detected. Preferably, the object to be detected and the semi-hard magnetic material are arranged in direct contact with one another.
The semi-hard magnetic material may be in the form of strip or circle. The shape and length of the semi-hard magnetic material are not particularly limited. The semi-hard magnetic material is preferably in the form of a strip having a length of from 3 to 20 mm, a width of from 0.5 to 10 mm and a thickness of from 0.02 to 0.5mm.
On the other hand, if the marker continuum 6 of the present invention is wound on the paper tube 9, it can be traverse-wound as shown in Fig. 2 to effect extended winding of the marker continuum 6 without markedly increasing the external diameter of the winding. In this arrangement, the frequently of renewing the marker continuum in a factory labelling apparatus can be minimized, thus making it possible to operate the labelling apparatus more efficiently. The traverse width and pitch (traverse feed of the marker continuum per wind) are not particularly limited. The traverse width is preferably from 4 to 50 mm, and the traverse pitch is preferably from 1 to 30 mm.
The marker of the present invention is capable of being used to label articles on a production line which runs at a rate of 40 m/min or faster. However, the marker of the present invention can also be used on a production line which runs at a rate of less than 40 m/min.

EXAMPLES

The present invention will be further described in the following Examples and comparative examples. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereto.

Example 1

An amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section (roundness: 85%), a diameter of 94 µm⌀ and an alloy composition of Co_47.3Fe_44.8Si_5.0B_2.9 (given in terms of % by weight) was used as an object to be detected. Two pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes were used comprising upper and lower tapes having an adhesive layer. A marker continuum comprising an object to be detected was prepared using these materials. The object to be detected was disposed in as the labelling direction (machine direction) and sandwiched between the two pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes.
The base material of the upper pressure-sensitive adhesive tape constituting the marker continuum was a polyester film having a thickness of 38 µm. The base material of the lower pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was a polyester film having a thickness of 25 µm.
The adhesive layer provided on the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was an acrylic adhesive. The thickness of the adhesive layer was 30 µm.
The upper surface of the upper pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was treated with silicone for easy release.
Using this marker continuum, markers were labelled on a dry battery wrapping line running at a rate of 600 m/min. A rotary cutter was used to cut the marker continuum. Thus, the marker continuum was labelled (affixed) on a dry battery wrapping film while being cut.
In Example 1, markers were labelled without any failure even on a production line running at a rate of 600 m/min. The percent labelling was 100%.
Furthermore, the labelled article was passed through a detection system to check the detectability of the markers.
As a result, all article on which the disconnected (discrete) markers had been affixed were detected by the detection system. These results demonstrate that the marker continuum of the present invention provides stable detection.

Comparative Example 1

An amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section (roundness: 85%), a diameter of 94 µm⌀ and the same alloy composition as in Example 1 (Co₄₇.₃Fe₄₄.₈Si₅.₀B_2.9 (given in terms of % by weight)) was used as an object to be detected. Thus, a marker continuum was prepared comprising the object to be detected retained by a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape.
The base material of the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape constituting the marker continuum was a polypropylene film having a thickness of 60 µm. The adhesive layer constituting the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was an acrylic adhesive. The thickness of the adhesive layer was 25 µm.
The pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was treated with silicone for easy release on the side thereof opposite the adhesive layer.
Using this marker continuum, markers were labelled on a dry battery wrapping line running at a rate of 600 m/min in the same manner as in Example 1. A rotary cutter was used to cut the marker continuum. The marker continuum was labelled on a dry battery wrapping film while being cut.
In Comparative Example 1, when the markers were labelled, the amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section protruded from the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape and was nearly separated from the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. When the amorphous metallic fiber was cut by the rotary cutter under these conditions, it was completely separated from the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. Thus, some markers labelled on the articles had no amorphous metallic fiber affixed thereto.
As a result, the percent labelling of markers comprising an amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section affixed thereto was as low as 70% of attempts as compared with Example 1.
The dry batteries on which markers comprising an amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section affixed thereto were then passed through a detection system to check the detectability of the markers.
As a result, 25% of the batteries on which markers had been labelled were not detected by the detection system.
The markers which had not been detected by the detection system were then examined. As a result, the amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section was found to be broken or bent at some positions.
Thus, the marker continuum comprising an amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section retained by only a single pressure-sensitive adhesive tape provided considerably reduced detectability and therefore could not be put into practical use.

Comparative Example 2

A prior art marker 10 comprising a plurality of separated objects 1 to be detected, provided perpendicular to the length of a release paper 11 or the labelling direction and tentatively affixed to the release paper 11 as shown in Fig. 3, was labelled on the same dry battery wrapping line as in Example 1. The labelling direction is shown by the arrow Fig. 3.
The tape constituting the marker 10 was made of a 60-µm thick paper. The tape had a length of 10 mm and a width of 65 mm. The adhesive layer was an acrylic adhesive.
The labelling of these markers was carried out using an ALS350 labelling machine (corresponding maximum line speed: 40 m/min; maximum maker labelling rate: 800/min; available from Avery Corp.).
As a result, the markers were labelled on the dry battery wrapping film by means of the foregoing labelling apparatus. However, since the production line ran faster than the operating rate of the labelling apparatus operated, the percent labelling was as very low as 15%.

Example 2

An amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section (roundness: 81%), diameter of 125 µm⌀ and an alloy composition of Fe_92.0Si_4.6B_3.4 (given in terms of % by weight) was used as an object to be detected. Two pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes were used comprising upper and lower tapes having an adhesive layer. A marker continuum comprising an object to be detected was thus prepared. The object to be detected was disposed in labelling direction and sandwiched between the two pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes.
The base material of the upper pressure-sensitive adhesive tape constituting the marker continuum was a polypropylene film having a thickness of 60 µm. The base material of the lower pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was a polyester film having a thickness of 25 µm.
The adhesive layer provided on the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was an acrylic adhesive. The thickness of the adhesive layer was 35 µm.
The upper surface of the upper pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was treated with silicone for easy release.
Using this marker continuum, markers were labelled on a bottle wrapping line running at a rate of 250 m/min. A shear cutter was used to cut the marker continuum. Thus, the marker continuum was labelled on a bottle wrapping film while being cut.
In Example 2, markers were labelled without any failure on a production line running at a rate of 250 m/min. The percent labelling was 100%.
Furthermore, the labelled article was passed through a detection system to check the detectability of the markers.
As a result, all the article on which the disconnected markers had been labelled (affixed) was detected by the detection system. These results show that the marker continuum of the present invention provides stable detection.

Example 3

An amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section (roundness: 88%), a diameter of 79 µm⌀ and an alloy composition of Co_47.3Fe_44.8Si_5.0B_2.9 (given in terms of % by weight) was used as an object to be detected. Two pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes were used comprising upper and lower tapes having an adhesive layer. A marker continuum comprising an object to be detected was prepared using these materials. The object to be detected was disposed in the labelling direction (machine direction) and sandwiched between the two pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes.
The base material of the upper pressure-sensitive adhesive tape constituting the marker continuum was a polyester film having a thickness of 50 µm. The base material of the lower pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was a polyester film having a thickness of 16 µm.
The adhesive layer provided on the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was a rubber adhesive. The thickness of the adhesive layer was 25 µm.
The upper surface of the upper pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was treated with silicone for easy release.
Using this marker continuum, markers were labelled on the same dry battery wrapping line as in Example 1 running at a rate of 600 m/min. A rotary cutter was used to cut the marker continuum. Thus, the marker continuum was labelled on a dry battery wrapping film while being cut.
In Example 3, markers were labelled without any failure on a production line running at a rate of 600 m/min. The percent labelling was 100%.
Furthermore, the labelled article was passed through a detection system to check the detectability of the markers.
As a result, all the article on which disconnected markers had been labelled was detected by the detection system. These results show that the marker continuum of the present invention provides stable direction. It should further be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail of the invention as shown and described above may be made. It is intended that such changes be included within the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

A marker continuum for use in a labelling apparatus in which discrete markers are affixed to articles to be labelled in a labelling direction of said labelling apparatus, comprising an upper tape, a lower tape and a continuous amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section and a longitudinal axis disposed between said upper and lower tapes, wherein the longitudinal axis of the metallic fiber is oriented in the labelling direction of said labelling apparatus.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein said amorphous metallic fiber comprises a soft magnetic material.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein said amorphous metallic fiber comprises a cobalt-based or iron-based amorphous metallic material.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein said amorphous metallic fiber comprises a cobalt-based amorphous metallic selected from the group consisting of Co-Fe-Si-B, Co-Fe-Ni-Si-B, Co-Fe-Mo-Mn-Si-B and Co-Fe-Ni-Mo-Si-B.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein said amorphous metallic fiber comprises an iron-based amorphous metallic material selected from the group consisting of Fe-Si-B and Fe-Mo-Si-B.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein said amorphous metallic fiber has a roundness of not less than 70%.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein said amorphous metallic fiber has a roundness of not less than 85%.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein said amorphous metallic fiber has a diameter of from 10µm to 500µm.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper tape is an adhesive tape comprising a tape base material and an adhesive layer arranged on the side of the upper tape which faces said lower tape.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower tape is an adhesive tape comprising a tape base material and an adhesive layer arranged on the side of the lower tape which faces away from said upper tape.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 9, wherein said tape base material has a thickness of from 10 µm to 200 µm.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 10, wherein said tape base material has a thickness of from 10 µm to 200 µm.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 9, wherein said adhesive layer has a thickness of from 15 µm to 60 µm.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 10, wherein said adhesive layer has a thickness of from 15 µm to 60 µm.
The marker continuum as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper side of said upper tape is terated with silicone.
A labelling system comprising a marker continuum and a labelling apparatus in which discrete markers are affixed to articles to be labelled in a labelling direction of said labelling apparatus, said labelling apparatus comprising cutting means for cutting said marker continuum into discrete pieces and said marker continuum comprising an upper adhesive tape, a lower adhesive tape and a continuous amorphous metallic fiber having a circular section and a longitudinal axis disposed between said upper and lower tapes, wherein the longitudinal axis of the metallic fiber is oriented in the labelling direction of said labelling apparatus and said system is capable of running at a rate of 40 m/min or faster.