WO2005109381A1

WO2005109381A1 - Tamper proof tag and container employing the same

Info

Publication number: WO2005109381A1
Application number: PCT/IB2005/001385
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul St-Jean
Original assignee: Timbec Inc.
Priority date: 2004-05-10
Filing date: 2005-05-09
Publication date: 2005-11-17
Also published as: CA2466838A1

Abstract

Tamper proof or resistant tag for attachment to a container having a neck portion and a body portion containing an insert containing area housing an insert such as a sweepstakes or lottery ticket. The neck portion and body portion are tear resistant.

Description

TAMPER PROOF TAG AND CONTAINER EMPLOYING THE SAME

Field Of The Invention

The present invention is directed to a tag for attachment to a container and a container employing the same in which the tag is tamper proof or tamper resistant and can remain attached to the container without being readily removed therefrom by simple tearing. The tamper proof tag is especially useful for beverage containers such as soda or wine bottles and can be used to promote and/or authenticate the product and/or provide a vehicle for providing incentive to purchase the product such as by housing a sweepstakes or lottery ticket.

Background Of The Invention

Many industries employ on-pack promotion using, for example, leaflets, labels, multi-panel labels, give away promotions such as lottery tickets and the like. The promotional items are typically glued directly on a product and under normal circumstances are purchased by the buyer as part of the packaged product. However, when the promotional item itself has something of value (e.g. a sweepstakes or lottery ticket where a prize can be won) these on-pack promotional items present a number of problems. The promotional items can be easily torn off the product without purchasing the product and thus are not securely fastened thereto. Because the promotional item may be easily removed from the product, the product is left on the display counter without the promotional item or the product is left damaged and therefore unsaleable. As a result, potential buyers will not purchase the product because either it is missing the on-pack promotional item or is otherwise damaged. As a consequence, retailers must return the damaged product to their supplier for replacement and/or take the time to reapply a replacement on- pack promotional item. In each case, the extra time and effort is both expensive and time consuming. As a consequence, on-pack promotional items are in disfavor, principally because they are not secure.

Tags are a particular type of on-pack promotional item and are used typically to provide an instant discount when purchasing a product. Such tags are typically made with standard card stock which can easily be removed or fall off the product because they are very fragile and easily torn. Thus, it is not uncommon to find at least some of the products on a display counter missing such discount tags which can render the product unappealing to the average purchaser.

The on-pack promotional items described above are easy to remove from the product and can be readily torn away without detection. This is because they are typically made from a fragile material such as standard cardstock which can be torn quite quickly without creating suspicion that improper activity is taking place. As previously explained, the removal of such on-pack promotional items adversely affects sales by compromising the intended promotion and/or by damaging the product itself. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an on-pack promotional item in the form of the tag which can be operatively associated with a container in which removal of the tag by tearing is rendered sufficiently difficult that there is a deterrent to improperly removing the tag and a significantly greater likelihood that any person attempting to improperly remove the tag will be observed.

Summary Of The Invention

The present invention is directed generally to a tag for attachment to a container in which the tag itself is rendered sufficiently tear resistant that the average purchaser cannot tear the tag without significant effort. The significant effort required will make compromising the tag more difficult because it will take longer to do, requires significant strength, and/or requires the use of sharp instruments such as scissors which could easily be detected by a casual observer. The tag is provided with a protected area which can contain an insert which may be in the form of a game including promotional games such as sweepstakes and lottery tickets.

In a particular aspect of the present invention there is provided a tag for attachment to a container comprising: a) a neck portion having at least one first opening therein allowing placement of the neck portion in operative engagement to a portion of container; b) a body portion extending from the neck portion and comprising an insert containing area; and c) an insert contained within the insert containing area, said neck portion and body portion each comprised of a tear resistant material wherein when the tag is attached to the container, neither the tag nor the insert contained therein can be readily removed by tearing. In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container employing the tag as described above.

Brief Description Of The Drawings

The following drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts are illustrative of the embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention as encompassed by the claims forming part of the application.

Figure 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of a tag in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of a tag in accordance with the present invention employing a tear resistant overlayer over the entire tag;

Figure 3 is an embodiment of the tag of the present invention with a tear resistant overlayer placed only over the insert containing area;

Figure 4 is a container in the form of a wine bottle showing a tag in accordance with the present invention positioned thereon with a stop collar to prevent removal of the tag up and over the neck of the bottle; Figure 5 is a front view of a whiskey bottle employing a tag in accordance with the present invention with the cap of the bottle designed to prevent removal of the tag up and over the neck of the bottle;

Figure 6 is a front view of a champagne bottle employing a further embodiment of a tag in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 7 is an exploded view of a further embodiment of the invention in which the tag has two layers foldable upon each other and secured through an adhesive layer.

Detailed Description Of The Invention

The present invention is directed generally to a tag for attachment to a container, typically, though not required, a container that has an elongated portion such as a neck where the tag cannot be easily removed from the container. The tag can be used for advertising and promotional purposes as well as to provide a sweepstakes or lottery type game and can also be used as a means of authenticating the product.

Referring to the drawings and first to Figure 1 , there is shown an embodiment of the invention in the form of a tag for insertion in operative engagement to the neck of a bottle (see Figures 4 and 5 showing the tag inserted around the neck of the bottle) which includes a secured area containing a sweepstakes or lottery type game in the form of a removable ticket. The tag 2 has a container engaging portion 4 which as shown in the embodiment of Figure 1 is adapted to fit around the neck of a bottle and for exemplary purposes only will be referred to herein after as the neck portion. It will be understood that the neck portion can be made in a variety of shapes to fit in operative engagement to (e.g. around) any portion of the container so that the tag 2 is secured thereto. By way of example, the container engaging portion can be made in the form of a square with an opening therein to fit around the body of a jar having a square configuration. In another example, the shape of the container engaging portion can be adapted to fit around a handle of a piece of luggage to provide a promotion for the sale of luggage. For illustrative purposes herein, the tag will be described as one which can fit around the neck of a bottle as will be described in more detail in connection with Figures 4-6.

The tag 2 also has a body portion 6 which will typically be, but not necessarily, larger than the neck portion 4. The body portion 6 provides advertisements, a promotional game (e.g. sweepstakes or lottery) and/or means to authenticate the product. The body portion 6 can be in any shape and includes an insert containing area 8 for inclusion of an insert 10 which is typically printed material in the form of an advertisement, promotion, sweepstakes or lottery game and the like. The tag may also contain an authentication system such as a bar code, alphanumeric code, hologram, magnetic strip, radiofrequency identification code, or the like which may be placed anywhere on the tag including the neck portion 4 and the body portion 6 and within the insert containing area 8. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the authentication system 12 is shown as an alphanumeric code and identified by the numeral 36. The authentication system 12 is shown on the body portion 6 for illustrative purposes only.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the neck portion 4 has a single opening 14 which is designed to enable the tag to be inserted around a portion of the container such as the neck of a bottle as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The opening 14 may be specifically dimensioned and constructed so that when applied over the neck of the bottle, it cannot be easily removed therefrom (i.e. can be press fit over the neck of the bottle) so that the average purchaser must cut the neck portion to remove the tag from the container.

The tag is constructed so that both the neck portion 4 and the body portion 6 together are tear resistant and therefore deter any attempt to remove the tag 2 from the container and/or to gain access to the insert containing area and the insert contained therein which may be in the form of a sweepstakes or lottery ticket.

The construction of the tag 2 shown in Figure 1 is best described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, and first to Figure 2, there is shown an embodiment of the invention in which the tag 2 has a neck portion 4 and a body portion 6 as previously described except that the neck portion and the body portion have a rectangular shape. The opening 14 of the neck portion 4 will be typically die cut after the tag 2 is fully assembled. The body portion 6 has an insert containing area 8 which is outlined by the dotted lines. The neck portion 4 and the body portion 6 are differentiated for the purpose of illustration only by a dotted line identified by the letter "A".

The tag 2 is made of a base substrate which can be made from a variety of materials, preferably a material having low stretch and high tear resistance. It will be understood that the base substrate need not be tear resistant per se but may be covered on one or both sides with a material that is tear resistant to render the neck portion 4 and body portion 6 tear resistant as described hereinafter.

The base substrate shown in Figure 2 is identified by numeral 16 and may be made from paper stock, heavy gauge plastic materials such as biaxially oriented (extruded) polypropylene 12 point (i.e. 0.012 inch) or even metallic foils. Plastic materials are preferred.

The base substrate 16 is covered with an overlayer 18 which may cover both the neck portion 4 and the body portion 6 as shown in Figure 2 or only the insert containing area 8 of the body portion 6 as shown in Figure 3. The overlayer 18 is applied to the front of the tag 2 so as to provide at least the insert containing area 8 with tear resistance and in the embodiment of Figure 2 provides the entire front surface of the tag 2 with tear resistance.

The overlayer 18 may be affixed to the base substrate 16 in a variety of ways including as shown in Figure 2, though the use of an adhesive layer 20. It will be understood that other means besides adhesives may be used to affix the overlayer 18 to the base substrate including punch holes, welds, seals (e.g. heat seals) and the like. It will also be understood from Figure 2, the insert containing area 8 is not provided with an adhesive but that a border around the insert containing area 8 is provided with adhesive so that the insert containing area is adhesive free and forms a pocket between the overlayer 18 and the base substrate 16. The insert 10 is therefore encapsulated within the insert containing area 8 and later removed by the buyer of the product.

The insert 10 can be any information that the producer of the product wishes to provide to the buyer of the product. The insert can be a single or multiple page insert made of a variety of materials including paper stock, plastic and the like and can provide advertisements, instructions for using the product, and can also provide a promotional game such as a sweepstake or lottery ticket that will enable the producer of the product to gain added attention for the product and provide to the buyer of the product with a benefit. Of particular importance to the present invention is that the insert is protected by the overlayer 18 and the base substrate 16 so that entry to the insert containing area 8 cannot be made by routine tearing. Typically the purchaser will use a scissors or other sharp object to gain access to the insert containing area and the insert 10 contained therein. Because the insert cannot be easily retrieved by simple tearing, the present invention provides a deterrent against unauthorized access to the insert. As previously indicated, the overlayer 18 is made of a tear resistant material such as biaxially oriented polypropylene, and polyvinylacetate and the like which can be applied as a lamination over the base substrate 16. The overlayer 18 may be applied on one or both sides of the base substrate 16 so long as the tag 2 is tear 5 resistant with respect to both the neck portion 4 and the body portion 6. The overlayer may be a see through layer (i.e. transparent or translucent) or may be colored or have promotional materials printed thereon.

In a further embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 3, the overlayer I0 18 is applied over only the body portion 6 and particularly the insert containing area 8. As a result, the insert containing area 8 is free of adhesive and is used to encapsulate the insert 10. It will be understood that the insert containing area may be constructed separately from the base substrate and then affixed thereto such as through the use of an adhesive. Thus, the insert may be encapsulated between tear 15 resistant layers in the form of a pouch which is then affixed to the base substrate.

As previously indicated, the opening 14 may be die cut to precise dimensions according to the portion of the container (e.g. neck of a bottle) that the tag is affixed to. The opening 14 may be sized to enable press fitting of the tag around the neck of

20 the bottle. The entire tag may be formed by a die cutting process with the opening precisely dimensioned as described above.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the tag 2 may be inserted about the neck of a bottle and may be further secured to the neck of the bottle by the use of a stop ring or by designing the cap of the bottle so that the tag cannot be removed unless the cap is removed. Referring first to Figure 4, the tag 2 and particularly the neck portion 4 is positioned about the neck 22 of a bottle 24. In the embodiment shown therein, the tag 2 is press fitted about the neck 22 of the bottle 24 and a stop ring 26 is provided on the neck 22 to provide an added security measure to prevent the tag 2 from being lifted off of the neck 22. The stop ring 26 can be a plastic ring that is affixed to the bottle so that it cannot be readily removed therefrom such as by use of an adhesive or the like.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, instead of a stop ring 26, a cap 28 of the bottle 24 is designed to provide a barrier against lifting of the tag 2 up and over the neck of the bottle. In this embodiment, the cap 28 is provided with an outwardly extending flange 30 such that the diameter of the flange. 30 is larger than the opening 14 and the tag 2 thereby preventing upward movement of the tag from the neck 22 of the bottle.

In the embodiments shown in Figures 1-5, the neck portion 4 of the tag 2 is provided with a single opening 14 that may be press fitted onto the neck of the bottle or other container. In a further embodiment as shown in Figure 6, the neck portion 4 is provided with at least one opening which is not designed to fit over the neck of the bottle, but rather is adapted to have a binding device such as a plastic strip, string, wire, or the like pass therethrough and be tied or otherwise bound to the neck of the bottle to secure the tag to the bottle. Referring to Figure 6, the tag 2 is shown provided with two openings 32 and a binding device such as a strip of plastic 34 which is secured around the neck of the bottle to secure the tag 2 thereto. The binding device can be a plastic strip, a string, wire or any binding device that can be placed through the opening or openings 32 and secured to the neck of the bottle.

In a further embodiment of the invention, an authentication means may be applied to the tag to enable the product and/or the promotion (e.g. lottery ticket) to be authenticated which may be particularly important when the insert is a game which offers winning prizes. Referring again to Figure 1 , there is provided an authentication system 12 which contains a code 36 or other indicia enabling authentication of the tag and/or game contained within the insert 10. The code of 36 may be any code (e.g. alphanumeric code as shown in Figure 1 ) which can provide authentication of the tag 2. Other forms of codes include bar codes, holograms, magnetic strips, radiofrequency identification code and combinations thereof. The code may be initially visible or may be covered such as by a peel away layer or a scratch-off layer made of latex.

In a further embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 7, the tag may be formed as a fold over piece 40 in which an overlayer 42 is attached to the base substrate 16 and the adhesive layer 20 is placed therebetween. When the overlayer 42 is secured to the base substrate 16, the insert 10 is secured within the insert containing area 8 as previously described. The overlayer 42 may be made of the same materials described previously for the overlayer 18 discussed above in connection with Figures 1-6 including transparent and translucent materials. In operation, the tag of the present invention as represented in Figure 1 may be placed about a container such as the neck of a wine bottle by press fitting the tag near the opening 14 onto the neck of the bottle. The tag is tear resistant both with respect to the neck portion 4 and the body portion 6 and therefore cannot be easily torn without detection in a typical retail store environment. In order to gain access to the tag and particularly to the insert, the purchaser may employ a scissor to cut the neck portion of the tag to remove the same from the purchased product and then use the scissors to gain entry into the insert 10 contained within the insert containing area 8.

The foregoing embodiments of the invention are illustrative of the invention and variations thereof which may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art are included therein and form part of the invention.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is:

1. A tag for attachment to a container comprising: a) a neck portion having at least one first opening therein allowing placement of the neck portion in operative engagement to a portion of the container; b) a body portion extending from the neck portion and comprising an insert containing area; and c) an insert contained with the insert containing area, said neck portion and body portion each comprised of a tear resistant material wherein when the tag is attached to the container, neither the tag nor the insert can readily be removed by tearing.

2. The tag of claim 1 wherein the insert containing area comprises a tear resistant layer covering the insert.

3. The tag of claim 1 wherein the neck portion and body portion comprises a base substrate made of a tear resistant material.

4. The tag of claim 1 wherein the neck portion and body portion comprise a base substrate made of a non-tear resistant material and a layer affixed to the base substrate made of a tear resistant material which renders the neck portion and the body portion tear resistant.

5. The tag of claim 2 wherein the tear resistant layer covers the insert and is attached around the insert containing area to the base substrate of the body portion.

6. The tag of claim 2 comprising attachment means for attaching the tear resistant layer to the body portion.

7. The tag of claim 7 wherein the attachment means is selected from the group consisting of an adhesive, punch holes, welds, seals or combination thereof.

8. The tag of claim 2 wherein the tear resistant layer is transparent or translucent.

9. The tag of claim 1 further comprising binding means insertable into the at least one opening in the neck portion of the tag and adapted to be secured around the portion of the container to thereby secure the tag to the container.

10. The tag of claim 1 further comprising authentication means for authenticating at least one of the container and insert.

11. The tag of claim 10 wherein the authentication means is contained within the insert containing area.

12. The tag of claim 10 wherein the authentication means is selected from the group consisting of an alphanumeric code, bar code, holographic label, magnetic strip, radiofrequency identification code and combinations thereof.

13. A container comprising: a) a tag receiving portion; b) a tag for attachment to the tag receiving portion comprising : 1 ) a neck portion having at least one first opening therein allowing placement of the neck portion in operative engagement to the tag receiving portion of the container; 2) a body portion extending from the neck portion and comprising an insert containing area; and 3) an insert contained with the insert containing area, said neck portion and body portion each comprised of a tear resistant material wherein when the tag is attached to the container, neither the tag nor the insert can readily be removed by tearing.

14. The container of claim 13 wherein the insert containing area comprises a tear resistant layer covering the insert.

15. The tag of claim 13 wherein the neck portion and body portion comprises a base substrate made of a tear resistant material.

16. The tag of claim 13 wherein the neck portion and body portion comprise a base substrate made of a non-tear resistant material and a layer affixed to the base substrate made of a tear resistant material which renders the neck portion and the body portion tear resistant.

17. The tag of claim 15 wherein the tear resistant layer covers the insert and is attached around the insert containing area to the base substrate of the body portion.

18. The tag of claim 14 comprising attachment means for attaching the tear resistant layer to the body portion.

19. The tag of claim 14 wherein the tear resistant layer is transparent or translucent.

20. The container of claim 13 further comprising tag removal deterring means for deterring removal of the neck portion of the tag from the container.

21. The container of claim 20 wherein the tag removal deterring means comprises a stop ring around the tag receiving portion of the container.

22. The container of claim 20 wherein the tag removal deterring means comprises a container cap having an outwardly extending flange having a diameter larger than the at least one opening of the tag.

23. The container of claim 13 wherein the tag further comprises binding means insertable into the at least one opening in the neck portion of the tag and adapted to be secured around the portion of the container to thereby secure the tag to the container.

24. The tag of claim 13 further comprising authentication means for authenticating at least one of the container and insert.

25. The tag of claim 24 wherein the authentication means is contained within the insert containing area.

26. The tag of claim 24 wherein the authentication means is selected form the group consisting of an alphanumeric code, bar code, holographic label, magnetic strip, radiofrequency identification code and combinations thereof.