Method of making electronic tags

• US 4,818,312 A
• Filed: 10/28/1987
• Issued: 04/04/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Monarch Marking Systems, Inc. (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Inventors: Benge, S. Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Dawson, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US07/114,792
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 156/52, 156/272.2, 156/272.8, 156/273.9, 156/269, 340/572, 361/402
• US Class Current: 156/52
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2519/02 RFID tags
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0004 Cutting, tearing or severing, e.g. bursting; Cutter details cutting in general B26D; laminating combined with punching or perforating B32B38/04; removing all or part of the layers B32B38/10; cutting in combination with laying up and registration B32B38/185 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/10 Removing layers, or parts of layers, mechanically or chemically
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0672 with resonating marks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/242 Tag deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2437 Tag layered structure, processes for making layered tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/244 Tag manufacturing, e.g. continuous manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2442 Tag materials and material properties thereof, e.g. magnetic material details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/702 of thick-or thin-film circuits or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/0522 Using an adhesive pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1545 Continuous processing, i.e. involving rolls moving a band-like or solid carrier along a continuous production path
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/046 by selective transfer or selective detachment of a conductive layer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/202 using self-supporting metal foil pattern
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/108 Flash, trim or excess removal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1084 of continuous or running length bonded web
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

This invention relates to a deactivatable 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 tage 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. The conductors of each pair are connected by welding to provide a reliable circuit.

Claims

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

providing a web having a series of first conductors, providing another web having a series of second conductors, positioning the webs so that the first and second conductors of each pair are spaced apart by dielectric material, and using a laser beam to weld adjacent portions of the first and second conductors of each pair so that each pair provides a detectable resonant circuit.

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

providing a series of pairs of first and second conductors spaced apart by dielectric material, with each first and second conductor having a connector portion free of dielectric material, and using a laser beam to weld the connector portions of each pair to each other to provide a series of detectable resonant circuits.

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

providing a series of pairs of first and second conductors spaced apart by dielectric material and adhesively attached, with each first and second conductors having a connector portion free of dielectric material and free of adhesive, and welding the connector portions to each other to provide a series of detectable resonant circuits.

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

providing a web having a series of first conductors, providing another web having a series of second conductors, wherein at least one of the conductors is a spiral conductor, depositing welding material on each conductor of one of said series, positioning a deactivator adjacent one conductor of one of said series, wherein the deactivator includes heat activatable material rendered conductive by the application of heat, positioning the webs so that the first and second conductors are in adjacent pairs spaced apart by dielectric material to provide a tag web, and applying heat to the tag web at a temperature high enough to cause the welding material to weld the conductors to each other to provide a detectable resonant circuit but low enough to prevent the activatable material from being rendered conductive.