Magnetic label and use thereof

• US 5,290,066 A
• Filed: 05/18/1992
• Issued: 03/01/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hemant K. Mody
• Original Assignee: Hemant K. Mody
• Inventors: Mody, Hemant K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, Paul A.
• Application Number:
  US07/885,000
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 283/67, 283/81, 281/15.1, 281/51
• US Class Current: 281/15.1
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/0086 Sheets combined with other articles
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06187 with magnetically detectable marking
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/082 using inductive or magnetic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2411 Tag deactivation

Abstract

In situations such as the checkout of library books and video cassettes issued by video rental stores, it is desirable to indicate the date by which these materials are due. This patent describes a method and means for displaying the due date by using an erasable and rewritable media affixed to the issuable material. Device for writing/erasing this media is described. Furthermore, method and device for simultaneous reading of bar codes, writing the due date and altering the detectability state of a programmable magnetic strip are disclosed.

Claims

1. A lending institution lendable object comprising:

(a) said lendable object bearing a humanly readable magnetic medium;

(b) said humanly readable magnetic medium being adapted to bear information that is changeable and related to said lendable object; and

(c) said humanly readable magnetic medium being magnetically erasable and imagewise recordable by machine.

2. The lendable object of claim 1 wherein said magnetic medium comprises field-orientable flakes.

3. The lendable object of claim 1 including an identification code that is machine readable in a form providing keyless data entry.

4. The lendable object of claim 1 including a magnetizable member capable of being detected, when magnetized in a predetermined manner, upon passing through the field of a current carrying coil.

5. The lendable object of claim 1 having a transparent protective layer extending beyond at least one edge of said magnetic medium to facilitate positioning of said magnetic medium on said lendable object.

6. An identification element comprising:

(a) a substrate having a first portion bearing a machine readable media of the type which includes bar codes, magnetic stripes, optically readable characters, and magnetically readable characters; and

(b) said substrate having a second portion comprising an imagewise recordable magnetic media.

7. The identification element of claim 6 wherein said magnetic media comprises field-orientable light-reflective flakes.

8. The identification element of claim 6 having a surface bearing an adhering means.

9. The identification element of claim 6 having a surface bearing a transparent protective layer.

10. The identification element of claim 6 further comprising a magnetizable member capable of being detected, when magnetized in a predetermined manner, upon passing through the field of a current carrying coil.

11. An identification element comprising:

(a) a machine readable identification portion bearing information providing keyless data entry of an identification code;

(b) a humanly readable and variably recordable portion bearing information that is changeable;

(c) said humanly readable portion being machine erasable and recordable; and

(d) said humanly readable portion comprising an imagewise recordable magnetic medium.

12. The identification element of claim 11 wherein said magnetic medium comprises field-orientable flakes.

13. The identification element of claim 11 wherein said identification code comprises a bar code.

14. A method for displaying in human readable form updateable information on an object issued by a lending establishment, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) attaching to said object an imagewise recordable magnetic media; and

(b) imagewise exposing said media to a magnetic field source capable of producing visible changes in said media.

15. A method of identifying an object to be loaned for a predetermined time by a lending institution and for indicating the date by which said object is due to be returned, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) attaching to said object a label having a first portion with permanently recorded information thereon identifying said object, and an erasable second portion which is adapted to record, in human-readable form, due-date information about said object, said second portion comprising an imagewise recordable magnetic media; and

(b) imagewise exposing said second portion to a magnetic field to imagewise record human readable due-date information on said second portion.

16. A label having a first portion with permanently recorded information thereon, and an erasable second portion which is adapted to record other information in human readable form, said second portion comprising an imagewise recordable magnetic media, and a selectively magnetizable member capable of being detected, when magnetized in a predetermined manner, upon passing through the field of a current-carrying coil.

17. An identification label having two portions arranged for use together by a lending establishment for identifying an object to be loaned to a borrower and to indicate a date by which the object is to be returned, said identification label comprising:

(a) a first one of said portions having object-identifying information permanently recorded in machine readable form providing keyless data entry of a machine readable identity code for said object; and

(b) a second one of said portions comprising a machine erasable and recordable magnetic media adapted to magnetically record an image of date information in human-readable form when imagewise exposed to a magnetic field.

18. The identification label as defined by claim 17 wherein said magnetic media comprises magnetic field-orientable light-reflective flakes.

19. The identification label as defined by claim 17 further comprising a transparent protective member overlying said first and second portions, said transparent protective member extending beyond at least one of the edges of said first and second portions to facilitate placement of the label on said object.

20. The identification label as defined by claim 17 further comprising a selectively magnetizable member supported by at least one of said first and second portions and capable of being detected, when magnetized in a predetermined manner, upon passing through the field of a current-carrying coil.