Time tags with data storage

• US 5,863,076 A
• Filed: 08/15/1997
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vanguard Identification Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vanguard Identification Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Warther, Richard O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fridie, Jr., Willmon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhargava, Adesh
• Application Number:
  US08/911,806
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 283/904, 283/74, 283/82, 283/105, 283/109, 40/299, 40/330, 40/634
• US Class Current: 283/74
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/00 Printed matter of special format or style not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/20 characterised by a particular use or purpose
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/369 Magnetised or magnetisable materials
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/47 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 5/027 Sheets or cards attached to a carrier strip or web shipping forms B42D15/006
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00508 Printing or attaching on mailpieces printing mechanisms B41J; security printing B41M3/14; marking methods B41M5/00; inks C09D11/00; record carriers with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00588 Barcode
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0062 Label
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 283/904 Credit card

Abstract

A printed sheet product is formed by a core of printable sheet material having a pair of opposing major planar sides. At least one side bears printing. A plurality of magnetizable stripes are laid down over at least one major side of the core in spaced parallel lines extending across the one major side of the core. Scoring extending sufficiently through the sheet product including the core and each of the magnetizable stripes to define a plurality of tag elements removable from the sheet. The tag elements are of an identical shape. Each tag element bears at least part of at least one of the magnetizable stripes and part of the printing. The scoring further defines a hole extending transversely through each removable tag element of the sheet. The printing includes a unique code in characters, bar codes or both. Labels bearing the same codes can be simultaneously prepared by the printing and scoring of the core and providing a pressure sensitive adhesive layer on the sheet product behind each label. The removable tag elements are elongated but other than rectangular in shape. All depicted removable tag elements vary in width along their length. Where each magnetizable stripe is positioned to extend across the width of the element, at least one stripe overlies the widest longitudinal end of the element. Where the magnetizable stripes are positioned to extend along the length of each removable tag element, the hole through the element is located in the widest longitudinal end of the element.

Claims

1. A printed sheet product comprising:

a core of printable sheet material having a pair of opposing major planar sides, at least one major side bearing printing;

a plurality of magnetizable stripes laid down over at least one major side of the core in spaced parallel lines extending across the one major side of the core;

scoring extending sufficiently through the sheet product including the core and each of the magnetizable stripes to define a plurality of tag elements removable from the sheet product, each tag element bearing part of at least one of the magnetizable stripes and printing;

a portion of the printing on each of the removable tag elements being identical to printing on each other tag element of the sheet and another portion of the printing of each tag element being different from the printing on at least one other tag element of the sheet.

2. The printed sheet product of claim 1 wherein scoring further defines an opening with a closed perimeter within each tag element and extending transversely through each removable tag element of the sheet product.

3. The printed sheet product of claim 1 wherein each removable tag element includes a set of printed optical timing marks adjoining and extending along at least one of the magnetizable stripe parts on the tag element.

4. The printed sheet product of claim 3 wherein the at least one magnetizable stripe part adjoins and extends at least generally in a common direction with one outer edge of the tag element and wherein the timing marks are located between the one magnetizable stripe part and the one outer edge of the tag element.

5. The printed sheet product of claim 1 wherein each removable tag element of the sheet product has a magnetizable stripe part located at least within two-thirds of an inch of a tangent to a proximal edge of the tag element extending parallel to the stripe part.

6. The printed sheet product of claim 5 wherein the part of at least one magnetizable stripe is located within one-half of an inch from the tangent to the proximal edge of the tag element.

7. The printed sheet product of claim 5 wherein the part of at least one magnetizable stripe is located within one-third of an inch from the tangent to the proximal edge of the tag element.

8. The printed sheet product of claim 1 wherein each tag element is elongated and wherein the part of each magnetizable stripe on each tag element is elongated in a direction generally perpendicular to the elongation of the tag element.

9. The printed sheet product of claim 1 being no more than eight and one-half by eleven inches in size and containing at least twenty-four removable tag elements.

10. The printed sheet product of claim 1 wherein at least part of the printing on each tag element is machine readable code.

11. The printed sheet product of claim 1 wherein the core is opaque and further comprising a first transparent film layer attached to and overlying a first major planar side of the core.

12. The printed sheet product of claim 11 further comprising a second transparent film layer attached to and overlying a second major planar side of the core and each magnetic stripe overlying at least core.

13. A printed sheet product comprising:

a core of printable sheet material having a pair of opposing major planar sides, at least one side bearing printing;

a plurality of magnetizable stripes laid down over at least one major side of the core in spaced parallel lines extending across the one major side of the core;

scoring extending sufficiently through the sheet product including the core and each of the magnetizable stripes to define a plurality of tag elements removable from the sheet, the plurality of tag elements being of an at least similar shape, each tag element bearing at least part of at least one of the magnetizable stripes and part of the printing, and the scoring further defining an opening with a closed perimeter extending transversely through each removable tag element of the sheet.

14. The printed sheet product of claim 13 wherein one magnetizable stripe part on each tag element adjoins and extends longitudinally at least generally in a common direction with at least one outer edge of the tag element and wherein the magnetizable stripe part is located between the opening with closed perimeter and the one outer edge of the tag element.

15. The printed sheet product of claim 14 wherein each removable tag element includes a set of printed optical timing marks along the tag element adjoining at least one of the magnetizable stripe parts on the tag element.

16. The printed sheet product of claim 13 wherein each removable tag element bears parts of two of the magnetizable stripes.

17. The printed sheet product of claim 16 wherein each of the removable tag elements is other than rectangular in shape lacking a first pair of opposing parallel sides of equal length and a second, separate parallel sides of equal length perpendicular to the first pair of sides.

18. A printed sheet product comprising:

a core of printable sheet material having a pair of opposing major planar sides, at least one major side bearing printing;

a plurality of magnetizable stripes overlying at least one major side of the core in spaced parallel lines extending entirely across the one major side of the core;

scoring extending sufficiently through the sheet product including the core and each of the magnetizable stripes to define a plurality of separate, individual tag elements removable from the sheet, the plurality of tag elements being of an at least similar shape other than at least generally rectangular, each tag element bearing at least part of at least one of the magnetizable stripes and part of the printing, the printing on each removable tag element including at least a machine readable code and the codes printed on the plurality of tag elements removable from the sheet product being different on at least two of the tag elements of the plurality.

19. The sheet product of claim 18 wherein the scoring further defines an opening with a closed perimeter extending transversely through each removable tag element of the sheet product.

20. The printed sheet product of claim 18 wherein each removable tag element includes a plurality of printed optical timing marks adjoining and extending along at least one magnetizable stripe part on the tag element.

21. The printed sheet product of claim 20 wherein the one magnetizable stripe part adjoins and extends at least generally in a common direction with at least one outer edge of the tag element and wherein the timing marks are located between the magnetizable stripe part and the one outer edge of the tag.

22. A printed sheet product comprising:

a core of printable sheet material having a pair of opposing major planar sides, at least one major side bearing printing in the form of a plurality of sets of printed fields;

scoring extending through the sheet product sufficiently to define at least a plurality of elements removable from the sheet product, each removable element including a set of the printed fields;

each removable element of the plurality being only generally quadrilateral in shape with a width and a length longer than the width, each removable element having a pair of opposing, spaced apart long sides and a pair of opposing, spaced apart short sides, each of the short sides being shorter in length than either of the long sides, spacing between the pair of long sides changing along the length of the element whereby each element has a narrower width portion and a wider width portion; and

the scoring further defining a closed perimeter opening through each removable element, the closed perimeter opening in each removable element being located more than one-half inch from at least one of the sides of the element.

23. The printed sheet product of claim 22 further comprising a plurality of magnetizable stripes overlying at least one major side of the core in spaced parallel lines extending across the one major side of the core, each magnetizable stripe being spaced from each of the closed perimeter openings of the removable elements.

24. The printed sheet product of claim 22 wherein each of the removable tag elements bears a printed code, each printed code being spaced from each of the closed perimeter openings of the removable elements.

25. The printed sheet product of claim 24 wherein the printed codes of the sheet product on at least two of the removable elements are different.