Method and apparatus for placing ID tags in molded articles
First Claim
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1. A method of securing a product identification tag to a heat formed article, said method comprising:
- removing a product identification tag from a source of tags;
moving said removed tag to a position adjacent to a mold component;
moving a heat formable material to a position adjacent the positioned tag and mold component separately from said moving said removed tag;
heating the heat formable material to a temperature to permit heat forming of the material, but below its melting temperature;
moving the heated material into contact with the mold component;
forming the heat formable material to conform generally to the shape of a portion of the mold component and over a portion of the tag; and
attaching the removed tag to the heated material during the forming of the material.
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Abstract
A thermoforming apparatus and method are provided. An identification tag such as a radio frequency identification tag is provided for molding into or attaching to a thermoformed article during the thermoforming process. The tag may be attached to the article by mechanical interlocking and/or a heat sensitive adhesive. The identification tag is applied to the article while the article is being formed in the thermoforming mold.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of securing a product identification tag to a heat formed article, said method comprising:
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removing a product identification tag from a source of tags; moving said removed tag to a position adjacent to a mold component; moving a heat formable material to a position adjacent the positioned tag and mold component separately from said moving said removed tag; heating the heat formable material to a temperature to permit heat forming of the material, but below its melting temperature; moving the heated material into contact with the mold component; forming the heat formable material to conform generally to the shape of a portion of the mold component and over a portion of the tag; and attaching the removed tag to the heated material during the forming of the material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for thermoforming a molded article with an attached identification tag, said apparatus including:
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at least one mold component; a feed device adapted to selectively feed a sheet of thermoformable material to a position adjacent the mold component; a heater adapted to heat the thermoformable material to a temperature sufficient for thermoforming; a force applying device associated with the mold component and operable to apply force to the thermoformable material and conform the thermoformable material generally to at least a portion of the mold component; and a transport mechanism associated with the mold and operable to move an identification tag from a source to a position adjacent an exposed surface of the mold component for positioning between the exposed surface and the thermoformable material and attachment to the thermoformable material formed by the mold component. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification