Book product with concealed security device

• US 8,350,705 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartguard LLC
• Original Assignee: Smartguard LLC
• Inventors: Nichols, Dale Hunt
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T.
• Application Number:
  US13/158,258
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.8, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/539.1, 340/541, 340/693.5, 340/693.9, 340/693.12, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 235/380, 235/382, 235/487, 235/492, 235/383
• US Class Current: 340/572.8
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 3/12 combined with other articles loose leaf-binders combined with other articles B42F13/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2445 Tag integrated into item to be protected, e.g. source tagging
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A book product having an outer liner sheet defining spaced-apart opposing front and back covers, and a spine portion having a laydown area therebetween. A plurality of pages attached together on a spine side cooperatively attaches to the spine portion. A security device is disposed between the spine portion and the spine side of the pages in alignment with the laydown area for concealing the security device from casual indication of its presence and held after attachment of the bound pages to the outer liner during normal use thereof for book product purposes.

Claims

1. A book product, comprising:

an outer liner sheet pre-cut to a selected size and defining in portions thereof spaced-apart opposing front cover and back cover for the book product, and defining a spine portion between the two portions for the front cover and the back cover and having a laydown area, the front cover and the back cover foldable along respective spaced-part lines defined by the spine portion;

an interior body comprising a bound assembly of a plurality of pages attached together on a spine side of the bound assembly cooperatively attached to the spine portion of the liner sheet;

a security device disposed between the spine portion and the spine side of the bound assembly in alignment with the laydown area of the spine portion for concealing the security device from casual indication of its presence and held after attachment of the interior body to the outer liner safely and securely therein during normal use thereof for book product purposes,

whereby the opposing portions of the outer liner define a front cover and back cover that move together foldably along the lines defined by opposing sides of the spine portion for supporting and enclosing the interior body within the book product.

2. The book product as recited in claim 1, wherein the outer liner defines a coded indicia that is displayed on an outward portion thereof in alignment with the laydown area.

3. The book product as recited in claim 1, wherein the security device comprises a printed thin-film ink-circuit security device having a printed electrically conductive ink that defines a radio frequency circuit and antenna configured for responding to radio frequency signals.

4. The book product as recited in claim 3, wherein the printed thin-film ink-circuit security device further comprises an electronic processor with memory programmable with a unique identification code for use in responding to radio frequency signals.

5. The book product as recited in claim 1, wherein the security device is an RFID device.

6. The book product as recited in claim 1, further comprising a pair of sheets and each attached to a respective planar surface in the portions of the outer liner defining the front and back covers of the book product.

7. The book product as recited in claim 6 wherein the pair of sheets comprises a paper-based board;

and further comprising a pair of interior sheets that each overlays and attaches to a respective one of the pair of sheets.

8. The book product as recited in claim 7, wherein the paper-based board is chipboard.

9. A method of manufacturing a book product, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an outer liner sheet pre-cut to a selected size and defining in portions thereof spaced-apart opposing front cover and back cover for the book product, and defining a spine portion between the two portions for the front cover and the back cover and having a laydown area, the front cover and the back cover foldable along respective spaced-part lines defined by the spine portion;

(b) binding a plurality of pages together on a spine side thereof to form a bound assembly;

(c) disposing a security device between the spine portion and the spine side of the bound assembly in alignment with the laydown area of the spine portion for concealing the security device from casual indication of its presence;

(d) cooperatively attaching the bound assembly to the spine portion of the liner sheet so that the security device is held between the spine portion and the spine side of the bound assembly in alignment with the laydown area of the spine portion during normal use thereof for book product purposes,

whereby the opposing portions of the outer liner define a front cover and back cover that move together foldably along the lines defined by opposing sides of the spine portion for supporting and enclosing the bound assembly within the book product.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of marking an exterior surface of the outer liner in alignment with the laydown area with a coded indicia.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step (c) disposing comprises printing on the spine side of the bound assembly a thin-film ink-circuit security device having electrically conductive ink that defines a radio frequency circuit and antenna configured for responding to radio frequency signals.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein step (c) disposing comprises providing the printed thin-film ink-circuit security device with an electronic processor with memory programmable with a unique identification code for use in responding to radio frequency signals.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step (c) disposing further comprises providing an RFID device as the security device.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of attaching a pair of sheets to a respective planar surface in the portions of the outer liner defining the front and back covers of the book product.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the pair of sheets comprises a paper-based board;

and further comprising the step of providing a pair of interior sheets that each overlays and attaches to a respective one of the pair of sheets.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the paper-based board is chipboard.