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EP-4736153-A1 - TAG INCLUDING DETACHABLE LABEL AND METHODS THEREOF

EP4736153A1EP 4736153 A1EP4736153 A1EP 4736153A1EP-4736153-A1

Abstract

Described are label and tag systems and methods that can provide more than one label or tag in the same assembly that are detachable or separable from each other for use and application to a single product. The labels and tags can be printed and/or encoded in the same process. The systems and methods can provide one or more (or all) of the following: at least two labels in the same assembly; a sewn-in label including a detachable adhesive label applicable to a product or secondary tag such as a hang tag; a pocket tag including a detachable adhesive label applicable to a product or secondary tag such as a hang tag; a tag including RFID technologies for asset tracking and EAS systems; and, a label including printed information associated with or linked to an RFID tag and able to register when an attached product is sold.

Inventors

  • FLEUREN, Inge
  • MOLENKAMP, Wim

Assignees

  • CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240627

Claims (20)

  1. CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A tag assembly, comprising: a tag comprising a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and an RFID component disposed within the tag, wherein the first side is printable with first printed information and wherein the RFID component is encodable with encoded information; a detachable label comprising a first side and a second side, wherein the first side is printable with second printed information and the second side of the detachable label comprises an adhesive layer; and wherein the detachable label is disposed on the second side of the tag by the adhesive layer; wherein the detachable label is selectively separable from the second side of the tag, and wherein the first printed information and second printed information comprise related information.
  2. 2. The tag assembly of claim 1, wherein the tag comprises a woven material and is configured to be sewn onto a product.
  3. 3. The tag assembly of claim 1, wherein the tag is a hang tag configured to be attached to a product by hanging.
  4. 4. The tag assembly of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the detachable label is selectively separable from the second side of the tag and reattachable to a product by the adhesive layer.
  5. 5. The tag assembly of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detachable label is selectively separable from the second side of the tag and reattachable to a secondary tag by the adhesive layer.
  6. 6. The tag assembly of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second side of the tag comprises a release liner and when the detachable label is separated from the second side of the tag, the second side of the tag is free of adhesive. 22 33822225.1
  7. 7. The tag assembly of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the detachable label is smaller than the tag.
  8. 8. The tag label assembly of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the RFID component is fully embedded in the tag.
  9. 9. The tag assembly of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first printed information and second printed information include the same printed information.
  10. 10. The tag assembly of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the RFID component is configured to track inventory of a product to which the tag is attached.
  11. 11. A method of making a tag assembly, comprising: providing a tag sheet having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the tag sheet comprising a plurality of RFID components disposed within the tag sheet; applying a sheet of detachable labels onto the second side of the tag sheet, the sheet of detachable labels comprising a first side, a second side, and an adhesive layer on the second side; customizing the tag sheet and sheet of detachable labels with product information selected from printing the first side of the sheet of detachable labels with label printed information, encoding the RFID component with encoded information, printing the first side of the tag sheet with tag printed information, or a combination of two or more thereof; cutting the customized tag sheet and sheet of detachable labels into individual tag assemblies, wherein each tag assembly comprises a tag comprising an RFID component and a detachable label.
  12. 12. The method of making a tag assembly of claim 11, wherein customizing the tag sheet and sheet of detachable labels with product information includes all of the following steps in any order: printing the first side of the sheet of detachable labels with label printed 23 33822225.1 information, encoding the RFID component with encoded information, printing the first side of the tag sheet with tag printed information.
  13. 13. The method of making a tag assembly of claim 11, wherein customizing the tag sheet and sheet of detachable labels with product information includes all of the following steps in the following order: printing the first side of the sheet of detachable labels with label printed information, encoding the RFID component with encoded information, printing the first side of the tag sheet with tag printed information.
  14. 14. The method of making a tag assembly of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the tag comprises a woven material and is configured to be sewn onto a product.
  15. 15. The method of making a tag assembly of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the tag is a hang tag configured to be attached to a product by hanging.
  16. 16. The method of making a tag assembly of any of claims 11 to 15, wherein the detachable label is selectively separable from a second side of the tag and reattachable to a product by an adhesive layer on a second side of the detachable label.
  17. 17. The method of making a tag assembly of any of claims 11 to 15, wherein the detachable label is selectively separable from a second side of the tag and reattachable to a secondary tag by an adhesive layer on a second side of the detachable label.
  18. 18. The method of making a tag assembly of any of claims 11 to 17, wherein a second side of the tag comprises a release liner and when the detachable label is separated from the second side of the tag, the second side of the tag is free of adhesive.
  19. 19. The method of making a tag assembly of any of claims 11 to 18, wherein the detachable label is smaller than the tag.
  20. 20. The method of making a tag assembly of any of claims 11 to 19, wherein the label printed information and the tag printed information include the same printed information. 24 33822225.1

Description

PCT PATENT APPLICATION Inventors: Inge Fleuren Wim Molenkamp Docket No.: 44591-01945 TITLE TAG INCLUDING DETACHABLE LABEL AND METHODS THEREOF CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/523,977, filed on June 29, 2023, entitled “TAG INCLUDING DETACHABLE LABEL AND METHODS THEREOF,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present disclosure relates generally to a tag including a detachable label and methods of making and use thereof and, more particularly, to a printed tag assembly comprising radio frequency identification (RFID) and a printed detachable label, wherein the printing and encoding may be completed in the same process. BACKGROUND [0003] Labels are applied to products to build brand awareness, to describe the specifications of a product, to supply consumer information such as pricing, directions on product use, warnings, government-required content, to convey a quality message regarding the product, and the like. The information typically provided on a label is in the form of text, graphics, and images. For example, labels may be used to provide barcode information as well as brand and product identifying information. Labels may be formed as or attached to a tag and applied to a product. [0004] Labels may be applied to a product using adhesive or may be attached to a product by 1 33822225.1 other means, including being printed on or sewn into the product, attached to the product by a plastic, woven, or metal fastener, or part of a tag may loop through a part of the product. A single product may include multiple labels that include similar, related, or the same information, such as a hang tag attached to the product by a plastic, woven, metal, or looped fastener that may be removed after purchase by a consumer and a pocket or shirt tag that may be sewn into a product that generally remains attached to the product even as it is used by the consumer. The different labels may be applied to the same product at different times during the production, manufacturing, shipping, and distribution stages, for example. Labels, in providing an aesthetic appearance and in the ability to convey specific information to a consumer, are an important aspect in the industry. It is important that the different labels on a product are accurate with respect to the product. [0005] Labels and tags may also be used by retail stores for asset tracking and loss prevention. For example, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags may be used as a part of electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems. These RFID tags and EAS systems may be used to track inventory and/or alarm under specified conditions likely to be associated with an attempted theft without a point of sale, which can prevent and deter loss and theft of merchandise. Tags may be attached to merchandise pre-sale. In some applications, the tags may be removed by a specialized tool at a point of sale by a cashier. In other applications, the tags may be deactivated at a point of sale by a cashier. If the tags are not removed or otherwise deactivated, EAS antennas may alarm at the exit of a store if it detects an associated item moving through the exit of a store with an active tag. This alarm may signal attempted theft of items that have not been purchased, e.g., items that have not had the tags removed or deactivated. [0006] Conventionally, RFID tags are made, encoded, and applied to a product in separate processes compared to removable tags and sewn-in tags, since these require different 2 33822225.1 machines and infrastructure. Such separate processes can be redundant, time-consuming, and require double the manpower and effort as the information must be applied to all labels and every label manually matched to each other and the product multiple times. Such manual sorting to ensure the correct tags are each associated and attached to the correct product risks errors. Additionally, RFID tags generally cannot register when an attached product is sold, for example as the barcode or price tag which is scanned at a point of sale (at the same time the RFID tag is deactivated) is not associated with or linked to the RFID tag and vice versa where the RFID tag is not associated with or linked to the price tag or barcode scanned at a point of sale. SUMMARY [0007] The following presents a summary of this disclosure to provide a basic understanding of some aspects. This summary is intended to neither identify key or critical elements nor define any limitations of embodiments or claims. Furthermore, this summary may provide a simplified overview of some aspects that may be described in greater detail in other portions of this disclosure. Any of the described aspects may be isolated or combined with other described aspects without limitation to the same effect as if they had been described separately and in every possible combination explicitly