EP0712451A1

EP0712451A1 - Antitheft method for garment or the like, method and machine for producing a garment identification article, and associated clothing and identification articles

Info

Publication number: EP0712451A1
Application number: EP94924338A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Patrick Mamou; Lionel Prat
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-08-06
Filing date: 1994-08-05
Publication date: 1996-05-22
Anticipated expiration: 2014-08-05
Also published as: FR2708580A1; DE69415986T2; ES2128575T3; AU7463994A; FR2708580B1; ATE175735T1; DE69415986D1; WO1995004853A1; EP0712451B1

Abstract

Against the internal side of the top portion of the back of a jacket (17), an identification article (4) is fixed, the latter comprising an identification label (34) which is fixed by means of a peripheral seam (19) traversing an edge (18) of the label (34), back-folded inwards. An influence device (20) is fixed, for example by gluing, against the reverse side of the label (34), inside the peripheral seam (19). The influence device (20) is then made normally inaccessible and unremovable due to the seam (19), without deterioration of the influence device by the seam. Furthermore, the influence device (20) is invisible. Utilization for simplifying the protection of garments against shoplifting.

Description

"ANTITHEFT METHOD FOR GARMENT OR THE LIKE,

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR PRODUCING AN ARTICLE

GARMENT IDENTIFICATION,

AND RELATED CLOTHING AND IDENTIFICATION ARTICLES "

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a method for protecting against theft an article of clothing or the like. The present invention also relates to an article of clothing for implementing this method, as well as, as an intermediate product, an article of clothing identification which can form an individual claw or, according to another aspect, a ribbon ready to be cut. in individual claws.

The invention also relates to a machine capable of producing the aforementioned identification article.

For the protection of clothing articles against theft in sales stores, it is known to removably fix an influence device on each article. If a person seeks to fraudulently take away the item of clothing, the influence device influences a detector placed in a warning barrier arranged at the exit of the store. To avoid such detection resulting in the triggering of an alarm, the store staff must remove the influence device before the customer leaves the store.

This process is restrictive for traders who must have and store numerous influence devices and perform two successive manipulations for each item, one to place the influence device on each item before shelving, the other to remove the influence device when selling the item.

The object of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks. According to the invention, the method for protecting against theft an article of clothing or the like, in which an article of influence is associated with the article capable of influencing, by proximity, the detector means of the kind placed for example at the outlet of a store, is characterized in that during a step of making the article or prior to the making of the article, the influence device is permanently fixed on an identification claw which is fixed herself to the article.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the method for producing at least one identification item intended for clothing or the like, is characterized in that permanently fixed to a textile claw, an influencing device capable of influence, by proximity, the detector means of the kind placed, for example, at the exit of stores.

According to the invention, the influence device is fixed to the claw of the garment, at the latest during the making, it being understood that the laying of the claw is considered to be part of the making. Retailers therefore no longer have to invest in stocks of influence devices, nor to devote time to installing and removing them. All they need to do is neutralize the influence mechanism when the item is sold.

It is advantageous to fix the influence device on the back of the claw, then to fix the claw to the article so as to make the reverse of the claw substantially inaccessible. In this case, a relatively rudimentary attachment between the influence device and the claw may be sufficient, for example by gluing.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the article of clothing ^at the like, comprising an identification label permanently fixed, is characterized in that the identification label is fixed an influencing device capable of influencing, by proximity, the detector means of the kind placed, for example, at the exit of a store.

It is specified in this respect that the term article of clothing or clothing is used here in its broadest sense, that is to say which includes any object capable of carrying an identification mark, including for example towels, shoes, blankets, etc. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, 1 identification item for clothing or the like, comprising an identification claw intended to be fixed permanently to the clothing or the like, or a ribbon formed from '' a succession of identification claws, intended to be separated from each other by cross section of the ribbon and then each permanently fixed to a garment or the like, is characterized in that each identification claw is attached a device influence capable of influencing, by proximity, the means sectors of the kind placed, for example, at the exit of a store.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the machine for producing a ribbon on which labels follow one another along the length of the ribbon, is characterized in that it comprises:

- means for scrolling a first ribbon along a first path; and

- Means for scrolling at substantially the same speed i- rub.in carrier on which adhere the self-adhesive labels, following a second path forming a sharp angle near the first path, so that the carrier tape advances towards the first tape to the sharp corner and as the carrier tape crosses the sharp corner, the labels come off and come to rest by their sticky side on the first tape. The identification article can thus be produced very efficiently in the form of a ribbon of the fourth aspect.

The description of the invention will now be continued with the description of exemplary embodiments given below by way of illustration and not limitation with reference to the appended drawings, where:

- Figure 1 is a partial view of a garment according to the invention, equipped with an identification item;

- Figure 2 is a partial schematic sectional view of the garment of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a view of a section of a carrier tape on which adhere labels each provided with an influencing device;

- Figure 4 is a view of a ribbon ready to be cut into individual identification articles, each comprising a claw and an influence device; FIG. 5 is a view of a machine for producing an identification item forming a ribbon of individual identification items;

- Figure 6 and 7 are views of a detail of the transfer station of the machine of Figure 5, on an enlarged scale;

- Figure 8 is a side view of the ribbon of Figure 4; and

FIG. 9 is a view of a machine for cutting individual identification articles from the ribbon article obtained with the machine of FIG. 5.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the inner face of the top of the back of a jacket 17 taken as an example of clothing item. Against this inner face an identification article 4 comprising an identification claw 34 is fixed by a seam peripheral 19 crossing an edge 18 of the claw 34, folded inwards.

An influence device 20 is fixed against the reverse face of the claw 34 inside the peripheral seam 19. The influence device 20 is therefore made normally inaccessible and irremovable by the seam 19, without the latter. does not deteriorate »influence device. 2n addition, the influence device 20 is invisible. The influence device 20 comprises for example an oscillating circuit 100 as shown in FIG. 3 comprising a flat coil 101 the ends of which are connected to each other by a capacitor 102 in series with a similar neutralization device 103 to a fuse. The oscillating circuit 100 is fixed on a self-adhesive label 106. In FIG. 3, multiple labels 106 are shown adhering one after the other along a carrier tape 107. To produce an identification article 4 comprising a claw 34 and an influence device 20, a label 106 was peeled off from the carrier tape 107 and it was made to adhere against the reverse face of the claw 3.

We will now describe a method for manufacturing a clothing identification article 1 comprising a series of individual identification articles 4 connected in tape, and then for separating these individual identification articles from each other.

We start from an ïαban 31 as shown in the form of a section in FIG. 4, to which the influence devices 20 are not yet attached. The ribbon 31 has been woven with a pattern which is repeated regularly- throughout itself, this motif being here made up of the letters A, B, C and D which respectively overhang the letters E, F, G and H with in the upper right corner a transverse line 2, this line and these letters being colored dark on a light background. The ribbon 31 is intended to be cut at each connection 3 between two successive patterns, indicated in phantom in single point on the drawing, in order to be divided into claws 34 for identifying the garment (see FIGS. 1 and 2), each claw being between two successive fittings 3.

The upper edge 5 of the repeating pattern on the ribbon 1 is bordered by a visually uniform band 6 (light in color) in which contrast the line 2 (in dark color), the lower limit of the β bands being indicated in Figure 4 by line 7 in phantom with double dots.

The set of bands 6 which follow one another forms an optical positioning tracking track, the marks being formed by the lines 2 which mark the ribbon 31.

As each line 2 is part of the pattern it identifies, we are sure that it is always positioned in the same way with respect to the latter. The reference 2 is here a line which practically forms a task, since it has a width of 3 mm, its height which corresponds to that of the strip 6, being 5 mm.

The machine shown in FIG. 5 comprises means for unwinding a reel 108 of ribbon 31 so that the ribbon 31 passes through a label transfer station 109, a pressing device 111, after which the ribbon 1, formed of ribbon 31 lined with labels 20, and constituting the identification article in tape, is taken up by a take-up reel 11. At the transfer station 109, the tape 1 passes with the reverse side facing upwards, and towards means for making scroll the carrier tape 107 of Figure 3 between a transmitting reel 113 and a receiving reel 114. The transfer station comprises two fixed guide faces 117 and 118 forming one with the other an edge 116. The tape 107 is guided to follow the face 117 go around edge 116 at an acute angle, then follow face 118.

The face of the strip 107 which slides directly on the edge 116 and the faces 117, 118 is the face opposite to the labels 107.

Along the fixed face 117 the ribbon advances in the same direction as the ribbon 31, that is to the right of FIG. 5 in the example, but in a direction inclined towards the path of the ribbon 31. After the passage of the edge 116, which is close to the path of the tape 31, the carrier tape 107 starts again along the face 118 parallel to the tape 31 and in the opposite direction. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the passage of the ribbon 107 over the edge 116 causes the labels 106 to peel off, the sticky face of which will then gradually settle on the moving ribbon 31.

Thus, after the passage of the edge 116, the ribbon 107 is freed from the labels 106.

The tape 1 provided with the labels 106 then passes between two rollers in the pressing device 111 to reinforce the bonding, by application of pressure.

The transfer station 109 also comprises two photoelectric detectors 119, 121 placed along the path of the strip 31, facing the right side thereof, and with them a spacing corresponding substantially to the length of a label 106.

Normally, the means for unwinding the carrier tape 107 are stopped in the situation shown in FIG. 6, with the front edge of a label 106 substantially coinciding with the edge 116.

The tape 1, 31 is in continuous movement.

Each mark 2 (Figure 4) of the ribbon 31 passes first in front of the detector 119, and this occurs substantially when a previous mark 2 passes under the edge 116. The detector 119 then triggers, by means of a control device 122 and motor means 123, advancing the ribbon 107 at a speed equal to that of the ribbon 1, 31. This causes the progressive transfer of the label to the ribbon and claws 31, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The label is positioned between the two future cutting lines 3 of the ribbon 31 which coincide with the two aforementioned marks 2. When the rear mark 2 passes in front of the second detector 121, the latter triggers the stopping of the motor means 123 by means of the control device 122.

The ribbon 1 which is wound on the take-up reel 11 has the appearance side visible in FIG. 4 and the reverse side the appearance visible in FIG. 8.

The machine 10 shown in FIG. 9 includes means for receiving the roll 11 produced with the machine in FIG. 5, unwinding the roll 11 of tape 1 in the direction indicated by an arrow, and for scrolling it on a table 12 with each strip 6 which passes in front of an optical cell 13 sensitive to color contrasts, so that it can detect the mark 2 in each strip 6.

The table 12 and the cell 13 are part of a ribbon cutting station 1 at each connector 3, this station also comprising a cutting device 14 having a blade 15 which cuts by lowering itself until it meets a counter blade mounted on the table 12, the device 14 being connected to the cell 13 by an electrical connection 16.

The cell 13 and the device 14 are spaced a distance L which is predetermined as a function of the normal length of a pattern of the ribbon 1 so that when the cell 13 detects a mark 2, the blade 15 is located just above of fitting 3 above (distance L is slightly larger than the normal length of a pattern). The electrical link 16 serves to transmit to the device 14 the signal emitted by the cell 13 when it detects a mark 2. The device 14 triggers the lowering of its blade as soon as it receives this signal, to cut the ribbon 1, in order to detach a claw 4, as shown in the figure

9. The claws 4 are then sewn in a conventional manner on clothes such as 17, of Figures 1 and 2.

The mark 2, because it is at one end of the pattern of the claw 34, is found carried by one of the folded edges 18, and is therefore no longer visible when the claw is sewn on the clothing.

When the garment 17 is sold, the checkout staff neutralizes the influence device by subjecting it to a magnetic field sufficient to cause the neutralization device 103 to trip and thereby break the continuity of the resonant circuit 100.

If a person seeks to leave the store without the checkout staff having neutralized the influence device 20, this person will generally have to cross a warning barrier in which the influence device will, by its presence, influence the value frequency of a radio frequency transmitter, which will trigger an alarm.

The invention is applicable to all types of clothing articles in the broadest sense, including towels, shoes, blankets, etc.

The identification articles according to the invention can be manufactured and sold to garment factories in the form of individual identification articles 4 as produced by the machine 10

(Figure 9) or as a ribbon article 1 as shown in Figure 4 or 8.

Depending on the circumstances, we can place the benchmark

2 at another location in the strip 6, for example at the other end, or even in an intermediate position; the strip and the mark can be provided at the bottom rather than at the top; the benchmark can be formed by a thinner line, by a single point or by a larger task depending on the characteristics of the optical cell used; and the pattern can be worn on the strip 1 by printing rather than by weaving, at the very manufacturing of the ribbon.

The invention is not limited to radio frequency influence devices, nor to means for neutralization by breaking a circuit.

The labeling 106 could be carried out using a machine of the same kind as the machine 10 in FIG. 9, but with a labeling station

106 between the ribbon roll 31 and the cutting station.

One could sew the claw 4 or garment only along two opposite edges, this would generally suffice ^" to make the influence device 20 invisible and impossible to take off.

Claims

1. Method for protecting against theft an article of clothing or the like (17), in which the article is associated with an influence device (20) capable of influencing, by proximity, the detector means of the kind placed for example at leaving a store, characterized in that during a step of making the article (17) or prior to the making of the article (17) the influence device (20) is fixed permanently on an identification claw (4) which is itself fixed to the article (17).

2. Method for producing at least one identification article (1, 4) intended for clothing or the like (17), characterized in that permanently fixed to a textile claw (34), an influencing device ( 20) capable of influencing, by proximity, the detector means of the kind placed, for example, at the exit of stores.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the influence device is fixed

(20) on the back of the claw (34).

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that _a claw (34) is fixed to the article so as to make the back of the claw substantially inaccessible.

5. Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the influence device is fixed (20) by bonding.

6. selo method: claim 5, characterized in that to fix the influence device (20) by gluing, we start with a ribbon (31) formed of successive claws, and a carrier tape (107) on which adhere self-adhesive labels (106) each comprising an influence device (20), we detect on the claw tape (31) markers (2) indicating the position of the claw patterns, and depending on the detection of these marks (2), the intermittent advance of the label carrier tape (107) is triggered, by - not a label (106), so that at a station (109) for transferring the labels each label (106) is transferred to the reverse side of the claw tape (31) in position coinciding with a respective claw pattern located on the right side of the claw tape.

7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that at the transfer station (109), the carrier tape (107) is guided along a path having a sharp angle so as to cause the peeling of a label (106) relatively to the carrier tape (107), and the reverse side of the claw tape (31) is scrolled substantially adjacent and joined to the sticky face of the label (106) peeling off, so that this sticky face adheres on the reverse side of the claw tape.

8. Method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that at a subsequent step, the marks (2) are again detected to cut the claw tape (31) along transverse lines (3) passing between the patterns of claws and between the successive influence devices (20) so as to obtain individual identification articles (4) each comprising a claw (34) and an influence device (20).

9. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that to fix the influence device by gluing, a ribbon (31) formed by successive claws (34) is conveyed, and a carrier ribbon (107) on which adhesive labels adhere (106) each comprising an influencing device (20), at a transfer station (109), where the carrier tape is guided along a path having a sharp angle so as to cause the peeling of a label (106) relatively to the carrier tape (107), and the reverse side of the claw tape (31) is scrolled substantially adjacent and joined to the sticky face of the label (106) in peeling off, so that this sticky face adheres to the reverse side of the claw tape.

10. Machine for producing a ribbon (1) on which labels are seceded according to the length of the ribbon, characterized in that. It includes:

- means (108, 111) for scrolling a first strip (31) along a first path; and

- Means (i 3, 114, 123) for scrolling at substantially the same speed a carrier tape (107) on which the labels (106) of the self-adhesive type adhere, along a second path forming a sharp angle (116) nearby of the first path, so that the carrier tape (107) advances towards the first tape (31) up to the sharp angle and that as the carrier tape (107) crosses the sharp angle (116), the labels (106) come off and come to rest by their sticky face on the first ribbon (31).

11. Machine according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises means (119, 121, 122) for detecting marks (2) on the first strip (31) and for controlling as a function of this detection the intermittent advance carrier tape (107) so that the labels are placed in predetermined positions of the first tape.

12. Clothing item or the like (17), comprising an identification claw (34) permanently fixed, carε- ~ terized in that to the identification claw (34) is fixed a device for ^' influence ( 20) capable of influencing, by proximity, lt detector means of the kind placed, for example, at the so: _ ie of a store.

13. Identification article (4) for clothing or the like, comprising an identification claw (34) intended to be permanently fixed to the clothing or the like (17), characterized in that the identification claw (34 ) is set an influencing device (20) capable to influence, by proximity, the detector means of the kind placed, for example, at the exit of a store.

14. Identification article (1) for clothing or the like, comprising a ribbon (31) formed of a succession of identification claws (34), intended to be separated from each other by cross section of the ribbon and then each fixed permanently attached to a garment or the like, characterized in that to each identification claw (34) is fixed an influence device (20) capable of influencing by proximity, the detector means of the kind placed for example at the outlet of a store.

15. Article according to claim 14, characterized in that the strip (31) has pins (2) with a longitudinal interval corresponding to the step of succession of the claws (34).

16. Tape according to claim 15, characterized in that the pins (2) substantially coincide with agreements (3) between successive patterns each belonging to one of the claws (34).

17. Article according to one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that the influence device (20) is fixed on the back of the claw (34).

18. Article according to claim 17, characterized in that the claw (34) is fixed to the article (1, 4,

17) so as to make the back of the claw substantially inaccessible.

19. Article according to one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that the influence device (20) is fixed to the claw (34) by gluing.

20. Article according to one of claims 12 to 19, characterized in that the influence device (20) comprises means (103) making it possible to neutralize it by an external influence.