U.S. patent application number 10/066899 was filed with the patent office on 2003-08-07 for animal tag.
This patent application is currently assigned to Data2 Incorporated. Invention is credited to Greer, Mark M., Schmit, Paul F..
Application Number | 20030146284 10/066899 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27610513 |
Filed Date | 2003-08-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030146284 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schmit, Paul F. ; et
al. |
August 7, 2003 |
ANIMAL TAG
Abstract
An animal tag having a keeper portion and a clear plastic case
or panel through which a barcode can be read, with a pocket in
which a barcode label is sealed. The barcode label has on it a
barcode viewable through a wall of the case. The label is
preferably self-supporting and may carry an RFID chip.
Inventors: |
Schmit, Paul F.; (O'Fallon,
MO) ; Greer, Mark M.; (O'Fallon, MO) |
Correspondence
Address: |
POLSTER, LIEDER, WOODRUFF & LUCCHESI
763 SOUTH NEW BALLAS ROAD
ST. LOUIS
MO
63141-8750
US
|
Assignee: |
Data2 Incorporated
|
Family ID: |
27610513 |
Appl. No.: |
10/066899 |
Filed: |
February 4, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
235/462.44 ;
235/487 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01K 11/001 20130101;
G06K 19/04 20130101; G06K 19/07758 20130101; A01K 11/004
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
235/462.44 ;
235/487 |
International
Class: |
G06K 007/10; G06K
019/00 |
Claims
Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to
be secured by Letters Patent is:
1. An animal tag comprising a keeper portion and a plastic case
through which a barcode can be read with a commercial scanner, said
case having a pocket in which a barcode label is sealed, said label
bearing a barcode viewable by said scanner through a wall of said
case.
2. The animal tag of claim 1 wherein the case contains an
ultraviolet light absorber.
3. The animal tag of claim 1 wherein the bar code label is coated
with an ultraviolet light absorber.
4. The animal tag of claim 1 in which the plastic case initially
has a slot, closed on three sides and open on one side, into which
the bar code label is inserted before the open side is sealed.
5. The animal tag of claim 4 wherein the pocket is elongatedly
rectangular and initially open at a short end of the pocket, and
the keeper portion, with a stud receiving receptacle, is at a
closed, short end of said pocket.
6. The animal tag of claim 5 wherein the open end of the pocket is
heat sealed.
7. The animal tag of claim 1 wherein the pocket is initially open
along three sides and sealed along said three sides after said
label is placed in the pocket.
8. The animal tag of claim 7 wherein the label is provided with
adhesive whereby the label is held in position while said three
open sides are sealed.
9. The animal tag of claim 1 wherein the label is a self-supporting
plastic label.
10. The animal tag of claim 1 wherein the label is color coded.
11. The animal tag of claim 10 wherein the label is colored, but
with a white area in which the bar code appears.
12. The animal tag of claim 10 wherein the label is uniformly
colored, and a separate bar code panel is adhered to it.
13. A method of producing an animal tag comprising forming, in a
plastic tag transparent to a barcode scanner, a pocket with at
least one opening through which a label can be passed, providing on
said label a barcode, inserting said label into said pocket with
the barcode visible to said scanner through said plastic, and
sealing said at least one opening.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the label has two broad sides
and a bar code appears on both of said sides.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the said label is formed with a
white area and said bar code is printed on said white area.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the label is formed of
self-supporting plastic.
17. The method of claim 13 wherein said label is color coded.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein said label is uniformly colored
and said bar code is on a separate panel and adhered to said
label.
19. A method of producing an animal tag comprising molding a rigid
plate and encapsulating a barcode label in a pocket of said plate,
said plate being formed of a plastic transparent to a barcode
scanner, and being on the order of 50 to 80 mils thick, the walls
overlying the label being on the order of 20 to 40 mils thick.
20. An animal tag comprising a keeper portion having a stud
receiver, and a plastic case through which a bar code can be read
with a commercial scanner, said case having a pocket in which a
self-supporting plastic bar code label is sealed, said label
bearing a bar code viewable by said scanner through a wall of said
case, said plastic case containing sufficient of an ultraviolet
light inhibitor to protect said label, and said label being
provided with an ultraviolet light inhibitor, said pocket being
elongatedly rectangular, with said keeper portion being at a closed
short end of said pocket and, initially, with an open end of said
pocket at the short end of the pocket opposite the keeper portion,
which is heat sealed after the bar code is in place.
21. The animal tag of claim 1 wherein the keeper portion is
integral with said plastic case.
22 The animal tag of claim 1 wherein the label includes an RFID
chip.
23. An animal tag comprising a keeper portion and a rigid plastic
case, said case having a pocket in which a self-supporting label is
sealed, said label bearing an RFID chip readable from outside said
case.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Ear tags to identify a particular animal and to provide
information about the animal are in common use. As presently
constituted, an ear tag is a plastic plate with a receiver in the
form of a cup with an annular rib at its mouth. A stud, with a
spear point with an undercut to provide a ledge engaging the cup
rib, is pushed through the ear of the animal and into the cup,
where it is held fast by the engagement of the annular rib and
spear point ledge. Information about the animal is printed on the
plate. For a discussion of such tags see, for example, U.S. Pat.
No. 6,330,759. As the need for information has increased, the tags
have become more complicated, and presently it has become desirable
to present the information in the form of a barcode or an RFID
(radio frequency identification) chip. To be fully useful, the
barcode or RFID chip must be readable with commercial scanners.
Typically, barcodes are black bars printed over a white substrate,
because one of the requirements for reading a barcode is a large
contrast between a bar and a substrate. The width of the bars and
spaces is equally important. In order that the barcode carry the
desired information reliably, the relationship of the bar and space
width must be maintained. Any "bleeding" of the bar into a space
can result in a misread or the production of faulty
information.
[0002] In many instances, it is also desirable to have the tags
differently colored, to add a quick and easy identification of
groups of animals, for instance, to tell whether a litter of pigs
was farrowed by a particular sow, or whether all the cattle in a
particular feed lot or pen are from the same farm.
[0003] Currently, when the coded information on an animal tag is a
barcode, several problems have arisen, such, for example, as that
the bars have fuzzy edges and bleed into the spaces between the
bars. This appears to the barcode reader as a wide bar rather than
the desired narrow bar or as a narrow space rather than a wide
space. This leads to misreads and/or faulty information. Another
problem is a lack of contrast between the black bars and the panel
color itself. When the bar code is printed directly onto the panel
of the tag, the method of printing is generally not suitable to
produce crisp, sharp images which can be read by a scanner easily
and quickly.
[0004] In many cases, the tags remain on the animal for some
considerable period of time. Even if the bar code can easily be
read at the time of attachment, the information can fade with time,
or can be rendered difficult to read as the tag experiences the
normal wear and tear of everyday use. Although thin, clear plastic
film overlays have been bonded to the tag to help prevent false
readings, these films offer only limited protection. Young pigs,
for example, which chew on anything in reach, can destroy such
films, or thin tags in a short time.
[0005] One of the objects of this invention is to provide a tag
that can be color coded, that can be read quickly without misreads,
and one that can remain attached to an animal for a long period of
time without becoming illegible when scanned with a commercial
barcode scanner.
[0006] Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the
art in the light of the following description and the accompanying
drawing.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with this invention, generally stated, an
animal tag is provided in the form of a durable, plastic tag of
substantial thickness but transparent to a barcode reader. In the
preferred embodiment, the tag has a pocket that is initially open
along at least one side, to receive a label. Although in the
preferred embodiment, the label is a barcode label, the label can
either carry a bar code and an RFID chip, or one of them. After a
label is inserted into the pocket, the open edge or edges of the
pocket are sealed, as by heat sealing, to form a water-tight
cavity. The label, being separately printed, can display a barcode
with clean, sharp bars and spaces, in contrasting black and white.
The bar code can be read easily through the transparent walls of
the panel, and the barcode will remain legible for long periods of
time. Preferably the plastic of which the tag is made will contain
UV absorbing material, and the label itself can contain or be
coated with UV absorbing material to protect against damage from
sunlight. Preferably, the label is made of vinyl and is relatively
stiff, to facilitate its insertion into the pocket and to maintain
its integrity, in case the plastic of which the tag is made is
somewhat permeable to moisture. The label can be made in any color,
and either a blank white area provided in the otherwise solid color
label, to receive the bar code, or the bar code can be printed
separately and adhered to the rest of the label. A barcode can be
printed on either one or on both sides of the label. In another
embodiment, the tag is made by a process of insert molding, in
which the label is placed in a mold, and the mold is then filled
around the label with the plastic that is transparent to the bar
code reader. Alternatively, one wall of the transparent plastic can
be placed in the mold, the label laid on it, and the second wall
cast on the first, bonding to the first wall around the label. In
yet another embodiment, one wall can be made with a shallow recess
to receive the label, and the other wall, placed over the label and
adhered or bonded to the first wall, or even heat sealed or
otherwise sealed around the edges of the tag. In any case, the
resultant tag has a barcode label encapsulated in a pocket. The
embodiments in which the label is molded in the tag have the double
advantage of not requiring the label to be inserted into a slot,
and of forming a watertight seal without the additional step of
heat sealing an open slot after the label is placed in the pocket.
It has the disadvantage of requiring that all of the information
carried by the bar code label be known and entered when the tag is
made, whereas with the preferred embodiment, the bar code label can
be printed substantially contemporaneously with the end use, and
therefore, can easily be tailored to a particular animal or
characteristic small group.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] In the drawing:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of tag of this
invention;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tag before a label is
inserted;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG.
2;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a view in end elevation viewed from left to right
of FIG. 2;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a label before it is inserted
into a pocket in the tag; and
[0014] FIG. 6 is a view in end elevation of the label shown in FIG.
5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0015] Referring now to the drawings for one illustrative
embodiment of tag of this invention, reference numeral 1 indicates
a completed tag. Tag 1 has a keeper portion 2 and a panel or case
portion 5. The keeper portion 2 is generally conventional, with a
cap part 8 open at its bottom and closed at its top, with an
annular rib 9 at its open end, to engage the underside of a spear
point of a stud.
[0016] The panel portion 5 in the embodiment shown is generally
elongatedly rectangular, and has in it a pocket 15 with an upper
wall 16 and a lower wall 17, defining between them a slot 20. In
this embodiment, the slot 20 is closed at its end next to the
keeper portion, and along two long sides of the panel portion, and,
initially, open at its far end 24. A label 25, with a barcode 27 or
an RFID chip, or both, on at least one side, is preferably self
supporting in the sense that when it is held at one end, it does
not sag. The label 25 is sized to fit in the slot 20, into which it
is inserted as shown in FIG. 1. After the label 25 is inserted, the
open end 24 of the slot 20 is sealed, as by heat sealing, to
encapsulate the label.
[0017] The tag 1 is preferably injection molded of clear plastic
such as polyurethane, polyethylene or polypropylene, for example,
with sufficient and suitable ultraviolet light absorbers to protect
the printing on the label from fading when exposed to sunlight. The
label 25 is preferably made of a durable, waterproof material, such
as a cross-laminated, oriented polyethylene (Valeron), a rigid
vinyl, a high Shore D polyurethane film or a polypropylene film.
The label 25 may also contain or be coated with UV absorbers.
Suitable UV inhibitors or absorbers for both tag and label are well
known; for example, inhibitors sold by Ciba Specialty Chemicals
under the mark Tinuvin, and those sold by Akzo Nobel under the mark
Akcrostab.
[0018] The label is preferably flood coated with any desired color
on both sides. On one or both sides of the label a solid white
block is also printed to provide the necessary contrast for a
barcode to be applied. Any of several methods for applying the
barcode can be employed, as for example by thermally transfer
printing the white block, or by using an ink jet printer for that
purpose. Still another method is to use a photocomposed barcode
image panel and bonding the barcode panel to the label with a
suitable adhesive. In the latter method, no white block need be
printed.
[0019] The tag is preferably about 70 mils thick, each of the walls
16 and 17 being about 30 mils thick, and the slot about 10 mils
high. However, those dimensions can vary widely, depending upon the
use to which the tag is to be put. The preferred range of thickness
of the tag, to ensure rigidity and durability, is 50 to 80 mils,
the walls above and below the label being in the range of 20 to 35
mils thick. The tag should be rigid enough to maintain its
integrity in use, to the extent that the barcode remains readable
and the tag, untom.
[0020] Numerous variations in the construction and method of this
invention within the scope of the appended claims will occur to
those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure. The
shape and size of the tag can be varied. The slot can be made
thinner or thicker, depending upon the size of the label. The slot
can be open initially on three sides, and one wall can be
integrally hinged with a groove or fold line along the closed edge,
in which case, the wall can be swung back to permit easy placement
of the label, which can be provided with a spot of light adhesive
to hold it in place while the edges of the slot are sealed, as by
heat sealing. If color coding is not important, the label can be
made uniformly white, in which case no white block need be printed
(or left, if the label is colored by printing in a way such as to
frame the white area). As has been indicated, the label can also be
coated with a clear ultraviolet light absorber, preferably after
the bar code has been applied. Although heat sealing is the
preferred method of encapsulating the label, other ways of
accomplishing the encapsulation, such as the use of a sealant, can
be used. As has also been suggested, the label can have a bar code
on both sides, the case or panel being transparent, so that the
code can be scanned from either side. Those bar codes can be
identical or different. The plastic of which the tag is made has
been described as transparent or clear. Although in the preferred
embodiment the plastic is transparent to the eye, if the bar code
scanner is capable of reading the code, or the RFID reader capable
of reading the information on the RFID chip through a plastic that
is translucent or colored, it is only necessary that the plastic be
transparent to the bar code scanner or RFID chip reader. As was
described in the brief description of the invention, the label can
be encapsulated in a fully sealed pocket in the course of molding
the tag plate, or confined to a shallow recessed pocket in one
plate and covered by the second, cover, plate of substantial
thickness. In either case, the tag should still be of substantial
thickness and rigidity, so as to retain its integrity and
readability. An RFID chip can be attached to either side of the
barcode label, and the combination inserted in the slot or placed
in the mold to be insert molded, or in the depression in the tag
before a cover is sealed over the tag. The RFID chip can be
inserted on a label without a bar code, although that is not done
presently. Although preferably the keeper portion of the tag is
made integral with the plate portion and of the same material, the
keeper portion can be made of different material, the construction
of the keeper portion forming no part of this invention. These
variations are merely illustrative.
* * * * *