Device and method for permanent marking of an object

Abstract

The invention relates to an identification device (1) intended to be fixed to an object having a receiving support (10), comprising a plastic label (2) having an upper face having a visible identifier and an under face intended to be fixed to said receiving support, characterized in that the under face has a frame (3) following the contour of the label (2) and delimiting a cavity (5) filled with a resin (4) hardenable by polymerization.

Description

Field of invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a new device and a new method for the permanent marking of movable or mobile objects likely to be exposed to theft or concealment.

[0002] The present invention is particularly suitable for marking individual vehicles such as bicycles, scooters, scooters or motorcycles. It will be described more particularly in its application to the marking of bicycles, by way of non-limiting example. State of the art

[0003] Several methods are already known for marking objects, including bicycles.

[0004] For many years, an aluminum tag was stamped with an identification number using a punch, and then the marked tag was attached to the bicycle frame using brackets surrounding a frame tube and connected together by a nut or equivalent. It goes without saying that such a tag was extremely easy to remove using simple wire cutters, and the bicycle was then free of any markings and any trace of theft.

[0005] In view of the increasing number of thefts of valuable mobile objects such as bicycles, improvements to marking methods have gradually been proposed.

[0006] So, we started by sticking marking labels directly onto the bike frame, but these labels could be removed or damaged quite easily by scratching. We then tried to engrave an identification number directly onto the frame of a bike to be marked, notably using a micro-percussion technique, but again, these markings can be removed or damaged quite easily by sanding with an abrasive product. In addition, this marking process requires investment in micro-percussion machines, and furthermore, it is not suitable for frames coated with fragile paint, or for high-end titanium or carbon frames, which are precisely those that most need effective safety marking.

[0007] Document WO 2012 / 101369 A1 then proposed a more sophisticated and complex method for marking an object such as a bicycle, using a translucent marking part attached and fixed to the bicycle frame. This marking part has a wall which delimits a chamber located between the wall and the surface of the bicycle frame. In this chamber is inserted an identification label. In addition, the marking part has two openings giving access to the chamber for the injection and circulation of a translucent glue in order to embed the identification label in the volume of injected glue.

[0008] This process represents progress from the point of view of marking security, the label being protected behind a wall of the marking part and part of the injected glue. On the other hand, this marking process is much more complex and expensive than previous solutions. It requires the use of consumables such as tubes for injecting glue, which are lost with each use, as well as the excess glue that remains there. The marking device also includes several added parts, in addition to the marking part itself, such as ribs acting as spacers to position the identification label in the chamber, and baffles arranged inside the chamber to ensure the guidance and good distribution of the injected glue. Due to the complex structure of the parts used, the marking process using this device is relatively long and therefore expensive. Aims of the invention

[0009] The general aim of the present invention is in particular to propose an improved marking device and method, intended in particular but not exclusively for the identification of bicycles, and capable of eliminating the drawbacks of known marking systems.

[0010] The invention aims in particular to provide better resistance of the identifier to tearing. It also aims, in the event of tearing occurring after a significant resistance time, to ensure that the marking leaves traces of tearing that are very difficult to remove, regardless of the more or less granular or more or less smooth nature of the support. It should be noted that in several countries, the marking of a bicycle can only be legally carried out by professionals, who will hesitate or even refuse to resell a bicycle whose identifier has visibly been torn off.

[0011] Another aim of the invention is to propose a device and a method for installing an identifier that is significantly simpler, faster, more reliable and less expensive than known systems. In addition, the installation must require very little handling and without requiring any special skills.

[0012] Another aim of the invention is to propose a device having a very simple structure, with a very small number of parts, having a long service life, and using little glue and few or no additional consumables. Summary of the invention

[0013] In principle, the invention consists of proposing a marking device according to claim 1 consisting of a flexible plastic label previously marked with an identifier, in particular using a laser beam, the label being provided with a frame delimiting a cavity which is filled before fixing the device on its receiving support, with a resin curable by polymerization under a UV lamp. This curable resin is a two-component resin comprising a mixture of a curable resin and a curing agent, leading to an extremely strong bond between the label and the receiving support. In addition, the lower face of the frame intended to be fixed on a support to be marked comprises on its rear face a thin protective film (also called "liner" in English terminology) comprising a cutout corresponding to the surface of the cavity.

[0014] Various embodiments of the invention are set forth in the attached set of claims. Detailed description

[0015] The invention will be described in more detail in connection with the attached figures, in which: There figure 1 represents a cross-sectional view AA of a marking device according to the invention, before its installation on a support to be marked; The Figures 2A and 2B respectively represent a schematic view from above and below of the marking device of the figure 1 ; There figure 3 represents a schematic cross-sectional view of a marking device according to the invention, after its placement on a support to be marked; The figure 4 represents a board of identification devices according to the invention before their placement on a support to be marked; The Figure 5represents a variant of a board of double-label identification devices according to the invention before their placement on a support to be marked.

[0016] We refer to the figure 1 which schematically represents a cross-sectional view of an identification device 1 according to the invention. It essentially comprises a label 2 whose lower face has a frame 3 which extends over the periphery of the label so as to delimit a volume or cavity 5 which is intended to be filled with a layer 4 of glue or resin to ensure a very strong bond with a receiving support 10 (visible in figure 3 ), consisting for example of a portion of a bicycle frame.

[0017] The function of the label 2 is to carry a unique identifier that allows the bicycle or object to be tracked. This may include a unique alphanumeric identifier (ID1234567890 in the example shown), which is also entered into a database for tracking purposes in the event of theft of the marked bicycle or object. This identifier can be produced in various ways, depending on the material used for the label, and whether it is opaque or translucent.

[0018] In an advantageous embodiment, the label 2 is made of polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene (PET), or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In particular, polycarbonate is a plastic material with excellent mechanical properties and thermal resistance allowing use between -100°C and 120°C. In addition, it can be treated to resist ultraviolet radiation so as not to weaken the device when the docking support 10 is left outdoors as in the case of bicycles.

[0019] When the label 2 is opaque, in particular made of white or gray polycarbonate, the identifier can be produced on its upper surface, by printing, or preferably by laser engraving which will reveal the identifier in black. In this embodiment, it may be useful for the upper face of the label 2 (the front ), represented in Figure 2A, or covered with a protective varnish (not shown). When label 2 is chosen to be translucent or transparent, the identifier can be produced by printing or laser engraving on the lower face of the label, shown in Figure 2B (THE back ), or by laser engraving inside the body of the label, during its manufacture in the factory, therefore before installation on a support to be identified. In both cases no protective varnish will be necessary, the marking of the identifier not being exposed to the effects of the environment after the label has been installed.

[0020] According to an important characteristic of the identification device 1 according to the invention, the rear face of the label 2, namely the one opposite the visible front face and accessible after installation, comprises a frame 3 which extends along the periphery of the rear face of the label 2. Its role is to define a volume or a cavity 5 which will be filled with an extremely strong glue which will ensure a very solid connection between the label 2 and a receiving support 10, for example a portion of a bicycle frame.

[0021] Cavity 5 of the label is filled with glue or polymerizable resin directly during its manufacture in the factory, and polymerized just after the device is placed on the host support. In this case, it is preferable for the device to have a protective layer opaque to UV rays in order to prevent the glue from polymerizing before the device is placed.

[0022] According to a simple embodiment, the frame 3 can be formed by a double-sided adhesive tape, one front face of which will be fixed to the rear face of the label 2 and the other face of which will be fixed when the device 1 is placed on the receiving support 10. The adhesion of the rear face of the frame 3 to the receiving support 10 will make it possible to hold the identification device 1 in place while waiting for the glue or resin 4 to harden.

[0023] According to another embodiment, the frame 3 can be formed as an integral part of the label 2, for example by molding or 3D printing the plastic material of the label 2.

[0024] In the intended application of bicycle identification, the label 2 will for example have a rectangular shape of approximately 60 mm x 20 mm and a thickness of approximately 200 to 300 microns. And the frame 3 will have a width of 4 to 5 mm and a thickness of 1 to 1.2 mm. It should be noted that the dimensions in the figures are not to scale, the thicknesses being exaggerated for clarity. Of course, the dimensions of the various components can easily be adapted for the production of identification devices intended for objects other than bicycles or equivalent.

[0025] According to the invention, the identification device 1 will further comprise on the rear face of the frame 3 a thin protective film 6, in particular made of Teflon, also called a “liner” in English terminology, fixed using a light adhesive which will allow the protective film 6 to be easily peeled off by hand just before installing the device. In addition, this protective film 6 will have a thickness of the order of 0.08 to 0.1 mm and will simply protect the adhesive rear face of the frame 3 during the filling and smoothing of the glue 4 in the cavity 5. The protective film 6 will, on the other hand, comprise a cutout corresponding to the entire surface of the cavity 5 so as not to hinder the filling of the cavity 5 with the glue 4.

[0026] According to an even more secure variant of the identification device 1, the latter may further comprise a smaller self-adhesive secondary label 8, as shown in figures 1 , 2A ,3 And 5 , bearing the same identification number as the main label 2, and intended to be placed under it directly on the receiving support 10. The main label 2 is then preferably transparent or translucent and allows the small secondary label 8 and its identifier to appear through the main label 2, which allows additional verification of the authentic character of the main label 2. Furthermore, the secondary label 8 and its identifier will remain visible even after an attempt to tear off or damage the main label 2.

[0027] According to an advantageous embodiment, several identification devices 1 can be aligned and fixed on a board 7 (as shown in figure 4), which consists of a sheet of protective film 6, for example in A4 format, on which 10 identification devices 1 have been placed, including 10 labels 2 each with its own unique identifier. It will then be sufficient to take the labels 2 individually as required.

[0028] In the case of an identification device 1 provided with a main label 2 and a secondary label 8, the two labels 2 and 8 of the same identification device 1 may be located side by side on a board 7, as shown in Figure 5 This arrangement will facilitate the laser inscription of the same identification number on a main label 2 and a neighboring secondary label 8, during the manufacture of the devices.

[0029] When installing such an identification device 1, the self-adhesive secondary label 8 will first be removed from the board 7 and placed on the receiving support 10. Then the corresponding main label 2, provided with its glue 4, will be removed and placed over the secondary label 8. The secondary label 8 will therefore be located under the main label 2 and its hardened glue 4, which has the advantage of having two identification markings at two different levels. The main label 2 is larger and very strong, and it makes it very easy to see its identification number, while protecting the secondary label 8 and its identification number.

[0030] If the main label 2 is transparent, the two identification numbers (which can be chosen to be identical or not) will be seen simultaneously, and if the main label 2 is opaque, the identification number of the secondary label 8 will only be seen after the main label 2 has been torn off or destroyed.

[0031] As regards the glue 4 intended to ensure a very strong bond between the label 2 and the receiving support 10, a two-component curable resin will be used to obtain a very strong chemical weld, making it almost impossible to tear off the label 2, and which in any case will leave indelible traces on the receiving support 10 even after tearing off.

[0032] According to a successfully tested embodiment, it will be possible to use for the glue 4 a two-component curable resin of a resin based on methyl methacrylate marketed under the reference KEOL-MA 41 M10, and a hardening agent marketed under the reference KEOL-MA 41 M10 HARDENER.

[0033] After filling the cavity 5 with this two-component mixture of glue 4 using a suitable gun (typically a mixing gun) and smoothing the glue using a spatula or equivalent, the identification device 1 can be placed against the support 10 and slight pressure applied to the edges of the identification device 1 at the frame 3 to ensure sufficient adhesion. The glue 4 will then be dried and polymerized, in particular using an ultraviolet lamp. With the indicated glue, drying will take less than 10 minutes, and the glue will be completely hardened after 24 hours at the latest, ensuring the desired maximum cohesion.

[0034] The method of placing an identification device 1 on a receiving support 10 will then be as follows. We will start by cleaning the support 10 with a degreasing product, as known per se, so that the adhesion of the identification device 1 can achieve its full potential. We will present an identification device 1 with its cavity 5 visible, and we will fill it with a dose of curable two-component glue 4. We will smooth the glue if necessary using a smoothing spatula so that the cavity 5 is well filled, without excess. The step of manually filling the glue can be avoided if the glue filling is done directly on the production line of the identification devices 1 according to the invention. Then we will remove the protective film 6 in order to present the adhesive zone of the frame 3.The glued face of the identification device 1 and the adhesive area of ​​the frame 3 will be presented opposite the receiving support 10, and it will be applied to the intended location, with slight pressure on the periphery to ensure that the glue 4 remains well contained in the cavity 5 while its polymerization begins. Finally, the glue 4 will be dried or polymerized, for example using a UV lamp. Advantages of the invention

[0035] The invention achieves the stated goals. It makes it possible to provide individualized identification devices obtained at low cost and which can be taken on demand from a sheet comprising a plurality of labels protected by a protective film, and each label and its frame can then be used in conjunction with a two-component polymerizable resin using a simple UV lamp.

[0036] The identification device, once installed, is very resistant thanks to the choice of two-component curable resin which becomes very hard and protects the marking itself from external aggression.

[0037] The main label cannot be removed from the surface to be marked without leaving traces, which helps to deter the theft of bicycles thus marked, and also their concealment or resale, particularly by professionals.

[0038] The identification device according to the invention is particularly simple to install using a very small installation kit which does not require excess glue, nor additional consumables such as injection tubes or spacers. The installation process is very simple and very quick (less than 2 minutes), it requires only a few manipulations, in particular no glue injection phase into a chamber, and the preparation steps such as dispensing resin into the cavity can be done on a table or workbench, and not on the bicycle itself.

Claims

1. An identification device (1) intended to be fixed on an object having a receiving support (10), including a label (2) made of plastic material provided with an upper face having a visible identifier and a lower face intended to be fixed on said receiving support, the lower face of the identification device (1) including a frame (3) integral with the lower face of the label (2) and made with the same material as the label (2), and including on its lower face an adhesive layer enabling sticking thereof on the receiving support (10), and said frame (3) conforming to the periphery of the label (2) so as to delimit a cavity (5), characterized in that the cavity (5) is filled before fixing the identification device (1) on the receiving support with a resin curable by polymerization under a UV lamp consisting of a bi-component resin including a mixture of a curable resin and a curing agent, and in that said frame (3) includes on its back face a thin protective film (6) including a cutout corresponding to the surface of the cavity (5).

2. The identification device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said frame (3) is an insert part, made of a plastic material or adhesive film, bonded on the one hand to the lower face of the label (2) and on the other hand on the receiving support (10).

3. The identification device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said label (2) is made of polycarbonate or PET.

4. The identification device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the label (2) is opaque and in that the identifier is a marking made on the upper surface of the label (2) by laser or by printing.

5. The identification device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the label (2) is translucent and in that the identifier is a marking made with laser in the thickness of the body of the label (2) or on its lower face.

6. The identification device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, suited for the identification of movable objects such as bicycles, characterized in that the label (2) has a substantially rectangular shape of about 20 mm x 60 mm and a thickness of about 250 micrometers, and the frame (3) is in the form of a strip having a width of about 4 to 6 mm and a thickness of 1 to 1.2 mm.

7. The identification device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes a main label (2), and a secondary label (8) intended to be arranged between the receiving support (10) and the main label (2).

8. The identification device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the liner (6) is in the form of a board (7) carrying a plurality of identification devices (1) and provided with a cutout opposite the cavity (5) of each identification device (1).

9. A method for marking an object using an identification device (1) according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it includes the steps of: - Marking a label (2) with an identifier on one face or in the material of the label (2); - Cleaning the surface of the receiving support (10) of the object intended to receive the identification device (1); - Filling the volume of the cavity (5) of the label (2) delimited by the frame (3) with a polymerizable bi-component resin mixture; - Peeling the label (2) and its frame (3) filled with resin from its protective film (6); - Affixing the label (2) and the frame (3) filled with resin onto the receiving support (10) of the object to be marked; - Polymerizing using a UV lamp the bi-component resin so as to harden it and thus secure the label (2) and the receiving support (10).

10. A method for marking an object using an identification device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that it includes the steps of: - Marking a main label (2) and a secondary label (8) with an identifier on one face or in the material of the labels (2; 8); - Cleaning the surface of the receiving support (10) of the object intended to receive the identification device (1); - Peeling the secondary label (8) from its protective film (6) and sticking it on the receiving support (10); - Filling the volume of the cavity (5) of the main label (2) delimited by the frame (3) with a polymerizable bi-component resin mixture; - Peeling the main label (2) from its protective film (6); - Affixing the main label (2) with its frame (3) filled with resin onto the receiving support (10) of the object to be marked, above the secondary label (8); - Polymerizing using a UV lamp the bi-component resin so as to harden it and thus secure the main label (2) and the receiving support (10).

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