Anti-Theft Badge With Protected Printed Zone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing anti-theft badges for protecting articles against theft, such as textile products, face issues with durable and complex printing due to frequent handling and recycling, limiting the use of printing techniques to those resistant to wear but expensive and of limited color complexity.
Innovation Solution
A device with a tip that passes through the article, featuring a head with a printed zone protected by a transparent cover, allowing for varied and complex prints using multiple colors, and interchangeable printed elements, enhancing the longevity of inscriptions by protecting them from wear and mechanical stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pad printing is used to print on the body or nail of the badge, then the print is resistant to mechanical wear, but the print quality is limited and the cost is high
Solution Approach 1:
The badge is divided into two functional parts: the body/nail structure and the printed zone. The printed zone is a separate element that can be printed with high quality using screen printing, then attached to the badge body. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently - the printed zone for quality and the body for durability.
Solution Approach 2:
A transparent protective cover is introduced as an intermediary element between the printed zone and the external environment. This cover protects the printed inscriptions from wear, friction, and mechanical damage during badge handling and recycling, while maintaining visibility of the prints.
2Manufacturing precision
If screen printing is used to print complex multi-color images, then the print quality is high, but it cannot print on rigid and thick media such as anti-theft badges
Solution Approach 1:
The printing process is separated from the badge structure. Instead of printing directly on the rigid badge body, a separate printed zone element is created using screen printing on a flexible substrate, then this element is attached to the badge. This allows screen printing to be used without requiring the printing surface to be rigid or thick.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the badge is recycled many times for reuse, then the lifespan is extended, but the pre-printed image deteriorates rapidly due to mechanical friction
Solution Approach 1:
A transparent protective cover is placed over the printed zone to act as a protective intermediary. This cover shields the printed inscriptions from mechanical friction, wear, and damage that occur during badge handling, recycling, and contact with unlocking mechanisms, thereby maintaining print quality throughout the extended badge lifespan.
Solution Approach 2:
The printed zone is pre-protected with a transparent cover before the badge enters service. This preliminary protective action prevents wear and deterioration from occurring during the badge's operational life and recycling process, ensuring the inscriptions remain legible throughout the extended lifespan.
Data Source
Figure 1a~2b
Figure 3a~4b
Figure 5a~5b
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (10; 20) for marking an item, with a view to identifying same, including: a spike (14; 24) to be passed through the item to be marked or through a packaging containing said item; and a head (12; 22) having two opposite surfaces, the spike extending from a first surface of the two surfaces, characterized in that the head has, on the side of the second opposite surface, a printed area that is protected by a transparent protective cover (16; 30).