Methods and apparatus for attaching an electronic price label to an electronic theft prevention tag

#The present invention relates generally to electronic price labels. More particularly, the invention relates to techniques for attaching an electronic price label to an electronic theft prevention tag and securing the combined electronic price label to a product.

#Electronic price labels are convenient and widely used. By using electronic price labels and associated broadcasting systems, a retailer can broadcast information such as price information about a product to each of a plurality of labels and can update the information transmitted to a label or a group of labels by changing the information being broadcast, without a need to go to each label in order to remove it or change it. The label is able to change its display as new information is broadcast and to display the new information being transmitted.

#Relatively high value products often have theft prevention devices, such as electronic tags, attached to them. Typically, a plastic tag with any of a variety of security features is securely attached to a product and requires the use of a specially designed retailer operated device for its removal. The tag may emit signals or fields which are detectable when the tag passes a sensor, resulting in the sounding of an alarm. For example, if a customer proceeds out of the store without paying for a protected article, the tag is detected at the exit of the store and store personnel are alerted in a well-known fashion. If an electronic price label could be secured to a theft prevention tag, both the tag and the label could be attached as a unit to a product, allowing electronic transmission of price and other desired information and its display using the label, while simultaneously allowing theft prevention provided by the tag. Only one attachment to the product would be required.

#FIG. 1 illustrates a prior-art theft prevention tag;

#FIG. 2 illustrates an electronic price label according to the present invention;

#FIG. 3A illustrates an electronic price label according to the present invention, aligned for enclosure within a theft prevention tag;

#FIG. 1 illustrates a prior-art theft prevention tag 100 to which an electronic price label according to the present invention may be secured as discussed further below. The tag 100 comprises a first portion 102 and a second portion 104. One or both of the first portion 102 and the second portion 104 include a magnetic material or other object which can be detected by disturbing or emitting a field, or in some other way, so that passage of the tag past a security perimeter can be detected.

#The first portion 102 and the second portion 104 are adapted to mate with one another so that they may be secured together in such a way that it is difficult to separate them without the use of special equipment. The first portion 102 of the tag 100 includes a first receptacle 106 in which a tack 110 may be placed. The tack 110 includes a pin 112, which extends into a second receptacle 114 in the second portion 104 when the first portion 102 and the second portion 104 are secured together. The tag 100 is typically secured so that the first portion 102 and the second portion 104 are on opposite sides of a product, with the pin 112 passing from the first portion 102, through the product, and into the second portion 104.

#FIG. 2 illustrates an electronic price label 200 adapted to be secured within a theft prevention tag such as the tag 100 of FIG. 1. The electronic price label includes a display portion 202 comprising a display screen 204 and a housing 206 enclosing the display screen 204. The display screen 204 is shown here as displaying a message 205, including a product description and price and promotional information.