Plastic carrier with transponder

[0001] The invention relates to a plastic carrier together with a relay, equipped with a data memory, for the wireless transmission of data from and to a plastic plate carrier, which is equipped with fasteners for fastening on objects marked electronically.

[0002] In the case of a plastic carrier, as is known for example from EP 1246152 A1, the relay is permanently attached to the plastic carrier, in particular by welding to the plastic carrier. This is disadvantageous because the relay together with the plastic carrier intended for single use, which should be permanently attached to the marked object, will then be lost. In combination with the plastic carrier produced in mass production, this relay represents a high cost. As a result, the total cost of this type of plastic carrier equipped with a relay is too high for this type of application.

[0003] From EP-A-0 772 152 and US-B1-6 239 737 plastic carriers are also known on which a relay carrier equipped with a relay is latched or clamped. The problem accompanying the use of such plastic carriers is the possibility of multiple use of a relatively expensive relay.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a plastic carrier with a relay in which the total costs can be significantly reduced and in which the relay can easily be reused.

[0005] This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by providing a plastic carrier with the features set out in claim 1.

[0006] In the case of the plastic carrier according to the invention, the relay is preferably arranged on or in the relay carrier separated from the plastic carrier, it being connected to the latter by snapping or clamping. Since the connection with the plastic carrier is reversible, it can be used, for example, after the plastic carrier has been destroyed, i.e. hooked onto a new plastic carrier. This leads to a significant reduction in the cost of the plastic carrier or the entire system, which in effect corresponds to traditional plastic carriers for marking objects without a relay, as described, for example, in GB 2075464 A or EP 248928 A1. In this way, it is possible to electronically mark items at a cost that corresponds to traditional plastic carriers with a bar code or optical coding.

[0007] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the plastic support comprises a plate-like support part equipped with fasteners and a plate-like masking part which are connected to each other or allow their connection, with the relay carrier being latched or clamped between them. This solution allows especially

EP 1 693 791 B1 simple and economical production of a plastic support with a slot for a relay support.

[0008] To ensure that the relay can be used multiple times, the masking portion is provided with a protrusion to peel off the masking portion from the support portion. This projection is characterized by such a size that during splitting or separation it causes destruction with simultaneous removal of the entire masking part, or the fixing pin breaks, and thus the masking part is separated from the support part.

[0009] The means set out in the dependent claims show further advantageous methods for making and improving the plastic support shown in claim 1.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment, the projection for breaking off the masking part from the support part, i.e. for disconnecting the relay, is made in the form of a pot or strip. It has proved particularly advantageous to make the projection in such a way that it can slide inside a through linear groove made on the beating surface of the hammer head. According to this solution, the form of the strip is particularly preferably used. In this way, it is prevented that the plastic carrier or its areas would be damaged or damaged, for example by being hammered into wood.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, the plastic carrier has a slot for the relay plate carrier, which is held securely inside, the relay being protected inside the plastic carrier.

[0012] The plastic carrier preferably comprises at least one flexible latching tongue, engaging the respective latching notch in the relay carrier, at least one latching tongue being made as a one-piece element or obtained as a result of making a slot in the shape of letter U The latching tongue, according to a purposeful solution, is equipped with a latching projection, which engages with the latching notch in the conveyor carrier made in the form of a through hole or a recess.

[0013] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the support part or masking part is provided with fixing pins, which, in order to fix both parts, attach to the respective plug clamps in the second part. These pins can advantageously simultaneously serve as guides during the insertion of the relay carrier.

[0014] The fastening elements were made in a known manner as one-piece projections driven into the object to be marked, in particular into an object made of wood.

[0015] To facilitate the driving of the plastic carrier into the object to be marked, the carrier was intentionally equipped at four corners in known manner with hooked fastening projections which are arranged in the opposite direction to the driven projections and which are designed to be attached to the head of a percussion hammer.

[0016] The relay carrier is preferably made as an elongated plate, which is a carrier not only of the relay, but also of the transmitting and / or receiving antenna, also integrated with the plate body.

[0017] Preferably an RFID (Radio Frequency relay) is used as the relay

Identification - radio frequency identification system).

[0018] An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing and explained in the description below. In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire plastic carrier with the relay carrier inserted and latched in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the masking portion of the plastic carrier;

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the plastic carrier support portion;

Figure 4 is a perspective view in tilt of the support part; Fig. 5 shows an embodiment different from the first embodiment in a view according to Fig. 1, the pot-shaped protrusion being replaced by a slat-shaped protrusion;

Figure 6 shows a percussion hammer for driving a plastic carrier into wood, the surface of the hammer having a slot in which a slat-shaped protrusion is positioned.

[0019] The plastic carrier, the first embodiment of which is shown in Figs. 1-4, is made of two parts, wherein it comprises a lamellar support part 10 and a lamellar masking part 11. The support part, shown in two views in FIG. 3 and 4, have one-piece hooked locking projections 12, arranged on four corners. They are used to attach the entire plastic carrier to a percussion hammer, not shown, with which the plastic carrier is driven, for example, from the front side of the round log. The meandering projections 13, 14 visible in Fig. 4 penetrate inside the object from the front side, thus attaching the plastic carriers to the round log. The four hooked locking projections 12 extend into the peripheral groove on the percussion hammer head, which is described in more detail in prior art and in DE 3837175.

[0020] The masking portion 11 comprises a pot-shaped protrusion 15 located in the center, and in four corner areas four pot-shaped fastening pins facing away from the pot-shaped protrusion 15, designed to engage them with four corresponding fastening clamps 17 in the portion 10. The number of fastening pins and fastening clamps can also be smaller, i.e., for example, 2 or 3, or relatively higher. The masking part 11 is connected in such a way during assembly with the supporting part 10 that the fixing pins 16 reach inside the fixing clamps 17. There they are fixed by clamping, snapping, gluing and / or welding, which allows to obtain the carrier visible in Fig. 1 made of plastic.

[0021] When attaching the masking portion 11 to the support portion 10, a gap in the form of a gap is left between the masking portion 10 and the support portion 11, which allows

The insertion between the non-plate relay carrier 18. The fastening pins 16 then act as guides.

[0022] Thanks to the two U-shaped slots 19, two flexible spring tongues 20 are obtained in the masking portion 11, which in position after assembly from the side facing the support portion have a latching projection 21. This projection engages when the relay carrier 18 is inserted by two corresponding through holes in the relay carrier 18, thereby latching the relay carrier 18 in the plastic carrier. The through holes in the relay carrier 18 cannot be seen in the drawing.

[0023] In place of the two flexible languages ​​20, of course, a different number can be used. The simplest case envisages the use of only one springing tongue, with four springing tongs being preferred for permanently snapping the relay carrier 18 inside the plastic carrier. In addition, according to alternative solutions, other known latching means can also be used, for example locking means, latching with notches along the edges of the relay carrier 18.

[0024] Both the support part 10 and the masking part 11 additionally comprise two, aligned in line after assembly, through holes 22 on opposite side areas that serve to slide the plastic carrier onto the handle, made of metal or plastic, in the media warehouse, not visible in the drawing.

[0025] The masking part 11 and the supporting part 11 are made of plastic, which can also be plastic, which is dissolved during the production of paper as a result of the processes then used.

[0026] Instead of the described two-part embodiment of the plastic carrier, it can also be produced essentially of plastic in one piece in the injection process, with the possibility of snapping the carrier carrier in position.

[0027] The relay carrier 18 is made as an elongated plastic plate, which is integrated with a relay, for example an RFID relay (Radio

Frequency Identification - radio frequency identification system), as well as the antenna 23 connected to it, which allows to increase the range when identification data is provided wirelessly to a transmitter containing a memory system, or when such data is read wirelessly using a suitable reader (on RFID reader example).

[0028] In practical solutions, the plastic carrier, equipped with the relay carrier, is pre-assembled (with or without saved data) and in this state it is hammered into the tree trunk, or is inserted into the plastic carrier previously attached to the tree trunk and relay carrier snapped inside. With the help of a portable transmitting and receiving device, the required or desired data on a tree trunk or roundwood can then be provided or supplemented if it has not already been recorded. For example, the trunk serial number, sub-trunk number, wood species, length, diameter, quality class and the like. In addition, you can provide the name of the forest company, the name of the woodcutter and the name of the forestry worker, followed by the name of the transport company and the like.

EP 1 693 791 B1 can later be identified wirelessly at any time, be it during storage, inventory, marking of lumber packages, loading and unloading from a truck (loading list), or other activities. This type of loading list is then generated, for example, automatically by reading data from the relay when loading a truck and the like, as a result of which, for example, when the truck enters the area of ​​the plant where further processing will be carried out, the loading list will be immediately transmitted in a wireless way . The announced list can be compared with the actual list in an electronic way. Logged and exported logs can be automatically registered for storage. When cutting in a sawmill, it is possible to automatically post cuts, calculate profits (also calculated on logs) and automatically charge the warehouse invoice. In turn, in the forest itself, you can easily carry out an inventory for the needs of the district ranger or pickup of round logs by the buyer.

[0029] Separation of the relay carrier for re-use, carried out prior to woodworking, can also take place automatically. Using the separating blade, the pot-shaped protrusion 15 on the masking portion 11 can be separated, as a result of which the masking portion 11 will break or the fastening pins 16 will be broken. Then the masking portion 11 falls in whole or in pieces into the prepared tank along with the loose relay carrier 18. The relay media can then be collected and deleted. The relay carriers 18 can then be reused by placing them in a new plastic carrier.

[0030] The second embodiment shown in Fig. 5 largely corresponds to the first embodiment, whereby the same or same function elements or areas have the same markings and are not described again. Instead of masking element 11 with a pot-shaped protrusion 15, in accordance with the second embodiment, masking element 30 with a slat projection 31 is used.

[0031] Fig. 6 shows a hammer 32 for driving a plastic support, for example into wood, or a log. It comprises a head 33 and a handle 34. The face of the head 33, which is the beating surface 35, is characterized by a circular shape, in which a through linear groove 36 is made that divides the beating surface 35 into two equal parts. Linear groove 36 is arranged parallel to the hammer handle 34, relative to the plane defined by the head 33 and the hammer handle 34. In close proximity to the beating surface 35, a circumferential groove 37 is arranged around the head of the hammer 33, which serves to latch the locking projections 12 when the plastic carrier is latched onto the head of the hammer 33 to be driven into the object. The projection 31 in the form of a strip is placed in the line groove 36, which is characterized by a cross-section matching the projection 31.

[0032] When the plastic carrier is driven with the hammer 32, for example into wood, the hammer-in protrusions 13, 14 come into contact with the wood first, they penetrate inside the wooden object. Since the hammering movement includes a movement component not only perpendicular to the wood, but also a component perpendicular to it, the protrusion 31 in the form of a slat can move in the groove 36 in the direction of

EP 1 693 791 B1 of these motion components. This solution prevents, for example, the knock-in projections 13, 14 or other plastic carrier elements from breaking. Any breakage of the securing lugs 12 does not matter.

[0033] The slat-shaped protrusion 31 also has a similar function to the pot-shaped protrusion 15, that is, as a result of breaking the slat-shaped protrusion 31, the masking portion 30 or fastening pins 16 will fall apart, which will recover the relay carrier 18 for re-use use.

[0034] Instead of the lip-shaped protrusion 31, other forms of the protrusions adapted to slide within the groove can generally be used.

[0035] In the case where the hammer 32 shown in Fig. 6 should be designed so that the plastic carriers can be hammered in according to the first embodiment, a pot-like form is used instead of the linear groove 36 whose shape corresponds to the projection 15 in the form of a pot.