Security tag deactivation system

• US 20020011933A1
• Filed: 10/02/2001
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Talaris, Inc. (Glory Limited)
• Original Assignee: De La Rue Cash Systems Incorporated (Glory Limited)
• Inventors: Murphy, Gerard F., Daddi, Vance, Andersen, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 6,476,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2414 using inductive tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/246 Check out systems combined with EAS, e.g. price information stored on EAS tag anti-theft systems in point of sale systems G07G3/003
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2482 EAS methods, e.g. description of flow chart of the detection procedure

Abstract

A method for tracking deactivation of security devices being associated with items to be sold, each of the items being associated with a tracking identifier. The method includes determining a number of security tag deactivations which should occur using select ones of the identifiers and determining a number of actual security tag deactivations which occurred. The method then compares the number of actual security tag deactivations to the number of security tag deactivations which should have occurred, and generates an output when the comparing results in an inconsistency therebetween.

Claims

1. A method for tracking deactivations of security tags each being associated with an item for sale, each of said items having an identification, said method comprising the steps of:

entering at least one of said identifications;

determining a first number of security tag deactivations that should occur for each entered identification;

determining a second number of security tag deactivations that actually occurred; and

,

comparing said first number to said second number to determine whether an exception event should occur.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said entering is performed using a POS terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said entering comprises:

manually entering a code number manually or scanning an identification element associated with said item to recover said code number.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said tag deactivation comprises degaussing a magnetic security tag or resonating a security tag using at least one RF signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining whether an exception event should occur is based upon said determination of whether one or more security tag deactivations occurred within a given temporal proximity to said entering.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said exception event comprises storing data indicative of said comparison.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising selectively enabling said deactivation dependently upon said determination of how many security tags should be deactivated.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said selective activation is dependent upon data corresponding to said identification and being stored in an electronic medium.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said security tag associated with an item is secured to said item or packaging of said item.

10. A method for tracking deactivation of security devices being associated with items to be sold, each of said items being associated with a tracking identifier, said method comprising the steps of:

determining a number of security tag deactivations which should occur using select ones of said identifiers;

determining a number of actual security tag deactivations which occurred;

comparing said number of actual security tag deactivations which occurred to said number of security tag deactivations which should have occurred; and

,

generating an output when said comparing results in an inconsistency therebetween.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating a corresponding record in a database when said inconsistency exists.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said identification is performed using a POS terminal to enter a code manually or scan an indicator associated with said item to recover said code, and said tag deactivation comprises degaussing a magnetic security tag or resonating a security tag using at least one RF signal.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising selectively deactivating said security tags device dependently upon said determination of said expected number of security tags should be deactivated.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein if said determined number of expected tag deactivations is zero, said deactivation device is temporarily deactivated.

15. A system for tracking deactivation of security devices being associated with items to be sold, said system comprising:

an item logging device for entering identification data for each of said items to be sold;

a deactivation device for deactivating said security devices; and

,

database means for storing data indicative of which of a plurality of items should or should not include at least one of said security devices to be deactivated by said deactivation device;

wherein said deactivation device is selectively operable automatically in response to operation of said item logging device and said stored data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein, when said item logging device identifies data, operation of said deactivation device is responsive to a state of said data stored in said database means.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said state of said data stored in said database means is indicative of whether an item associated with said state should include at least one security device to be deactivated.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said item logging device is a POS terminal, and said deactivation device uses degaussing to deactivate a magnetic security device or an RF signal to resonate a security device.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for determining an expected number of operations by said deactivating device responsively to said data logging device and said database.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for at least temporarily storing data being indicative of a transaction where a number of operations of said deactivating device differs from said expected number.