System and method for authenticated detachment of product tags

• US 20050190060A1
• Filed: 02/18/2005
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schneider, Peter, Bremer, Peter, Clancy, Terry
• Granted Patent: US 7,242,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.9
• 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: Y10T 24/50 Readily interlocking, two-part fastener requiring either destructive or tool disengagement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/505 including additional fastener structure linking parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5004 For antitheft signaling device on protected article
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5009 For portable articles

Abstract

A system and method for releasing a security tag from an article automatically at a point of sale without the need for store employee involvement, assuming a valid sale is occurring. A system and method for releasing a security tag from an article automatically at a point of sale that tracks the detacher operation and the time and date of such operation.

Claims

1. A system for the automatic detachment of a security tag from an article only upon the sale of the article, said system comprising:

a reader located at the point of sale that reads the security tag to identify the article being purchased;

a point of sale (POS) machine, in communication with said reader, that verifies if the read item is ready for sale; and

a detacher, in communication with, and controlled by, said POS machine, said detacher being commanded to release the security tag from the article only if said POS machine verifies that said read item is ready for sale.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said read item is ready for sale if the article has a corresponding record entered into a memory of said POS machine.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said read item is ready for sale if said corresponding record includes a data field that indicates that the article is not located at a particular store location.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said security tag comprises a locking mechanism that can only be activated by said detacher, independent of any human intervention.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said locking mechanism comprises displaceable components containing small amounts of ferromagnetic material, said displaceable components being movable to release said locking mechanism only when subjected to a magnetic field from said detacher that can interact with said ferromagnetic material to cause said components to be displaced.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said detacher comprises a displaceable permanent magnet.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said detacher comprises an electromagnet.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein said security tag comprises:

a first part comprising a pin having a free end, said free end being adapted to pass through the article; and

a second part comprising said locking mechanism including a passageway for receiving said free end after it has passed through the article, thereby locking said security tag to the article.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said reader is a transmitter/receiver pair that emits an interrogation signal.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the security tag comprises:

a resonant circuit that is tuned to a frequency corresponding to said interrogation signal; and

said resonant circuit emitting a response signal whenever said interrogation signal is received by said resonant circuit.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 5 kHz-12 kHz.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 50 kHz-70 kHz.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said reader comprises a radio frequency (RF) reader that emits an interrogation signal.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the security tag comprises:

an integrated circuit with a memory for storing an article identifier therein;

a resonant circuit coupled to said integrated circuit, said resonant circuit being tuned to a frequency corresponding to said interrogation signal; and

said integrated circuit emitting a response signal comprising said article identifier whenever said interrogation signal is received by said resonant circuit.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 100 kHz-400 kHz.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 2 MHz-14 MHz.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the security tag comprises:

an integrated circuit with a memory for storing an article identifier therein;

an antenna coupled to said integrated circuit, said antenna being tuned to a frequency corresponding to said interrogation signal; and

said integrated circuit emitting a response signal, via said antenna, comprising said article identifier whenever said interrogation signal is received by said antenna.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said frequency is the frequency range of approximately 850 MHz-950 MHz.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein said frequency is the frequency range of approximately 2.3 GHz-2.6 GHz.

20. A system for the automatic detachment of a security tag from an article only upon the sale of the article, said system comprising:

a reader located at the point of sale that reads said security tag to identify the article being purchased;

a database, in communication with said reader, that verifies if the read item is ready for sale;

a detacher, in communication with, and controlled by, said database, said detacher being commanded to release said security tag from the article only if said database verifies that said read item is ready for sale; and

a POS machine, in communication with said database, said database conveying the article identity and sales information to said POS machine upon said release of the security tag from the article.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said read item is ready for sale if the article has a corresponding record entered into said database.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said read item is ready for sale if said corresponding record includes a data field that indicates that the article is not located at a particular store location.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein said security tag comprises a locking mechanism that can only be activated by said detacher, independent of any human intervention.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein said locking mechanism comprises displaceable components containing small amounts of ferromagnetic material, said displaceable components being movable to release said locking mechanism only when subjected to a magnetic field from said detacher that can interact with said ferromagnetic material to cause said components to be displaced.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said detacher comprises a displaceable permanent magnet.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein said detacher comprises an electromagnet.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein said security tag comprises:

a first part comprising a pin having a free end, said free end being adapted to pass through the article; and

a second part comprising said locking mechanism including a passageway for receiving said free end after it has passed through the article, thereby locking said security tag to the article.

28. The system of claim 20 wherein said reader is a transmitter/receiver pair that emits an interrogation signal.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the security tag comprises:

a resonant circuit that is tuned to a frequency corresponding to said interrogation signal; and

said resonant circuit emitting a response signal whenever said interrogation signal is received by said resonant circuit.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 5 kHz-12 kHz.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 50 kHz-70 kHz.

32. The system of claim 20 wherein said reader is a radio frequency (RF) reader that emits an interrogation signal.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the security tag comprises:

an integrated circuit with a memory for storing an article identifier therein;

a resonant circuit coupled to said integrated circuit, said resonant circuit being tuned to a frequency corresponding to said interrogation signal; and

said integrated circuit emitting a response signal, via said resonant circuit, comprising said article identifier whenever said interrogation signal is received by said resonant circuit.

34. The system of claim 32 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 100 kHz-400 kHz.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 2 MHz-14 MHz.

36. The system of claim 32 wherein the security tag comprises:

an integrated circuit with a memory for storing an article identifier therein;

an antenna coupled to said integrated circuit, said antenna being tuned to a frequency corresponding to said interrogation signal; and

said integrated circuit emitting a response signal, via said antenna, comprising said article identifier whenever said interrogation signal is received by said antenna.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein said antenna is a dipole antenna.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein said frequency is the frequency range of approximately 850 MHz-950 MHz.

39. The system of claim 37 wherein said frequency is the frequency range of approximately 2.3 GHz-2.6 GHz.

40. A security tag for securement to an article for sale, said security tag comprising an article attachment lock that can only be released from the article by a separate device independent of any human intervention.

41. The security tag of claim 40 wherein said article attachment lock comprises displaceable components containing small amounts of ferromagnetic material, said displaceable components being movable to release said lock only when subjected to a magnetic field that can interact with said ferromagnetic material to cause said components to be displaced.

42. A method for automatically releasing a security tag from an article upon the sale of the article at a point of sale, said method comprising the steps of:

reading identification data from said security tag associated with the article to identify said security tag;

verifying if the article is ready for sale;

activating a detacher, independently of human intervention, to release said security tag if the article is ready for sale.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein said step of verifying if the article is ready for sale comprises comparing the read identification data against a record in a memory corresponding to said security tag.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein said memory forms a part of a POS machine at the point of sale, said POS machine activating said detacher if the article is ready for sale.

45. The method of claim 43 wherein said memory comprises a database that is coupled to a POS machine, said database activating said detacher if the article is ready for sale and releasing the identification data to said POS machine if the article is ready for sale.

46. The method of claim 42 wherein said security tag comprises an article attachment lock having displaceable components containing small amounts of ferromagnetic material, and wherein said step of activating a detacher comprises subjecting said displaceable components to a magnetic field to interact with said ferromagnetic material to cause said components to be displaced, thereby releasing said article attachment lock.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein said step of activating a detacher comprises displacing a permanent magnetic in proximity to said security tag, said permanent magnetic being of a sufficient weight that it cannot be manipulated by a person.

48. The method of claim 46 wherein said step of activating a detacher comprises activating an electromagnet in proximity to said security tag.

49. The method of claim 42 wherein said security tag comprises a resonant circuit tuned to a frequency and an integrated circuit, coupled to said resonant circuit, with a memory for storing said identification data therein and wherein said step of reading said identification data comprises said integrated circuit emitting a response signal, via said resonant circuit, in response to an interrogation signal at said frequency.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 100 kHz-400 kHz.

51. The method of claim 49 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 2 MHz-14 MHz.

52. The method of claim 42 wherein said security tag comprises an antenna tuned to a frequency and an integrated circuit, coupled to said antenna, with a memory for storing said identification data therein and wherein said step of reading said identification data comprises said integrated circuit emitting a response signal, via said resonant circuit, in response to an interrogation signal at said frequency.

53. The method of claim 52 wherein said frequency is the frequency range of approximately 850 MHz-950 MHz.

54. The system of claim 52 wherein said frequency is the frequency range of approximately 2.3 GHz-2.6 GHz.

55. The method of claim 42 wherein said security tag comprises a resonant circuit tuned to a frequency and wherein said step of reading said identification data comprises emitting a response signal, via said resonant circuit, in response to an interrogation signal at said frequency.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 5 kHz-12 kHz.

57. The method of claim 55 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 50 kHz-70 kHz.

58. The method of claim 45 wherein a plurality of readers are dispersed within a store for interrogating said security tag as the article is moved within the store, said record further comprising indicia stored therein corresponding to the present location of the article within a store area, and wherein said step of verifying if the article is ready for sale comprises determining if said indicia corresponds to a location in the store that is not the point of sale.

59. A system for the automatic detachment of a security tag from an article at a point of sale, said system comprising:

a reader located at the point of sale that reads the security tag to identify the article being purchased;

a detacher, in communication with said reader, said detacher releasing the security tag from the article once said reader has read the security tag; and

a database, in communication with said reader, which stores the identity of said detacher when said detacher releases the security tag.

60. The system of claim 59 wherein said database stores the date and time when said detacher releases the security tag.

61. The system of claim 59 wherein said security tag comprises a locking mechanism that can only be activated by said detacher, independent of any human intervention.

62. The system of claim 61 wherein said locking mechanism comprises displaceable components containing small amounts of ferromagnetic material, said displaceable components being movable to release said locking mechanism only when subjected to a magnetic field from said detacher that can interact with said ferromagnetic material to cause said components to be displaced.

63. The system of claim 62 wherein said detacher comprises a displaceable permanent magnet.

64. The system of claim 62 wherein said detacher comprises an electromagnet.

65. The system of claim 62 wherein said security tag comprises:

a first part comprising a pin having a free end, said free end being adapted to pass through the article; and

a second part comprising said locking mechanism including a passageway for receiving said free end after it has passed through the article, thereby locking said security tag to the article.

66. The system of claim 59 wherein said reader is a transmitter/receiver pair that emits an interrogation signal.

67. The system of claim 66 wherein the security tag comprises:

a resonant circuit that is tuned to a frequency corresponding to said interrogation signal; and

said resonant circuit emitting a response signal whenever said interrogation signal is received by said resonant circuit.

68. The system of claim 67 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 5 kHz-12 kHz.

69. The system of claim 67 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 50 kHz-70 kHz.

70. The system of claim 59 wherein said reader is a radio frequency (RF) reader that emits an interrogation signal.

71. The system of claim 70 wherein the security tag comprises:

an integrated circuit with a memory for storing an article identifier therein;

a resonant circuit coupled to said integrated circuit, said resonant circuit being tuned to a frequency corresponding to said interrogation signal; and

said integrated circuit emitting a response signal, via said resonant circuit, comprising said article identifier whenever said interrogation signal is received by said resonant circuit.

72. The system of claim 71 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 100 kHz-400 kHz.

73. The system of claim 71 wherein said frequency is in the frequency range of approximately 2 MHz-14 MHz.

74. The system of claim 70 wherein the security tag comprises:

an integrated circuit with a memory for storing an article identifier therein;

an antenna coupled to said integrated circuit, said antenna being tuned to a frequency corresponding to said interrogation signal; and

said integrated circuit emitting a response signal, via said antenna, comprising said article identifier whenever said interrogation signal is received by said antenna.

75. The system of claim 74 wherein said antenna is a dipole antenna.

76. The system of claim 75 wherein said frequency is the frequency range of approximately 850 MHz-950 MHz.

77. The system of claim 75 wherein said frequency is the frequency range of approximately 2.3 GHz-2.6 GHz.