Handheld Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) Device Detector/Deactivator with Integrated Data Capture System

• US 20090090780A1
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Fallin, David Buchanan, Clark, John Jay, Cossette, Joseph P., Tribbey, Scott Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,439,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0081 the reader being a portable scanner or data reader G07G1/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2465 Aspects related to the EAS system, e.g. system components other than tags

Abstract

A portable, cordless hand-held device for locating an active electronic article surveillance (EAS) device, managing the activation/deactivation status of the EAS device and logging information relating to alarm events triggered by the EAS device. The device includes an EAS detector for detecting the presence of an EAS tag or label, a state manipulator for manipulating the activation/deactivation state of the detected active EAS label, at least one data capture device for capturing data related to the alarm event, and a memory for storage of the captured data.

Claims

1. A portable device for managing the activation/deactivation status of the electronic article surveillance (EAS) device and logging information relating to alarm events triggered by the EAS device, said portable device comprising:

a detector for detecting the presence of an electronic article surveillance device;

a state manipulator for manipulating the activation/deactivation state of the detected active electronic article surveillance device;

at least one data capture device for capturing data related to the alarm event, a memory means; and

means to store captured data in said memory means.

2. A portable device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said data capture device comprises at least one of a manual data entry device, a barcode scanner, and a radio frequency identification tag reader.

3. A portable device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said manual data entry device comprises at least one of a keypad, a button or group of buttons, a touch screen, a joystick, and a stylus.

4. A portable device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said state manipulator is a deactivator for deactivating the detected active electronic article surveillance device.

5. A portable device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a portable housing, the detector, the state manipulator, and the data capture device mounted on the portable housing.

6. A portable device as set forth in claim 5 wherein the portable device is shaped and sized to be hand-held by a user.

7. A portable device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a detection indicator for indicating detection of the active electronic article surveillance device.

8. A portable device as set forth in claim 7 wherein the detection indicator comprises at least one of a visual indicator and an audible indicator for indicating detection of the active electronic article surveillance device.

9. A portable device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said data capture device automatically captures the data.

10. A portable device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said data capture device captures at least one of the time of the detection of the active electronic article surveillance device, the location where the detector detected the active electronic article surveillance device, an identifier associated with the active electronic article surveillance device, an identifier associated with an item associated with the detected active electronic article surveillance device, an identifier associated with a list containing the item, an identifier identifying the reason for the active state of the electronic article surveillance device, and an identifier associated with a point of sale transaction.

11. The portable device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said barcode scanner captures data from a barcode printed on retail register receipt.

12. The portable device as set forth in claim 11, wherein said barcode scanner captures data from a barcode printed on retail register receipt including at least one of at least one an identifier associated with the active electronic article surveillance device, an identifier associated with an item associated with the detected active electronic article surveillance device, an identifier associated with a list containing the item, and an identifier associated with a point of sale transaction.

13. A portable device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a network access provider for providing communication between the portable device and a network for sending data to the network and receiving data from the network.

14. A portable device as set forth in claim 13 wherein the network access provider is a wireless network access provider.

15. A portable device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a base, the housing being releasably attachable to the base for storing the housing when not in use, the device further comprising an authentification system for releasing the housing from the base upon valid user authentification by a user and for securing the housing to the base with invalid user authentification.

16. A portable device as set forth in claim 15 wherein the authentification system comprises at least one of a swipe badge card system, a proximity badge card system, and a password protected system.

17. A method for identifying and deactivating a previously-detected active electronic article surveillance device located within one or more containers with a portable device, said method comprising:

scanning at least one of the containers with a portable device to determine if the active electronic article surveillance device is located in the scanned container;

identifying at least one container containing the active electronic article surveillance device;

individually scanning items contained within the at least one identified container with the portable device to determine which item in the identified container is associated with the active electronic article surveillance device;

identifying the active electronic article surveillance device;

deactivating the identified active electronic article surveillance device with the portable device; and

capturing data relating to the deactivated electronic article surveillance device with the portable device.

18. A method as set forth in claim 17 wherein said scanning at least one of the containers comprises scanning at least one of a shopping bag, a shopping cart, a shipping container, a storage container, a vehicle, and a storage building.

19. A method for identifying one or more previously-detected active electronic article surveillance devices associated with one or more respective items with a portable device, said method comprising:

loading an identifier of an inventory list associated with at least one of the one or more items into the portable device;

sending the identifier from the portable device to a network;

receiving from the network at the portable device a listing of at least one of the one or more items associated with the inventory list that may be associated with the one or more previously-detected electronic article surveillance devices;

individually scanning the one or more items identified in the listing to determine if any item in the listing is associated with the one or more active electronic article surveillance devices; and

identifying the one or more active electronic article surveillance devices if one or more items in the listing are associated with the one or more active electronic article surveillance devices.

20. A method as set forth in claim 19 further comprising deactivating the one or more identified active electronic article surveillance devices with the portable device;

and capturing data relating to the one or more deactivated electronic article surveillance devices with the portable device.

21. A method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said loading an identifier of an inventory list comprises scanning a barcode identifier of the inventory list associated with the items.

22. The portable device as set forth in claim 21, wherein said loading an identifier of an inventory list comprises scanning a barcode printed on retail register receipt using a barcode reader to capture data therefrom.

23. A method as set forth in claim 19 further comprising individually scanning any of the one or more items not identified in the listing to determine if any items not in the listing are associated with the one or more active electronic article surveillance devices, if an item in the listing is not identified as associated with the one or more active electronic article surveillance devices;

and

identifying the one or more active electronic article surveillance devices, if one or more items not identified in the listing are associated with respective active electronic article surveillance devices.

24. A method as set forth in claim 23 further comprising capturing data relating to the one or more identified electronic article surveillance devices with the portable device.