METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DE-ACTIVATING EAS MARKERS
First Claim
1. A deactivator for an electronic article surveillance system comprising:
- a) a retail counter featuring a deactivation surface;
b) first and second electrical coils formed of multiple windings of a wire embedded in said deactivator below said deactivation surface;
c) wherein said first electrical coil and said second electrical coils are arranged essentially coplanar, arranged sided-by-side, and arranged such that current flowing through said wire causes said first and second electrical coils to operate out of phase with each other;
d) wherein said first and second electrical coils generate a composite magnetic field above said deactivation surface that may be used to deactivate an electronic article surveillance marker, ande) wherein said deactivation surface is comprised of a first portion and a second portion wherein the composite magnetic field is stronger in said first portion than the composite magnetic field in said second portion.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for deactivating magnetomechanical EAS sensors is disclosed and claimed. The apparatus features an improved deactivation performance at a reduced cost by orienting at least one pair of deactivation coils such that the coils create a composite magnetic field that is stronger in the areas of the deactivation surface most likely to be utilized. The system is further arranged such as to reduce the composite magnetic field in other areas of the deactivation surface less likely to be needed, thereby lowering total power use and increasing effectiveness of the system. The deactivator further features monitoring means for detecting the presence of sensors, and for adjusting the composite magnetic field in response to system effectiveness.
50 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A deactivator for an electronic article surveillance system comprising:
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a) a retail counter featuring a deactivation surface; b) first and second electrical coils formed of multiple windings of a wire embedded in said deactivator below said deactivation surface; c) wherein said first electrical coil and said second electrical coils are arranged essentially coplanar, arranged sided-by-side, and arranged such that current flowing through said wire causes said first and second electrical coils to operate out of phase with each other; d) wherein said first and second electrical coils generate a composite magnetic field above said deactivation surface that may be used to deactivate an electronic article surveillance marker, and e) wherein said deactivation surface is comprised of a first portion and a second portion wherein the composite magnetic field is stronger in said first portion than the composite magnetic field in said second portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification