Security system for protecting information

• US 4,794,470 A
• Filed: 10/09/1986
• Issued: 12/27/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boettcher Venture Capital Partners LP, FBS Small Business Investment Company Limited Partnership, Gregory Kalikas
• Original Assignee: Media Security Incorporated and Associates
• Inventors: Denehy, George F., Novickis, Andre, Lauffenburger, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARNOLD, BRUCE
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US06/916,891
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 206/312, 206/444, 206/389, 206/459, 206/387, 206/313, 206/807, 360/15, 360/60, 360/132, 360/133, 360/69, 360/137, 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/450, 235/492, 235/493, 340/561, 340/572, 340/825, 340/825.31, 340/825.32, 340/825.34, 340/825.3, 340/571, 340/551, 242/197-200
• US Class Current: 360/69
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2414 using inductive tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2434 Tag housing and attachment details
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/07 on containers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/0302 Auxiliary features
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/042 Auxiliary features sensing such features G11B15/06
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/286 Antitheft arrangements, e.g. Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tags
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 206/807 Tamper proof

Abstract

A system for providing a security capability for an electronic information reproducing device mounted within a housing, such as a floppy disk mounted in a jacket or a tape in a 3480 tape cartridge, by attaching an electronic surveillance tag to an inner surface of the housing during its manufacture so that the electronic surveillance tag cannot be easily removed from within the floppy disk or 3480 tape cartridge without destroying it and is not visible from outside of the housing and an electronic drive means having an electronic circuit for detecting the presence or absence of an electric surveillance tag and generating a signal in response to such presence or absence.

Claims

1. A security system using an electronic surveillance tag which is readily detected by an electronic circuit for preventing unauthorized use or removal of an electronic information reproducing device comprising:

a housing;

an electronic information reproducing device contained within said housing;

and electronic surveillance tag capable of producing a detectable electric signal secured within said housing prior to the sealing thereof so that no portion of said electronic surveillance tag is visible from outside said housing;

sealing means for sealing said housing after said electronic information reproducing device and said electronic surveillance tag have been placed therein to prevent access into said housing;

electronic drive means for obtaining information from said electronic information reproducing device; and

said drive means having an electronic circuit for detecting the presence or absence of said electronic surveillance tag for enabling or disabling the use of said electronic information reproducing device.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said housing and said electronic information reproducing device comprises:

a tape cartridge.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said tape cartridge comprises:

a 3480 tape cartridge.

4. Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said electronic surveillance tag comprises:

an inductive-capacitive circuit.

5. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said housing and said electronic information reproducing device comprises:

a floppy disk mounted in a jacket.

6. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said comprises:

a 3480 tape cartridge.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said electronic surveillance tag comprises:

an inductive-capacitive circuit.

8. A security system using an electronic surveillance tag which is readily detected by an electronic circuit for enabling an electronic drive means to differentiate between electronic information reproducing devices inserted into such electronic drive means with or without the electronic surveillance tag and to enable or disable the use of such electronic information reproducing devices comprising:

an electronic surveillance circuit mesans including resonant circuit means capable of acting as the inductor in a resonant tank circuit;

said electronic surveillance circuit means being associated with an electronic information reproducing device to be secured; and

electronic circuit means for reading the proximity and presence of said electronic surveillance circuit means, said electronic circuit means including;

frequency modulated oscillator means for producing an output comprising a range of frequencies which include the resonant frequency of said electronic surveillance circuit means;

antenna means connected to said frequency modulated oscillator means responsive to the presence of said electronic circuit means to increase the voltage output of said frequency modulated oscillator means at said resonant frequency;

automatic gain control means for producing a signal indicative of the voltage from said frequency modulated oscillator means;

a fixed frequency triangular wave generator, whose frequency is selected to be outside the range of frequencies produced by said frequency modulated oscillator means, connected to the input of said frequency modulated oscillator means and to a comparator circuit means;

said comparator circuit means produces a signal to a first peak detector means at the time when said antenna will be responding to the presence of said electronic surveillance circuit means so that said first peak detector means receives a signal from said automatic gain control means;

said first peak detector means producing an output signal indicative of the highest peak received from said automatic gain control means;

said comparator circuit means produces a signal to a second peak detector means at a time when said electronic surveillance circuit means cannot resonate said antenna means so that said second peak detector receives a signal from said automatic gain control means;

said second peak detector means producing an output signal indicative of the highest peak received from said automatic gain control means;

comparator means for comparing the output signals from said first and second peak detectors and generating a signal depending on the presence or absence of said electronic circuit means in proximity to said antenna means; and

control circuit means connected to the output of said comparator means for enabling or disabling the use of said electronic information reproducing device in said electronic drive means depending on the presence or absence of said electronic surveillance circuit means, in proximity to said antenna means.

9. The security system of claim 8 wherein:

said control circuit contains integrating filter means for sampling more than one triangular wave comparison in order to verify the presence of a valid signal from the presence of an electronic surveillance circuit in proximity to said antenna means of said electronic circuit means.

10. The securiy system of claim 9 wherein:

said electronic surveillance circuit means is resonant as an inductor at about 8 MHz.

11. The security system of claim 10 wherein:

the frequency modulated oscillator means produces a range of frequencies from about 2 MHz to 10 MHz.

12. The security system of claim 11 wherein:

said triangular wave generator is operated at about 2 kHz.

13. A method for providing a security system using an electronic surveillance tag which is readily detected by an electronic circuit for an electronic information reproducing device comprising:

providing an electronic information reproducing device located within a housing;

attaching an electronic surveillance tag capable of producing a detectable electric signal to an inner surface of said housing during the manufacture of said electronic information reproducing device;

sealing said housing after said attachment of said electronic surveillance tag so that said housing may not be opened without detection;

locating said electronic surveillance tag so that said electronic surveillance tag is not visible from outside said housing;

providing an electronic drive means for obtaining information from said electronic information reproducing device;

providing said electronic drive means with an electronic circuit to detect the presence or absence of said elcctronic surveillance tag;

inserting said housing into said electronic drive means;

said electronic circuit being responsive to the presence or absence of said electronic surveillance tag; and

generating a signal to enable or disable the use of said electronic information reproducing device in said electronic drive means depending on the presence or absence of said electronic surveillance tag.

14. A method as in claim 13 and further comprising:

attaching said electronic surveillance tag to the inner surface of a jacket for a floppy disk prior to the folding and sealing thereof.

15. A method as in claim 13 and further comprising:

attaching said electronic surveillance tag to the inner surface of a portion of a tape cartridge prior to the sealing thereof.