Desensitizing apparatus for electromagnetic article surveillance system
First Claim
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1. A desensitizing apparatus for magnetizing a desensitizable marker used with an electromagnetic article surveillance system, including:
- a housing having a surface adapted to support an article as a marker secured thereto is moved past the apparatus, wherein the surface is further adapted to constrain said an article along a direction of travel over the housing; and
an elongated, high density magnet positioned in a plane proximate to and substantially parallel with the surface of the housing adapted to support said an article, wherein the length of the magnet is substantially perpendicular to said a direction of travel of said a marker to be moved past the apparatus, wherein the magnet provides a magnetic field aligned substantially normal to its length, wherein the strength of the magnetic field decreases by about 1/r2, for r greater than 1 mm, where r is a distance above the magnet, thereby enabling the marker to be remanently magnetized without altering the magnetic state of the article to which the marker is affixed, and wherein the magnetic field is sufficiently strong to magnetize the marker but does not subject the marker to a back field which would partially resensitize the marker.
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Abstract
A desensitizing apparatus for magnetizing a desensitizable marker used with an electromagnetic article surveillance system. The apparatus includes a rectangular, non-metallic plate positioned so that its length is perpendicular to a likely direction of travel of the marker to be magnetized. A row of X-shaped arrays of elongated magnets is embedded on the plate. A marker passing over the row of magnets will be desensitized regardless of its orientation or direction of travel over the magnets.
20 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A desensitizing apparatus for magnetizing a desensitizable marker used with an electromagnetic article surveillance system, including:
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a housing having a surface adapted to support an article as a marker secured thereto is moved past the apparatus, wherein the surface is further adapted to constrain said an article along a direction of travel over the housing; and an elongated, high density magnet positioned in a plane proximate to and substantially parallel with the surface of the housing adapted to support said an article, wherein the length of the magnet is substantially perpendicular to said a direction of travel of said a marker to be moved past the apparatus, wherein the magnet provides a magnetic field aligned substantially normal to its length, wherein the strength of the magnetic field decreases by about 1/r2, for r greater than 1 mm, where r is a distance above the magnet, thereby enabling the marker to be remanently magnetized without altering the magnetic state of the article to which the marker is affixed, and wherein the magnetic field is sufficiently strong to magnetize the marker but does not subject the marker to a back field which would partially resensitize the marker. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A desensitizing apparatus for magnetizing a desensitizable marker used with an electromagnetic article surveillance system including:
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a housing having a surface adapted to support an article as a marker secured thereto is moved past the apparatus; and first and second elongated magnets positioned in a plane proximate to and substantially parallel with the surface of the housing adapted to support said an article, wherein the lengths of the two magnets are substantially perpendicular to each other, wherein each magnet provides a magnetic field aligned substantially normal to its length and parallel to the surface of the housing adapted to support said an article, and wherein said a marker which passes over each of the magnets will be magnetized and thereby desensitized regardless of its orientation relative to the magnets. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A desensitizing apparatus for magnetizing a desensitizable marker used with an electromagnetic article surveillance system, including:
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a housing having a surface adapted to support an article as a marker secured thereto is moved past the apparatus; a rectangular, non-magnetic plate positioned in the housing in a plane proximate to and substantially parallel with the surface of the housing adapted to support said an article, wherein the length of the plate is substantially perpendicular to a likely direction of travel of said a marker to be magnetized, whereby the marker on said an article passing over the apparatus will also pass over the plate; and a plurality of X-shaped arrays of elongated magnets embedded on the plate, wherein each elongated magnet provides a magnetic field aligned substantially normal to its length and parallel to the plate, and wherein the X-shaped arrays meet at their ends to form a straight row of X'"'"'s, wherein the row is parallel to the length of the plate. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification