Article inventory tracking and control system

• US 5,777,884 A
• Filed: 10/16/1995
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co (3M Company)
• Inventors: Brace, Thomas J., Belka, Anthony M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stamber, Eric W.
• Application Number:
  US08/543,364
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 364/478.07, 364/478.08, 364/478.09, 364/478.13, 364/479.01, 364/479.02, 364/479.06, 364/479.12, 395/216, 395/222, 395/228, 340/572, 340/825.3, 340/825.31, 340/825.32, 235/381, 235/383, 235/385, 206/308.2, 206/387.11, 335/284
• US Class Current: 700/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/069 by box-like containers, e.g. videocassettes, books
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2434 Tag housing and attachment details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2445 Tag integrated into item to be protected, e.g. source tagging
• 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 13/2482 EAS methods, e.g. description of flow chart of the detection procedure

Abstract

An article inventory tracking and control system tracks and controls removal of articles from a secured facility. Exemplary facilities in which the system may be useful include libraries, rental stores and retail stores. Each article is marked with an EAS marker to prevent unauthorized removal. In the system, each user of a facility and each article in the facility is uniquely identifiable. Upon receiving the user and article information, the system queries a central database to ensure that the user is a valid user and that the desired transaction is authorized. A receiving compartment is specifically designed to receive a particular type of article, such as a video or audio cassette. Sensors in the receiving compartment ensure that the article is properly placed within the receiving compartment. Proper placement of the article within the receiving compartment ensures that the marker is properly re/desensitized, and also ensures that only one transaction on one article can be performed at a time.

Claims

1. An article inventory tracking and control system which tracks and controls transactions of articles out of or into a protected area, comprising:

a receiving compartment adapted to receive a single article of a plurality of articles, each of the plurality of articles containing prerecorded magnetic data, each article of the plurality of articles having a same predefined configuration with a marker located at a same predetermined position at or near a surface of each article, the receiving compartment sized and adapted to accept the article in a predetermined orientation within the receiving compartment;

means associated with the receiving compartment for changing the status of the marker of an article inserted into the receiving compartment;

user id code reading means for receiving user information from a user identification code;

article id code reading means for receiving article information from an article identification code attached to the article;

sensing means for determining whether the article is properly placed within the receiving compartment; and

means for validating a transaction based on the user information and the article information, the status changing means including means for creating a magnetic field of sufficient magnitude proximate only the marker to change the status of the marker as the article is removed after the transaction is validated, wherein the magnetic field is of a lesser magnitude at a distance from the marker such that the prerecorded magnetic data of the article is not detectably degraded.

2. The system of claim 1 further including means for updating the user information and the article information with transaction information if the transaction is validated.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the user is a patron of a library, rental store or retail store.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the user is a clerk of a library, rental store or retail store.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the article is a videotape.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the article is an audio tape.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the transaction is a check out transaction.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the means for changing the status of the marker desensitizes the marker.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the transaction is a check in transaction.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the means for changing the status of the marker resensitizes the marker.

11. The system of claim 1 further including a guide pin adapted to ensure proper positioning of a video cassette in the receiving compartment.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the article is a diskette.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for changing the status of the marker includes a single magnetic field generating device operable for desensitizing the marker to permit removal of the article from the facility and for resensitizing the marker upon return of the article to the facility.

14. An article inventory tracking and control system which tracks and controls transactions of articles out of or into a protected area, the system comprising:

a receiving compartment adapted to receive a single article of a plurality of articles, each of the plurality of articles containing prerecorded magnetic data and having a same predefined configuration with a marker located at a same predetermined position at or near a surface of each article;

means associated with the receiving compartment for changing the status of the marker of the article;

user id code reading means for receiving user information from a user identification code;

article id code reading means for receiving article information from an article identification code attached to the article;

sensing means for determining whether the article is properly placed within the receiving compartment; and

means for validating a transaction based on the user information and the article information, wherein the sensing means is further for determining when the article is being removed from the receiving compartment and producing therefrom an activation signal if the transaction is validated, wherein the means for changing the status of the marker is enabled in response to the activation signal, and further wherein the means for changing the status of the marker includes means for creating a magnetic field proximate the marker in response to the activation signal to change the status of the marker without degrading the prerecorded magnetic data of the article.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the sensing means is further for determining when the article has been removed from the receiving compartment and producing therefrom an article removed signal;

and wherein the means for changing the status of the marker is disabled in response to the article removed signal.

16. An article inventory tracking and control system for controlling movement of a selected article of a plurality of articles containing prerecorded magnetic data into and out of a secured facility, the system comprising:

a receiving compartment adapted to receive the selected article in a predetermined orientation within the receiving compartment;

authorization means in which each of the plurality of articles and each user of the facility is uniquely identifiable by associated article information and user information, the authorization means for processing and recording information regarding authorization or inhibiting removal of the article by an individual user, each article having a same predefined configuration with a marker located at a same predetermined position of each article, the marker is desensitized to permit removal of the article from the facility and resensitized on return to the facility; and

a single magnetic field generating device operable for desensitizing the marker to permit removal of the article from the facility upon authorization from the article inventory control system and for resensitizing the marker upon return of the article to the facility, the device creating a magnetic field proximate the marker to change the status of the marker without degrading the prerecorded magnetic data of the article.

17. The system of claim 16 further including sensing means for sensing when the article is properly positioned within the receiving compartment.

18. An article inventory tracking and control system for controlling movement of a selected article of a plurality of articles containing prerecorded magnetic data into and out of a secured facility, the system comprising:

a receiving compartment adapted to receive the selected article within the receiving compartment;

authorization means in which each of the plurality of articles and each user of the facility is uniquely identifiable by associated article information and user information, the authorization means for processing and recording information regarding authorization or inhibiting removal of the article by an individual user, each article having a same predefined configuration with a marker located at a same predetermined position of each article, the marker is desensitized to permit removal of the article from the facility and resensitized on return to the facility;

sensing means for sensing when the article is being removed from the receiving compartment; and

a single magnetic field generating device operable for desensitizing the marker to permit removal of the article from the facility when the sensing means senses that the article is being removed from the receiving compartment and if authorized and for resensitizing the marker on return to the facility when the sensing means senses that the article is being removed from the compartment and if authorized.