Apparatus for capturing data and deactivating electronic article surveillance tags

• US 6,154,135 A
• Filed: 09/26/1996
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Buzzard, Jon D., Krom, Mark D., Kane, Bradley P., Valade, Franklin H. Jr., Martin, Wayne H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US08/721,122
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572, 340/551, 343/867, 235/38, 186/61, 186/66, 335/284
• US Class Current: 340/572.3
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/003 Anti-theft control theft alarms G08B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/242 Tag deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system

Abstract

An apparatus for capturing data from indicia associated with an article and for deactivating an electronic article surveillance tag associated with the article comprising a housing defining a volume in which a bag can be placed for packaging the article, a scanner positioned adjacent the upper portion of the volume to capture data from the indicia associated with the article as the article is placed into the bag; and deactivation means positioned below the scanner to deactivate the electronic article surveillance tag when the article is in the bag.

Claims

1. An apparatus for capturing data from indicia associated with articles and for deactivating electronic article surveillance tags associated with said articles, said apparatus comprising:

a housing defining a volume in which a bag can be placed for packaging said articles;

a scanner positioned adjacent the upper portion of said volume to capture data from said indicia associated with said articles as said articles are placed into said bag; and

deactivation means positioned below said scanner to deactivate all of said electronic article surveillance tags simultaneously when said articles are in said bag.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said deactivation means comprises a plurality of deactivation coils surrounding at least a portion of said volume.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said housing has three sidewalls and a bottom and said plurality of deactivation coils are positioned in said sidewalls and said bottom.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein said scanner comprises a plurality of scanners positioned adjacent the upper portion of said volume so that a person placing said article into said bag is not restricted to a single path to have data captured from said indicia as said article is placed into said bag.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein said plurality of scanners are positioned such that there is a scanner on each of said sidewalls.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein the fourth side of said housing is open to facilitate removal of said bag from said volume.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said scanner comprises a plurality of scanners positioned adjacent the upper portion of said volume so that a person placing said article into said bag is not restricted to a single path to have said data captured from said indicia as said article is placed into said bag.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein said housing has three sidewalls and said plurality of scanners are positioned such that there is a scanner on each of said sidewalls.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the fourth side of said housing is open to facilitate removal of said bag from said volume.

10. An apparatus for capturing data from indicia associated with an article and for deactivating an electronic article surveillance tag associated with said article, said apparatus comprising:

a counter;

a housing positioned below said counter and defining a volume in which a bag can be placed for packaging said article;

a scanner positioned below said counter and adjacent the upper portion of said volume so that said data is captured from said indicia as said article is placed into said bag; and

deactivation means positioned below said scanner to deactivate all electronic article surveillance tags in said bag simultaneously.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said scanner comprises a plurality of scanners positioned below said counter and adjacent the upper portion of said volume so that a person placing said article into said bag is not restricted to a single path to have said data captured from said indicia as said article is placed into said bag.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said housing has three sidewalls and said plurality of scanners are positioned such that there is a scanner on each of said sidewalls.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the fourth side of said housing is open to facilitate removal of said bag from said volume.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said indicia is a bar code.

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said deactivation means comprises a plurality of deactivation coils surrounding at least a portion of said volume.

25. An apparatus as recited in claim 24, wherein said housing has three sidewalls and a bottom and said plurality of deactivation coils are positioned in said sidewalls and said bottom.

26. An apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein said scanner comprises a plurality of scanners positioned adjacent the upper portion of said volume so that a person placing said article into said bag is not restricted to a single path to have data captured from said indicia as said article is placed into said bag.

27. An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein said plurality of scanners are positioned such that there is a scanner on each of said sidewalls.

28. An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein the fourth side of said housing is open to facilitate removal of said bag from said volume.

15. An apparatus for capturing data from indicia associated with an article and for deactivating an electronic article surveillance tag associated with said article, said apparatus comprising:

a housing defining a volume in which a bag can be placed for packaging said article;

a scanner positioned adjacent the upper portion of said volume so that the bagging of said article and the scanning of said indicia associated with said article to capture data from said indicia occur in a single arm movement by a person placing said article into said bag; and

deactivation means positioned below said scanner to deactivate all electronic article surveillance tags in said bag simultaneously.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein said deactivation means comprises a plurality of deactivation coils surrounding at least a portion of said volume.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein said housing has three sidewalls and a bottom and said plurality of deactivation coils are positioned in said sidewalls and said bottom.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein said scanner comprises a plurality of scanners positioned adjacent the upper portion of said volume so that a person placing said article into said bag is not restricted to a single path to have data captured from said indicia as said article is placed into said bag.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein said plurality of scanners are positioned such that there is a scanner on each of said sidewalls.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the fourth side of said housing is open to facilitate removal of said bag from said volume.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein said scanner comprises a plurality of scanners positioned adjacent the upper portion of said volume so that a person placing said article into said bag is not restricted to a single path to have said data captured from said indicia as said article is placed into said bag.

22. An apparatus as recited in claim 21, wherein said housing has three sidewalls and said plurality of scanners are positioned such that there is a scanner on each of said sidewalls.

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein the fourth side of said housing is open to facilitate removal of said bag from said volume.