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Article inventory tracking apparatus and method

  • US 6,438,447 B1
  • Filed: 07/01/1998
  • Issued: 08/20/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for use in tracking and control of articles out of or into a protected area, the apparatus comprising:

  • a receiving compartment adapted to receive an 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 dual status marker located at a same predetermined position at or near a surface of each article, the receiving compartment sized to accept the article in a predetermined orientation within the receiving compartment; and

    a magnetic field generating device operable to deactivate the marker and to reactivate tee marker by creating a magnetic field proximate the marker, wherein the apparatus further includes at least one sensor for use in determining that the article is in a particular position in the receiving compartment.

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