Radio frequency personnel alerting security system and method

• US 6,774,782 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Runyon, Larry, Gunter, Wayne M., Gilbert, Ronald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US10/042,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20030076230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 340/505, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/571, 340/572.1, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 340/505
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00912 for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• 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 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units

Abstract

A system for reducing security risks in, for example, an enclosed area where there are documents, computer discs, and other items which may contain security sensitive information. Each security sensitive item has an RFID tag attached thereto, and during non-working hours these items are placed in locked file cabinets, a safe or a vault. The area is periodically interrogated by an RF interrogator to ascertain whether the items are in their locked secured position or are in an open area.

Claims

1. A method of reducing security risks in an area where there is an operating environment where a person or persons is or are present during operating time periods and there is at least one security sensitive item which has a non-secured location or locations and/or non-secured situation for the operating time periods and/or other time periods where the non-secured location and/or non-secured situation of the security sensitive item is an acceptable security risk, and which has a secured location or locations and/or a secured situation for non-operating time periods and/or other periods where the non-secured location or locations and/or non-secured situation of the security sensitive item is not an acceptable security risk, said method comprising:

a) providing said security sensitive item with a related interrogation responsive RFID member attached or otherwise associated with the security sensitive item so as to be in close proximity thereto, or so as to have an operative connection or association with said item so as to be responsive or related to the secured and/or non-secured location or locations and/or situation of the security sensitive item;

b) interrogating said RFID member at least during the non-operating periods or other periods where the security sensitive item in the non-secured location or locations and/or situation is not an acceptable security risk or in response to a triggering event where the security sensitive item would be desired or expected to be in its said secured location or locations and/or situation;

c) arranging the secured location or locations and/or situation so that with the security sensitive item and its related RFID member in the secured location or locations and/or situation either a lack of a response from the related RFID member or a response or responses of a certain character would indicate that the security sensitive item is in the secured location or locations and/or secured situation;

d) in a situation where the interrogating of the RFID member does not result in said lack of response that would indicate the security sensitive item is in the secured location or locations and/or secured situation or does result in said lack of a response or responses of a character that indicates the security sensitive item is in the secured location and/or secured configuration, generating a communication(s) and/or generating an occurrence(s) designed and/or arranged to result in a remedial step or steps to accomplish having the security sensitive item in said secured location or locations and/or secured situation and/or initiating some other remedial course of action.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said secured location or locations is provided as an electromagnetically shielded location so that when the security sensitive item is located in the secured location or locations, the security sensitive item is shielded from an interrogation signal.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said security sensitive item contains or embodies security sensitive information and/or has a value or is of a character which would make it desirable to be in a secured location.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the security sensitive item is arranged to have a secured situation by which another item or items is maintained in a secured location or locations and/or situation, and said security sensitive item is arranged to have a non-secured situation where said another item or items is in a non-secured location or locations and/or non-secured situation.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein said security sensitive item comprises a containing member having a secured configuration wherein another item or items are securely contained in said containing member and having a non-secured configuration wherein an item or items in the containing member are more susceptible to be removed from the containing member.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein said containing member has a locking mechanism, and said locking mechanism has a locked position and an unlocked position, said locking mechanism being arranged so that in the unlocked position, there is either a lack of response to an interrogation or a response of a character indicating that a locking mechanism is in an unlocked configuration.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said area where the security sensitive item is located is a secured area where one or more persons are present during the operating periods, and is or are engaged in an activity or activities which would reasonably require that the security sensitive item would at least sometimes be in a non-secured location or locations and/or situation within the secured area.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the generating of a communication(s) and/or generating the event is initiated in a situation where

a) a person in the secured area is approaching an exit from the secured area, is in proximity to said exit, or is passing through said exit; and

b) this occurs during a non-operating time period or in some other time period where the non-secured location or locations and/or non-secured situation of the security sensitive item is not an acceptable security risk.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said communication and/or communications is or are directed to the person or persons who are approaching, in proximity to, or passing through the exit.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein said communication(s) is selected from a group comprising a visual communication, and aural communication and a combination thereof.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said invention comprises creating a physical impedance to the person or persons who is or are approaching, in proximity to or passing through the exit.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the physical impedance comprises locking a door at the exit.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, where there is a second exit from the secured area, so that in an emergency situation, the person or persons are able to pass through the second exit.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein an alerting communication is generated by the person or persons passing through the second exit.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interrogating of the RFID member is accomplished by a control/interrogating apparatus initiating an interrogating signal or signals to an interrogating section, with said interrogating section sending one or more interrogations from one or more antennas into the secured area, and the RFID member responds to the interrogating by modulating a response signal which is in turn is received and directed to the control/interrogating apparatus.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein there is a plurality of security sensitive items each having a related RFID member, and each of the RFID members are interrogated.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein at least one of the security sensitive items, in its secured location and/or situation, has its RFID member situated so as to receive an interrogating signal, said method further comprising providing a monitoring member which is located to ascertain that said at least one of the security sensitive items having the RFID member that responds to interrogation is in its secured location or situation.

18. A method of reducing security risks area where there is at least one security sensitive item which has a secured location and/or secured situation and has a non-secured location and/or a non-secured situation, said method comprising:

a) providing said security sensitive item with an interrogation responsive RFID member attached or otherwise associated with the security sensitive item so as to be in close proximity thereto, or so as to have an operative connection or association with said item to be responsive or related to the secured and/or non-secured location and/or situation of the security sensitive item;

b) interrogating said RFID member in response to a triggering event or in a time period where the item would be desired or expected to be in its said at least one secured location and/or situation in a manner that either a lack of a response would indicate the security sensitive item is in a secured location or situation or a response or responses of a certain character would indicate that the security sensitive item is in at least one of said secured location and/or secured situation;

c) in a situation where the interrogating of the RFID member in said time period or in response to said triggering event does not result in said lack of response that would indicate the security sensitive item is in the secured location and/or situation or result in said lack of response or responses of a character that the security sensitive item is in the secured location and/or secured situation, generating a communication(s) and/or generating an occurrence(s) designed and/or arranged to in turn result in a remedial step or steps to accomplish having the security sensitive item in said secured location and/or secured situation.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said secured location or locations is provided as an electromagnetically shielded location so that when the security sensitive item is located in the secured location or locations, the security sensitive item is shielded from an interrogation signal.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the security sensitive item is arranged to have a secured situation by which another item or items is maintained in a secured location or locations and/or situation, and said security sensitive item is arranged to have a non-secured situation where said another item or items is in a non-secured location or locations and/or non-secured situation, and wherein said security sensitive item comprises a containing member having a secured configuration wherein another item or items are securely contained in said containing member and having a non-secured configuration wherein an item or items in the containing member are more susceptible to be removed from the containing member.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein said containing member has a locking mechanism, and said locking mechanism has a locked position and an unlocked position, said locking mechanism being arranged so that in the unlocked position, there is either a lack of response to an interrogation or a response of a character indicating that a locking mechanism is in an unlocked situation.

22. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the interrogating of the RFID member is accomplished by a control/interrogating apparatus initiating an interrogating signal or signals to an interrogating section, with said interrogating section sending one or more interrogations from one or more antennas into the secured area, and the RFID member responds to the interrogating by modulating a response signal which is in turn is received and directed to the control/interrogating apparatus.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein there is a plurality of security sensitive items each having a related RFID member, and each of the RFID members are interrogated.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein at least one of the security sensitive items, in its secured location and/or situation, has its RFID member situated so as to receive an interrogating signal, said method further comprising providing a monitoring member which is located to ascertain that said at least one of the security sensitive items having the RFID member that responds to interrogation is in its secured location or situation.

25. A system for reducing security risks in an area where there is an operating environment where a person or persons is or are present during operating time periods and there is at least one security sensitive item which has a non-secured location or locations and/or non-secured situation for the operating time periods and/or other time periods where the non-secured location and/or non-secured situation of the security sensitive item is an acceptable security risk, and which has a secured location or locations and/or a secured situation for non-operating time periods and/or other periods where the non-secured location or locations and/or non-secured situation of the security sensitive item is not an acceptable security risk, said system comprising:

a) said security sensitive item being provided with a related interrogation responsive RFID member attached or otherwise associated with the security sensitive item so as to be in close proximity thereto, or so as to have an operative connection or association with said item so as to be responsive or related to the secured and/or non-secured location or locations and/or situation of the security sensitive item;

b) a control/interrogating apparatus to interrogate said RFID member at least during the non-operating periods or other periods where the security sensitive item in the non-secured location or locations and/or situation is not an acceptable security risk or in response to a triggering event where the security sensitive item would be desired or expected to be in its said secured location or locations and/or situation;

c) the secured location or locations and/or situation being arranged so that with the security sensitive item and its related RFID member in the secured location or locations and/or situation either a lack of a response from the related RFID member or a response or responses of a certain character would indicate that the security sensitive item is in the secured location or locations and/or secured situation;

d) said control/interrogating apparatus being arranged so that in a situation where the interrogating of the RFID member does not result in said lack of response that would indicate the security sensitive item is in the secured location or locations and/or secured situation or does result in said lack of a response or responses of a character that indicates the security sensitive item is in the secured location and/or secured configuration, there is generated a communication(s) and/or an occurrence(s) designed and/or arranged to result in a remedial step or steps to accomplish having the security sensitive item in said secured location or locations and/or secured situation and/or initiating some other remedial course of action.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein said secured location or locations is provided as an electromagnetically shielded location so that when the security sensitive item is located in the secured location or locations, the security sensitive item is shielded from an interrogation signal.

27. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the security sensitive item is arranged to have a secured situation by which another item or items is maintained in a secured location or locations and/or situation, and said security sensitive item is arranged to have a non-secured situation where said another item or items is in a non-secured location or locations and/or non-secured situation, and wherein said security sensitive item comprises a containing member having a secured configuration wherein another item or items are securely contained in said containing member and having a non-secured configuration wherein an item or items in the containing member are more susceptible to be removed from the containing member.

28. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein said containing member has a locking mechanism, and said locking mechanism as a locked position and an unlocked position, said locking mechanism being arranged so that in the unlocked position, there is either a lack of response to an interrogation or a response of a character indicating that a locking mechanism is in an unlocked configuration.

29. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein said area where the security sensitive item is located is a secured area where one or more persons are present during the operating periods, and is or are engaged in an activity or activities which would reasonably require that the security sensitive item would at least sometimes be in a non-secured location or locations and/or situation within the secured area.

30. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein the generating of a communication(s) and/or generating the occurrence(s) is initiated in a situation where

c) a person in the secured area is approaching an exit from the secured area, is in proximity to said exit, or is passing through said exit; and

d) this occurs during a non-operating time period or in some other time period where the non-secured location or locations and/or non-secured situation of the security sensitive item is not an acceptable security risk.

31. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein said communication and/or communications is or are directed to the person or persons who are approaching, in proximity to, or passing through the exit.

32. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein said communication(s) is selected from a group comprising a visual communication, and aural communication and a combination thereof.

33. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein said invention comprises creating a physical impedance to the person or persons who is or are approaching, in proximity to or passing through the exit.

34. The system as recited in claim 33, where there is a second exit from the secured area, so that in an emergency situation, the person or persons are able to pass through the second exit.

35. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein an alerting communication is generated by the person or persons passing through the second exit.

36. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein there is a plurality of security sensitive items each having a related RFID member, and each of the RFID members are interrogated.

37. The system as recited in claim 36, wherein at least one of the security sensitive items has in its secured location and/or situation, its RFID member situated so as to receive an interrogating signal, said system further comprising a monitoring member which is located to ascertain that said at least one of the security sensitive items having the RFID member that responds to interrogation is in its secured location or situation.