Methods and devices for protecting an article against theft

• US 7,589,632 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2004
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ott Security Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Reinhold Ott
• Inventors: Ott, Reinhold
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Application Number:
  US10/543,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20070001845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 3405681-5688, 340/571, 3406861-687
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1445 with detection of interference with a cable tethering an article, e.g. alarm activated by detecting detachment of article, breaking or stretching of cable furniture, e.g. shelves for displaying merchandise, incorporating tethers to prevent theft A47F7/024, A47F5/0861
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/149 with electric, magnetic, capacitive switch actuation

Abstract

The invention relates to methods and devices for protecting an article against theft. Once a protection element is in the on-position (100), a selection signal is transmitted from an emitter to a receiver provided in the protection element, in order to associate the protection element with the emitter and to shift said protection element into a connection mode (110). The receiver is then deactivated (111) in the connection mode (110). The deactivation (111) of the receiver reduces the energy consumption of the protection element, and prevents the protection element from unintentionally receiving other selection signals. Once the protection element has been shifted (112) into an alarm state (120), for example, due to an attempted theft, the receiver thereof is reactivated, in order to reauthorize the reception of a selection signal. The alarm state (120) can be terminated (123) by one such selection signal.

Claims

1. Method for protecting a commercial product against theft, in which a security unit has a monitoring mode in which theft protection is active such that a theft attempt will cause the security unit to switch to an alarm mode in which at least one of an acoustic and optical alarm is activated, the method comprising:

deactivating, in the monitoring mode, a receiver housed in the security unit outside of the commercial product; and

activating the receiver when the security unit is shifted to the alarm mode, wherein the security unit has an on-state mode in which the receiver is activated and wherein the security unit is shifted from the on-state mode to a connect mode in which theft protection is not active when the receiver receives a signal from the transmitter, wherein, in the connect mode, the security unit is prepared for a shift to the monitoring mode, and wherein the security unit is shifted from the connect mode to the alarm mode if the security unit is not prepared within a preset time interval for a shift to the monitoring mode.

2. Method pursuant to claim 1, wherein the alarm mode is terminated when the receiver receives a signal from a transmitter.

3. Method pursuant to claim 1, wherein the receiver is deactivated when the security unit shifts to the connect mode.

4. Method pursuant to claim 1, wherein the security unit is placed in the on-state mode when the security unit is switched on.

5. Method pursuant to claim 1, wherein the security unit is equipped with a bracket component for mounting on the product, and wherein, in attaching the bracket component to the product, monitoring of the bracket component for proper attachment to the product is activated.

6. Method pursuant to claim 5, wherein the security unit is equipped with a mounting component that is connected to the bracket component via connectors, for fastening to a mounting point, and wherein, in attaching the mounting component to the mounting point, a monitoring of the mounting component for proper fastening to the mounting point is activated.

7. Method pursuant to claim 5, wherein, in at least one of attaching the bracket component to the product and attaching the mounting component to a mounting point, the monitoring is activated, wherein in at least one of the bracket component and the mounting component, a measuring loop that comprises at least one sensor is closed.

8. Method pursuant to claim 7, wherein when an attempt is made to separate at least one of the bracket component from the product, the mounting component from the mounting point and the bracket component from the mounting component, the measuring loop is opened.

9. Method pursuant to claim 5, wherein the security unit is connectable to a central unit via the connectors, and wherein, in the connection of the security unit to the central unit, a monitoring for proper connection of the security unit to the central unit is activated.

10. Method pursuant to claim 9, wherein, in at least one of attaching the bracket component to the product and connecting the security unit to the central unit, the monitoring is activated, and wherein in the bracket component, a measuring loop comprising sensors is closed.

11. Method pursuant to claim 10, wherein, when an attempt is made to separate at least one of the bracket component from the product and the security unit, the measuring loop is opened.

12. Method for protecting a commercial product against theft, in which a security unit is connected to a central unit via connectors, and in which the central unit has a monitoring mode, in which theft protection is active such that a theft attempt will result in a shift to an alarm mode in which at least one of an acoustic and an optical alarm is activated, the method comprising:

deactivating, in the monitoring mode, a receiver that is housed in the central unit outside of the commercial product; and

activating the receiver when the central unit is shifted to the alarm mode, wherein the central unit has an on-state mode, in which the receiver is activated and wherein the system is shifted from the on-state mode to a connect mode in which theft protection is not active when the receiver receives a signal from a transmitter, wherein at least one of the security unit and the central unit are prepared in the connect mode for a transfer to the monitoring mode, and wherein the central unit is shifted from the connect mode to the alarm mode if at least one of the security unit and the central unit have not been prepared within a preset time interval for a shift to the monitoring mode.

13. Method pursuant to claim 12, wherein the alarm mode is terminated when the receiver receives a signal from a transmitter.

14. Method pursuant to claim 12, wherein the receiver is deactivated when the central unit shifts to the connect mode.

15. Method pursuant to claim 12, wherein the central unit is shifted to the on-state mode when the central unit is switched on.

16. Method pursuant to claim 12, wherein a transmitter transmits a selection signal is used to control at least one of termination the alarm mode and shift the security unit to a connect mode in which theft protection is not activated, the selection signal being received by the receiver.

17. Method for pursuant to claim 16, wherein the selection signal is used to terminate the alarm mode and the selection signal is used to shift the system to the connect mode.

18. Method pursuant to claim 16, wherein, to transmit the selection signal from the transmitter to the receiver, a remote operating system is used.

19. Method pursuant to claim 16, wherein the selection signal is transmitted by the transmitter to at least one other transmitter.

20. Method pursuant to claim 12, wherein one or more operating modes for at least one of the security unit and the central unit are indicated via at least one of an optical and acoustic signal.

21. Method pursuant to claim 20, wherein the at least one of the optical and acoustic signal is modulated based upon the amount of time remaining in a time interval.

22. Method pursuant to claim 12, wherein a status of a power source for at least one of the security unit and the central unit is monitored.

23. Method pursuant to claim 22, wherein at least one of an acoustic and optical signal is emitted based upon the status of the power source.

24. Method pursuant to claim 12, wherein at least one of multiple security units and multiple central units are operated using a single transmitter.

26. Method pursuant to claim 16, wherein the selection signal is encoded.

27. Method pursuant to claim 16, wherein the selection signal is stored in the receiver in a volatile memory.

25. Method for protecting a commercial product against theft, in which a security unit is connected to a central unit via connectors, and in which the central unit has a monitoring mode, in which theft protection is active such that a theft attempt will result in a shift to an alarm mode in which at least one of an acoustic and an optical alarm is activated, the method comprising:

deactivating, in the monitoring mode, a receiver that is housed in the central unit outside of the commercial product; and

activating the receiver when the central unit is shifted to the alarm mode, wherein a transmitter transmits a selection signal that is used to control at least one of termination the alarm mode and shift the security unit to a connect mode in which theft protection is not activated, the selection signal being received by the receiver, and wherein the security unit has an on-state mode in which the receiver is activated and wherein the alarm mode is not terminated if the selection signal received during the alarm mode differs from another selection signal received by the security unit in the on-state mode.

28. Method for protecting a commercial product against theft, in which a security unit is connected to a central unit via connectors, and in which the central unit has a monitoring mode, in which theft protection is active such that a theft attempt will result in a shift to an alarm mode in which at least one of an acoustic and an optical alarm is activated, the method comprising:

deactivating, in the monitoring mode, a receiver that is housed in the central unit outside of the commercial product; and

activating the receiver when the central unit is shifted to the alarm mode, wherein a transmitter transmits a selection signal that is used to control at least one of termination the alarm mode and shift the security unit to a connect mode in which theft protection is not activated, the selection signal being received by the receiver, and wherein the security unit and the central unit are switched off and on in series to transfer a selection signal to the security unit and the central unit, respectively.