SELF-DETACHING ANTI-THEFT DEVICE FOR RETAIL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20160260302A1
• Filed: 03/04/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Ellers, Edward P., Loureiro, Melissa A., Ardley, Wesley D., Strulovitch, Tsahi Z.
• Granted Patent: US 10,121,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 2047/0094 Mechanical aspects of remotely controlled locks electronic locks G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/0607 the detent moving pivotally or rotatively
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 73/0017 Anti-theft devices, e.g. tags or monitors, fixed to articles, e.g. clothes, and to be removed at the check-out of shops
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2434 Tag housing and attachment details

Abstract

Systems (100) and methods (1500) for operating a security tag. The methods involve: converting rotational motion of a pinion gear in a first direction into linear motion of a rack gear in a second direction so as to cause a pin to transition from an unengaged state in which the pin is retracted into a first portion of an enclosure to an engaged state in which an end of the pin resides within an aperture formed in a second portion spaced apart from the first portion of the enclosure; mechanically retaining the pin in the engaged position using a pawl that prevents movement of the pinion gear in a third direction opposed to the first direction; and automatically releasing the pawl in response to a reception of a wireless signal at the security tag, whereby the pin is returns to the unengaged state.

Claims

1. A method for operating a security tag, comprising:

converting rotational motion of a pinion gear in a first direction into linear motion of a rack gear in a second direction so as to cause a pin to transition from an unengaged state in which the pin is retracted into a first portion of an enclosure to an engaged state in which an end of the pin resides within an aperture formed in a second portion of the enclosure spaced apart from the first portion of the enclosure by a gap;

mechanically retaining the pin in the engaged position using a pawl that prevents movement of the pinion gear in a third direction opposed to the first direction; and

automatically releasing the pawl in response to a reception of a wireless signal at the security tag sent from a remote external device, whereby the pin returns to the unengaged state in which the pin is retracted into the first portion of the enclosure.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotational motion of the pinion gear is user controlled via a knob disposed on an exterior surface of the enclosure and coupled to the pinion gear.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rack gear is securely coupled to the pin.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a spring disposed on the pin is in an at least partially uncompressed state when the pin is in the unengaged state and is in a compressed state when the pin is in the engaged state.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the pin returns to the unengaged state as a result of the spring'"'"'s automatic decompression immediately following the pawl'"'"'s release.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pawl is automatically released by an application of a pushing force to a first end of the pawl by a post traveling towards the pawl which causes rotation of the pawl about a pivot member.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the pushing force has a magnitude great enough to overcome a pushing force being simultaneously applied to a second end opposed from the first end of the pawl by a leaf spring.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the post is driven by an electric solenoid or gear motor.

9. A security tag, comprising:

an enclosure having a first portion spaced apart from a section portion by a gap;

a pinion gear pivotally disposed within the first portion of the enclosure;

a rack gear disposed within the first portion of the enclosure which converts rotational motion of the pinion gear in a first direction into linear motion in a second direction;

a pin coupled to the rack gear so as to linearly move with the rack gear in the second direction, whereby the pin is caused to transition from an unengaged state in which the pin is retracted into the first portion of the enclosure to an engaged state in which an end of the pin resides within an aperture formed in the second portion of the enclosure;

a pawl configured to mechanically retain the pin in the engaged position by preventing movement of the pinion gear in a third direction opposed to the first direction; and

an electronic circuit disposed with the enclosure operative to cause an automatic release of the pawl in response to a reception of a wireless signal thereat.

10. The security tag according to claim 9, wherein the pin returns to the unengaged state when the pawl is released.

11. The security tag according to claim 9, wherein the rotational motion of the pinion gear is user controlled via a knob disposed on an exterior surface of the enclosure and coupled to the pinion gear.

12. The security tag according to claim 9, wherein a spring disposed on the pin is in an at least partially uncompressed state when the pin is in the unengaged state and is in a compressed state when the pin is in the engaged state.

13. The security tag according to claim 12, wherein the pin returns to the unengaged state as a result of the spring'"'"'s automatic decompression immediately following the pawl'"'"'s release.

14. The security tag according to claim 9, wherein the pawl is automatically released by an application of a pushing force to a first end of the pawl by a post traveling towards the pawl which causes rotation of the pawl about a pivot member.

15. The security tag according to claim 14, wherein the pushing force has a magnitude great enough to overcome a pushing force being simultaneously applied to a second end opposed from the first end of the pawl by a leaf spring.

16. The security tag according to claim 14, wherein the post is driven by an electric solenoid or gear motor.

17. The security tag according to claim 9, wherein the electronic circuit authenticates a command contained in the wireless signal prior to causing the automatic release of the pawl.

18. The security tag according to claim 9, wherein the automatic release of the pawl is facilitated by a supply of power to an electric solenoid or gear motor.

19. The security tag according to claim 9, wherein the electronic circuit is a Near Field Communication (“

NFC”

) enabled device.

20. The security tag according to claim 9, wherein an Electronic Article Surveillance (“

EAS”

) label or a Radio Frequency Identification (“

RFID”

) label is disposed within the enclosure.