Palomar Technologies, Inc.

Hid Corporation

Donald G Small

Peter R Lowe

An electronic anti-shoplifting system monitors articles of merchandise in a sales outlet to deter shoplifting. The system is provided with transponder tags connected to the articles of merchandise. A tag exciter is positioned at an exit leading from the sales outlet and generates an RF surveillance excitation signal. If a customer carries an article through the exit without removal authorization due to failure to pay for the article, the transponder tag is activated, being powered by the RF surveillance excitation signal as the customer passes the tag exciter. The activated transponder tag generates an RF surveillance response signal that triggers an alarm. If the customer has removal authorization as the result of paying for the article, the transponder tag is reprogrammed to modify the operational data stored therein. The operational data typically includes data to alter the frequency of an RF response signal generated by the transponder tag, the frequency of an RF excitation signal to which the transponder tag responds, and/or the type of modulation used by the transponder tag to generate an RF response signal. Sales data, such as the purchase price and date of purchase, is also stored in the transponder tag. When the customer exits the sales outlet after the transponder tag is reprogrammed, the transponder tag does not generate the RF surveillance response signal that triggers the alarm. However, the sales data stored in the transponder tag can be accessed by the clerk of the sales outlet at a later date.

Electronic anti-shoplifting system employing an RFID tag

A wireless modem employs a radio frequency (RF) transponder system components to remotely access the memory of an electrical or electro-mechanical device by providing an exciter/reader/writer (ERW) circuit free of electrical contact with the electrical or electro-mechanical device and a transponder including a transmit/receive antenna, a reading circuit, a programming circuit, and a transponder memory. The transponder memory is directly connected to the device memory. The ERW circuit initially generates an RF excitation signal powering the transponder. In response to the RF excitation signal, the transponder generates a RF response signal using the reading circuit that is transmitted back to the EWR circuit. The RF response signal includes data from the device memory. The RF response signal is received by the ERW circuit, which in turn generates an RF write signal that is transmitted to the transponder. The RF write signal powers the transponder and programs the device memory using the programming circuit of the transponder.

Miniature wireless modem

An RF transponder transmits information on the distance traveled by a wheeled vehicle in response to an interrogation signal from an exciter/receiver. A rotation sensor, preferably an odometer/shaft encoder combination that is mounted on a vehicle wheel, provides to the transponder a signal which indicates the distance traveled by the vehicle; the transponder is also preferably mounted to the wheel's rotational hub. The transponder preferably includes a memory with a reprogrammable portion that stores the sensor information, and a non-reprogrammable portion that stores an identification code, all of which is read out in response to an interrogation signal. Driving distances can be obtained automatically without having to read the vehicle's dash board odometer.

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San Juan Capistrano, CA, United States of America

Donald G Small