Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Eugene C Heltemes

Russell W Church

Samuel Montean

A dual status marker for use in electronic article surveillance systems having an alternating magnetic field. The marker comprises a magnetic responder element having a central switching portion and flux collectors on each end which concentrate flux within the switching portion to ensure that the flux density therein is sufficient to generate an appropriate response. The marker is made dual status by providing magnetizable keeper elememts adjacent the flux collectors. When the keeper elements are magnetized, the associated field biases the flux collectors and inhibits magnetization reversal therein in response to an interrogation field, thereby preventing flux from the interrogation field from being concentrated in the switching portion of the responder element.

Dual status magnetic marker having magnetically biasable flux collectors

A magnetic marker for use with electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems in which a two-directional response is obtained. The marker comprises a substantially two-dimensional, sheet-like substrate having multiple metallic filaments randomly dispersed in or adhered thereto, so as to be substantially parallel to the plane thereof. The filaments are selected of low coercive force, high permeability material, and the random orientation results in certain filaments intersecting with the being magnetically coupled to other filaments to thereby collect and concentrate lines of flux associated with an applied field of an EAS system into filaments parallel to the field.

Random-filament, multi-directionally responsive marker for use in

A dual status marker for use in electronic article surveillance systems having an alternating magnetic field. The marker comprises a magnetic responder element having a central switching portion and flux collectors on each end which concentrate flux within the switching portion to ensure that the flux density therein is sufficient to generate an approximate response. The marker is made dual status by providing magnetizable keeper elements adjacent the flux collectors. When the keeper elements are magnetized, the associated field biases the flux collectors and inhibits magnetization reversal therein in response to an interrogation field, thereby preventing flux from the interrogation field from being concentrated in the switching portion of the responder element.

A demagnetization apparatus for use with magnetically based electronic article surveillance systems having a dual status anti-theft marker containing at least one demagnetizable control element which when demagnetized allows the marker to be detected by the system when the marker is present in an interrogation zone. The apparatus includes an elongated magnetic section contained within a housing which exhibits a succession of fields of alternate polarity and a portion of which exhibits generally decreasing intensities at the working surface of the housing along that portion of the section. The peak intensity of the outermost field is controlled to have a peak intensity less than that of adjacent regions. The section and a cover plate are oriented such that the external fields near the working surface are sufficient in intensities to demagnetize the demagnetizable element of the marker positioned proximate thereto while being rapidly attenuated a short distance from the section. Accordingly, magnetically sensitive articles, such as for example, prerecorded magnetic cassettes, to which the markers are affixed, are not adversely affected.

Demagnetization apparatus for magnetic markers used with article

A demagnetization apparatus for use with magnetically based electronic article surveillance systems having a dual status anti-theft marker containing at least one demagnetizable control element which when demagnetized allows the marker to be detected by the system when the marker is present in an interrogation zone. The apparatus includes an elongated magnetic section contained within a housing which exhibits a succession of fields of alternate polarity and a portion of which exhibits generally decreasing intensities at the working surface of the housing along that portion of the section. The section and a cover plate are orientated such that the external fields near the working surface are sufficient in intensities to demagnetize the demagnetizable element of the marker positioned proximate thereto while being rapidly attenuated a short distance from the section. Accordingly, magnetically sensitive articles, such as for example, prerecorded magnetic cassettes, to which the markers are affixed, are not adversely affected.

Demagnetization apparatus for magnetic markers used with electromagnetic

A desensitizer apparatus for use with magnetically based electronic article surveillance systems having a marker containing at least one magnetizable section which when magnetized, alters the response of the marker produced by an alternating magnetic field provided in an interrogation zone. The apparatus includes a magnet assembly having an elongated permanent magnet section and a pair of elongated pole pieces which concentrate external fields produced by the magnet sections near a gap extending the length of the magnet section, the external field near the gap being sufficient in intensity to magnetize the magnetizable section of a marker positioned proximate thereto, and being rapidly attenuated a short distance from the gap. Accordingly, magnetically sensitive articles such as prerecorded magnetic recording cassettes to which the markers are affixed are not affected.

Desensitizer for ferromagnetic markers used with electromagnetic article

An improved apparatus for producing a magnetic field within an interrogation zone for detecting perturbations in the field produced by the presence of a ferromagnetic marker element includes at least a pair of field producing coils, each of which is substantially planar and is positioned on opposite sides of the interrogation zone such that the planes of the coils are parallel to each other and to a corridor defined therebetween. Each of the coils are of substantially the same overall dimension and have either a 'figure-8' or 'hour-glass' shape, each half of which is symmetric about a horizontal axis passing through a crossing or necked-in portion and consist of a substantially triangular shape.

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White Bear Lake, MN, United States of America

Eugene C Heltemes