3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

James E Fergen

Kathleen M McLeod

Michael J Kieffer

Mitchell B Grunes

John E Nelson

Joseph E Schwietz, Jr

Gerald G Marsolek

Thomas J Brace

John D Yorkovich

Gerald L Karel

Roger D Larson

Richard M Willems

Ronald C Wurz

Peter J Zarembo

Gary E Nourse

A library terminal permits a user to execute a loan transaction without assistance. The library terminal (i) provides a visible scan line from a bar code reader indicating the correct positioning of the bar code on a circulating item, (ii) leads a user through a loan transaction, (iii) provides an explicit feedback to a user when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, (iv) both checks out and checks in circulating items, (v) stores fonts in bit maps of screen displays instead of in a separate font memory, (vi) integrates a security marker reader, a printer, and a controller in the same housing, (vii) processes financial transactions related to the borrowing of circulating items, and/or (viii) displays actions for helping the user to correct errors in use of the terminal.

System for processing financial transactions in a self-service library terminal

Terminal for libraries and the like

A library terminal permits a user to execute a loan transaction without assistance. The library terminal(i) provides a visible scan line from a bar code reader indicating the correct positioning of the bar code on a circulating item, (ii) leads a user through a loan transaction, (iii) provides an explicit feedback to a user when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, (iv) both checks out and checks in circulating items, (v) stores fonts in bit maps of screen displays instead of in a separate font memory, (vi) integrates a security marker reader, a printer, and a controller in the same housing, (vii) processes financial transactions related to the borrowing of circulating items, and/or (viii) displays actions for helping the user to correct errors in use of the terminal.

A library terminal permits a user to execute a loan transaction without assistance. The library terminal (i) provides a visible scan line from a bar code reader indicating the correct positioning of the bar code on a circulating item, (ii) leads a user through a loan transaction, (iii) provides an explicit feedback to a user when an article has an improper position on the article receiving area, (iv) both checks out and checks in circulating items, (v) stores fonts in bit maps of screen displays instead of in a separate font memory, (vi) integrates a security marker reader, a printer, and a controller in the same housing, (vii) processes financial transaction related to the borrowing of circulating items, and/or (viii) displays actions for helping the user to correct errors in use of the terminal.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for activating and deactivating an electronic article surveillance marker carried by an article. The apparatus includes a housing having a platform for supporting the article. The apparatus also includes a first magnet positioned within the housing adapted for producing a magnetic field of sufficient strength to deactivate the marker. Additionally, the apparatus includes a translating mechanism for translating the first magnet between first and second positions along the platform. The electronic article surveillance marker is deactivated by placing the article onto the platform and translating the first magnet between the first and second positions. The first magnet can also be part of an alternating decaying array of magnets adapted for either activating or deactivating the electronic surveillance marker.

Method and apparatus for activating and deactivating electromagnetic

Operation of similar electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems in proximity to each other may result in false alarms or system 'shut-downs' as a result of signals transmitted from one system being detected in the receiver circuits of the other systems. This may especially occur with EAS systems in which the receivers are only activated during quiescent intervals between transmitted bursts, such that if the systems are unsychronized, the transmitted bursts of the one system may occur during the quiescent intervals of the other system. In the present invention, synchronization is effected by responding to RF detected during the quiescent intervals and preventing the transmitted bursts from occurring during the quiescent intervals of the other system.

Wireless synchronization system for electronic article surveillance

Growing community of inventors

North St. Paul, MN, United States of America

James E Fergen