Checkpoint Systems, Inc.

Kmg2 Sensors Corporation

Sentech Biomed Corporation

Kefeng Zeng

Craig A Grimes

Nimesh Shah

Keat Ghee Ong

Harry Oung

Ronald Anthony Decker

George West

John B Mingle

Brennan Bradley

Trang Nguyen

Lothar Grunenberg

Xiping Yang

A system, method, and device for improving the functioning of security tags for use with merchandise are provided. A security tag device, to be used in conjunction with a tag monitoring device, may be provided with a product. The product may be conductive or may have metallic packaging. The security tag may include a planar dielectric substrate having a first side and an opposing side. An electronic article surveillance (EAS) circuit may be placed on the first side of the planar dielectric substrate. A ferrite sheet having a first side and an opposing side may be coupled to the opposing side of the planar dielectric substrate. A metal backing sheet may be coupled to the opposing side of the ferrite sheet. The planar dielectric substrate may be centered or offset on the ferrite sheet and the ferrite sheet may be centered or offset on the metal backing sheet.

Radio frequency label for packaging security

A system and device for detecting and/or deactivating a security tag when passing through an electronic article surveillance (EAS) portal. The portal may be oriented by the arrangement of one or more antennas to generate an electromagnetic field at or within the portal to detect and/or deactivate the security tag. The electromagnetic field may detect and/or deactivate a security tag located at any orientation on merchandise as the security tag passes through the portal. The portal may be mounted on a counter at a point-of-sale station in which merchandise having security tags attached thereto are passed through the portal. The portal may also be mounted to a floor in which a shopping cart having merchandise is passed through the portal so that security tags attached to the merchandise in the cart are detected and/or deactivated.

Electronic article surveillance portal

A system and method for automatically deactivating a security tag upon entry into business establishment to prevent tag pollution. The system and method involve positioning a security tag deactivator at an entrance of a business establishment and emitting an EM field sufficient to deactivate any security tag that enters into the business establishment.

Point of entry deactivation

This invention relates to dynamically controlled, electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems whereby an array of antenna elements is digitally phased and actively driven for concurrent transmission, and digitally phased and combined in the receiver unit to improve detection. In particular, the individual frequency and phase of the plurality of the transmit/receive signals are rapidly varied to allow for automated manipulation (steering) of the transmit field pattern and receive field sensitivity. The invention achieves the following features via means of digital phasing and dynamic computer control: sufficient far-field cancellation, null-free detection and uncompromised detection performance regardless of tag's orientation while using single transmission drivers to drive entire antenna structures, whether loop antenna or ferrite core antenna, using a phase coupler, thereby allowing more efficient system operation or additional features such as deactivator antenna operation.

Phase coupler for rotating fields

This invention relates to dynamically controlled, electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems whereby an array of antenna elements is digitally phased and actively driven for concurrent transmission, and digitally phased and combined in the receiver unit to improve security tag detection. In particular, the individual frequency and phase of the plurality of the transmit/receive signals are rapidly varied to allow for automated manipulation (steering) of the transmit field pattern and receive field sensitivity. It is the object of this invention to achieve the following features via means of digital phasing and dynamic computer control: sufficient far-field cancellation, null-free detection and uncompromised detection performance regardless of tag's orientation.

Dynamic EAS detection system and method

Circuitry and program code adapted for carrying out an associated technique for characterizing the response of one or more magnetoelastic sensor elements during exposure to an excitation field generated by an interrogation coil: including: (a) measuring a total sensor signal from the coil with the sensor element positioned within the excitation field within a spacing created by a winding of the coil; and (b) automatically determining: (i) a total measured impedance spectrum from said total sensor signal so measured, and (ii) a plurality of magnitude values representing the real part of a reconstructed impedance spectrum for the sensor element. The reconstructed impedance spectrum for the sensor element, having been calculated by subtracting an impedance generally attributable to the coil during the time an AC excitation signal is provided, from the total measured impedance. Subtraction of coil impedance from total complex impedance is accomplished by separate subtraction of the real part and of the imaginary part, represented as follows(&#x3c9;)]=(&#x3c9;)]&#x2212;(&#x3c9;)]&#x2003;&#x2003;Equation (12)and(&#x3c9;)]=(&#x3c9;)]&#x2212;(&#x3c9;)]&#x2003;&#x2003;Equation (13)where subscript 't' indicates total complex impedance, 's' indicates sensor element impedance, and &#x201c;c&#x201d; indicates coil impedance.

Impedance analysis technique for frequency domain characterization of magnetoelastic sensor element by measuring steady-state vibration of element while undergoing constant sine-wave excitation

Circuitry adapted for carrying out associated techniques for: (a) calculating a damping factor, e.g., a damping ratio represented by &#x3b6;, or a quality factor Q, where &#x3b6;&#x2248;1/2Q, for a transient signal received, having been emitted from a resonator-type sensor element; (b) determining amplitude, A, of the transient signal; or (c) generating a frequency response dataset of interrelated points for the transient signal. A threshold comparison circuit is included for converting the transient signal received into a first and second digital waveform; the first digital waveform represents cycle crossings of the transient signal associated with a first threshold value, and the second digital waveform represents cycle crossings of the transient signal associated with a second threshold value. The transient signal may be converted, likewise, into third, and so on, digital waveforms, whereby the third digital waveform represents cycle crossings of the transient signal associated with a third threshold value. Respective digital counters are included, each of which is adapted for determining a total number of cycles of the first, second, third, and so on, digital waveform. A processing unit of suitable speed and capacity is employed for the calculating of the damping factor, determining an amplitude, and/or generating a frequency response dataset.

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Mantua, NJ, United States of America

Kefeng Zeng