Sensormatic Electronics Corporation

Tyco Fire + Security Gmbh

Steven J Raynesford

Steve Edward Trivelpiece

Richard John Campero

Eric Floyd Riggert

Adam Scott Bergman

Craig Evan Trivelpiece

Glen Ouellette

John C Y Huang

Tamlyn J Jones

David Gathright

Paul B Rasband

Manuel A Soto

David Torrecilla

Tim A Von Kaenel

An antenna for providing light is disclosed. The antenna may comprise a substrate having at least two domains and a light source which is connected to two domains. The light source may emit light when a direct current flows from one domain to another domain. A radio frequency (RF) current flows through the domains for generation of radio waves. A capacitor is provided between adjacent domains to provide a path for the RF current to bypass the light source. The substrate is enabled to absorb the heat dissipated by the light source. The substrate is coated with a reflective material to reflect impinging light rays.

Antennas with light source

A radio-frequency (RF) identification (RFID) system provides side-lobe blocking (SLB) functionality. The RFID system modifies a first RF signal to provide a modified signal. The first RF signal has an RF carrier frequency according to an RFID protocol, and a main directional antenna in the RFID system has a first main lobe extending in a first direction and is configured to radiate a first signal for reading one or more RFID tags according to the RFID protocol. The RFID system then provides the modified signal as an SLB signal to a secondary directional antenna having a second main lobe extending in a second direction different than the first direction to radiate a second signal toward one or more stray RFID tags.

Passive-radio frequency blocking of side-lobe reads

Managing foreign RFID tags within a secured area involves use of a first RFID portal system to read tag data from an RFID tag present within a first portal zone. A processing device associated with the first RFID portal system is used to determine whether the RFID tag is entering the secured area. The determination is based on an evaluation of a direction of travel of the RFID tag through the first portal zone. Responsive to determining that the RFID tag is in fact entering the secured area, one or more operations are performed to cause a first tag value corresponding to the tag data to be added into a safe to exit (STE) list.

Foreign RFID tag discrimination and management

Aspects of the present disclosure include methods, systems, and non-transitory computer readable media for receiving a magnetic signal from a magnetic signal transmitter, determining a strength of the magnetic signal at the security tag, receiving a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogatory signal from a RFID scanner, and transmitting a RFID response signal, to the RFID scanner, indicating the strength of the magnetic signal.

Methods and apparatuses for determining a position of a security tag

Examples described herein generally relate to a system for monitoring tags in a retail environment. The system includes an exit system including one or more sensors that read a tag to obtain exit system measurements associated with a tag detection event. The system includes a memory and a processor configured to execute instructions to receive a selection of a base configuration, the base configuration including weighting values for a plurality of exit system measurements. The processor may classify a tag detection event into a first tag status for the tag detection event based on application of the weighting values to exit system measurements associated with the tag detection event. The processor may determine a second tag status of the tag after the tag detection event. The processor may update the weighting values using a machine-learning algorithm based on at least the first tag status and the second tag status.

Methods and systems for classifying tag status in a retail environment

Systems and methods for location identification and tracking of a person, object and/or vehicle. The methods involve: obtaining, by a computing system, a video of a surrounding environment which was captured by a portable camera coupled to the person, object or vehicle; comparing, by the computing system, first images of the video to pre-stored second images to identify geographic locations where the first images were captured by the portable camera; analyzing, by the computing system, the identified geographic locations to verify that the person, object or vehicle is (1) traveling along a correct path, (2) traveling towards a facility for which the person, object or vehicle has authorization to enter, or (3) traveling towards a zone or secured area internal or external to the facility for which the person, object or vehicle has authorization to enter; and transmitting a notification from the computing system indicating the results of the analyzing.

Systems and methods for location identification and tracking using a camera

Systems and methods for facilitating tag authenticity validation. The methods comprise: detecting a tag's arrival/presence at a waypoint along a supply chain path; obtaining a ChainStart Value and a first ChainEnd Value from the tag; generating a public key and a private key; transforming the first ChainEnd Value into a second ChainEnd Value using the private key; storing in a data store at least a hash of the ChainStart Value, a hash of the second ChainEnd Value, and the public key as a transaction record entry; causing the first ChainEnd Value of the tag to be replaced with the second ChainEnd Value; and validating the tag's authenticity at a second waypoint along the supply chain path using at least the ChainStart Value, the second ChainEnd Value, and the transaction record entry comprising the hash of the ChainStart Value, a hash of the first ChainEnd Value and the public key.

Systems and methods for robust protection of item authentication, tracking and tracing against tag duplication

Systems () and methods () for determining a location of an object within space. The methods comprise: generating Inertial Reference Measurement Data ('IRMD'); reading RFID inventory tags by an RFID reader; processing IRMD to determine an RFID reader orientation and position estimates at a time of each RFID inventory tag read; defining cones associated with each RFID inventory tag; mapping the cones to a model; analyzing the model to identify a set of cones which overlap each other and are associated with reads for a respective RFID inventory tag; and deriving a position estimate for the respective inventory tag based on intersecting portions of the cones in the set of cones. Each cone has: a vertex which is the RFID reader position estimate at a respective time; and an angle which is in inverse proportion to a signal strength of a signal received from a respective RFID inventory tag.

Systems and methods for locating tags within a space

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, RFID network control devices (RNCDs) are provided wherein RFID traffic signals from any one of multiple RFID readers may be routed to any of the RFID antennas coupled to the RNCD. Each reader coupled directly or indirectly to the RNCD, either through its own action or the action of the external host controller managing the reader, may issue commands to the RNCD, over the same cable used to carry RFID traffic signals, and cause the RNCD to set its internal switch configuration such that a channel is established for RFID traffic signals between that reader and a particular RFID antenna coupled to the RNCD. This may include commands from the reader or external host controller which place other intervening RNCD units in a bypass state so as to establish the required communications channel with a minimum of signal strength loss.

RFID network control and redundancy

In one embodiment, a network control module permits any or all of power signals, traffic signals and controller command signals to be carried on as few as one wire or cable to a first port of the network control module. In another aspect, a 'peripheral array' includes a network control module (in any one of a number of different possible embodiments), with one or more peripheral devices, such as antennas, attached to or coupled with the network control module outputs. In one embodiment, RFID 'smart shelving' may be fabricated in sections, with several (for example, 4, 8 or 16) antennas in each section, and as few as one cable coupling adjacent sections. Additional embodiments are described and claimed.

Network control

In accordance with the preferred embodiment and alternative embodiments of the invention, RFID network control devices (RNCDs) are provided wherein RFID traffic signals from any one of multiple RFID readers may be routed to any of the RFID antennas coupled to the RNCD. Each reader coupled directly or indirectly to the RNCD, either through its own action or the action of the external host controller managing the reader, may issue commands to the RNCD, over the same cable used to carry RFID traffic signals, and cause the RNCD to set its internal switch configuration such that a channel is established for RFID traffic signals between that reader and a particular RFID antenna coupled to the RNCD. This may include commands from the reader or external host controller which place other intervening RNCD units in a bypass state so as to establish the required communications channel with a minimum of signal strength loss.

Growing community of inventors

Mission Viejo, CA, United States of America

Steven J Raynesford