Patent Application
20220049539
The inventive concept relates generally to an anti-theft gate.
Currently, there are a number of solutions for shoplift prevention. One of these solutions attempts to use a security guard, but this solution fails to meet the needs of the market because security guards can be expensive. Another solution attempts to utilize security cameras, but this solution is similarly unable to meet the needs of the market because the thief may be gone by the time someone gets to the door. Still another solution seeks to utilize metal detectors, but this solution also fails to meet market needs because metal detectors may not sense items being taken. Therefore, there currently exists a need in the market for an apparatus that prevents shoplifters from exiting with stolen goods.
The inventive concept is an anti-theft security system for securing the entryway of a business that has a housing assembly with a closed base portion, a closed top portion, and at least one sidewall assembly. The sidewall assembly has an open entrance portion disposed opposite an open exit portion. The entrance and exit portions are designed to allow a person to walk through the housing assembly substantially unimpeded. At least one transparent portion is a part of the at least one sidewall assembly. At least one sensor assembly is designed to detect at least one active electronic tag assembly disposed on or within at least one product or packaging. An entrance retractable door assembly and an exit retractable door assembly is designed to independently or simultaneously be in an open or closed state. At least one control unit assembly and at least one electronic motor assembly is electrically coupled to the at least one sensor assembly, the at least one electronic motor assembly coupled to the entrance and exit retractable door assemblies, the retractable door assemblies slidably movable along a track assembly disposed internal to, external to, or within the sidewall assembly, the at least one electronic motor assembly designed to open and close at least one retractable door assembly. At least one alarm assembly is electrically coupled to the at least one sensor assembly. A control switch assembly is designed to control whether one or both retractable door assemblies close when the sensor assembly detects at least one tag assembly, thereby giving the option to contain the person or only to prevent the person from leaving. At least one door release activator assembly is designed to be activated manually or automatically to allow the retractable door assemblies to be opened.
In one embodiment of the anti-theft security system for securing the entryway of a business, the alarm assembly is both a light signal and a sound signal.
It would be advantageous to have an anti-theft security system for securing the entryway of a business that is tamper-proof. Still further, it would be advantageous to have an anti-theft security system for securing the entryway of a business that is lockable.
The anti-theft security system for securing the entryway of a business advantageously fills the aforementioned deficiencies by providing an anti-theft gate, which provides a way to prevent thieves from leaving a store with merchandise.
The anti-theft security system for securing the entryway of a business fulfills the need for retail theft prevention.
Among other things, it is an advantage of the anti-theft security system for securing the entryway of a business to provide an anti-theft gate that does not suffer from problems or deficiencies associated with prior solutions. Anti-theft gates that are available today only sound or flash alarms when the detect an item being stolen but do nothing to stop the shoplifter, as in our inventive concept.
It is still further an advantage of the anti-theft security system for securing the entryway of a business to be universal.
Still further, the anti-theft security system for securing the entryway of a business has a control panel.
The inventive concept now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to be read in conjunction with both this summary, the detailed description and any preferred and/or particular embodiments specifically discussed or otherwise disclosed. This inventive concept may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of illustration only and so that this disclosure will be thorough, complete and will fully convey the full scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art.
Following are more detailed descriptions of various related concepts related to, and embodiments of, methods and apparatus according to the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that various aspects of the subject matter introduced above and discussed in greater detail below may be implemented in any of numerous ways, as the subject matter is not limited to any particular manner of implementation. Examples of specific implementations and applications are provided primarily for illustrative purposes.
Referring to the Figures,
In this example embodiment, an entrance retractable door assembly 141 and an exit retractable door assembly 149 is designed to independently or simultaneously be in an open or closed state to affect movement through the housing assembly. In the example embodiment, the retractable door assemblies 141, 149 are substantially bilaterally divided. At least one control unit assembly 140 and at least one electronic motor assembly 145 is electrically or wirelessly (such as RF or Bluetooth™ technology) coupled to the at least one sensor assembly 130, the at least one electronic motor assembly 145 coupled to the entrance and exit retractable door assemblies 141, 149, the retractable door assemblies 141, 149 slidably movable along a track assembly 123 disposed internal to, external to, or within the sidewall assembly 150, the at least one electronic motor assembly 145 designed to open and close at least one retractable door assembly 141, 149.
At least one alarm assembly 133 is electrically coupled to the at least one sensor assembly 130. A control switch assembly 136 is designed to control whether one or both retractable door assemblies 141, 149 are close when the sensor assembly 130 detects at least one tag assembly 180, thereby giving the option to contain the person or only to prevent the person from leaving. At least one door release activator assembly 137 is designed to be activated manually or automatically to allow the retractable door assemblies 141, 149 to be opened.
The anti-theft security method for securing the entryway of a business may include step 560, activating the at least one door release activator assembly 137 to open retractable doors 141, 149 via one or more of the emergency button 138 and the reset button 139, the reset button 139 further used to open one or more of the back retractable door assembly 149 and the front retractable door assembly 141.
The anti-theft security method for securing the entryway of a business may include step 565, having the retractable door assemblies 141, 149 selectively locked and lockable into an open or closed state.
A sensor and tag assembly as illustrated by the inventive concept may include o-frequencydentification (RFID). RFID uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RED tag consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromagnetic interrogation pulse from a nearby RFID reader device, the tag transmits digital data, usually an identifying inventory number, back to the reader. This number can be used to detect goods. There are two RFID types. Passive tags are powered by energy from the RFID reader's interrogating radio waves. Active tags are powered by a battery and thus can be read at a greater range from the RFID reader up to hundreds of meters. Either may be used. Unlike a barcode, the tag does not need to be within the line of sight of the reader, so it may be embedded in the tracked object. RFID is one method of automatic identification and data capture (AIDC). RFID tags are used in many industries. ISO/IEC 20248 specifies a digital signature data structure for RFID and barcodes providing data, source and read method authenticity. This work is done within ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 Automatic identification and data capture techniques. Tags can help prevent theft by customers and employees.
Embodiments disclosed herein may include electromagnetic systems. These tags are made of a strip of amorphous metal (metglass), which has a low magnetic saturation value. Except for permanent tags, this strip is also lined with a strip of ferromagnetic material with a moderate coercive field (magnetic “hardness”). Detection is achieved by sensing harmonics and sum or difference signals generated by the non-linear magnetic response of the material under a mixture of low-frequency (in the 10 Hz to 1000 Hz range) magnetic fields. When the ferromagnetic material is magnetized, it biases the amorphous metal strip into saturation, where it no longer produces harmonics. Deactivation of these tags is therefore done with magnetization. Activation requires demagnetization. The EM systems are suitable for libraries to protect books and media. In the retail segment, unlike AM and RF, EM can protect small or round items and products with foil packaging or metal objects, like cosmetics, baby milk cans, medicines, DIY tools, homeware, and the like. EM systems can also detect objects placed in foil bags or in metal briefcases. A further application is the Intellectual property (IP) protection against theft: Security paper with embedded microwires, which is used to detect confidential documents if they are removed from a building. The inventive concept is useful for such IP protection.
Embodiments disclosed herein may include Acousto-magnetic systems. These are similar to magnetic tags in that they are made of two strips: a strip of magnetostrictive, ferromagnetic amorphous metal , and a strip of a magnetically semi-hard metallic strip, which is used as a biasing magnet (to increase signal strength) and to allow deactivation. These strips are not bound together but are free to oscillate mechanically. Amorphous metals are used in such systems due to their good magnetoelastic coupling, which implies that they can efficiently convert magnetic energy into mechanical vibrations. The detectors for such tags emit periodic tonal bursts at about 58 kHz, the same as the resonance frequency of the amorphous strips. This causes the strip to vibrate longitudinally by magnetostriction, and it continues to oscillate after the burst is over. The vibration causes a change in magnetization in the amorphous strip, which induces an AC voltage in the receiver antenna, If this signal meets the required parameters (correct frequency, repetition, etc.), the alarm is activated. When the semi-hard magnet is magnetized, the tag is activated. The magnetized strip makes the amorphous strip respond much more strongly to the detectors because the DC magnetic field given off by the strip offsets the magnetic anisotropy within the amorphous metal. The tag can also be deactivated by demagnetizing the strip, making the response small enough so that it will not be detected by the detectors. AM tags are three-dimensional plastic tags, much thicker than electromagnetic strips and are thus seldom used for books.
Embodiments disclosed herein may include Radio frequency (RFID) systems with the further detail provided. These tags are essentially an LC tank circuit (L for inductor, C for capacitator) that has a resonance peak anywhere from 1.75 MHz to 9.5 MHz. The standard frequency for retail use is 8.2 MHz, but the inventive concept may also use other frequencies. Sensing is achieved by sweeping around the resonant frequency and detecting the dip. Deactivation for 8.2 MHz label tags is typically achieved using a deactivation pad. In the absence of such a device, labels can be rendered inactive by punching a hole, or by covering the circuit with a metallic label, a “detuner”. The deactivation pad functions by partially destroying the capacitor. The deactivator causes a micro short circuit in the label. This is done by submitting the tag to a strong electromagnetic field at the resonant frequency, which induces voltages exceeding the capacitor's breakdown voltage.
In terms of deactivation, Radio Frequency is the most efficient of the 3 technologies (RF, EM, AM—there are no microwave labels) given that the reliable “remote” deactivation distance can be up to 30 cm (11.8 in). It also benefits the user in terms of running costs, since the RF de-activator only activates to send a pulse when a circuit is present. Both EM and AM deactivation units may be on all the time and consume considerably more electricity. The reliability of “remote” deactivation (i.e. non-contact or non-proximity deactivation) capability makes for a fast and efficient throughput at the checkout. Efficiency is an important factor when choosing an overall EAS solution given that time lost attempting to deactivate labels can be an important drag of cashier productivity as well as customer satisfaction if unwanted alarms are caused by tags that have not been effectively deactivated at the point of sale. Deactivation of RF labels is also dependent on the size of the label and the power of the deactivation pad. It is common to find RF deactivation built into barcode flat and vertical scanners at the POS in food retail especially in Europe and Asia where RF EAS technology has been the standard for nearly a decade. In apparel retail deactivation usually takes the form of flat pads of approx. 30×30 cm.
Embodiments disclosed herein may include Microwave systems. These permanent tags are made of a non-linear element (a diode) coupled to one micro ave and one electrostatic antenna. At the exit, one antenna emits a low-frequency (about 100 kHz) field, and another one emits a microwave field. The tag acts as a mixer re-emitting a combination of signals from both fields. This modulated signal triggers the alarm. These tags are permanent and somewhat costly. They are mostly used in clothing stores and have practically been withdrawn from use. The inventive concept, however, may still detect them in some embodiments.
Embodiments disclosed herein may include Source tagging. Source tagging is the application of EAS security tags at the source, the supplier or manufacturer, instead of at the retail side of the chain. For the retailer, source tagging eliminates the labor expense needed to apply the EAS tags themselves, and reduces the time between receipt of merchandise and when the merchandise is ready for sale. For the supplier, the main benefit is the preservation of the retail packaging aesthetics by easing the application of security tags within product packaging. Source tagging allows the EAS tags to be concealed and more difficult to remove. The high-speed application of EAS labels, suited for commercial packaging processes, was perfected via modifications to standard pressure-sensitive label applicators and was developed and introduced by Craig Patterson, initially for Hewlett Packard print cartridges. Today, consumer goods are source tagged at high speeds with the EAS label incorporated into the packaging or the product itself. The most common source tags are AM strips and 8.2 MHz radio frequency labels. Most manufacturers use both when source tagging in the USA. in Europe there is little demand for AM tagging given that the Food and Department Store environments are dominated by RF technology.
The following patents are incorporated by reference in their entireties: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,304,181, 7,782,207, and 10,438,479.
While the inventive concept has been described above in terms of specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the inventive concept is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. Upon reading the teachings of this disclosure, many modifications and other embodiments of the inventive concept will come to mind of those skilled in the art to which this inventive concept pertains, and which are intended to be and are covered by both this disclosure and the appended claims. It is indeed intended that the scope of the inventive concept should be determined by proper interpretation and construction of the appended claims and their legal equivalents, as understood by those of skill in the art relying upon the disclosure in this specification and the attached drawings.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 63/065,674, filed on Aug. 14, 2020, with the same title, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63065674 | Aug 2020 | US |
