EP1125264B1 - Security systems for inhibiting theft of goods from retail stores - Google Patents

Security systems for inhibiting theft of goods from retail stores Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1125264B1
EP1125264B1 EP99957593A EP99957593A EP1125264B1 EP 1125264 B1 EP1125264 B1 EP 1125264B1 EP 99957593 A EP99957593 A EP 99957593A EP 99957593 A EP99957593 A EP 99957593A EP 1125264 B1 EP1125264 B1 EP 1125264B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
signal
bar code
code reader
theft tag
deactivator
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP99957593A
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German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1125264A2 (en
Inventor
Henry Martin ;Alfred
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Sensormatic Electronics Corp
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Sensormatic Electronics Corp
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sensormatic Electronics Corp filed Critical Sensormatic Electronics Corp
Publication of EP1125264A2 publication Critical patent/EP1125264A2/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1125264B1 publication Critical patent/EP1125264B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
    • G08B13/00—Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
    • G08B13/22—Electrical actuation
    • G08B13/24—Electrical actuation by interference with electromagnetic field distribution
    • G08B13/2402—Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting
    • G08B13/2405—Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting characterised by the tag technology used
    • G08B13/2414—Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting characterised by the tag technology used using inductive tags
    • G08B13/242—Tag deactivation

Definitions

  • THIS INVENTION relates to the field of security systems and concerns a checkout system having a bar code reader and a anti-theft tag deactivator.
  • a commercially used system for inhibiting the theft of goods from retail stores comprises tagging each article with a tag which, unless deactivated by an authorized employee, triggers an alarm at the store exit.
  • the tag is tuned to react to signals emitted by security devices located at the exits of the retail store.
  • the signals can, for example, be radio frequency signals at 58kHz.
  • the tag vibrates transmitting a signal to a receiver of the adjacent security device whereupon an alarm is activated.
  • To deactivate the tag its response frequency is altered using suitable equipment. For example, the response frequency of the tag can be changed from 58kHz to 60kHz.
  • the tag When the article with the deactivated tag attached is taken out of the retail store, the tag remains passive as it now requires a signal of 60kHz to activate it. The response frequency of the tag can subsequently be changed back to 58kHz thereby enabling the tag to be used again. This feature is particularly necessary when goods, such as video cassettes, are repeatedly rented out but must be protected whilst in the store.
  • This system can be circumvented when the cashier at the checkout is in collusion with the customer.
  • the simplest way of defeating the system is for the tag on the article to be deactivated but not rung up on the till or "swiped" over the bar code reader. Hence the article does not appear on the customer's till slip but can still safely be taken out of the store.
  • the present invention seeks to counter this type of theft.
  • US 5,477,219 discloses a composite electronic article surveillance, identification and security marker assembly and system, in which a bar code reader and an anti-theft tag deactivator are used.
  • a controller connected by a bus to the bar code reader activates the deactivator when the bar code reader generates an electrical signal into the bus, when a successful scan has been verified.
  • the known system comprises an indicator light and an optional buzzer to notify the clerk that a complete transaction has taken place.
  • a checkout system for a retail store including;
  • the sensing means is a microphone
  • An advantage of using an acoustic pick-up is that it prevents the necessity of tampering with the bar code reader's circuitry.
  • said controller including means for selecting the activation period of said anti-theft tag deactivator after receiving said second signal, and including manual means to activate said anti-theft tag deactivator without receiving said second signal.
  • a method of countering theft of an article from a retail store which article carries a tag that, unless deactivated, triggers an anti-theft alarm at a store exit comprising swiping the article across a bar code reader to read a bar code carried by the article, using the signal generated by the bar code reader upon a successful swipe to enable a tag deactivator for a predetermined period of time, and disabling said deactivator at the end of said predetermined period of time.
  • the checkout illustrated comprises a bar code reader 10 over which articles being checked out are swiped. If the bar code reader 10 fails successfully to read the bar code, which can happen for a number of reasons, the bar code reader 10 remains entirely passive and does not react to the fact that an article has been swiped. The article has to be swiped until there is a successful read. The cashier and customer know that this has happened because the bar code reader 10 generates a signal which is fed to a speaker or piezo electric device 12 and is emitted as an audible beep.
  • Reference numeral 14 designates an anti-theft tag deactivator.
  • the bar code reader 10 and deactivator 14 are placed adjacent one another so that the cashier, in one sweeping motion along the path indicated at P ( Figure 2), can move the article across the bar code reader 10 and then bring the tag within the field generated by the deactivator 14.
  • a processing unit 16 (which will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to Figure 3) is connected by a line 18 to an acoustic pick-up 20.
  • the pick-up 20 is attached to the casing 22 of the bar code reader 10 adjacent the speaker or piezo electric device 12 which emits the audible beep.
  • the device 12 and the pick-up 20 are preferably on the rear of the casing 22 of the reader 10.
  • the unit 16 receives a signal each time an audible beep is "heard" by the pick-up 20. For a period of, for example, two seconds after the signal from the pick-up 20 reaches the unit 16, the unit 16 generates a signal which is fed along a line 24 to a port on the deactivator 14. This signal switches the deactivator 14 to its enabled condition in which it will deactivate a tag, and holds it in that condition for the duration of the signal. The duration of the signal is long enough to enable the article to be moved along the path designated P but too short to allow another article to be moved into range of the deactivator's field whilst bypassing the bar code reader 10.
  • each successful swipe across the bar code reader 10 enables the deactivator 14 for a brief period of time. Any effort by the cashier to move two articles past the deactivator 14 after having swiped only one of them over the bar code reader 10 is difficult and moreover can be detected on surveillance cameras.
  • the beep picked up by the pick-up 20 can be used, in conjunction with a microswitch 26 on a cash drawer 28, to detect fraudulent activities based on the cashier deliberately failing to shut the drawer 28 after a transaction.
  • the unit 16 receives two signals. The one received from the microswitch 26 along the line 30 indicates if the drawer 28 has been closed or left open. The other signal is received along the line 18 and indicates that an article has been swiped over the bar code reader 10. This combination of a signal received along the line 30 indicating that the drawer 28 is open and a signal received along the line 18 indicating that an article has been swiped is used to establish an alarm condition. This is because failure to close the drawer 28 but to swipe articles, unless it happens infrequently and is genuinely by accident, has to be taken as an indication that possibly a fraudulent scheme is underway.
  • the unit 16 is illustrated as is the acoustic pick-up 20, the line 24 and the deactivator 14. Between the pick-up 20 and the unit 16 there is a two stage amplifier 32 with gain control and rectification. The output of the amplifier 32 is fed to the unit 16 as a control pulse.
  • a digital band pass control 34 is connected to the unit 16 and can be adjusted to tune the unit 16 to the frequency of the audio signal.
  • a further control 36 is provided for adjusting the time for which a pulse remains on the line 24 after an input pulse is received at the unit 16 from the amplifier 32.
  • the unit 16 which can be a programmable controller, can have a so-called jug plug socket 40 into which a programmed jug plug 42 can be inserted. This overrides the unit 16 and results in a pulse on line 24 which remains on line 24 until the jug plug 42 is removed.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Burglar Alarm Systems (AREA)
  • Cash Registers Or Receiving Machines (AREA)

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
THIS INVENTION relates to the field of security systems and concerns a checkout system having a bar code reader and a anti-theft tag deactivator.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
A commercially used system for inhibiting the theft of goods from retail stores comprises tagging each article with a tag which, unless deactivated by an authorized employee, triggers an alarm at the store exit. The tag is tuned to react to signals emitted by security devices located at the exits of the retail store. The signals can, for example, be radio frequency signals at 58kHz. Upon being subjected to a signal of this frequency, the tag vibrates transmitting a signal to a receiver of the adjacent security device whereupon an alarm is activated. To deactivate the tag its response frequency is altered using suitable equipment. For example, the response frequency of the tag can be changed from 58kHz to 60kHz. When the article with the deactivated tag attached is taken out of the retail store, the tag remains passive as it now requires a signal of 60kHz to activate it. The response frequency of the tag can subsequently be changed back to 58kHz thereby enabling the tag to be used again. This feature is particularly necessary when goods, such as video cassettes, are repeatedly rented out but must be protected whilst in the store.
This system can be circumvented when the cashier at the checkout is in collusion with the customer. The simplest way of defeating the system is for the tag on the article to be deactivated but not rung up on the till or "swiped" over the bar code reader. Hence the article does not appear on the customer's till slip but can still safely be taken out of the store. The present invention seeks to counter this type of theft.
US 5,477,219 discloses a composite electronic article surveillance, identification and security marker assembly and system, in which a bar code reader and an anti-theft tag deactivator are used. A controller connected by a bus to the bar code reader activates the deactivator when the bar code reader generates an electrical signal into the bus, when a successful scan has been verified. Moreover, the known system comprises an indicator light and an optional buzzer to notify the clerk that a complete transaction has taken place.
Another problem that retail outlets have is theft of monies paid over by customers to cashiers. One way in which a cashier can steal is, after finalizing a transaction, not to close the cash drawer fully. The next customer's goods are then "swiped" over the bar code reader, not as a sale but as a price enquiry. This results in an entry on the till slip but nothing on the journal roll. The customer is thus satisfied that the correct amounts have been charged, nothing has been entered on the journal roll and the cashier can keep the cash knowing that there is no imbalance in the records and no cash shortage in the drawer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a checkout system for a retail store, the system including;
  • a bar code reader for reading indicia associated with an article and generating a first audible signal indicating a successful read of the indicia;
  • means for sensing said first audible signal disposed within a preselected distance of said bar code reader, said sensing means generating a second signal upon sensing said first audible signal, said means picking up the first audible sound-signal emitted by the bar code reader with an acoustic pick-up; and,
  • an anti-theft tag deactivator, said anti-theft tag deactivator being activated for a predetermined period when triggered by said second signal.
    • According to a further aspect of the present invention, the sensing means is a microphone;
    An advantage of using an acoustic pick-up is that it prevents the necessity of tampering with the bar code reader's circuitry.
    According to a further aspect of the invention said controller including means for selecting the activation period of said anti-theft tag deactivator after receiving said second signal, and including manual means to activate said anti-theft tag deactivator without receiving said second signal.
    According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of countering theft of an article from a retail store which article carries a tag that, unless deactivated, triggers an anti-theft alarm at a store exit, the method comprising swiping the article across a bar code reader to read a bar code carried by the article, using the signal generated by the bar code reader upon a successful swipe to enable a tag deactivator for a predetermined period of time, and disabling said deactivator at the end of said predetermined period of time.
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
    For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:-
  • Figure 1 is a pictorial view of a checkout at a retail store;
  • Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a checkout; and
  • Figure 3 is a block diagram.
    • DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
    Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, the checkout illustrated comprises a bar code reader 10 over which articles being checked out are swiped. If the bar code reader 10 fails successfully to read the bar code, which can happen for a number of reasons, the bar code reader 10 remains entirely passive and does not react to the fact that an article has been swiped. The article has to be swiped until there is a successful read. The cashier and customer know that this has happened because the bar code reader 10 generates a signal which is fed to a speaker or piezo electric device 12 and is emitted as an audible beep.
    Reference numeral 14 designates an anti-theft tag deactivator. The bar code reader 10 and deactivator 14 are placed adjacent one another so that the cashier, in one sweeping motion along the path indicated at P (Figure 2), can move the article across the bar code reader 10 and then bring the tag within the field generated by the deactivator 14.
    A processing unit 16 (which will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to Figure 3) is connected by a line 18 to an acoustic pick-up 20. The pick-up 20 is attached to the casing 22 of the bar code reader 10 adjacent the speaker or piezo electric device 12 which emits the audible beep. The device 12 and the pick-up 20 are preferably on the rear of the casing 22 of the reader 10.
    The unit 16 receives a signal each time an audible beep is "heard" by the pick-up 20. For a period of, for example, two seconds after the signal from the pick-up 20 reaches the unit 16, the unit 16 generates a signal which is fed along a line 24 to a port on the deactivator 14. This signal switches the deactivator 14 to its enabled condition in which it will deactivate a tag, and holds it in that condition for the duration of the signal. The duration of the signal is long enough to enable the article to be moved along the path designated P but too short to allow another article to be moved into range of the deactivator's field whilst bypassing the bar code reader 10.
    In summary, each successful swipe across the bar code reader 10 enables the deactivator 14 for a brief period of time. Any effort by the cashier to move two articles past the deactivator 14 after having swiped only one of them over the bar code reader 10 is difficult and moreover can be detected on surveillance cameras.
    As further art relating to the invention the beep picked up by the pick-up 20 can be used, in conjunction with a microswitch 26 on a cash drawer 28, to detect fraudulent activities based on the cashier deliberately failing to shut the drawer 28 after a transaction. The unit 16 receives two signals. The one received from the microswitch 26 along the line 30 indicates if the drawer 28 has been closed or left open. The other signal is received along the line 18 and indicates that an article has been swiped over the bar code reader 10. This combination of a signal received along the line 30 indicating that the drawer 28 is open and a signal received along the line 18 indicating that an article has been swiped is used to establish an alarm condition. This is because failure to close the drawer 28 but to swipe articles, unless it happens infrequently and is genuinely by accident, has to be taken as an indication that possibly a fraudulent scheme is underway.
    Turning now to Figure 3, the unit 16 is illustrated as is the acoustic pick-up 20, the line 24 and the deactivator 14. Between the pick-up 20 and the unit 16 there is a two stage amplifier 32 with gain control and rectification. The output of the amplifier 32 is fed to the unit 16 as a control pulse.
    A digital band pass control 34 is connected to the unit 16 and can be adjusted to tune the unit 16 to the frequency of the audio signal. A further control 36 is provided for adjusting the time for which a pulse remains on the line 24 after an input pulse is received at the unit 16 from the amplifier 32.
    The unit 16, which can be a programmable controller, can have a so-called jug plug socket 40 into which a programmed jug plug 42 can be inserted. This overrides the unit 16 and results in a pulse on line 24 which remains on line 24 until the jug plug 42 is removed.

    Claims (4)

    1. A checkout system to non-invasively interface a bar code reader (10) to an anti-theft tag deactivator (14), comprising:
      a bar code reader (10) for reading indicia associated with an article and generating a first audible signal indicating a successful read of the indicia;
      means (20) for sensing said first audible signal disposed within a preselected distance of said bar code reader (10), said sensing means (20) generating a second signal upon sensing said first audible signal, said means (20) picking up the first audible sound-signal emitted by the bar code reader with an acoustic pick-up; and,
      an anti-theft tag deactivator ( 14), said anti-theft tag deactivator being activated for a predetermined period when triggered by said second signal.
    2. The system of claim 1 wherein said sensing means (20) is a microphone.
    3. The system of claim 1 further including a controller (36), said controller (36) including means for selecting the activation period of said anti-theft tag deactivator (14) after receiving said second signal, and including manual means (40, 42) to activate said anti-theft tag deactivator (14) without receiving said second signal.
    4. A method to non-invasively interface a point-of-sale reader to an anti-theft tag deactivator, comprising:
      reading indicia associated with an article and generating a first audible signal;
      sensing said first signal with an acoustic pick-up and generating a second signal, wherein said first signal is electrically separate from said sensing and said second signal; and,
      receiving said second signal and deactivating an anti-theft tag.
    EP99957593A 1998-10-30 1999-10-28 Security systems for inhibiting theft of goods from retail stores Expired - Lifetime EP1125264B1 (en)

    Applications Claiming Priority (3)

    Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
    ZA9809918 1998-10-30
    ZA989918 1998-10-30
    PCT/ZA1999/000114 WO2000026880A2 (en) 1998-10-30 1999-10-28 Security systems for inhibiting theft of goods from retail stores

    Publications (2)

    Publication Number Publication Date
    EP1125264A2 EP1125264A2 (en) 2001-08-22
    EP1125264B1 true EP1125264B1 (en) 2004-02-04

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    Family Applications (1)

    Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
    EP99957593A Expired - Lifetime EP1125264B1 (en) 1998-10-30 1999-10-28 Security systems for inhibiting theft of goods from retail stores

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    EP (1) EP1125264B1 (en)
    JP (1) JP2002529831A (en)
    AU (1) AU769526B2 (en)
    BR (1) BR9914856B1 (en)
    CA (1) CA2348535C (en)
    DE (1) DE69914619T2 (en)
    WO (1) WO2000026880A2 (en)

    Families Citing this family (7)

    * Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    US6783072B2 (en) 2002-02-01 2004-08-31 Psc Scanning, Inc. Combined data reader and electronic article surveillance (EAS) system
    EP1890272B1 (en) * 2002-02-01 2011-04-13 Datalogic Scanning, Inc. Systems and methods for data reading and EAS tag sensing and deactivating at retail checkout
    US6974083B1 (en) * 2004-07-23 2005-12-13 Symbol Technologies, Inc. Point-of-transaction workstation for electro-optically reading one-dimensional indicia, including image capture of two-dimensional targets
    US7619527B2 (en) 2005-02-08 2009-11-17 Datalogic Scanning, Inc. Integrated data reader and electronic article surveillance (EAS) system
    US10701561B1 (en) 2020-01-31 2020-06-30 Lowe's Companies, Inc. System and techniques for secret key transfer in benefit denial system
    US11395142B2 (en) 2020-01-31 2022-07-19 Lowe's Companies, Inc. System and techniques for secret key transfer in benefit denial system
    US10721224B1 (en) 2020-01-31 2020-07-21 Lowe's Companies, Inc. System and techniques for trans-account device key transfer in benefit denial system

    Family Cites Families (8)

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    Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
    EP0355355B1 (en) * 1988-08-25 1994-01-19 Symbol Technologies, Inc. Portable scanning system including a surveillance tag deactivator
    US5594228A (en) * 1988-08-25 1997-01-14 Symbol Technologies, Inc. Self-checkout, point-of-transaction system including deactivatable electro-optically coded surveillance tags
    US5059951A (en) * 1988-11-14 1991-10-22 Checkpoint Systems, Inc. Method and apparatus for integrated data capture and electronic article surveillance
    US4881061A (en) * 1988-12-05 1989-11-14 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Article removal control system
    DK0454021T3 (en) * 1990-04-25 1997-06-16 Actron Entwicklungs Ag Method of deactivating a resonance label and circuitry for carrying out the method
    FR2669756A1 (en) * 1990-11-23 1992-05-29 Cga Hbs System for recording and invalidating the identification of a product
    EP0723692A4 (en) * 1993-10-05 1997-05-28 Pac Scan Inc Retail theft prevention and information device
    US5477219A (en) * 1995-03-30 1995-12-19 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Composite electronic article surveillance, identification, and security marker assembly and system

    Also Published As

    Publication number Publication date
    DE69914619T2 (en) 2004-12-16
    CA2348535A1 (en) 2000-05-11
    BR9914856A (en) 2001-07-17
    JP2002529831A (en) 2002-09-10
    BR9914856B1 (en) 2011-05-31
    EP1125264A2 (en) 2001-08-22
    WO2000026880A3 (en) 2000-08-17
    DE69914619D1 (en) 2004-03-11
    AU769526B2 (en) 2004-01-29
    CA2348535C (en) 2009-01-06
    WO2000026880A2 (en) 2000-05-11
    AU1526900A (en) 2000-05-22

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