JP2003173479A - Illicit removal prevention system for commodity - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illicit removal prevention system not working when a customer innocently removing a commodity by mistake and returning to a payment counter passes through the system. <P>SOLUTION: This system installed in an exit of a shop for detecting a commodity illicitly removed to the outside of the shop for preventing its illicit removal is provided with an illicit removal detection means constructed of a first detection means (excluding a human) arranged in the exit for detecting a tag, which is attached to the commodity for showing validity of removal of the commodity to the outside of the shop, without any contact and a second detection means (excluding a human) installed on the exit side beyond the first detection means for detecting the tag without any contact and an alarm means connected to the illicit removal detection means for determining illicit removal and giving an alarm when the tag without any validity is detected by the first detection means and the second detection means in this order. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system which is arranged at an exit of a store and detects illegally taken out goods and prohibits the taking out of the goods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is well known that fraudulent taking out of merchandise is carried out outside the store without paying the price, mainly in supermarkets and bookstores.

In order to prevent such illegal taking out,
Attach a sign that generates a signal in response to a magnetic field or electromagnetic wave,
At the payment counter, the signal generating ability of the above sign is removed to display the legitimacy of taking out of the store, and it is detected that the product having the above signal generating ability is taken out of the store without passing through the payment counter. A system has been proposed in which a detection means for doing so is provided at the exit of the store and is actually used.

However, when such a system detects the fact of fraudulent take-out, and the well-intentioned customer who has been notified is passed through the system again to return to the payment counter, the system is activated and the fraudulent take-out is again performed. There was a problem in that it could be perceived, and it could cause double unpleasant feelings.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, that is, a well-meaning customer who accidentally tries to take out illegally returns to the payment counter again. It is an object of the present invention to provide an unauthorized carry-out prevention system that does not operate when passing through the above system.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] That is, the invention according to claim 1 is attached to a product in a system which is arranged at an exit of a store and detects a product illegally taken out of the store and prohibits the product from being taken out. A non-contact detecting means for detecting a sign indicating whether or not the product is legally taken out of the store, the first detecting means being installed at the exit and detecting the sign in a non-contact manner (however, An unauthorized carry-out detecting means including a second detecting means (excluding a human), which is installed on the exit side of the first detecting means and detects the sign in a contactless manner; And a means (but excluding humans) that is connected to the illegal carry-out detection means and warns as illegal take-out when these first and second detection means detect a sign without legitimacy in this order. Characterized by It is intended.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the store-side detection means includes the first detection means and the second detection means, and the illegal carry-out is carried out only when an unjustified sign is detected in this order. Therefore, when taking it out of the store, it is possible to issue an alarm as an illegal takeout. On the other hand, when a customer who has been notified of the fact of illegal taking out returns to the store, the second detection means detects an unjustified sign, and then the first detection means detects an unjustified sign. Therefore, it is not illegally taken out, and the alarm by the alarm means is not generated.

[0008] Next, as the above-mentioned warning means, a notification means for notifying the person who brought out the fact of illegal taking out can be used. By using such a notification means, it is possible to convey the fact and encourage the customer to return to the payment counter without making the well-meaning customer who accidentally tried to take it out of the store unpleasant.

Further, as the above-mentioned warning means, means for notifying the person involved in the unauthorized removal management of the fact of the unauthorized removal can also be used. In this case, a malicious customer who deliberately tried to take it out of the store can be found without overlooking.

The inventions according to claims 2 and 3 have been made on the basis of such reasons. That is, the invention according to claim 2 is based on the invention according to claim 1, and the alarm means is , It is characterized by comprising notification means (however, excluding humans) for notifying the person who brought out the fact of fraudulent removal.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is based on the invention according to claim 1, wherein the alarm means is means for notifying the person involved in the unauthorized removal management of the fact of unauthorized removal (however,
It is characterized by being composed of (excluding humans).

The invention according to claim 4 relates to an invention functionally comprehending the invention according to claim 1,
That is, the invention according to claim 4 is a system which is disposed at an exit of a store, detects a product illegally taken out of the store, and prohibits the product from being taken out. Unauthorized carry-out detection means (excluding humans) that selectively detects when passing outside the store and illegal carry-out detection means when the unauthorized carry-out detection means detects a product that is not legitimate for being taken out of the store And a means (however, excluding humans) for warning as.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (Embodiment of Store) Examples of the store according to the present invention include a retail store, a supermarket, a department store, a convenience store and the like. Usually, this is a store where consumers can pick up products without the help of a store clerk, and in this case, the advantages of the present invention are utilized. For example, bookstores, CDs and DVDs that record music and video
Is a store that sells to consumers. Further, in addition to this, a store of a rental business that rents out these CDs and DVDs may be used.

(Embodiment of Sign and Detecting Means) The sign and the detecting means according to the present invention are paired with each other and are generally incompatible. That is, although a specific sign can be detected by a specific detection means, it cannot be detected by another detection means. Therefore, the embodiment of these signs and the embodiment of the detection means thereof will be described together. The detecting means described here can be used as the first detecting means and the second detecting means according to the present invention.

The sign according to the present invention may be any one as long as it emits a signal to the surroundings which can detect whether or not the carry-out is valid without contact. As such a sign, for example, a fragrance that emits a peculiar odor can be used, but in general, it can be detected by the customer's five senses, and thus should be avoided.

As a sign that cannot be detected by the customer's five senses,
For example, it can be used again often. In this case, a cat or the same genus of cats can be used as the means for detecting the mark. Since these cats or the same genus of cats are aware of the occurrence of human beings that cannot be detected and show an excited state, it is possible to detect whether or not there is legitimacy of taking out a product based on the presence or absence of excitement. In this case, you should remove the payment at the payment counter at the same time as the payment.

Further, as the above-mentioned sign which cannot be detected by the customer's five senses, it is possible to use a power source, an ultrasonic transmitter, a switch, and an electrical connection of these power source, ultrasonic transmitter and switch. In this case, an ultrasonic detector can be used as the detection means, but if the ultrasonic waves have a wavelength that can be detected by the dog, a well-trained dog can also be used as the detection means. It is possible. Also, the switch is electromagnetically ON / OF.
A switch that can switch F is desirable. In this case, ultrasonic waves are turned on while being displayed in the store, and ultrasonic waves are turned off at the payment counter, so that it is turned off at the same time as payment. The presence or absence of sex can be displayed.

Particularly preferred as the sign according to the present invention is a sign that cannot be detected by the customer's five senses and that has no internal energy source. Those that have an energy source inside consume their energy over time, and this consumption generally makes it impossible to display whether or not there is justification for taking out the store, whereas those that do not have an energy source inside This is because the presence or absence of the above validity is displayed semipermanently.

An example of such a mark is a magnetized ferromagnetic material. Particularly, a hard magnetic material having a strong coercive force can be preferably used. As such a hard magnetic material, for example, an Fe-Mn-Si based hard magnetic material, Fe-Co-V is used.
Hard magnetic material, Fe-Co-Ni hard magnetic material, Fe-Ni
Hard magnetic material, Fe-Cr-Co hard magnetic material, Cu-Ni
-Fe hard magnetic material, Cu-Ni-Co hard magnetic material, Pt
A Co-based hard magnetic material or stainless steel can be used.

These hard magnetic materials can be used as the marker of the present invention in the form of a thin plate, for example. Alternatively, the hard magnetic material may be made into a powder, mixed with a suitable binder and a solvent to give an ink, and the ink may be printed or applied on a film-like support such as a plastic film or paper to give a marker. The thin plate-shaped hard magnetic material or the hard magnetic material printed / coated on the film-shaped support can be used, for example, by adhering it to the product body or its packaging material using an adhesive. It can also be used in a form sandwiched between plastic films and paper from above and below. In this case as well, it can be used by being adhered to the product body or its packaging material with an adhesive.

The hard magnetic material can be used as a marker of the present invention in a wire shape. When it has a wire shape, it has an advantage that it can be used by following the curved surface of a product or its packaging material.

By magnetizing the hard magnetic material, it can be shown that the product cannot be taken out of the store. In order to show the legitimacy of taking out the store, for example, the magnetism may be demagnetized at the payment counter. In this case, if magnetism is detected by the detection means, it is not valid to take it out of the store, and if magnetism is not detected, it is found to be legitimate to take it out of the store.

It should be noted that it is not impossible to assume that the magnetism is legitimate when it is detected and the legitimacy is not detected, but it should be avoided. This is because it is difficult to distinguish a customer who goes out of the store without a product from a customer who takes the product out of the store without justification because the magnetism is not detected.

Next, such a hard magnetic material can be detected as to its validity by using a magnetic detector as a detecting means.

Further, it is desirable that a soft magnetic material having a smaller coercive force and a larger magnetic permeability than that of the hard magnetic material is disposed in the vicinity of the hard magnetic material. This is because the magnetic flux of the magnetized hard magnetic material collects in the soft magnetic material, and as a result, the magnetism of the hard magnetic material is satisfactorily detected, and the detection accuracy can be improved.

It is desirable that the soft magnetic material is placed on top of the hard magnetic material. For example, the soft magnetic material can be arranged in the vicinity of the hard magnetic material by forming the soft magnetic material into a thin plate and adhering it to the thin plate-shaped hard magnetic material or the ink film-shaped hard magnetic material. In addition, the soft magnetic material is made into a powder, mixed with a binder and a solvent to form an ink, and the ink is printed or applied onto the thin plate-shaped hard magnetic material or the ink film-shaped hard magnetic material to obtain a hard magnetic material. It may be arranged in the vicinity of.
When the hard magnetic material is in the form of a wire, the soft magnetic material may be in the form of a thin plate and bonded to a part of the hard magnetic material wire.

As such a soft magnetic material, one having a coercive force of 0.1 to 1.0 oersted is desirable, and for example, at least one element of Fe, Co, and Ni is used as the element.
Containing 2 atomic% or more, B, P, C, Si, Al, Ga, Z
1 for at least one element selected from r, Nb, and Ta
An amorphous alloy containing 0 to 35 atomic% is mentioned. For example, Fe _77.5 Si _7.5 B ₁₅ , Fe ₇₈ Si ₉ B ₁₃ , (Co
₅₀ Fe ₅₀ ) ₇₈ Si ₉ B ₁₃ , Fe ₃₉ Co ₃₉ Si ₉ B ₁₃ , Fe
Examples include ₇₈ P ₁₃ C ₇ Cr ₂ , Fe ₈₃ Zr ₇ B ₆ Cu ₁ Nb _{3 and the} like.

A hard magnetic material having a soft magnetic material disposed therein can be used in the same manner as a hard magnetic material having no soft magnetic material disposed therein.
That is, it can be shown that magnetizing the hard magnetic material does not justify taking the product out of the store. In order to show the legitimacy of taking out the store, for example, the magnetism may be demagnetized at the payment counter. In this case, if magnetism is detected by the detection means, it is not valid to take it out of the store, and if magnetism is not detected, it is found to be legitimate to take it out of the store. A magnetic detector can be used as the detecting means.

Next, an IC chip and an antenna electrically connected to this IC chip can be used as a mark that cannot be detected by the customer's five senses and has no energy source inside. It is possible to connect the IC chip driving power source to the IC chip and the antenna, but in this case, the sign has an energy source built-in, and as described above, it is justified to take it out of the store due to the consumption of power source power. Should be avoided as it will not be possible to show. The IC chip driving power can be supplied from the outside through the antenna. Also, a command for driving the IC chip can be supplied from the outside through the antenna.

In the IC chip, information indicating whether or not the product is taken out to the outside should be stored. This signal indicates that there is no validity in the state of being displayed at the store, and is changed to information indicating the validity of taking out the store contactlessly at the payment counter. This change is
Yes, with a reader / writer located at the payment counter. That is, the change can be made by non-contact input of the power for driving the IC chip and the information rewriting command from the reader / writer.
Alternatively, by removing the IC chip at the payment counter, it may be shown that there is legitimacy of taking it out of the store.

Further, as the detecting means, an electromagnetic wave that can be received by the antenna can be transmitted, and based on the information stored in the IC chip that received this electromagnetic wave, the I
It is possible to use a reader / writer capable of receiving an electromagnetic wave oscillated by the C chip and decoding a signal included in the electromagnetic wave.

When the IC chip and the antenna are used, other information can be stored in this IC chip. For example, product information such as product type and price.

It should be noted that the use of humans as the detection means according to the present invention should be avoided. This is because the detection accuracy varies depending on the physical condition and the like.

(Embodiment of Notification Means) It is sufficient for the notification means according to the present invention to notify the owner of the product that there is no justification for taking the product out of the store. It is not necessary to notify other customers or employees, and it is desirable not to notify. The use of humans as a means of notification should be avoided in terms of notifying the minimum number of people of the fact that they were trying to bring out an unjustified product. From the same viewpoint, it is desirable to use a notification means that can mechanically notify the customer without human intervention.

As the above-mentioned notifying means capable of mechanically notifying the customer without human intervention, for example, a voice notifying means for notifying the customer by voice by contacting the information of the illegal take-out by the illegal take-out detecting means. Is available.
For example, it is connected to the above-mentioned detection means (especially, a detection means capable of outputting the above-mentioned illegally taken out information in the form of an electric signal, such as an ultrasonic wave detector, a magnetic detector or an IC reader / writer), and receives the above-mentioned output. It is possible to use a computer that operates and a speaker that is controlled by this computer and that announces the fact when an unauthorized person takes it out. In this case, it is possible to surely inform the customer of the fact of illegal taking out.

Besides, the computer and a display connected to the computer can be used, but it is necessary to expect that the customer does not see the screen of the display.

Preferably, by using the computer, the speaker, and the display, the fact of illegal taking out is transmitted by voice and the fact is also displayed on the screen of the display, so that the customer who is deaf or hard of sight can see. Can be announced without fail.

(Embodiment of reporting means) The reporting means according to the present invention is sufficient as long as it can report the fact of illegal taking out to the management personnel. The person concerned with management varies depending on the store, but can be exemplified by a person in charge of crime prevention, a store manager, a person in charge of managing a product, or the like.

As this notification means, equipment similar to the above notification means can be used. However, the person to be notified by this notification means needs to be the management-related person. It should be noted that the use of human beings as this means of reporting should be avoided. This is because they are not covered by patent rights.

(Embodiment of Arrangement) The system according to the present invention is arranged at the exit of these stores. As the exit, it is desirable that the exit cannot go out of the store without passing through it, and especially the one that cannot go out of the store without passing through both the first detection means and the second detection means. . It can be used for stores that share the exit and entrance,
Even in this case, it is desirable that the device cannot go out of the store without passing through both the store side detection unit and the exit side detection unit.

The first and second detecting means are, in order from the inside of the store, a distance of 5 cm between the first and second detecting means as the first detecting means and the second detecting means. It should be placed away from each other. 5 cm away,
This is because it is possible to distinguish between the case where the first detection means and the second detection means detect the unjustified sign in this order and the case where they are detected in the opposite order. Preferably 5
It is 0 cm or less.

When both the first and second detecting means are a cat, the same genus thereof, or a dog, it is desirable to arrange the detecting means at a distance of 3 m or more. When the length is less than 3 m, it is not only difficult to distinguish between the case where the first detection means and the second detection means detect an unjustified sign in this order and the case where they are detected in the opposite order, and these first This is because the detection means and the second detection means may quarrel with each other and the store exit may be confused.

[0043]

According to the inventions according to claims 1 and 4, when the store side detecting means comprises the first detecting means and the second detecting means, and an unjustified sign is detected in this order Since it is illegal to take out for the first time, when taking it out of the store from the store, an alarm can be issued by the alarm means as an illegal takeout. On the other hand, when the customer who received the notification returns to the store, the second detection means detects an unjustified sign, and then the first detection means detects an unjustified sign. The alarm is not issued by the alarm means.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, since the notifying means for notifying the carry-out person of the fact of illegal taking out is used as the alarm means, it is unpleasant to a well-meaning customer who accidentally tried to take it out of the store. You can tell the facts and encourage them to return to the payment counter without having to think about it.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the means for reporting the fact of illegal taking-out to the person concerned with illegal taking-out is used as the alarm means, a malicious customer who intentionally intends to take it out of the store. You can also discover without missing.

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A system which is arranged at an exit of a store and which detects illegally taken out goods outside the store and prohibits the taking out of the goods. A detection means for detecting the sign shown in a non-contact manner, the first means being installed at the outlet and detecting the sign in a non-contact manner;
Fraudulently configured by the detection means (excluding humans) and the second detection means (excluding humans) that is installed on the exit side of the first detection means and detects the sign without contact. A means for alarming as illegal takeout when the takeout detecting means and the illegal takeout detecting means are connected, and when the first and second detecting means detect an unjustified sign in this order (excluding human beings) An illegal carry-out prevention system for a product, characterized by having: 2. The notification means (not including human beings) for notifying the person carrying out the fact that the alarm means is illegally taken out.
The illegal take-out prevention system for goods according to claim 1, characterized in that 3. The illegal take-out prevention of a product according to claim 1, wherein said alarm means comprises means (not including human beings) for notifying an unauthorized take-out management person of the fact of illegal take-out. system. 4. In a system which is arranged at an exit of a store and detects a product illegally taken out of the store and prohibits the product from being taken out, a product that is not justified to be taken out of the store is directed from the inside to the outside of the store. Unauthorized carry-out detection means for selecting and detecting when passing through, and means (but excluding humans) for giving an alarm as unauthorized carry-out when the unauthorized carry-out detection means detects a product that is not legitimate for being taken out of the store. A fraudulent take-out prevention system for merchandise, comprising: