Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-12
2001-03-06
Mullen, Thomas (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C235S385000, C705S028000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06198391
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to systems and procedures used by retail stores to prevent theft of merchandise and maintain an inventory of items, and, more particularly, to a system and procedure to secure each item of inventory and to automatically identify and track each item of inventory from the point of delivery from the manufacturer to its sale to the ultimate purchaser.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Theft of merchandise presents an ever present problem within the retail sales market, resulting in lost profits to retailers. In addition, the loss of merchandise by theft results in inaccurate inventories as the stolen items are often not accounted for until a manual inventory is performed. Such thefts may occur at any point in the flow of merchandise from the manufacturer to the point of sale to the ultimate purchaser, and include theft during transit from the manufacturer to the retailer, theft during the process of stocking merchandise, theft by employees, and theft by the public from the retailer's stores. Several methods are presently known and employed to identify and prevent such thefts. However, such known methods are either limited in their ability to detect all such thefts or are overly burdensome on customers during the process of shopping.
One such method presently employed to prevent theft of merchandise involves placing the merchandise within locked cases or locked storage rooms. When merchandise is locked within cases or storage rooms, an undue burden is placed on the customer, since assistance from a store clerk or manager is required to retrieve the merchandise and the customer is not able to physically examine the merchandise absent this assistance. During periods of high customer volume, sales may be lost due to customer impatience; and theft of merchandise may still occur, since during such periods of high customer volume, store clerks and managers may not be able to continually monitor customers for whom they have retrieved merchandise.
Another method employed to prevent theft of merchandise, often utilized with clothing of greater value, involves physically locking the merchandise to a rack by means of a cable or such. In use, such a method, has similar drawbacks to the method of locking merchandise in cases or storage room, in that, a store clerk or manager is required to unlock the item for the customer in the event of purchase, or for the customer to try on.
Although, U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,334 to DeVolpi describes a method to indicate if a cable used in locking merchandise to a rack is severed, the known methods of locking merchandise in a case, storage room, or to a rack are unable to prevent theft when items are received and before they are locked away or by employees who have access to the locked cases, storage rooms or racks.
Still another method currently employed to prevent theft of merchandise involves the utilization of security tags which are secured to items or their packaging by adhesive or mechanical means and will activate sensors at the entrance and exits to a store if not removed or deactivated. This method to prevent theft of merchandise is often ineffective, as the tags can often be easily removed or shielded from the sensors. Further, theft of the merchandise before it is tagged, or by employees who can deactivate or remove the tags, or by employees who can simply circumvent the sensors is not prevented.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved method of preventing and identifying theft of merchandise occurring anywhere between shipment from the manufacturer to sale to the ultimate purchaser, while reducing the burden of security measures on customers, and resulting in increased accuracy of inventory.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the present invention are accomplished by the self service sales and security system which comprises: a continuous loop signaling device which is incorporated within or attached to items in inventory; one or more racks, which may be used to support the items in inventory, and to which continuous loop signaling devices are detachably secured by locking mechanical means and electrically connected thereby at a distinct address; a control center connected to each rack and electrically connected to each continuous loop signaling device through the rack at each distinct address, wherein the control center can perceive the signal of each continuous loop signaling device independent of the other continuous loop signaling devices, and wherein the control center can selectively release the locking mechanical means securing a particular continuous loop signaling device to the rack; and a system controller which receives information from and sends information to the one or more control centers.
The control center has means for input of the identity of the individual seeking authorization to release a particular continuous loop signaling device and therefore a particular item. The control center's means for input of an individual's identity may be accomplished through use of a keypad or touch screen utilizing individual pass codes or by insertion of a card encoded with an individual's identity into a card reader incorporated into the control center.
The system controller receives information from the control centers indicating which continuous loop signaling devices are secured to the racks and maintains a permanent inventory of such continuous loop signaling devices upon a disk drive, EEPROM or similar recording device. Upon entry of a pass code or insertion of a card into a card reader of a control center , the e system controller receives information as to the identity of the individual seeking authorization to release a particular item. A permanent record for each individual's identity is maintained by the system controller which record could indicate a determined credit authorization for the individual, an accounting of which items are currently in the individuals possession, and a prior shopping history for the individual, including times and dates and identifying items accessed, returned and purchased. By evaluating the record from an individual's identity, the system controller directs the control center, either authorizing or denying access to a particular item and updating the record for the individual upon removal of any items from the rack.
In the event that the system controller receives information from a control center that a connection with a continuous loop signaling device has been lost without authorization from the system controller, such as if the continuous loop signaling device were severed, the system controller would maintain a record of the particular item involved, the location of the item and time and date. In such an event the system controller can be directed to automatically sound an alarm, contact security or contact law enforcement by radio or telephone transmission.
In practice of the current invention, items are ordered from a manufacturer and an invoice of the order is recorded within the system controller. The continuous loop signaling devices would preferably be interwoven within or applied to each item by the manufacturer; and in any event, the continuous loop signaling devices are applied to each item in such fashion that removal from an item would require severing the continuous loop signaling device.
When a delivery is received from the manufacturer, continuous loop signaling devices are attached to all the items delivered, if not previously attached by the manufacturer, and all the continuous loop signaling devices are secured to individual locations on one or more racks. Upon receiving a shipment from the manufacturer, notice of delivery and the identity of the employee or employees stocking the delivery are input into the system controller through a control center; and the location on a rack where a received item is secured and its identity are input into the system controller through a control center.
Once all received items are secured to a rack the system controller
Mullen Thomas
Quinn Cornelius P.
Quinn William J.
Quinn & Quinn P.C.
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