Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-02
2001-04-10
Mullen, Thomas (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S568800
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215400
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic security tag system for preventing the theft of portable articles such as consumer electronics. In particular, this invention relates to an electronic security tag system having an adhesive electronic tag affixed to an article to be monitored and connected to an electronic monitoring system that sounds an alarm if the tag is broken or disconnected from the system.
2. The Prior Art
It is known to protect articles against theft by attaching an anchor to the article and attaching one end of a cable or cord to the anchor. The other end of the cable or cord is attached to a fixed support so that the article can only be moved a limited distance from the fixed support. The anchor is usually plastic and has an adhesive backing layer to attach the anchor to the article. The adhesive is strong enough so that a thief cannot readily peel the anchor from the article to detach the cable from the article. If the anchor cannot be readily peeled away from the article within 30-60 seconds, then this deters most thieves from trying to remove the anchor and steal the article.
The problem with this type of system is that a thief can still easily steal the article by cutting the cord attached to the anchor. An electronic sensor system connected to an anchor is shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/378,040 to Rand et al. This system has a hexagonal anchor attached via a wire to an electronic alarm system. If the anchor is removed or the wire is cut, an alarm sounds from the alarm system. The alarm system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,857 to Rand, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
While this system is effective for protecting larger items having irregular surfaces, it would be desirable to have an electronic security monitoring system of this type in which the sensor part of the mechanism can be wrapped around the article to be monitored. In addition, it would be desirable to have a system that could prevent not only theft of the item but also prevent thieves or vandals from opening certain items such as cameras.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic security system that can be adhered to both flat and curved surfaces.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic security system that sounds an alarm if any part of the system tampered with.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an electronic security system that can be used to secure items having curved or compound surfaces, or to protect multiple locations on the same product.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an electronic security system that can prevent the opening or tampering with the item to be monitored.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a security anchoring system that is simple to manufacture and easy to install.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by an electronic security tag system comprising a security anchor having an aperture therethrough. A security wire is threaded through the aperture in the anchor and is held securely within the aperture. A PC Board (PCB) assembly, which includes a presence detection diode and means for connecting a security tag, is connected to an end of the security wire threaded through the aperture. An adhesive electronic tag is connected to the PCB and diode through the other end of the anchor. The tag is flexible and can be wrapped around items of contoured shape or used to seal an item closed. The tag contains circuitry which is in contact with the diode so that any breaking of the circuit in the tag will be detected. The tag can be any suitable electronic security tag, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,488 to Ephraim, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. This tag is a bendable sheet having an electric circuit thereon. The circuit comprises a closed loop. The tag is coated with an adhesive covered by a protective sheet which is removed when the tag is placed on the object to be monitored. The tag also incorporates conductive connection pads at one end for attachment to the rest of the system. The tag is preferably attached to the PCB and diode using friction. A rubber insert holds the tag's connection pads in contact with the PCB.
The anchor preferably comprises a plurality of flexible wings surrounding the aperture. Each wing is separated by a wing slot. One wing slot communicates with the aperture. There is a hinge area for each wing located between the adjacent pair of wing slots to allow one wing to flex independently of another wing. A suitable anchor is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/378,040 to Rand et al., or in U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,591 to Kane, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference.
There is an electronic alarm system connected to an end of the wire not threaded through the aperture, which sounds an alarm when the circuit in the tag is broken or if the wire is cut. This way, the alarm will sound if a thief attempts to steal or tamper with the article either by cutting the wire or by prying off or cutting the tag. The diode monitors the status of the tag and indicates the presence of the electronic tag system to the alarm system. The electronic alarm system can be any type of system that can monitor several different items and sound an alarm if any of the items is stolen, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,857 to Rand, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
The wire is optionally coated with a flexible sheath made of an elastomeric material.
The wire is preferably maintained in the aperture by an assembly comprising an upwardly extending wall surrounding the aperture on the anchor and having a slit along one side. The slit extends out to the edge of the anchor to allow the wire to be inserted in the aperture through the slit. There is an enclosure surrounding the diode. The enclosure has a lower portion extending through the aperture and disposed within the wall, and an upper bifurcated portion extending beyond the wall. A retainer cone surrounds the wire, above the wall. The retainer cone has an internal circumference slightly smaller than the circumference of the bifurcated portion of the enclosure, so that sliding the retainer cone over the enclosure squeezes the enclosure inward and holds the wire within the anchor. The lower portion of the enclosure has a longitudinally extending protrusion that fits within the slit in the wall to fill in the gap created by the slit and give added mechanical rigidity.
A bi-color LED may be mounted on the enclosure and connected to the security wire and diode to indicate the status of the system. One color, i.e., green, indicates that the tag and anchor are mounted and secure on a product. The other color, i.e., red, indicates that the tag or wire has been tampered with and indicates an alarm condition.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4000488 (1976-12-01), Ephraim
patent: 5146205 (1992-09-01), Keifer et al.
patent: 5172098 (1992-12-01), Leyden et al.
patent: 5699591 (1997-12-01), Kane
patent: 5821857 (1998-10-01), Rand
patent: 5936525 (1999-08-01), Leyden et al.
Deconinck Joseph
Rand Richard
Collard & Roe P.C.
Mullen Thomas
Protex International Corp.
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