This invention relates to a deactivator for a security tag, such as an EAS security tag. Background

The use of electrical article surveillance (EAS) tags in retail stores as a means of deterring theft when combined with the application of suitable entry/exit antenna is widespread and well known. These tags are available in a number of formats but the most widely adopted are Radio Frequency (RF) tags which operate in the radio frequency range of 2 to 10 MHz and Acousto-Magnetic (AM) which operate at a magnetic frequency of 58 kHz. A third format available is based on Electromagnetic (EM) tags which operate at a low electromagnetic frequency.

All EAS systems have three elements as follows:

1. EAS tags are attached to merchandise either by store staff or prior to arrival in store ("source tagged");

2. Deactivators and detachers are typically used at checkouts to deactivate or to remove tags prior to merchandise leaving the store;

3. Antenna units located at store exits are used to detect and signal (usually by means of an alarm) when active tags still attached to merchandise are taken through store exits.

Typically tags are presented in two forms. One of these is a "Soft Tag" which is an EAS tag which is applied as a label to products or packaging - these are designed to remain attached to merchandise and must be deactivated prior to the merchandise being removed from store. The second form is a "Hard Tag" which comprises a Soft Tag encapsulated within a typically plastic shell which is mechanically attached to merchandise (for example by a pin) or forms part of a security enclosure for the merchandise. These tags are designed to remain permanently active but must be physically removed from the merchandise using a special detacher before removal from store.

Whilst hard tagging presents a reasonable deterrent to store theft, there are a number of disadvantages to this format. These disadvantages particularly relate to the necessity to attach hard tags in store, physically remove them from products at store check-outs and then manage their collection, storage and re-application in store.

For these reasons many retailers prefer to use deactivatable Soft Tags on significant proportions of their merchandise and this is particularly advantageous when such Soft Tags are applied or "Source Tagged" prior to merchandise arriving in store. This approach provides retailers a particularly efficient, reliable and cost effective means of protecting merchandise, because the only required in store activity is a very rapid tag deactivation process at checkout.

A number of retailers, including major chains, are however unable to deploy a Soft Tag based approach because of the very high capital cost of purchasing and installing reliable Soft Tag tag deactivation equipment at each checkout within their store estate.

Simple, low cost deactivation devices are well know and widely available but these systems are not sufficiently reliable, particularly for major retail stores. The main cause of concern for retailers is that low cost devices do not deactivate tags reliably on merchandise being purchased by consumers. When tags are not deactivated reliably this leads to:

a) Unwanted sounding of the EAS antenna alarm when a consumer who has made a legitimate purchase attempts to leave the store through the system antenna - this leads to two issues:

i) Legitimate customers are apprehended and their purchases checked - this causes embarrassment for the customer and potential bad feeling towards the store;

ii) A potential decrease in interest from store staff where they realise that a very high proportion of alarms relate to failure of deactivation rather than attempted theft, particularly in larger stores, where false alarms become frequent. This can lead to a complete breakdown in any attention being paid to EAS system alarms, removing most of the benefit provided by applying EAS in-store.

b) Customers leaving stores with tags which have not been properly deactivated re- enter and leave the neighbouring stores of other retailers using similar EAS systems and cause similar false alarms in these stores. This common issue is widely known by retailers as "tag pollution".

In the case of AM EAS systems, a low cost means of deactivating tags is a simple magnetic pad. The tag is swiped across the pad to deactivate the tag. During the swipe, however, the deactivation is difficult to control consistently and the checkout operator can easily re- activate or fail to deactivate the tag without knowing whether the process has been successful. The checkout operator also receives no confirmation that they have correctly completed the deactivation procedure. A further issue with this simple device is that customers and, more importantly, would be thieves perceive the deactivation process to be apparently very simple and this can devalue what is otherwise a highly valuable deterrent effect of attaching a tag onto merchandise.

The use of a simple permanent magnetic pad to de-activate AM EAS tags for example, is known. These pads are, however, highly unreliable because: a) It is difficult to control deactivation and easy to either fail to de-activate a tag through poor contact of the tag with the pad (magnetic pads require full intimate contact with the magnetic surface unlike more costly electromagnetic field deactivators which can deactivate a tag some centimetres from the deactivation surface) or to re-activate whilst moving the tag across the pad surface and through its magnetic field. b) There is nothing to prevent a checkout operator placing a tag on a deactivator pad in an orientation in which insufficient vectored field strength is applied to the tag to demagnetise the tag. c) The checkout operator receives no confirmation that the deactivation procedure has been completed correctly.

Furthermore, the apparent simplicity and lack of deactivation confirmation devalues the system to customers and would be thieves, so that EAS tagging is perceived as ineffective and potentially easy for thieves to replicate. This can significantly undermine their otherwise valuable theft prevention effect.

The present invention seeks to control the deactivation process, and provide both visual and audible confirmation to a checkout operator when the deactivation procedure has been followed correctly, and reaffirms the apparent complexity of deactivation to customers and would-be thieves. The present invention may also seek to modify the characteristics of the magnetic field pattern on the pad to remove planes of insufficient vectored field strength.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a tag deactivator comprising a housing and a tag button which is depressible relative to the housing, and which comprises means for deactivating a tag.

The tag deactivator may comprise means for indicating that the tag button has been fully depressed and/or depressed for a predetermined period.

The said means for indicating may comprise a bulb which is illuminated when the tag has been depressed fully and/or for the said predetermined period. Alternatively or in addition, the indicating means may comprise an audible sounding device. The tag button and/or the housing may be sized to receive the tag with limited play, so that the tag is constrained to lie on the tag button substantially in a predetermined position and/or orientation.

The tag button may be provided with a substantially tag-shaped recess. The housing may be provided with an opening into which the tag button is depressed. The tag button may be pivotably connected at one end to the housing.

The means for deactivating the tag may comprise magnetic material. For example it may comprise a piece of magnetic sheet.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of deactivating a tag comprising locating the tag on a tag button of a tag deactivator pressing the tag onto the button so as to depress the button, and removing the tag from the tag button.

The step of depressing the button with the tag may comprise depressing the button until a visual and/or audible confirmatory signal is given by the tag deactivator. The method may further comprise the step of keeping the tag pressed against the tag button for a predetermined time before removing the tag from the tag button. The step of keeping the tag pressed against the tag button may comprise depressing the button with the tag until a visual and/or audible confirmatory signal is given by the tag deactivator.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tag deactivator comprising a housing and a tag deactivating element, the housing being provided with a formation which aligns a tag with the tag deactivating element.

In one embodiment, the device comprises a small permanent magnetic pad attached to a tag button which is designed to register a firm pressure and generate a click when downward pressure is applied. When a tag attached to merchandise is pressed down correctly onto a designated area of the pad, pressure switches either below the pad or incorporated into the pad register the correct completion of the deactivation procedure and sequence and these in turn activate a visual (for example green LED lights) or audible confirmation (a beeping sound) or combination of both to the checkout operator.

Use of the device in the above way ensures that the tag has made firm contact with the magnetic pad to reliably de-activate the tag in a single press down action and ensures that the operator does not subsequently re-activate the tag by moving the tag about on the pad. Furthermore, the whole control process can be achieved at very high speeds without causing any delays to the checkout process.

The visual and/or audible confirmations also re-affirm to customers and thieves alike that tags must be deactivated and furthermore give the impression that the deactivation process requires a complex electrical process to complete (rather than a simple magnetic pad).

The output signal from the device may be linked to the checkout or store system to provide either a register of deactivations completed or to confirm that merchandise carrying EAS protection has been deactivated as checkout is completed. Any items which are tagged but have not been processed correctly through the deactivator device can be displayed on screen for correction before the customer leaves the checkout.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a tag deactivator comprising a support structure and a tag deactivation pad, the tag deactivation pad being capable of deactivating a tag in proximity to one face only of the pad, and being pivotably mounted in the support structure about an intermediate portion of the pad, so that in use, the tag deactivation pad can be flipped over between an open position in which the tag deactivator face is exposed and a closed position in which the tag deactivator face is enclosed within the support structure.

The support structure may comprise a shop counter. The tag deactivation pad may be pivotably mounted to the support structure about a central portion of the tag deactivation pad. For example, it may be pivotably mounted in bearing housings, formed in an opening in a counter top.

The tag deactivator may be lockable in the open and/or closed positions. The tag deactivation face may be provided with a magnetic material.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tag deactivator comprising a housing and a tag deactivation pad, the tag deactivation pad comprising a pair of first mounting elements projecting to opposite sides of the tag deactivation pad at a first end of the pad, and a second mounting element at a second end of the tag deactivation pad, the tag deactivation pad being received between opposite side walls of the housing, a respective slot being formed through each side wall, the slots slideably receiving the pair of first mounting elements.

The tag deactivator may further comprise a first recess provided at a second end of the housing, which first recess is sized to accommodate the second mounting element. A second recess may be provided at a first end of the housing, which second recess is sized to accommodate the second mounting element.

Respective pairs of recesses may be provided in the side walls at each end of the housing.

The tag deactivation pad may be captive in the housing, due to permanent engagement of the first pair of mounting elements in the slots.

A further weakness of conventional simple magnetic deactivator pads relates to the directional nature of the magnetic field (corresponding to the direction of the flux between multiple magnetic dipoles (north poles and south poles) within the pad material. Typically in such a pad the poles are arranged in strips with the north and south poles of each strip on opposing faces of the pad.

The intended effect of placing a security tag (for example an AM tag) onto the pad is to demagnetise the tag so that it no longer resonates in response to the transmitted pulses generated by an EAS pedestal. Such tags are only however deactivated when sufficient magnetic field is applied in the correct direction to demagnetise the metal strips within the tag. Referring to Figure 5a, tags placed on the pad such that they are aligned to the vector between the magnetic dipoles are most strongly demagnetised when angle a = 0°. The effective strength of the magnetic field, however, decreases as tags are placed at an increasing angle from the vector between the dipoles until the tag is place perpendicular to the vector (a = 90°) when the effective strength is zero and no deactivation is possible. In practice, commercially available tags fail to deactivate reliably at an angle significantly less than 90°; this is a substantial flaw in their reliability in a retail environment where the direction in which the tag is placed on the pad is very difficult to control and depends on both operator preference, random factors and tag orientation on retail merchandise.

The ease with which tags can be demagnetised and therefore deactivated depends on their construction and the materials used. Experimentation with commercially available tags has shown for example that, with a 1.5mm thick flexible conventional ferrite magnetic pad more receptive tags (from manufacturer A) can be deactivated reliably if angle a ≤ 80° while less receptive tags (from manufacturer B) can only be deactivated reliably if a < 60°.

To overcome this flaw in conventional pads, this invention incorporates modification of the normal magnetic properties of a magnetic pad material to produce an alternating magnetic vector across the pad surface laid out such that wherever a tag is placed on the pad surface it will always be subjected to a sufficiently strong correctly aligned magnetic field to demagnetise a sufficient portion of the tag to achieve reliable deactivation. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a tag deactivator comprising a plurality of magnetic elements defining a deactivation pad, each magnetic element having an axis which extends between poles of the magnetic element, substantially in the plane of the pad surface, the axis of one of the magnetic elements not being parallel to the axis of another of the magnetic elements.

The axis of one of the magnetic elements may be perpendicular to the axis of another of the magnetic elements.

Magnetic elements having a first orientation relative to the deactivation pad may be arranged in a first strip and magnetic elements having a second orientation, different from the first orientation, may be arranged in a second strip. The strips may be side by side. The tag deactivation pad may comprise more than two strips, alternate strips being of different orientation. The axis of each magnetic element may be aligned diagonally relative to the strip of which it forms part. The axis of each magnetic element may be aligned at 30° to 60° to a longitudinal axis of the strip of which it forms part. In a particularly effective arrangement, the axis of each magnetic element may be aligned at 45° to a longitudinal axis of the strip of which it forms part.

For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a security tag deactivator; and

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principal internal components of the security tag deactivator.

Figure 3a is a cross section through a security tag deactivator; Figure 3b is a partial view of the tag button of a tag deactivator; Figure 4a is a side view of an alternative embodiment of tag deactivator;

Figure 4b is a side view of the tag deactivator of Figure 4a in an intermediate orientation;

Figure 4c is a side view of the tag deactivation of Figure 4a with the tag button in an inverted orientation.

Figure 5a is a schematic view of a prior art magnetic pad; and Figure 5b is a schematic view of a magnetic pad according to an aspect of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1 , a tag deactivator 2 comprises a hollow housing 4 in which is mounted a depressible tag button 6. The tag button 6 comprises a moulded plastic plate 8 which supports a sheet of magnetic material 10 and is suspended above a pressure switch (not shown) by means of one or more springs or resilient elements (not shown). In an alternative embodiment, the tag button may contact the pressure switch directly, and the return spring or resilient element in the switch may resist depression of the tag button and may act to restore the tag button to its rest position. The tag button 6 is captive in the housing 4 and cannot be released from the housing 4 without disassembling the tag deactivator 2. A red indicator light 14 and two green indicator lights 12, 16 are located on a display panel 18 adjacent to the tag button 6.

The housing 4 comprises a substantially rectangular back wall (not shown) substantially rectangular side walls 20 and substantially rectangular end walls 22. A front wall 23 of the housing comprises the display panel 18 and is provided with an opening 19 to accommodate the tag button 6.

Referring to Figure 2, the housing 4 also contains a power supply 26, an external communications device 28, a display light circuit 30, an audio circuit comprising a sound device 32, a timer circuit 34 and pressure pad circuits 35. Some of these components may be omitted where more limited functionality is appropriate for reasons of cost and to reduce complexity.

The components are connected in the device in a known manner and may be controlled by a microprocessor (not shown).

A lockable cover (not shown) may be connected to the housing to prevent access to the tag button 6, when the tag deactivator is not in use. Furthermore means may be provided to secure the tag deactivator 2 to a counter to prevent unauthorised removal of the tag deactivator 2. For example, the tag detector 2 may be screwed or otherwise fixed directly to a counter, or it may lock into a docking station which is permanently fixed to the counter.

In use of the device, an article with an activated security tag, such as an EAS tag, is brought up to a counter where the tag deactivator 2 is mounted. A checkout operator then locates the EAS tag on to the tag button 6, and depresses the tag button 6 with the tag, thereby operating the pressure switch beneath the tag button 6, which activates the timer circuit 34 together with the sound device 32 and the red light 14 on the display panel 18. The checkout operator keeps the tag button 6 depressed until the timer circuit 34 turns off the red light 14, turns on the green lights 12, 16 on the display panel 18 and activates the sound device again. This indicates to the checkout operator that the EAS tag has been deactivated. At the same time, the external communication device 28 is triggered, and sends a signal to the main store checkout system indicating that an EAS tag deactivation has been completed. As the checkout operator removes the tag from the tag button 6 the lights 12, 16 are turned off and the timer circuit 34 is reset, so that the tag on the next article can be deactivated in the same way.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), a mechanical sound generator is located beneath the tag button 6, so that when the tag button 6 is fully depressed by a tag the sound generator generates an audible sound, such as a click, indicative of successful deactivation of the tag.

Referring to Figures 3a and 3b, in an alternative embodiment the tag deactivator 2 is pivotably mounted in a support structure 40, which may comprise an opening 42 in a counter top 44, or may alternatively comprise the casing of a hand held device (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 4 of the tag deactivator 2 is provided with cylindrical bosses 46, 48 which project from opposite sides 50, 52 of the housing 4, and are rotatably mounted in bearing bores (not shown) formed in a side wall of the opening 42 in the counter top 44. Further locking bores 54, 55, 56, 57 are formed in the end walls of the opening 42 and in the ends of the housing 4, respectively. Locking bolts 58, 60 are slidably received in these locking bores 54, 55, 56, 57 and are each provided with a rack 62, 64 on one side. A splined key (not shown) is provided to engage the racks 62, 64 directly, when inserted through bores 66, 68 which are formed through the counter top 44 in a direction perpendicular to a line of action FF of the locking bolts 58, 60. When the tag deactivator 2 is in use, the housing 4 assumes the orientation illustrated in Figures 3a and 3b, with the sheet of magnetic material 10 exposed and substantially flush with an upper surface of the counter top 44, and with the locking bolts 58, 60 located in the locking bores 54, 55, 56, 57. When the tag deactivator 2 is not in use, and it is desirable to prevent unauthorised use of the tag deactivator 2, the splined key is inserted into each bore 66, 68 in turn, and is rotated to retract the locking bolts 58, 60 from the locking bores 55, 57. An end of the housing 4 or tag pad 6 can then be pushed to flip the housing 4 over. To lock the housing 4 in position, the splined key is then rotated in the opposite direction in each bore 66, 68 in turn, thereby extending the locking bolts 58, 60 into the locking bores 55, 57. The key can then be removed for safe keeping. As the tag deactivation pad 6 is not exposed in this orientation, the tag deactivator 2 cannot be used and cannot be removed or tampered with.

It is to be understood that other forms of support and other locking means for the housing 4 in the opening 42 are contemplated. For example, the locking bolts may be retractable into the housing 4 rather than the counter top 44, and may be replaced by one or more mortise locks using conventional keys.

In an alternative embodiment, illustrated in Figures 4a to 4c the tag deactivator comprises a housing 104 and a tag deactivation pad 106 capable of deactivating a tag in proximity to one face 105 only of the pad 106. The pad 106 is pivotally mounted at one end in the housing 104 by engagement of first bosses 170 formed on the pad 106 into respective slots 172 formed in side walls 174 of the housing 104. Recesses 176, 178 are formed in the side walls 174 adjacent opposite ends of the slots 172. The recesses 176, 178 are adapted to receive second bosses 180 which project from opposite sides of the pad 106. The tag deactivator pad 106 is shown in the "open" position in Figure 4a, in which the tag deactivator pad face 105 is exposed to the outside of the housing 104. In this orientation, the first bosses 170 are located in the ends of the respective slots 172 and the bosses 180 are located in the recesses 176.

Referring to Figure 4b, in order to move the tag deactivator pad 106 from the "open" position to a "closed" position in which the tag deactivator face 105 is enclosed within the housing 104, the end of the tag deactivator pad 106 adjacent the boss 180 is lifted up, thereby removing the end of the tag deactivator pad from the housing 104, and causing it to pivot about the bosses 170. At the same time as the tag deactivator pad 106 is raised at one end, pressure is applied to the opposite end to cause the bosses 170 to slide along the slots 172 until the bosses 170 abut the opposite ends of the slots 172 and the bosses 180 engage in the recesses 178, as illustrated in Figure 4c. In this orientation, the tag deactivator face 105 is enclosed within the housing 104, so that the tag deactivator cannot be used.

In this way, the tag deactivator pad 106 can be flipped over between an open position in which the tag deactivator face 105 is exposed and a closed position in which the tag deactivator face 105 is enclosed within the housing 104. The housing 104 and the deactivation pad 106 may also be provided with a pair of electrical connections (not shown) which engage to power the pad 106 from the housing 104 when the deactivation pad 106 is flipped into the open (in use) position and disengaged when the pad 106 is flipped into the closed position. The housing 104 or the deactivation pad 106 may also be provided with a locking device (not shown) to prevent the deactivation pad from being moved from the closed to open position without a coded key.

In this embodiment, the tag deactivator pad 106 is provided with a pair of bosses 180. However it will be appreciated that the device would work successfully with a single boss and corresponding recess which could be formed in the side wall or end wall of the housing 104. Indeed, the boss 180 could be omitted altogether, and suitable shelves or shoulders (not shown) formed inside the housing 104. Alternate ends of the tag deactivator pad 106 could rest on these shoulders in the open and closed positions. In the illustrated embodiments, the tag deactivator 2 comprises a magnetic device 10, but it is contemplated that the invention could be used with other forms of security device deactivator, such as a tag deactivator which emits and/or receives electromagnetic radiation.

Referring to Figure 5b, the sheet of magnetic material may be formed from conventional multiple pole ferrite magnetic material. For example, it may be formed from solid sintered magnetic material or rubberised magnetic strip material. The material may be from 0.5 to 5.0mm thick and may be cut into approximately 2 to 20mm wide strips 202, 204. These strips 202, 204 may be cut at an angle of between +30° and +60° (202) and at an angle of between -30° and -60° (204) to a longitudinal axes x-x of the strips 202, 204 and are then laid up accurately into a channelled nest or groove 206 in a backing pad 208 to reproduce the same alternating pattern. The strips 202, 204 can be laid so that consecutive strips are aligned south to north or north to south without impairing performance.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment which provides high reliability in deactivation, the material may be from 1.5 to 2.0mm thick and may be cut into approximately 10mm wide strips 202, 204. Furthermore, the strips 202, 204 may be cut at an angle of +45° (202) and - 45° (204) to the longitudinal axis X-X of the strips 202, 204.

In use, a tag T placed in any position over this alternating magnetic field pattern will always be subjected to a sufficiently strong, correctly aligned magnetic field over a sufficient portion of it's body length for reliable deactivation regardless of position and/or orientation of the tag T on the pad. To avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and repetition of text in the specification, certain features are described in relation to only one or several aspects of embodiments of the invention. However, it is to be understood that, where it is technically possible, features described in relation to any aspect or embodiment of the invention may also be used with any other aspect or embodiment of the invention.