An electronic article surveillance (EAS) device for monitoring items comprises an electronics housing and an elastic band. The band is attached to the housing and is used to install the EAS device onto an item. A tension monitoring apparatus monitors the band and generates a signal based on the band's state of tension. Electronics within the housing receive this signal and use it to determine the status of the EAS device, i.e. installed, armed, tampered with, etc. Loss of tension may indicate a cut band or removed EAS device. Other sensors may also generate inputs for the electronics to evaluate. These include an installation sensor to monitor contact between the housing and an item and an arming switch to arm the EAS device before installation. The EAS device may have wireless communication capabilities, and external devices may arm and disarm the device with wireless communication.

In an aspect, the present disclosure includes a system for detecting metal foil using millimeter wave (mmWave) for retail applications. The system comprises one or more pedestals positioned to define an exit portal leading to a point of exit, one or more security tag readers, fixedly positioned with the one or more pedestals, configured to read data from a security tag passing through the exit portal and one or more mmWave receivers, fixedly positioned near the point of exit, configured to receive one or more reflected mmWave beams from metal foil, wherein the detection of metal foil results in an alert message.

An EAS system first transmits a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogation signal into an RFID interrogation zone of an EAS system. The system then first receives at least one RFID response signal from a first RFID tag of the system responding to the interrogation signal. The system second transmits a non-RFID RF signal into a second zone. The second zone and the RFID interrogation zone overlap to form a zone of interest. The system second receives, from the first RFID tag, an indication that the first RFID tag received the second transmission. The system determines, based on receiving both the RFID response signal from a first RFID tag and the indication that the first RFID tag received the second transmission, that the first RFID tag is in the zone of interest.

A computer-implemented method includes receiving, by a base station of a security system, an identification of a shipment package, the identification received from a first security sensor that is part of the security system. The method further includes adding, by the base station, a shipment device of the shipment package as a second security sensor of the security system. The method further includes configuring, by the base station, the shipment device in protect-mode, wherein the shipment device sounds an alarm in response to the shipment being displaced by at least a predetermined distance when in the protect-mode. The method further includes reconfiguring, by the base station, the shipment device in safe-mode in response to receiving, from a customer associated with the shipment package, a confirmation signal that the shipment package has been safely received.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to merchandise security systems and methods for displaying and protecting items of merchandise from theft. A merchandise security system and method according to the invention includes at least one tag and a plurality of nodes positioned within a display area. The plurality of nodes are operable for determining a location of the tag. The wireless beacon tracking system further includes a server operably associated with the plurality of nodes for receiving information related to the location of the tag.

This disclosure describes techniques to count objects across multiple zones of arbitrary shapes. The techniques include operations comprising: detecting an object in a first zone of a plurality of zones of an area; determining that the object has moved from the first zone to a second zone of the plurality of zones; determining that movement of the object from the first zone to the second zone fails to satisfy a zone transition criterion for updating a count value and time criterion; and in response to determining that the movement of the object from the first zone to the second zone fails to satisfy the zone transition criterion, preventing the count value from being updated.

This disclosure describes, in part, systems for enabling physical retail stores and other facilities to implement automated-checkout techniques for the purchase of items that are priced per unit weight. For example, the described systems may enable a facility to implement technology where users are able to remove items from inventory locations, place the items on weight sensors, and then be charged for the prices of the items without performing manual checkout of the items. The price of an item is determined based at least in part on the identifier of the item and the price per unit weight of the item. The systems described herein thus enable customized retail facilities, as opposed to a retail facility that allows automated-checkout only for prepackaged-type or otherwise non-customizable merchandise.

In one aspect, a computerized smart doorbell method comprising: with at least one server of a merchant electronics data interchange (EDI) system: sending a first electronic communication to a destination customer smartphone, wherein the first electronic communication comprises one or more authentication items comprising an order tracking number and a delivery personnel identifier ID; and sending a second electronic communication comprising the order ID, an item ID and an estimated time of delivery to a logistics entity server-side system; detecting that a delivery entity related to the logistics entity has arrived with the item at an address of the destination customer; with a delivery-side handheld scanning application in a delivery entity mobile device managed by the logistics entity server-side system, scanning an anti-theft tag located on a package of the item; automatically sending a delivery personnel ID and a delivery tracking number of the item to the EDI system from the delivery-side handheld scanning application in a third electronic communication; detecting the delivery personnel ID matches with the order ID; with the destination customer smartphone, activating the smart doorbell system to send the address of the destination customer to the delivery-side handheld scanning application via the EDI system in a fourth electronic communication; with the delivery-side handheld scanning application implementing a near field communication (NFC) handshaking operation between the delivery-side handheld scanning application and the smart doorbell system; with the smart doorbell system, obtaining the address of the destination customer and sending the address of the destination customer to the merchant EDI system with a fifth electronic communication; with the merchant EDI system, receiving the address of the destination customer from the fifth electronic communication and validating that the item has been delivered to address of the destination customer; with the delivery-side mobile device, implementing a second handshake, wherein the second handshake comprises sending a JSON message to the smart doorbell system with an instruction to take a digital picture of the item in a delivered state and the digital picture of the item is electronically communicated in a sixth electronic communication as a proof of delivery the EDI system; and with EDI system, sending a seventh electronic communication to the destination customer smartphone and the delivery entity mobile device, wherein the seventh electronic communication comprise a text message stating success of the delivery of the item at the destination address.

Systems and methods for detecting potential theft and identifying individuals having a history of committing theft use an electromagnetic emission associated with a personal electronic device associated with an individual is received from at least one of a sensor that is coupled to at least one of a traffic camera or an aerial drone camera. One or more signal properties of the electromagnetic emission are analyzed to determine an emission signature. Video data and video analytics are correlated with the emission signature to identify the individual having possession of the item. The emission signature and video data are stored for later use during a checkout procedure. If an emission signature detected at a checkout station matches that of the individual having possession of the item, and the item is not processed through the checkout station, an alert is issued and the individual is flagged as a potential shoplifter.

Exemplary embodiments include a wireless computing network to automatically provide digital serialization of a plurality of objects, the network including a plurality of wireless nodes located in a physical space, each of the plurality of wireless nodes configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other wireless node in the network in a secure manner and affixed to a physical object in the physical space via any attachment means, utilize data received from a vision-based system to provide a unique digital identity for the physical object upon which it is affixed and transmit information regarding the physical object upon which it is affixed to a portable wireless computing device.