A dual security tag including an RFID component and an electronic article surveillance (EAS) component, respectively disposed on opposite sides of a PET carrier substrate, is provided. The RFID component may include one or more ultra-high frequency antennae, such as a near field loop antenna and a far field dipole antenna, and an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The EAS component may be provided as an RF device, an acoustic-magnetic (AM) device, a low power Bluetooth (BLE) device, or other suitable device. The security tag may also include a facesheet affixed to the RFID component, a release liner layer affixed to the EAS device, and one or more intermediary films or protective layers. A method for manufacturing a dual security tag is also described.

Disclosed are combination radio frequency identification (RFID) and electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags and methods of producing such tags using a converting machine. The method is characterized by feeding a first roll carrying first type inlays and a second roll carrying second type inlays into a converting machine; and, transferring, using the converting machine, the first type inlays to a surface of the second type inlays, thereby forming a two-layer tape carrying pairs of first and second type inlays, each of the pairs comprising an RFID inlay and an EAS inlay, wherein there is no overlap of an RFID antenna element of each RFID inlay and an EAS antenna element of a paired EAS inlay, and wherein the RFID inlay and the EAS inlay of each pair are functionally independent.

Methods and apparatus for detecting the retention of a car key by a customer after return of a rental car are disclosed. A plurality of RFID tags having a common identifier are attached to the rental car keys. The shuttle bus or other facility exit is equipped with a detection portal configured to detect a RFID tag having the common identifier and provide a signal upon detection of the RFID tag to a monitor that provides an alert upon receipt of the signal.

A system determines an electronic product code (EPC) and a checksum read from a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag. The system calculates a new checksum based on the EPC and a retailer-specific number associated with a retailer that owns one or more RFID tags. The system compares the new checksum with the checksum read from the RFID tag, and determines whether the RFID tag is owned by the retailer based on whether the new checksum matches the checksum read from the RFID tag.

RFID devices are provided for improving the performance of electronic surveillance article systems. The RFID devices may be modified in any of a number of ways to decrease their peak sensitivity and increase their bandwidth, thereby stabilizing their read range. The performance of an RFID device will depend on the nature of the article to which it is associated, such that the nature of the article to which the RFID device is to be associated may be factored into the design of the RFID device to equalize the performance at an operating frequency of RFID devices associated with different articles. By reducing the peak sensitivity and increasing the bandwidth of RFID devices in an electronic article surveillance system, the size of a transition zone between two read zones of the system may be reduced.

A self-tuning RFID device having an input capacitance that is adjustable in response to a detected signal. The self-tuning RFID device preferably comprises a variable capacitance RFID chip coupled to an inductor, and an input circuit driven by the detected signal from the variable capacitance RFID chip. A change in capacitance with the detected signal is delayed by a specific amount of time, thereby allowing the self-tuning RFID device to function as a dual mode EAS and RFID tag. The ESA functionality can be deactivated by a high field at or near its resonance frequency without disabling the RFID functionality. The effect of the high field may change the input capacitance permanently changing its resonance.

Aspects of the present disclosure include methods, systems, and non-transitory computer readable media for receiving a confirmation signal to unlock the security tag from being locked to a merchandise, transmitting a RFID signal to the RFID device associated with the security tag to enable a controller to receive a release signal used to unlock the security tag from the merchandise, and transmitting the release signal to the controller to unlock the security tag from the merchandise.

A theft deterring system includes a power tool with a motor connectable to a power source, a switch connected to the motor, a controller controlling to the switch for controlling an amount of power provided to the motor, and a state circuit having a memory for storing a state value. The controller activates the switch to provide power to the motor when the state value stored in the memory equals a desired value. The system may also include a tag programmer for changing the stored value.

Various arrangements for remote sensing using cross-circular polarization are presented. In some embodiments, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) emitter is present that emits circular-polarized RF (Radio Frequency) waves having a first polarization. A circular-polarized passive RFID tag may be present that is configured to receive, modulate, and output circular-polarized RF waves that have a second polarization opposite from the first polarization.

A radio frequency identification (RFID) system first interrogates, in a first mode, one or more particular target zones of the plurality of target zones including a given target zone. Each particular target zone is interrogated with one of the antennas at a time at a first power for the particular target zone. The RFID system monitors, upon first interrogating, for a trigger condition to occur. In response to the trigger condition not occurring, the RFID system continues the first interrogation in the first mode. In response to the trigger condition occurring, the RFID system second interrogates the given target zone in a second mode at a second power with a plurality of the antennas. The second power for the given target zone is greater in an aggregate across the second interrogating antennas than the first power for the given target zone.