A security tag including a flexible member that can be formed into a loop to attach the security tag to an article. A security tag comprises: a main body comprising a casing that comprises a first aperture proximate a first end wall and a second aperture proximate a second end wall; an elongate flexible member, a first end of the flexible member extending through the first aperture; a releasable locking mechanism in the main body and associated with the second aperture, the locking mechanism configured to retain a second end of the flexible member; and two electronic article surveillance sensors within the casing, the sensors on opposite sides of a plane disposed halfway between the first and second apertures. When the second end of the flexible member is retained in the casing by the locking mechanism, a centre of gravity of the main body lies in the plane.

This invention relates to a security tag for use in a retail environment. In particular this invention relates to a security tag including a flexible member or lanyard that can be formed into a loop to attach the security tag to an article. A security tag comprises a main body comprising a casing having opposite first and second end walls; an elongate flexible member for securing around an object, a first end of the flexible member being connected to the main body; a releasable locking mechanism in the main body, the locking mechanism configured to retain a second end of the flexible member within the casing such that a part of the flexible member external to the casing forms a loop, the locking mechanism being releasable by application of a magnetic force such that the second end of the flexible member can be withdrawn from the casing; and two electronic article surveillance (EAS) sensors housed within the casing, a first one of the sensors being proximate the first end wall of the casing and a second one of the sensors being proximate the second end wall of the casing.

An item loss prevention system for protecting from the loss of items from a user, and more specifically to an electronic device utilizing a wireless connection between a remote unit attached to an item, such as a set of one or more keys, and a host or belt unit attached to the user, to prevent the loss of the item. The system includes magnetic sensors between the item and the belt, which are Hall type magnetic sensors, coupled with an accelerometer. With the additional input from the accelerometer, an alarm activates when the item, such as a key, is separated at a distance from the belt or host unit. Additionally, the key unit can attach to an unpairing station to re-set the remote unite for re-pairing to another host unit.

An electronic theft-preventing system, including a first and a second multi-axis magnetometer and configured to output first and second vector signals representing movement of first and second magnetic field vectors; and a signal processor receiving the first and second vector signals, and configured to determine a multi-dimensional transformation, in accordance with optimization of a difference between the second vector signal and a compensation signal; wherein the compensation signal is generated from a transformation of the first vector signal in accordance with the multi-dimensional transformation; and generate a compensated second vector signal from the second vector signal and the first compensation signal. Determining that a detector signal meets a predefined criterion; and in response to at least the determining that the detector signal meets the predefined criterion, raising or forgo raising an alarm that warns about a possible theft-related event.

A resonator comprising a magnetoelastic body having a mass load portion and an active resonating portion can be used in implementations such as a security tag. The resonator includes a mass at the mass load portion of the magnetoelastic body. Displacement of the magnetoelastic body is configured to occur at both the mass load portion and the active resonating portion. A strain at the active resonating portion during displacement is configured to be greater than a strain at the mass load portion during displacement.

A folded coil label and associated methods of making a folded coil label are provided. On example folded core label may include a core, a coil, and a capacitor. The coil may be wrapped around the core and connected to the capacitor to form a resonant circuit. The coil may be formed of angled traces wrapped around the core to form turns of the coil, and each angled trace may be electrically and physically connected in series to an adjacent angled trace to form a helical structure of the coil.

Example implementations include a method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for electronic article surveillance (EAS), comprising transmitting concurrently, an acousto-magnetic (AM) interrogation signal into an AM interrogation zone of an EAS system, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogation signal into an RFID interrogation zone of the EAS system, the AM interrogation zone and the RFID interrogation zone overlapping to form a zone of interest. The implementations further include indicating, by the EAS system, a presence of a first tag of the EAS system in the zone of interest upon a concurrent detection of both an RFID response signal of the first tag in response to the RFID interrogation signal and an AM response signal of the first tag in response to the AM interrogation signal.

The present invention describes a tag comprising a magnetic element in the form of a microwire of 80-250 microns with giant magnetoimpedance which, when joined to an object, allows for the wireless detection of same by modulating the reflectivity of the microwire. Detection is performed by using a system that emits an electromagnetic wave that has a frequency between 1 and 20 GHz and a low frequency magnetic field (0.01-50 Hz), and detects the modulation of the reflectivity of the microwire. Thus, objects at distances greater than 1 m can be detected.

Aspects of the present disclosure include methods, apparatus, and systems for deactivating an AM tag including receiving a deactivation signal via a first inductive coil, storing electrical charges generated from the deactivation signal in a capacitor, and discharging the electrical charges through a second inductive coil, wherein: a first bias strip in the demagnetized state and a second bias strip cause a resonator to vibrate at a first resonant frequency corresponding to an activated state of the AM tag, the discharging magnetizes the first bias strip from a demagnetized state to a magnetized state, and the first bias strip in the magnetized state and the second bias strip cause the resonator to vibrate at a second resonant frequency different than the first resonant frequency, wherein the resonator vibrating at the second resonant frequency corresponds to a deactivated state of the AM tag.

A resonator comprising a magnetoelastic body having a mass load portion and an active resonating portion can be used in implementations such as a security tag. The resonator includes a mass at the mass load portion of the magnetoelastic body. Displacement of the magnetoelastic body is configured to occur at both the mass load portion and the active resonating portion. A strain at the active resonating portion during displacement is configured to be greater than a strain at the mass load portion during displacement.