1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to a security tag and a security system for use therewith. More particularly the present application relates to a tamper resistant security tag and a security system utilizing a perimeter detection feature to establish warning and breach zones to help prevent theft.
2. Description of the Art
Over the years, many companies and individual retail stores have tried to increase the security of products in a retail setting while at the same time making the products sufficiently available to customers in order to encourage purchase of those products. Various approaches have been applied to preventing theft, however, all of these approaches have problems.
Perhaps the simplest approach is to lock valuable items up, in a display case, for example, and require customers to seek the assistance of store personnel in order to take a closer look at the merchandise. However, this approach makes the merchandise not readily accessible to the customer, and thus, may tend to discourage sales of the product. Further, this system does not address the problem of employee theft either, since it is the employees who have the keys to the storage cases. Thus, this system, while simple in implementation, has significant drawbacks.
Another approach is the use of surveillance cameras throughout the store to monitor activity for potential theft. However, in a large store many cameras would be necessary in order to observe all areas of the store. Many security personnel would be necessary to monitor the visual information provided by the cameras. In addition, in most stores there will still be areas that are uncovered or difficult to cover with security cameras, thus there are problems with this system as well.
Another approach is to provide a security tag that is attached to the product or its packaging that is used to trigger an alarm if the merchandise is removed from the store in an unauthorized manner. In this approach, products need not be locked up in display cases and stores need not rely exclusively on security cameras. In some cases, the security tag is a source tag, which is typically a small relatively soft security tag attached to, or placed within the packaging of the product. These tags typically trigger an alarm when they pass one or more sensors near the exit of a store. One problem with these tags is that they are typically rather small and often are hidden in, or on, the merchandise. As a result, there is no obvious visual indication of their presence. This lack of a visual deterrent may embolden potential thieves and thus encourage theft. In addition, if the source tag is detected by a thief, it is typically not difficult to remove from the merchandise.
In another approach, reusable hard tags may be attached to the merchandise and/or the packaging thereof. These tags tend to be larger than the source tags described above and thus are visible to prevent theft. In addition, these tags are also typically securely fastened to the merchandise in some manner such that they are difficult to remove. These tags typically include circuitry that emits a response signal in response to an interrogation signal transmitted near the exit of the store. The response signal is then received by receivers at the exit and an alarm sounds. However, since it is very obvious that these tags are in use, thieves commonly utilize some form of shielding to prevent the transmission of the response signal to the receivers. Typically, the response signal is a relatively low power signal and is not difficult to block. One such shielding method is the use of so called “booster bags” which are lined with a shielding material that blocks either the interrogation signal or the response thereto and thus prevents the alarm from sounding.
Another a problem with both the source tag and the hard tag is that the alarm is not triggered until the security tag and the merchandise are almost at the exit of the store. Thus, there is little or no time for security personnel in the store to react to the alarm to prevent the theft. That is, these tags do not allow any sort of intra-store tracking or security monitoring until the merchandise is already on its way out of the store.
Further, conventional security systems for use with such conventional security tags also have certain shortcoming. For example, as noted above, there is typically only one area in which the security tags trigger an alarm and this area is typically very close to the exit to the store. However, by the time the alarm is triggered, the merchandise is so close to the exit of the store, store employees have little time to react to stop the merchandise from being removed from the store. Even where stores have multiple exits and thus multiple alarm are used, the alarm is typically triggered too late for store personnel to stop the theft.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a security tag and security system for use therewith that avoids the problems noted above.