Patents by Inventor Ronald B. Easter

Ronald B. Easter has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20040145477
    Abstract: A cordless handheld EAS tag deactivator is provided. The deactivator is housed in a portable handheld housing. An antenna is attached to the housing. The antenna is adapted for transmission of an electromagnetic field, which deactivates EAS tags within the field. An electronic circuit is connected to the antenna to generate the electromagnetic field. A battery contained within the housing is connected to the electronic circuit to power the generation and transmission of the electromagnetic field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2003
    Publication date: July 29, 2004
    Inventors: Ronald B. Easter, Robert J. Dostal, Steven V. Leone
  • Publication number: 20040100385
    Abstract: A reusable EAS tag that is detachable from an article by placing the EAS tag in proximity to a detaching device is provided. The tag includes an energy coupler, a micro-actuator, and a clamping mechanism. The detaching device transmits a signal to the EAS tag to signal detachment, which is received by the energy coupler. The energy coupler converts the energy from the transmitted signal to electrical energy and delivers the electrical energy to the actuator. The actuator converts the electrical energy to mechanical energy to actuate the clamping mechanism and release the tag's locking or clamping mechanism for removal of the tag from the article to which it is attached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2002
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Inventors: Norm Hansen, Gary Mark Shafer, Ronald B. Easter, Dennis Hogan, Roy Hannes, Douglas A. Narlow, Sergio Perez, Wing Ho
  • Patent number: 6700489
    Abstract: A cordless handheld EAS tag deactivator is provided. The deactivator is housed in a portable handheld housing. An antenna is attached to the housing. The antenna is adapted for transmission of an electromagnetic field, which deactivates EAS tags within the field. An electronic circuit is connected to the antenna to generate the electromagnetic field. A battery contained within the housing is connected to the electronic circuit to power the generation and transmission of the electromagnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald B. Easter, Robert J. Dostal, Steven V. Leone
  • Publication number: 20030146838
    Abstract: Magnetic security tags/labels require to be activated/deactivated by magnetic/demagnetization and to enable this to be effected in bulk, with tagged products packed in a crate or stacked on a pallet, the invention proposes the provision of bulk magnetization/demagnetization coils generating a powerful magnetic field which is applied to the crate or pallet with a particular orientation which ensures that regularly shaped (e.g. rectangular) packages packed/stacked together and each carrying a security tag/label will each be subjected to a magnetic field component directed appropriately for magnetization/demagnetization of the respective tag/label irrespective of the particular orientation of the tag/label on the particular package.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2003
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Inventors: David G Rhys Jones, Paul G Cox, Ronald B Easter
  • Patent number: 6396455
    Abstract: An EAS activation/deactivation antenna in accordance with the invention comprises a core; a coil arrangement having at least two coils spirally wrapped about the core, the first coil having a first rotational direction and the second coil having a rotational direction counter to the first rotational direction; and, a current source operatively connected to the coil arrangement. In consequence of the inventive arrangement, a decaying or steady state, alternating or direct current supplied by a current source can excite the coil arrangement to produce a significant near magnetic field and a reduced far magnetic field, for activation or deactivation of EAS markers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Reuel Andrew Ely, Ronald B. Easter
  • Patent number: 6181249
    Abstract: A device for deactivating a magnetomechanical electronic article surveillance (EAS) marker includes a deactivation coil array and a coil driving circuit. The coil driving circuit repetitively energizes the deactivation coil array according to a predetermined timing to generate a magnetic field for deactivating the EAS marker. The driving circuit includes at least one storage capacitor, circuitry for charging the at least one storage capacitor and a switching circuit for selectively forming a resonant circuit which includes the storage capacitor and at least some of the coils of the coil array to generate a ring-down signal in the coils. A timing circuit controls the switching circuit to generate the ring-down signal repetitively at the predetermined timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Steven R. Maitin, Ronald B. Easter
  • Patent number: 5907465
    Abstract: A device for deactivating magnetomechanical EAS markers includes a storage capacitor and a coil for generating a deactivation field. A bridge arrangement of four switches interconnects the coil with the storage capacitor and with circuit ground. The switches are controlled to apply a train of DC pulses to the coil such that the pulses have alternating polarities and decreasing amplitudes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Ronald B. Easter
  • Patent number: 5781111
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention there is provided an apparatus for deactivating electronic article surveillance tags comprising a deactivation coil, a capacitor, charging means for charging the capacitor to a predetermined level, and an electronic switch connected to the capacitor and the deactivation coil so that when the switch is open the capacitor can be charged by the charging means and when the switch is closed the capacitor can discharge through the deactivation coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald B. Easter, Steven W. Embling
  • Patent number: 5493275
    Abstract: A deactivator for deactivating electronic article surveillance tags includes a deactivating coil, drive circuitry controllable for supplying driving signals to the deactivating coil, a reference signal generator for generating a reference signal having preselected characteristics varying with time, a comparator for comparing characteristics of the driving signals with the reference signal characteristics, and a control unit for controlling the drive circuitry in accordance with signal comparisons effected by the comparator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1996
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Ronald B. Easter