초록 ▼

A simple trip-wire or magnetic circuit associated with a shipping container provides continuity, which is detected electrically. Simply, if continuity is disabled by a forced entry of the container, electrical detection means, such as a radio-frequency-identification (RFID) tag, will alert the owner

A simple trip-wire or magnetic circuit associated with a shipping container provides continuity, which is detected electrically. Simply, if continuity is disabled by a forced entry of the container, electrical detection means, such as a radio-frequency-identification (RFID) tag, will alert the owner or monitoring station. The trip-wire concept would require the replacing of a broken trip wire (resulting from forced entry), while the magnetic circuit concept can be reused repetitively. In a second embodiment a magnetic circuit and the detection device (RFID tag) are embedded into the shipping article during manufacturing. The preferred detection device, an RFID tag, could also be a battery backed transceiver type on which a replaceable or rechargeable battery could be mounted on the inside of the shipping container during manufacturing. The RFID tag would communicate with an interrogator unit, which could be connected to a host computer. The interrogator and/or the host computer and/or other alarm devices would then monitor the shipping container's status (opened or closed).

대표청구항 ▼

[ I claim:] [1.] For an apparatus having an aperture capable of being closed and opened by moving first and second closure members together and apart, respectively, an improved security device for signalling whether the aperture is opened, comprising:(a) an elongated electrical conductor having firs

[ I claim:] [1.] For an apparatus having an aperture capable of being closed and opened by moving first and second closure members together and apart, respectively, an improved security device for signalling whether the aperture is opened, comprising:(a) an elongated electrical conductor having first and second ends, the conductor extending between the two closure members and being attached to both the first closure member and the second closure member so that the two closure members cannot be moved apart more than a predetermined amount to open the aperture without breaking the conductor; and(b) an RFID transceiver, connected to the two ends of the conductor, including an electrical circuit for detecting when electrical continuity between the two ends of the conductor is broken and subsequently transmitting a radio frequency alarm signal.