HK1132566B - Door with integral antenna - Google Patents

Description

Door with integrated antenna

Technical Field

The present invention relates to antennas, and more particularly to doors having antennas integrated within their door frames so that the doors with embedded antennas can be installed at exits/entrances of facilities to provide surveillance without the antennas being visible.

Background

In surveillance systems, an antenna, such as an EAS ("electronic article surveillance") antenna or RF (radio frequency) antenna, transmits an interrogation signal that is received by a tag, such as a radio frequency id (rfid) or magneto-acoustic tag, located on merchandise within a facility. The tag sends a corresponding signal back to the antenna. Thus, the interaction between the antenna and the tag establishes an interrogation zone of the security system that is capable of providing its merchandise to the facility (e.g., retail store). Conventional surveillance systems include an antenna that is typically located on a base that is positioned near the entrance of a store. However, small store owners often do not want the pedestals because they take up much space and have an unappealing aesthetic appearance.

One attempted solution to the above-mentioned problems faced by small retail stores is to hide the coils of the transmitter and receiver in the floor, walls and/or ceiling. This enables the retailer to take advantage of valuable floor, wall and/or counter space while still maintaining the merchandise security system. However, a problem that often arises with such attempted solutions is the prohibitive construction costs associated with embedding the coils in existing structures. Even if the store owner is willing to pay for these costs, construction, for example, is sometimes not allowed in rental situations, non-ground locations, or in a store under strict construction regulations.

Other attempted solutions include loop antennas routed around doorways or loop antennas mounted externally on the door frame. Each method has inherent problems. With the former approach, routing the loop antenna around the doorway involves digging into the floor, resulting in undesirable construction costs, while the latter attempt results in unsightly open lines. Attempts such as these are not feasible because they do not integrate the antenna sufficiently into the store's decor to make the antenna as invisible as possible. Furthermore, installing such antennas is difficult and expensive, can damage the floor of the store, and does not provide an efficient and effective surveillance system.

Thus, there is a need for a door that integrates an antenna into the door construction so that the antenna is hidden from obvious view, and that enables a manufacturer to customize an "antenna ready" door at the time of construction, adding system electronics at a later time when needed, without causing significant damage, time consuming, and/or expensive construction costs.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention addresses deficiencies in the art with respect to antenna location and placement. An antenna, such as an EAS or RF antenna, transmits an interrogation signal that is received by a tag on an article located within a detection range (i.e., an "interrogation zone"). The tag sends a corresponding signal back to the antenna. The antennas used in these types of merchandise surveillance systems are typically floor mounted on a base. The base takes up much space that is typically used to hold merchandise and is aesthetically unpleasing. In this regard, a door and method for constructing a door are provided in which an antenna coil is routed through a channel in a door frame to be completely or partially hidden from view. A store owner may purchase an "antenna ready" door, install such door and connect other components of the system to the wiring of the embedded antenna. In this way, the antenna wires can be hidden from view within the door, thereby removing an unsightly base and increasing the space on the door and/or wall.

According to one aspect, a method is provided for constructing a door having an embedded antenna therein. The method comprises the following steps: providing a door; one or more channels are included within the door, wherein each channel is sized to retain at least a portion of an antenna; and inserting at least a portion of the antenna into the one or more channels.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a door is provided having an embedded antenna therein. The door includes one or more antenna retention channels, wherein at least one channel is sized to retain at least a portion of an antenna.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The aspects of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a pair of wooden doors with embedded antennas in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a pair of metal doors with embedded antennas in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a pair of glass doors with embedded antennas in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along section A-A in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is an alternative cross-sectional view taken along section A-A in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a pair of metal doors with overlapping antenna loops and embedded capacitor plates; and

fig. 7 is an illustration of a pair of metal doors with overlapping wire loops so that the capacitor plates are remotely located.

Detailed Description

The present invention advantageously provides a door and a method of constructing a door configured to include a channel or guide channel, wherein the guide channel includes one or more wires of an antenna that is part of a merchandise surveillance system. Referring now to the drawings in which like reference designators refer to like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 an apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally as "10". The apparatus 10 includes a pair of doors 12 and 14. Doors 12 and 14 may be of any size and material and may be located anywhere within the facility. In one embodiment, doors 12 and 14 are located near an entrance/exit location in a facility (e.g., a retail store). Each of the doors 12 and 14 includes one or more channels 16 therein. The channel 16 is configured as part of the interior of the door such that the channel 16 is sized to retain the antenna wire 18 such that the antenna wire 18 is hidden from view or at least partially obscured. For illustrative purposes only, FIG. 1 shows two doors 12 and 14. The present invention is not limited to the number or location of doors. Antenna 18 may be, for example, an EAS antenna that may be used in a magneto-acoustic tagging system, an RF antenna for an RFID tagging system, or any other type of antenna capable of sending a communication signal to a tag, where the tag is capable of detecting an incoming signal.

The antenna 18 is part of a monitoring system for monitoring activities within the facility. The antenna 18 may be configured as a transceiver antenna with an associated controller (not shown) that provides control and switching to switch from a transmit function to a receive function at predetermined time intervals. Those skilled in the art will recognize that there may be separate transmit and receive cables within the antenna 18. The antenna 18 emits electromagnetic signals that cover a particular interrogation zone within the facility. Inside a facility, such as a retail facility, various markers are placed on items or assets to be protected in an interrogation zone. If the tag is not removed from or deactivated prior to entering the interrogation zone, the electromagnetic field generated by antenna 18 will cause a response from the tag. The response is received by the receive cable or transceiver cable of the antenna 18.

In FIG. 1, a pair of wooden doors 12 and 14 include channels 16 containing antenna loops 18. Channel 16 may be created by routing a path within the door frame of doors 12 and 14. In this embodiment, each door 12 and 14 includes two antenna wire loops 18, as shown in phantom in fig. 1. The embedded antenna wire 18 need not be provided in the configuration shown in fig. 1. For example, a single channel 16 may be provided at the periphery of each door, resulting in a single embedded antenna loop 18 within each door. Other orientations of the antenna loop 18 are also within the scope of the present invention. Doors 12 and 14 may be purchased with a passageway 16 already included therein. The retail store may require one or more doors with a particular aisle path depending on the needs of the store, i.e., the size of the interrogation zone required and the number of antenna wires required to properly monitor the interrogation zone. After the store receives the door with the passageway 16 therein, the store may then insert the antenna wire 18 into the passageway 16, or have a third party perform the process, or simply purchase the door 12 and/or 14 with the antenna wire 18 already embedded therein.

From any angle, the doors 12 and 14 do not readily expose the embedded antenna wire 18, or, in another embodiment, the doors 12 and 14 obscure a portion of the antenna 18. Because the antenna wires 18 are hidden inside the door frame, the result is an attractive aesthetic appearance, rather than mounting the wires 18 on a base instead, which is unsightly and can be difficult and costly to install when space is limited. The wooden doors 12 and 14 shown in FIG. 1 are merely illustrative, and the invention is not limited to wooden doors or doors of a particular material.

For example, a pair of metal doors 12 and 14 incorporating features of the present invention are shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, each door 12 and 14 includes a pair of wire loops 18 therein. Each ring 18 is routed through a channel 16 in each gate. The channel 16 in the metal doors 12 and 14 may be formed, for example, by extrusion of the door 12 and door 14 frame assembly. In this example, the channels 16 are routed around the perimeter of each door frame. Unlike typical wooden doors that do not include any windows or other openings therein, each of the metal doors 12 and 14 may include a window 20. Thus, to hide the antenna wires 18 from view, the antenna wires 18 are routed in channels 16 provided within the perimeter of each door 12 and 14. The perimeter of each door 12 and 14 is opaque so that the antenna 18 is hidden from view. An air gap 22 is typically provided within the door frame of the metal doors 12 and 14 to prevent the antenna 18 from inducing a current in the metal door frame, which would adversely affect the performance of the monitoring system.

Fig. 3 illustrates the present invention for glass doors 12 and 14. The antenna wires 18 are again routed inside the doors 12 and 14 so that they are not visible or at least partially obscured. The glass doors 12 and 14 are typically comprised of opposing glass panes. Thus, for example, door 12 is comprised of opposing glass panes with an air gap therebetween. The glass panes form the front and rear of the door 12. An antenna coil 18 is routed within the channel 16 and between each glass pane. The same principle can be used for the glass door 14. In an alternative embodiment, an acrylic sheet may be inserted into the glass door frame and the antenna 18 embedded within the acrylic sheet.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along section a-a in fig. 1-3. Fig. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which a single antenna coil 18 is routed and hidden in a corresponding channel 16 within the frame of doors 12 and 14. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a cross-section of door 12 is shown along line A-A, as shown in FIG. 1. The door frame 22 includes a series of longitudinal channels 16. Within each channel 16 is a single antenna coil 18. Thus, each antenna coil 18 is hidden within a corresponding channel 16 and embedded in the door frame 22, at least partially hidden from view.

Fig. 5 is an alternative cross-sectional view taken along section a-a in fig. 1-3. In this embodiment, a single cable assembly 26 is inserted into a single slot 24, as shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, only one slot 24 is required in door frame 22. It is within the scope of the present invention to include a plurality of slots 24 in door frame 22. The cable assembly 26 may include all of the antenna wires 18 of the monitoring system. In this case, a single slot 24 is routed within door frame 22. In the case of a glass door, one glass pane, including the slot 24 and the cable assembly 26 therein, is sandwiched between opposing glass panes.

Fig. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, a pair of antenna loops 18 is shown; one inside door 12 and one inside door 14. However, in this embodiment, there is an overlap between the upper wire loop 18A in the doors 12 and 14 and the lower wire loop 18B in the doors 12 and 14. This example demonstrates the flexibility of the invention. The channels 16 may hold antenna wires 18 from different EAS antenna loops, and/or may include more than one wire.

Included in the door 12 is an embedded resonant capacitor plate 28, as shown in fig. 6. Capacitor plate 28 may be embedded anywhere in doors 12 or 14, such as being recessed within a separate slot 24 included in the door frame of each door. The capacitor plate 28 may be hidden from view, similar to the embedded antenna 18. In an alternative embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, the capacitor plate 28 is not embedded within the door 12 or 14, but is instead disposed at a different location, proximate the door, but still in electrical communication with the embedded antenna wire 18.

The capacitor plate 28 need not be physically close to the embedded antenna coil 18. The capacitor plate 28 typically includes one or more resonant capacitors connected in parallel or series with the antenna 18. The merchant may choose not to embed the plate 28, but instead place the plate 28 in a position near the door 12, after weighing the cost of embedding the capacitor plate 28 within the door 12 against the physical limitations of the interrogation zone. If the capacitor plate 28 is to be embedded in the door 12, the capacitor plate 28 may be placed in its own recess 24 or in an existing recess 24 or in a channel that also includes other portions of the antenna 18.

The present invention relates to a method for constructing a door 12 having at least a portion of an antenna 18 embedded in its doorframe. For example, a store owner may wish to install a surveillance system to monitor marked items throughout the store. A store owner may order a door 12 or a set of doors 12 and 14 to be installed at an entrance or exit area of the store. A door 12 with an embedded antenna 18 may be ordered. The door 12 is configured to include one or more channels 16, wherein each channel 16 is sized to accommodate one or more antenna coils 18, and possibly other portions of the antenna 18 such as a resonant capacitor plate 28. The channel 16 is provided within the frame 22 of the door 12, such as by routing, extrusion, etc., and portions of the antenna 18 are inserted therein such that the antenna 18 is hidden or at least partially obscured from view. The door 12 may be of any material such as, but not limited to, glass, aluminum, and/or wood, among others. After the door 12 is shipped to the store, it can be installed near the store entrance and have the embedded antenna 18 electrically connected to the other components of the surveillance system without any need for damaging construction.

The present invention therefore advantageously provides an apparatus and method that enables a facility, such as a retail store or the like, to install such a monitoring system: wherein the antenna 18 is hidden from view or at least partially obscured within the door 12 near the store entrance or exit location. Specifically, the present invention provides a door having one or more recesses or channels 16 contained within a door frame 22. At least a portion of the antenna 18 is inserted into the channel 16. In one embodiment, a resonant capacitor plate 28 is also embedded within a slot 24 in the frame 22 of the door 12. In another embodiment, capacitor plate 28 is not embedded in door 12, but is instead placed in a separate location in electrical communication with embedded antenna 18.

Significantly, this invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and accordingly, reference should be had to the following claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.

Claims (13)

1. A method for constructing a door having an embedded antenna therein, the method comprising:

providing two glass doors having opposing glass panes as a pair of doors in opposing relation adjacent an entry/exit location in a facility;

one or more channels contained within the door, each channel sized to retain at least a portion of an antenna; and

inserting at least a portion of the antenna into the one or more channels and between the glass panes, no portion of the antenna being visible after insertion into the one or more channels,

and the method further comprises inserting the resonant capacitor plate within the recessed slot of the door.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more channels are disposed in a periphery of the glass door.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more channels is sized to hold a plurality of antenna coils.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more channels is sized to hold a single antenna coil.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna is part of an EAS interrogation system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna is part of an RFID interrogation system.

7. A glass door having an embedded antenna therein, the glass door being a pair of doors in opposing relation adjacent an entry/exit location in a facility, the glass door comprising:

an opposing pane of glass;

one or more antenna retention channels, wherein at least one antenna retention channel is sized to retain at least a portion of the antenna,

wherein at least a portion of the antenna is interposed between the glass panes, no portion of the antenna is visible, and

at least one antenna retention channel is sized to retain a portion of the resonant capacitor plate.

8. The glass door of claim 7, wherein the one or more antenna retention channels are disposed in a perimeter of the glass door.

9. The glass door of claim 7, wherein each of the one or more antenna retention channels is sized to retain a plurality of antenna coils.

10. The glass door of claim 7, wherein each of the one or more antenna retention channels is sized to retain a single antenna coil.

11. The glass door of claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more antenna retention channels accommodates a plurality of antenna coils.

12. The glass door of claim 7, wherein the antenna is part of an EAS interrogation system.

13. The glass door of claim 7, wherein the antenna is part of an RFID interrogation system.