Tamper resistant security tag

摘要

Security tag includes a housing and a movable locking element. A latch within the housing is resiliently biased toward the movable locking element and movable responsive to a magnetic field between a locked position and an unlocked position. A guide structure is arranged to constrain movement of the latch. The latch and the guide structure are cooperatively arranged to ensure an engagement that will disrupt a motion trajectory of the latch occurring when the housing is subjected to a physical impact. Consequently, the latch is selectively inhibited from moving fully from the locked position to the unlocked position when the housing is subjected to the physical impact.

主权项

1. A tamper-resistant security tag comprising:
a housing; a locking element movably disposed within the housing; a latch disposed within the housing and movable responsive to application of a magnetic field between a locked position, in which movement of the locking element is prevented by the latch, and an unlocked position, in which movement of the locking element is unrestricted by the latch; a resilient member arranged to resiliently bias the latch in a direction toward the locked position; a guide structure within the housing arranged to constrain a movement of said latch; a first disrupter structure formed on the latch; a second disrupter structure formed on a portion of the guide structure at a location in which the first and second disruptor structures are at least partially aligned with each other when the latch is in the locked position; wherein said first and second disrupter structures each have a respective shape and position which in combination are configured to disrupt a motion trajectory of the latch as it moves from the locked position toward the unlocked position in response to the housing being subjected to a physical impact, whereby the latch is selectively inhibited from moving fully from the locked position to the unlocked position when the housing is subjected to the physical impact, and to selectively facilitate at least a portion of an unlocking movement of the latch in which said latch transitions fully from the locked position to the unlocked position in response to an applied magnetic field.