Shopping cart theft prevention system

A system for preventing theft of a device from a substantially confined area, the area having at least one entrance and exit passageway, the system comprising:

• triggering means mounted on the device;
• passageway substantially buried below the surface of the sensor means for generating a signal in response to passage of the device with the triggering means over the sensor means, said sensor means extending generally transversely with respect to and substantially completely across the passageway;
• means for issuing a warning in response to the signal generated by said sensor means;
• wherein said triggering means comprises a magnet and said sensor means comprises an elongate, magnetically responsive, actuator means activated upon passage of a device having a magnet at any point along the width of the passageway;
• wherein the magnetically responsive actuator means comprises a protective outer shell member and a plurality of elongate reed switches arranged in an end to end relation within the shell member, said reed switches being electrically connected in parallel such that said strip generates the signal upon passage of a device having a magnet over any one of the reed switches;
• wherein the actuator means is buried below the surface of the passageway generally parallel to the surface;
• means at the entrance and exit passageway for transmitting the signal generated by said sensor means above the surface and means for receiving the transmitted signal and issuing the warning in response thereto at a remote location from the entrance and exit passageway;
• and
• means for latching the signal generated by said sensor means to provide sufficient time for generating the power necessary to operate said transmitting means.