Bar code symbol reading system employing EAS-enabling faceplate bezel

A bar code symbol reading system for use in conjunction with an electronic article surveillance (EAS) subsystem interfaced with a host computer system, said bar code symbol reading system comprising:

• a housing having a light transmission window covered by an optically transparent faceplate having outer dimensions closely matched to said light transmission window;
• a bar code symbol reading subsystem, disposed in said housing, for optically reading bar code symbols on bar-coded products that are passed in front of said optically transparent faceplate, and generating symbol character data for each bar code symbol read by said bar code symbol reading subsystem;
• a faceplate bezel having a front surface, a rear surface, and a rectangular shaped aperture having dimensions closely matched to the outer dimensions of said optically transparent faceplate, and a base portion which extends from a bottom portion of said faceplate bezel and has a front surface and a rear surface as well, and a recessed cavity formed in said rear surface of said base portion;
• and
• a groove formed in the rear surface of said faceplate bezel, extending all around said rectangular shaped aperture, and at a depth sufficient to recess at least a first coil of electrically conductive wire embedded in said groove, and having terminals that terminate at said recessed cavity and which are connected to an electrical interface circuit mounted within said recessed cavity;
• wherein said electrical interface circuit is connected to a flexible EAS cable extending from said electrical interface circuit towards electrical drive circuitry associated with said EAS subsystem, for powering said first coil during EAS tag deactivation operations controlled by said host computer system;
• and
• wherein said first coil generates an electromagnetic EAS field in the vicinity of said optically transparent faceplate, for deactivating an EAS tag on a purchased product presented within a 3D code reading volume, during EAS tag deactivation operations.