GB2323835A - Telescopic security container and closure releasing device. - Google Patents

Abstract

A security container for preventing theft of articles from shops comprises a body 4, a closure 6 and a security tag 18. The closure is self-locking and only removable by use of the correct tool (Figs. 4 and 5). The container is designed to be re-usable and so it is not damaged when the closure is removed. In its preferred form the container is formed of two telescoping sections which define a variable storage volume. Locking of the two parts is achieved by engagement of grip members (28, Fig. 2) provided on the body with grip members 50 provided on the closure. Release of the grip members is achieved by use of a tapered cylinder adapted to fit between the body and closure which causes the grip members to disengage. This is aided by the provision of displaceable fingers 24 on the body portion. The container is preferably formed from clear polycarbonate and is cylindrical in shape.

Description

SECURITY CONTAINER The present invention relates to containers, particularly but not exclusively to containers for ensuring the security of products prior to purchase.

It is well known that products such as clothing and electrical equipment may be provided with security tags to prevent, or at least indicate, their unauthorised removal from a controlled area. If a product provided with a security tag is removed from a controlled area without authorisation, then sensors located at the exits of the controlled area sense the security tag and activate an alarm. Since the security tag cannot be readily removed from the product without the product being significantly damaged, the visible presence of the tag is usually sufficient to deter a potential thief.

A problem associated with the aforementioned security system results from the need to physically attach a tag to the product to be protected. In circumstances where the product is particularly small or delicate, the attachment of a security tag is often not practical. For example, a conventional security tag cannot be securely attached to a roll of wallpaper border without the wallpaper being damaged when the tag is removed. Furthermore, any security tag attached to the roll may be easily removed and discarded by a potential thief, allowing the roll to be removed from a controlled area undetected.

It is an object of the present invention to provide convenient and inexpensive means for preventing the unauthorised removal of small or delicate articles from a controlled area.

A first aspect of the present invention provides a container comprising a body, a closure and a security tag; the body defining a storage space adapted to receive an article and an opening providing access to the storage space; the closure being moveable between a closed position in which access to the storage space through the opening is prevented and an open position in which access to the storage space through the opening is permitted, wherein movement of the closure from the closed position to the open position is prevented by locking means and is permitted without damage to the container by use of a releasing device.

A small or delicate article, such as a roll of wallpaper border, may be thereby provided with a conventional security tag by enclosing the article within the container of the present invention. Once the closure is located in the closed position, removal of the article from the container is not possible without the use of a suitable releasing device, and thus, the unauthorised removal of the article from a controlled area will result in the activitation of an alarm. When removal of the article has been authorised, for example, once the article has been purchased, the container may be opened using a releasing device held by an authorised person.

The article may be then separated from the security tag and removed from the controlled area without activating any security alarms.

Preferably, the closure defines a storage space adapted to receive an article and an opening providing access to said storage space. Furthermore, it is desirable for the body and the closure to define a single storage space comprising the storage spaces of the body and the closure when the closure is in the closed position.

It is also preferable that the body and the closure are telescopically mounted to one another when the closure is in the closed position. The position of the closure relative to the body may also be telescopically adjustable when the closure is in the closed position. The external dimensions of the container may be thereby varied according to the size of the article held so as to conserve storage space.

The locking means preferably comprises a grip member located on the closure and a grip member located on the body, the grip member of the closure being adapted to engage the grip member of the body when the closure is in the closed position. Each grip member may incorporate an engaging surface extending substantially perpendicularly to the path taken by the closure when moving from the closed position to the open position. Furthermore, it is preferable for the body to be provided with a plurality of finger members located about the body opening.

The body and the closure preferably have a cylindrical shape. It is also desirable that the security tag is attached to an interior surface of the body by means of adhesive, or alternatively, embedded within the structure of the body.

The body and the closure may be manufactured from a plastics material, preferably clear polycarbonate, using injection moulding techniques.

A second aspect of the invention provides a releasing device for use with a container according to the first aspect of the invention, the releasing device comprising a releasing member adapted to be received between the closure and the body of the container when the closure is in the closed position. The releasing member is preferably cylindrical in shape and it is desirable for one end of the releasing member to have a smaller diameter than the other end.

The present invention has the advantage over the prior art of providing means for indicating the unauthorised removal of small or delicate articles from a controlled area. This is achieved by the provision of previously unknown means for uniting a conventional security tag with an article.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a container according to the first aspect of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-section view of the body of the container of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the container of Figure 1 in use; Figure 4 is a side view of a releasing device according to the second aspect of the present invention; and Figure 5 is a side view of the releasing device of Figure 4 in use with the container of Figure 1.

The embodiment of the first aspect of the invention shown in Figure 1 provides a container 2 having a body 4 and a closure 6. The body 4 has a cylindrically shaped side wall 8 depending from the periphery of a circular base wall 10. The upper portion 12 of the side wall 8 defines a body opening 14 (see Figure 2) which, when in use, allows access to a storage space 16 defined by the walls 8,10 of the body 4.

A conventional security tag 18 is securely attached to the base wall 10 in such a manner that prevents removal ofthe security tag 18 from the body 4 without the body 4 being severely damaged. The security tag 18 may be attached to the base wall 10 with an adhesive or other suitable means.

The upper portion 12 of the side wall 8 is provided with a plurality of cuts 20 extending parallel to the longitudinal axis 22 of the body 4. The plurality of cuts 20 define a plurality of fingers 24 having free ends 26 which may be displaced in a radial direction. A plurality of grip members 28 is provided on an interior surface 30 of the side wall 8 below the plurality of fingers 24. The grip members 28 are provided as annular projections having a sliding surface 32 and an engaging surface 34. The sliding surface 32 extends from the interior surface 30 at an angle 36 of approximately 300. The engaging surface 34 is arranged perpendicularly to the interior surface 30.

The closure 6 of the container 2 has a cylindrical side wall 38 depending from the periphery of a circular base wall 40. The lower portion 42 of the side wall 38 defines a closure opening 44 providing access to a storage space 46 defined by the walls 38,40. An exterior surface 48 of the lower portion 42 is provided with a plurality of grip members 50. Each grip member has a sliding surface 52 and an engaging surface 54. The sliding surface 52 is orientated to the side wall 38 at an angle 56 of approximately 300. The engaging surface 54 is arranged perpendicularly to the side wall 38.

Both the body 4 and the closure 6 of the container 2 is manufactured from clear polycarbonate using conventional injection moulding techniques. However, alternative materials and manufacturing techniques may be employed as required.

In use, an article 58 to be secured within a controlled area may be securely held within the container 2 and thereby provided with a security tag. The article 58, such as a rolled section of wallpaper border, is secured within the container 2 by firstly placing the article 58 within the storage space 16 of the body 4 and then pressing the lower portion 42 of the closure 6 through the body opening 14. The outer diameter of the closure side wall 38 is such that the closure 6 may be telescopically received by the body 4 whilst ensuring interaction of the body and closure grip members 28,50. As the closure 6 is received by the storage space 16, the article 58 is received through the opening 44 and into the storage space 46 of the closure 6. The closure 6 is pressed into the body 4 until either the lower portion 42 abuts the base wall 10 of the body 4 or the base wall 40 of the closure 6 becomes proximal to the article 58. This adjustment of the container 2 ensures that storage space is not unnecessarily wasted.

As the closure 6 is telescopically pressed into the body 4, the sliding surfaces 32 of the body 4 ride over the sliding surfaces 52 of the closure 6.

Longitudinal movement of the closure 6 out of the body 4 is prevented by the abutment of the engaging surfaces 34 provided on the body 4 with the engaging surfaces 54 provided on the closure 6. Removal of the article 58 from the container 2 is therefore prevented and the article 58 is thereby securely provided with a security tag and protected from unauthorised removal from a controlled area. Although the article 58 is retained within a container, the clear polycarbonate material from which the container 2 is manufactured allows the article 58 to be adequately viewed by a potential purchaser.

The embodiment of the second aspect of the invention shown in Figure 4 provides a releasing device having a base member 60, a support member 62 and a releasing member 64. The release member 64 is substantially cylindrical in shape having an inner diameter sufficiently large to allow the passage of the closure 6 and an outer diameter sufficiently small to allow the release member 64 to be received by the body opening 14. Furthermore, the release member 64 is tapered so that the inner and outer diameters of a lower portion 66 of the release member 64 are greater than the inner and outer diameters of an upper portion 68 of the release member 64. The releasing device may be manufactured from a metal material or any other suitable material.

In use, the releasing device allows the closure 6 of the container 2 to be removed from the body 4 by separating the respective grip members 28,50 of the body 4 and closure 6 (see Figure 5). This is achieved by pushing the closure 6 through the upper portion 68 of the release member 64 until this upper portion 68 abuts the upper portion 12 of the body 4. The plurality of fingers 24 provided on the body 4 are displaced as necessary to ensure the reception of the upper portion 68 of the release member 64 within the body opening 14. Once the release member 64 is located within the opening 14 of the body 4, the body 4 is pressed over the release member 64 and moved towards the lower portion 66. This process is assisted by the tapered profile of the release member 64 and results in the separation of the body grip members 28 from the closure grip members 50. Once all the grip members 28,50 have been separated, the closure 6 may be withdrawn from the lower portion 66 of the release member 64 and removed.

In practice, the releasing device may be located at the point of sale so that an article may be conveniently released from the container once sold. The container may then be re-used.

The invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above.

Alternative arrangements and suitable materials will be apparent to a reader skilled in the art. For example, the security tag 18 may be either partially or completely embedded in the moulding of the body 4, rather than attaching the security tag 18 to the surface of the body 4 by means of an adhesive. Furthermore, the security tag 18 may be attached to or embedded in the closure 6.

Claims (16)

CLAIMS:

1. A container comprising a body, a closure and a security tag; the body defining a storage space adapted to receive an article and an opening providing access to the storage space; the closure being moveable between a closed position in which access to the storage space through the opening is prevented and an open position in which access to the storage space through the opening is permitted, wherein movement of the closure from the closed position to the open position is prevented by locking means and is permitted without damage to the container by use of a releasing device.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure defines a storage space adapted to receive an article and an opening providing access to said storage space.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the body and the closure define a single storage space comprising the storage spaces of the body and the closure when the closure is in the closed position.

4. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body and the closure are telescopically mounted to one another when the closure is in the closed position.

5. A container as claimed in claim 4, wherein the position of the closure relative to the body is telescopically adjustable when the closure is in the closed position.

6. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the locking means comprises a grip member located on the closure and a grip member located on the body, the grip member of the closure being adapted to engage the grip member of the body when the closure is in the closed position.

7. A container as claimed in claim 6, wherein each grip member incorporates an engaging surface extending substantially perpendicularly to the path taken by the closure when moving from the closed position to the open position.

8. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body is provided with a plurality of finger members located about the body opening, each finger member having a free end adapted to be displaced laterally so as to enlarged the body opening.

9. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body and the closure have a cylindrical shape.

10. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the security tag is attached to an interior surface of the body by means of an adhesive, or alternatively, embedded within the structure of the body.

11. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the body and the closure are manufactured from a plastics material, preferably clear polycarbonate.

12. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

13. A releasing device for use with a container according to any of claims 1 to 12, the releasing device comprising a releasing member adapted to be received between the closure and the body of the container when the closure is in the closed position.

14. A releasing device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the releasing member is cylindrical in shape.

15. A releasing device as claimed in claim 14, wherein one end of the releasing member has a smaller diameter than the other end.

16. A releasing device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.