U.S. patent number 3,668,681 [Application Number 05/112,600] was granted by the patent office on 1972-06-06 for antitheft merchandise display system.
Invention is credited to Selwyn Kaplan.
United States Patent |
3,668,681 |
Kaplan |
June 6, 1972 |
ANTITHEFT MERCHANDISE DISPLAY SYSTEM
Abstract
A multiplicity of pedestals, each individually locked to a ring
or other article of merchandise, each receivable in a socket in a
jewelry box or other display apparatus with a resistor in each of
the pedestals. The resistors in a particular system desirably
differ among themselves in value of their resistance. When the
pedestals are all inserted in their sockets, their resistors form
one leg of a Wheatstone bridge circuit to balance the bridge and
illuminate a pilot lamp to indicate that the system is in
operation. Removal of one of the pedestals, or the substitution of
a pedestal having a resistor of incorrect value, will unbalance the
Wheatstone bridge circuit and thereby extinguish the pilot lamp and
illuminate a warning signal lamp, which, unless extinguished by
switch means under the operator's control, remains lighted until a
pedestal having the proper resistance is replaced. The pedestal has
a rectangular cross section for properly orienting the ring with
respect to the jewelry box, and has a hook with an extended leg
which is threaded into a fastener rotatable relative to the
pedestal, to move the hook toward and away from the pedestal to
releasably lock the ring to the pedestal.
Inventors: |
Kaplan; Selwyn (Los Angeles,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
22344811 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/112,600 |
Filed: |
February 4, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
340/537; 340/652;
340/568.8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08B
13/1463 (20130101); G08B 13/1454 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G08B
13/14 (20060101); G08b 013/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;340/280,285 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Caldwell; John W.
Assistant Examiner: Swann, III; Glen R.
Claims
1. An antitheft merchandise display system for the display of
individual articles of merchandise or the like, which permits the
individual article to be removed for inspection by the customer and
then replaced by the customer after inspection, such system
comprising:
a support means having at least one socket therein;
a pedestal for each socket, each locked to an individual article of
merchandise, each pedestal being receivable in a socket and having
therewithin an element having an electrical characteristic of
predetermined value;
electrical characteristic sensing means in said support means
responsive to the electrical characteristic of the element when a
pedestal is in a socket; and
indicating means operated by the sensing means for indicating that
each
2. The invention as defined in claim 1, additionally including a
second indicating means, operated by the sensing means when the
first indicating means is not operating, for indicating that a
pedestal has been removed from the socket, or that a pedestal whose
element has a value different
3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the electrical
characteristic of the element is impedance, and
wherein the pedestal and the socket have mating electrical
contacts, the electrical contacts of the pedestal being connected
to the element, and the electrical contacts of the socket being
connected to the sensing
4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein the element is a
resistor, and the sensing means is responsive to the predetermined
value of the
5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein a plurality of
sockets are provided in the support member, and
wherein the sensing means senses the predetermined value of the sum
of the electrical characteristics, permitting the pedestals to be
placed in the
6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein the electrical
characteristic is impedance, and
wherein the pedestal and the socket have mating electrical
contacts, the electrical contacts of each pedestal being connected
to its element, and the electrical contacts of the sockets being
connected with each other and
7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the pedestal
includes a body with an upper end for contacting the article, and a
lower end sized to mate with the socket, said element being mounted
in the body adjacent said lower end, and
means are provided in said body adjacent the upper end for
releasably
8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein the socket is of
rectangular cross section, and the pedestal lower end has a mating
rectangular cross section, and the body and the socket are provided
with mating male and female contacts located along the major center
line of the rectangle, and
9. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein the releasable
locking means includes:
hook means for hooking the article of merchandise to hold the
article, and
rotatable locking and unlocking means in the pedestal for moving
the hook means towards the pedestal in response to rotation in one
direction to lock the article to the hook means, and for permitting
the hook means to be moved away from the pedestal in response to
rotation in the opposite
10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein the article is a
ring, wherein the hook means has a hook end for passing through the
ring, said hook end having two legs, one of which is extended and
threaded, wherein the pedestal has a hollow body with an opening
therein through the top wall for receiving the extended leg, and
wherein the rotatable locking and unlocking means is a threaded nut
engaging the threaded leg.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electrical alarm system, and more
particularly to such a system to indicate article placement or
removal.
In all business involving retail selling, shoplifting is becoming
an ever increasing problem and an ever increasing expense to the
retail seller. The problem of shoplifting is particularly apparent
in the selling of jewelry because fine jewelry is very expensive
and is readily disposed of despite its being stolen, is very small
and easily concealed by a would-be thief, and its value is not
immediately apparent to the eye so that less expensive jewelry can
be easily substituted for more expensive jewelry to delay detection
that a theft has occurred. The aforementioned reasons make the
provision of an antitheft device a highly desirable investment for
jewelry stores.
However, these facts plus the fact that any such antitheft device
must also permit the jewelry protected thereby to be sold makes the
provision of such a device difficult. In the sale of jewelry and
especially rings, the appearance of the jewelry is of primary
importance and the customer's entire decision to buy may be based
upon the appearance of the ring on his hand. In order to judge the
appearance of such jewelry the customer must be able to remove the
jewelry and try it on, with complete freedom so that he will be
able to pursue his tastes uninhibited.
Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a
novel antitheft merchandise display system.
Other and additional objects of this invention are to provide such
an antitheft merchandise display system which indicates that all
articles are in place, to provide such a system which permits the
individual article to be removed for inspection by the customer,
and then replaced by the customer after inspection, to provide such
a system which indicates the substitution of a foreign article, to
provide such a system where the order of the articles may be
interchanged without affecting the operation of the system, and to
provide such a system where an article when sold can be removed
from its mounting pedestal and the pedestal replaced to restore the
system to normal condition.
Generally, the antitheft merchandise display system according to
this invention includes support means having at least one socket
therein, a pedestal for each socket, each pedestal having reliably
locked thereto an individual article of merchandise, each pedestal
being receivable in one of the sockets and having therewithin an
element having an electrical characteristic of predetermined value;
electrical characteristic sensing means in said support means to
sense whether each of the sockets has received therein a pedestal,
and indicating means operated by the sensing means for indicating
that correct pedestals are in the sockets. The system may include a
second indicating means operated by the sensing means to indicate
that a pedestal and the article locked thereto have been removed
from the socket or that a foreign pedestal, having an element with
an incorrect electrical characteristic, has been inserted into one
of the sockets. The pedestal and socket may have mating electrical
contacts connected to the element, and the element may be a
resistor with the sensing means being responsive to a predetermined
value of resistance of the resistors. The pedestal may have an
irregular polygonal cross section and the socket may be provided
with a mating opening. The pedestal may be provided with releasable
locking means including a hook for holding the article of
merchandise and rotatable locking and unlocking means such as a
threaded fastener for moving the hook toward and away from the
pedestal to lock the article of merchandise thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the antitheft
merchandise display system according to this invention showing a
portion of a jewelry box with one of the sockets therein empty and
another socket therein containing a pedestal to which a ring is
locked.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the
plane II--II of FIG. 1, and showing a pedestal received within a
socket.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the plane III--III of FIG.
2.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view looking upwardly along the plane IV--IV
of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary electrical circuit
which may be used in the sensing means of the system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawing and particularly to FIG. 1, the
antitheft merchandise display system according to this invention is
indicated generally at 10, and protects articles of merchandise 11
and here illustratively shown as a ring 12 including a setting 13
and a band 14.
System 10 includes support means or display panel 15 having sockets
18 formed therein, pedestals 20 including hook means 30 (see FIG.
2) for holding the article of merchandise 11 to the pedestal,
locking and unlocking means 35 for releasing the hook means 30, and
electrical component or element 40, electrical characteristic
sensing circuitry in a housing indicated generally at 45 responsive
to the electrical characteristic of the element 40, and indicating
means such as small lamps 56 and 57 operated by the sensing
means.
As seen in FIG. 1, the support means 15 is shown exemplary as being
a jewelry box 16 having a decorative upper plate 17 secured
therein, in which sockets 18 are recessed.
Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, each pedestal 20 has an upper
body 21 desirably molded of a lightweight plastic material and
including sidewalls and a top wall defining a downwardly open
cavity 22. The long sidewalls provide a side marking surface 23
suitable for marking the price or grade of the item of merchandise
11 attached to the particular pedestal 20. An aperture 24 extends
from the cavity 22 through the upper wall 25 of the upper body 21.
A dimple or recess 26 is located in the upper surface 25 adjacent
to the aperture 24. Pedestal 20 is provided with hook means
indicated generally at 30 for securing the merchandise 11 or rings
12 thereto. In the preferred embodiment the hook means 30 includes
an arcuate hook end 31 having a short leg 32 for insertion into the
dimple 26 and a long threaded leg 33 extending downwardly through
aperture 24. The hook end 31 extends around the lower portion of
band 14 of ring 12 to engage the ring and hold it to the upper
surface 25 of the pedestal 20. To maintain the ring in stable
upright position, a small recess or groove 27 may be formed in the
upper surface of wall 25 to receive the lowermost arcuate portion
of the ring band 14. The engagement of legs 32 and 33 into dimple
26 and aperture 24 respectively prevents ring 12 from being removed
from the pedestal.
Means are provided for releasably locking hook 30 in its position
seen in FIG. 2, such means being here shown as including nut 37
threaded on leg 33 within cavity 22. For added strength of the
assembly the pedestal may have embedded or molded therein an
apertured metal insert 36 against which nut 37 bears when the
assembly is locked. Unscrewing the nut several turns, as by a
suitable wrench inserted upwardly in the cavity when the pedestal
has been removed from its socket, serves to permit the ring and
hook to be moved upwardly, thus releasing ring band 14 from arcuate
hook 31.
Disengageable electrical connector means are provided in the bottom
of each socket and in the lower portion of each pedestal. Such
means are here shown as including a pair of upstanding prongs 51
and 52 in the bottom of the socket, best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, and
mating female jacks 41 and 42 carried by the pedestal and adapted
to make electrical contact with prongs 51 and 52 respectively. The
electrical component 40 previously mentioned is here shown as a
resistor having leads 43 and 44 connected to female jacks 41 and 42
respectively. As best seen in FIG. 4, the prongs and jacks are
preferably symmetrically disposed on the socket and pedestal
respectively, in order to permit insertion of the pedestal in a
socket with either major side wall facing to the front of the
display panel, as desired by the user. Also, as seen in FIGS. 2 and
4, resistor 40 is offset laterally within cavity 22 oppositely to
the lateral offset of threaded leg 33, to permit access to nut 37
threaded thereon. As seen in FIG. 3, prongs 51, 52 have attached
thereto leads 53, 54 for connection to other parts of the
electrical sensing circuitry to be now described.
FIG. 5 shows illustrative circuitry by which to sense the combined
resistance of the pedestal resistors, and to indicate whether such
combined resistance is equal to a predetermined value.
If equal, the circuitry will produce a "safe" indication; if
unequal, a "danger" or "alarm" indication. The two indications are
preferably the illumination of green and red signal lamps
respectively. The following description assumes a system having a
total of six sockets for connection to six pedestal resistors.
Obviously the invention is applicable to a system having any number
of sockets.
In general the circuitry of FIG. 5 includes a Wheatstone resistance
bridge indicated generally at 60, a differential amplifier
indicated generally at 80 for amplifying the output of the
resistance bridge, a rectifier bridge indicated generally at 100
for deriving the absolute value of the amplifier output signal,
means 105 for amplifying the rectifier bridge output and feeding
the amplified output signal to a transistor switch 106 for
controlling current flow to a relay 110 and an indicating circuit
120 controlled by the relay.
More specifically, the circuitry of FIG. 5 includes a Wheatstone
bridge indicated generally at 60 having input terminals 62, 63 and
output terminals 65, 66. Three legs are each represented by a
single resistor 67, 68, 69, while the fourth leg includes, in
series, pedestal resistor 40 and other pedestal resistors 70, 71,
72, 73 and 74, as well as an adjustable resistor 75 by which to
calibrate the bridge. The resistance of each of the pedestal
resistors 40, 70-74 may be equal or, preferably, their resistances
may vary substantially from one another. The latter situation
enhances the security of the system, by minimizing the likelihood
that a thief, aware of the system, can provide himself in advance
with a counterfeit ring mounted on a pedestal having a resistor of
correct value.
The output signal of Wheatstone bridge 60 is amplified by suitable
means, here shown as an emitter-coupled differential amplifier
indicated generally at 80. More specifically, output terminals
65,66 of the bridge are connected to input terminals 81, 82 of
amplifier 80. Power is supplied at 83 and, in accordance with
conventional operation at balanced conditions and with resistors 85
and 87 of equal resistance, current flow divides substantially
equally between the left-hand and right-hand circuits including
transistors indicated generally at 86 and 87 respectively. The
emitter currents of the two transistors are fed through a common
line 89 to a transistor indicated generally at 90, whose base 91 is
maintained at a constant potential above ground 95 by Zener diode
92. The emitter 93 of transistor 90 is connected through resistor
94 to ground 95, and its collector 96 may be connected through
diode 97 to input terminal 82 of the amplifier to minimize
excessive voltage swing, such as under conditions of removal of one
of the pedestal resistors 40, 70-74.
Thus, with equal input voltages impressed upon input terminals 81,
82, current flow in resistor 85 will equal that in resistor 87, and
equal voltages will thus appear at output terminals 98, 99. On the
other hand, an unbalance of voltage applied to input terminals 81,
82 creates an unbalanced division of current flow between resistors
85, 87, and consequent unequal voltages appearing at output
terminals 98, 99.
As will be evident, the output voltage signal at terminals 98, 99
may be either zero or some finite value in either of two
polarities. Means are desirably provided for deriving the absolute
value of the output signal, and for using such signal, suitably
amplified if necessary, for controlling a relay in order to produce
the desired indicating signals in accordance with the
invention.
Thus output terminals 98, 99 are connected to a rectifier bridge
indicated generally at 100 in which the absolute value of an input
signal appearing at input terminals 101 and 102 will appear at the
output terminals 103 and 104. This output signal may be amplified
if desired by conventional transistor means indicated generally at
105, and the amplified signal may then be fed to a transistor
indicated generally at 106, serving essentially as an off-on switch
for controlling current flow through a relay constituting a portion
of the indicating means.
A relay indicated generally at 110 includes a winding 111 and an
armature 112 having a rest or normal position as indicated in solid
lines and an energized position indicated in dotted outline.
Winding 111 of the relay is supplied with current from source 115
through switching transistor 106 and resistor 116, the other side
of the winding being grounded at 117.
Relay armature 112 forms part of the indicating circuit indicated
generally at 120, and including the pilot lamps 56, 57 previously
mentioned and a battery or similar source of power 121. It will be
seen that, with armature 112 in its rest or normal position
indicated in solid lines in FIG. 5, pilot lamp 56 will be
illuminated, and it may be assumed that this is a green lamp. With
relay winding 111 energized, armature 112 is moved to its operative
position shown in dotted outline in FIG. 5, thus extinguishing lamp
56 and illuminating lamp 57, which may be the alarm or danger lamp,
desirably colored red. The indicating circuit 120 may also include
a master switch 123, desirably under the control of the operator in
a relatively hidden position. Thus the operator, by moving switch
123 to its off position, can deenergize the alarm lamp 57 while a
customer is trying on a ring; but can immediately energize that
circuit when the pedestal corresponding to the ring is replaced,
thus giving to the operator an immediate indication as to whether
the correct pedestal has been replaced in its socket.
In operation of the present system, with all pedestal resistors 40,
70-74 in the circuit as shown, the operator balances bridge 60 by
adjustment of calibrating resistor 75 until reaching the null
condition of zero voltage between output terminals 65, 66, which
will be indicated by illumination of green signal lamp 56. The
system is then ready for use.
If now one of the pedestal resistors 40, 70-74 is removed from its
socket, bridge 60 is of course unbalanced, producing a voltage
across output terminals 65,66 and actuating relay 110 to energize
alarm lamp 57. If a pedestal having a resistor of incorrect value
is inserted in the empty socket, bridge 60 will remain unbalanced,
although its output voltage may be changed in magnitude and even in
polarity. Thus the alarm lamp 57 remains lit until a pedestal with
a proper resistance is inserted in the empty socket, unless the
operator opens switch 123.
Accordingly there is here provided a system by which to immediately
and reliably indicate whether a correct pedestal resistor has been
replaced in one of the sockets of the display panel. It is to be
understood that the size of the pedestal compared to that of the
ring borne thereon has been somewhat increased in the drawing for
clarity of illustration and explanation. In an actual system, the
pedestal is desirably substantially smaller relative to the ring
than as hereinabove illustrated, and therefore interferes
insignificantly with the customer's selection and temporary wearing
of the ring while considering its purchase. Modifications and
changes from the specific forms of the various components of the
present system are within the contemplation of the invention, and
are intended to be included within the scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *