EP2341801A1

EP2341801A1 - A security display mount assembly

Info

Publication number: EP2341801A1
Application number: EP08875679A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Martin Stacey
Original assignee: Stacey (Europe) Ltd
Current assignee: Stacey (Europe) Ltd
Priority date: 2008-10-29
Filing date: 2008-10-29
Publication date: 2011-07-13
Also published as: WO2010049662A1

Abstract

For displaying a valuable product, such as a mobile telephone or a camera or a satellite navigation unit, at point-of-sale, a display post assembly comprises an elongate hollow body (10) having a first open end (14) and a second open end (16) and a central cavity there between and an elongate slot (12) extending from said first end to said second end, and an elongate sleeve (20) which is matched to the shape and size of the hollow body so as to fit snugly there over. A separate top piece (22) is securable to the first end of the hollow body (10) and is configured so that when so secured it prevents removal of the sleeve (20) from the first end of the body. The top piece (22) has an opening there through communicating with the central cavity of the hollow body (10) and the top piece is also attachable to a cradle (30) which is adapted for releasable mounting of the valuable product.

Description

A SECURITY DISPLAY MOUNT ASSEMBLY

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention concerns an assembly whereby valuable articles, such as mobile telephones, cameras, i-pods, shavers, satellite navigation units, or indeed any other electrical or non-electrical articles of significant value, are displayed on individual mounting posts at point-of-sale.

BACKGROUND Such mounting posts are well-known. They are of hollow form with a continuous encircling wall surrounding a central cavity. Security cabling for connection to the mounted article is fed through the central cavity from a base connection to a support surface to an upper end of the post, where an integral top piece is typically provided for attachment of a cradle for mounting the article, the cabling passing through the top piece and the cradle to attached to a rear surface of the article by way of a plug and socket security fitment of known type. Thus, the article can be lifted from its cradle for inspection by a potential purchaser, the cabling either including sufficient slack, or more commonly including a cable recoil spool below the support surface, to allow for this, but a security alarm will be actuated if the article is disconnected from the security cabling.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It would be desirable to simplify the installation of security cabling through such mounting posts of this type, so as to reduce time taken for this task and/or permit the task to be carried out by less skilled operatives. It would also be desirable to produce a mounting post which could be readily customised for mounting valuable articles of different manufacturers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

With these objects in view, the invention provides a security display mount assembly for a valuable product, such as a mobile telephone or a camera or a satellite navigation unit, comprising an elongate hollow body having a first open end and a second open end and a central cavity there between and an elongate slot extending from said first end to said second end, an elongate sleeve which is matched to the shape and size of the hollow body so as to fit snugly there over, and a top piece which is securable to the first end of the hollow body and is configured so that when so secured it prevents removal of the sleeve from the first end of the body, the top piece having an opening there through communicating with the central cavity of the hollow body and the top piece also providing or being attachable to a cradle which is adapted for releasable mounting of the valuable product.

Such an assembly has numerous advantages over the previously known mounting posts.

Firstly, the elongate slot in the hollow body facilitates the insertion of an elongate security cable or of a bundle of wires/cables for security signalling and/or power supply purposes into the body as this can now be accomplished by location sideways through the slot instead of the more difficult manual operation of threading such bundle and end connector, for connection to the security fitment of the valuable product, from a lower end to an upper end of a continuous tubular body as in the prior known posts. This can reduce the overall setup time, which can be quite significant when it is understood that a retail outlet is usually fitted with a relatively large number of such mounting posts. Furthermore, the skill required for fitting is reduced so less skilled operatives can install these mounting posts in accordance with the invention.

Secondly, the provision of a surrounding outer sleeve not only serves to close off the slot in the hollow body as the hollow body is inserted from one end through the outer sleeve, but also allows for customised marking or decoration of the outer sleeve to meet the requirements of different manufacturers of the articles being displayed thereby. This reduces costs of design and production of these display mount assemblies which hitherto were differently designed and fabricated for each manufacturer, being of different cross-sectional shapes and sizes. Also, it is easy to replace such outer sleeves, at relatively low cost, to deal with different products and different marketing campaigns, which is a significant commercial advantage. Such replacement can even be undertaken by retail operatives instead of skilled fitters.

Yet a further advantage is that the outer sleeve can be produced from relatively lower cost plastics material, while the hollow body can be produced from metal or a more expensive, more resilient plastics material, whereas the prior art posts, being unitary, were typically produced entirely of metal, using more higher cost material.

Furthermore, the display mount assembly in accordance with the invention allows for further developments which have advantages in terms of the aesthetic appeal of the display of the products. In particular, the elongate sleeve may be formed of transparent material, typically transparent plastics material of any suitable rigid or semi-rigid form. Practical embodiments of the display mount assembly of the invention may then include such a transparent sleeve of a shape and size to fit over the elongate body with a clearance there between and also include an insert which can be located in the clearance between the elongate body and the sleeve. The insert may be coloured or patterned or carry any indicia or logos, such as to meet requirements of manufacturers/suppliers of the articles to be displayed.

Additionally or alternatively, practical embodiments of the display mount assembly of the invention may include such a transparent outer sleeve and also include an illumination device mounted below or inside the sleeve at the second (lower) end of the hollow body so that the resulting display mounting post is illuminated. A suitable illumination device for mounting below the sleeve may take the form of a number of LEDs mounted on a collar.

Other advantageous practical embodiments of the display mount assembly of the invention may have both the hollow body and the outer sleeve formed of substantially transparent material, or translucent material, and at least one illumination device, such as an LED, mounted on a string and threaded through the central cavity of the hollow body. This is an alternative way of illuminating the display mounting post in an eyecatching manner.

To facilitate attachment to a support surface, practical embodiments of the display mount assembly of the invention conveniently include a base fitment, to which the hollow body is securable at its second end, the base fitment having an opening there through communicating with the central cavity of the hollow body and also having a slot providing access to said the opening.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited in any way by the type of product which is being displayed on the mounting post provided by the display assembly of the invention and that reference herein to the mounting of mobile telephones is purely by way of example of the type of product commonly displayed on such posts.

The hollow body may conveniently be of cylindrical form, that is to say of substantially circular cross-section, and the outer sleeve and insert, where provided, will then be of corresponding form. However, other cross sections are possible, such as rectangular, rectangular with rounded corners, triangular, triangular with rounded apices, or polygonal and the term "tubular" which may be used hereinafter to refer to the hollow body should be understood as including all such cross sections and any others so long as there is a central cavity extending from one end to the other of the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a practical embodiment of the display mounting assembly of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged scale perspective view of the embodiment of figure 1 shown when fully assembled, installed on a support and in use; and

Figure 3 shows the same in use assembly as figure 2 when viewed from the other side.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As illustrated, this exemplary assembly comprises a tubular inner body 10 which has a slot 12 extending from a first end 14 to an opposing second end 16 thereof, a tubular insert 18 which fits snugly around the body 10 and a tubular outer sleeve 20 which fits snugly around the body 10 with the insert 18 there between.

The inner body 10 has an internal screw threaded region 24 at its first end 14 and an externally screw threaded connector portion 26 at its second end 16. The assembly also includes a top piece 22 which includes a cylindrical, externally screw threaded connector portion 28 for threaded engagement with the internal threaded region 24 and a sloping peripheral plate region 27 of a suitable size and shape for attachment of a cradle 30 for reception of a valuable article, such as a mobile telephone. A cradle retaining clip 32 is also provided as part of this assembly.

The inner body 10 is of substantially rigid material, such as metal, e.g. stainless steel, or a suitable plastics material. The insert 16 may be of paper, card and/or plastics material. It is relatively thin and in practice will be decorated or carry indicia on its external surface. The outer sleeve 20 is of a substantially transparent material, probably a clear plastics material such as perspex.

The assembly also comprises a base fitment 40, a collar 42 on which a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) 44 are mounted, annular elements 46, 48 and a clamping nut 50.

The base fitment 40 comprises a cylindrical externally threaded connector portion 41 and, at one end, a larger diameter annular flange 43. The flange 43 has upturned inner and outer lips facing away from the connector portion 41 and defining a channel 45 into which the collar 42 is received with the first annular element 46 locating there over as a lid or cover, when the assembly is installed. The annular cover element 46 is of transparent material so that light from the LEDs 44 will be transmitted through said cover element 46 to the outer sleeve 20, when the assembly is installed and power is supplied to the LEDs. The annular element 46 also has an inner screw thread for inter-engaging the threaded connector portion 26 of the inner body 10, as will be described.

The base fitment 40 has a central opening there through concentric with the central cavities of the tubular body, insert and sleeve 10, 18, 20 and communicating with the casing through the inner body 10 when the assembly is installed. Also, the base fitment 40 has a slot 49 extending throughout its length and providing access to its central opening.

The second annular element 48 is of larger diameter than the first element 46 and it has an outer down-turned lip which is internally threaded. It fits over the first element 46 as is apparent in the drawing and its lip threadedly engages onto a corresponded thread on the outside of the outer lip of the flange 43 of the base fitment 40 as the parts are assembled together. The inner edge of this annular element 48 serves to locate the lower end of the outer sleeve 20 upon assembly. The second annular element 48 may be opaque or transparent.

The above described assembly is, in use, installed on a support surface 52, which is shown only schematically in broken lines in figures 2 and 3, in a manner which is readily apparent from the arrangement of the parts in the figure. The support surface lies between the flange 43 of the base fitment 40 and the clamping nut 50 and it is provided with a suitable aperture with which the central openings and cavities in the various parts of the assembly are aligned upon installation. The support surface 52 may be substantially horizontal, as shown, but in other situations it could be sloping or even vertical, with the assembly then extending, for example, perpendicular to a sloping surface, in an oblique upward direction to the cradle 30 at its upper end, or substantially horizontally from a vertical surface. In a modified embodiment, however, the assembly could extend obliquely upwards from a substantially vertical support surface with the hollow body 10, insert 18 and outer sleeve 20 suitably adapted by having a sloping lower end face, and the base fitment also being suitably configured with the connector portion 41 extending at an angle from the flange 43.

When installing the illustrated assembly, a security cable, which is shown here as a single cable 60 but could be any other cable or wire bundle, and which may have a connector at its upper end (not shown) is firstly threaded through the clamping nut 50 and then through the aperture in the support surface 52 from the underside of the support surface from where connections to power supply and/or other electronic and data-processing equipment can be made. Typically, a cable spool (not shown) will be provided and the cable end which is threaded will be drawn from that spool. The cable 60 is then passed through the base fitment 40 by way of the slot 49 in the fitment 40. The connector portion 41 of the fitment 40 is then located through the aperture in the support surface and the clamping nut 50 is threadedly engaged there on in order to clamp onto the support surface. It will be noted that the connector portion 41 has two distinctly different threaded portions. The cable spool (not shown) is conveniently connected below the support surface to the distal threaded portion.

The LED collar 42 is then positioned into the channel 45 in the top of the base fitment 40. The cable 60 passes through a gap in the collar 42 and power supply wires from the LEDs can easily be threaded down the connector portion 41 for connection to any suitable power source which is provided below the support surface 52. It will be understood that the positioning of the collar 42 may take place before or after the base fitment 40 is itself fitted and secured in place.

The cable 60 is then threaded through the respective annular elements 46, 48, which are located onto the base fitment as already indicated, namely with the upper, outer element 48 screw threadedly connecting to the base fitment flange 43 with the collar 42 and the transparent element 46 held there between The cable 60 is then inserted through the inner body 10, by way of the slot 12 and threaded through the cylindrical insert 18 and outer sleeve 20, which respectively locate snugly, in turn, over the inner body 10. The inner body connector 26 is screwed into the transparent annular element 46 either before or after the insert and sleeve 18, 20 are fitted there over.

The cable 60 is then passed through the top piece 22 and the connector 28 of the top piece threadedly engaged into the top region 24 of the inner body 10, thereby retaining the insert and outer sleeve 18, 20 in place. Finally, the cable 60 is passed through the cradle 30 and the retaining clip 32, and the cradle 30 is mounted onto the plate margin

27 of the top piece 22 and held there by the clip 32. The upper end of the cable 60, with any connector provided, is attached to a plug or socket fitment 54 for attachment to a corresponding part secured to the underside of a mobile phone (shown only schematically at 58 in figures 2 and 3) which is to be mounted on the cradle 30.

As previously mentioned, other embodiments would be suitably modified as regards size, shape and type of cradle as well as size and shape of other components of the assembly, as required, in order to mount other valuable objects for display at point of sale.

The LEDs 44 on the collar 42 are disposed below the transparent annular element 46 and the lower end of the transparent outer sleeve 20 so that when they are illuminated, light shines upwardly through the sleeve 20 and provides an aesthetically attractive feature to the display post which has been formed by the assembly.

The foregoing is illustrative and not limitative of the scope of the invention and variations in detail are possible in other embodiments within the scope of the accompanying claims.

In particular, in other embodiments, both the inner body and the outer sleeve may be formed of translucent or transparent material and illumination means, such as a string of LEDs, may be mounted to extend through the central cavity of the inner body, with power supply wires being threaded down through the base fitment, as in the above- mentioned illustrated embodiment.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words "comprise" and "contain" and variations of the words, for example "comprising" and "comprises", means "including but not limited to", and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other components or features. Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise.

Features described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith.

Claims

1 . A security display mount assembly for a valuable product, such as a mobile telephone or a camera or a satellite navigation unit, comprising an elongate hollow body having a first open end and a second open end and a central cavity there between and an elongate slot extending from said first end to said second end, an elongate sleeve which is matched to the shape and size of the hollow body so as to fit snugly there over, and a top piece which is securable to the first end of the hollow body and is configured so that when so secured it prevents removal of the sleeve from the first end of the body, the top piece having an opening there through communicating with the central cavity of the hollow body and the top piece also providing or being attachable to a cradle which is adapted for releasable mounting of the valuable product.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the elongate sleeve is formed of substantially transparent material.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the elongate sleeve is of a shape and size to fit over the elongate body with a clearance there between and further comprising an insert which can be located in the clearance between the elongate body and the sleeve.

4. An assembly according to claim 2 or claim 3 further comprising an illumination device mounted below or inside the elongate sleeve at the second end of the hollow body.

5. An assembly according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the hollow body is also formed of substantially transparent material and at least one illumination device is mounted on a string and threaded through the central cavity of the hollow body.

6. An assembly according to any preceding claim further comprising a base fitment, to which the hollow body is securable at its second end, the base fitment having an opening there through communicating with the central cavity of the hollow body and also having a slot providing access to said the opening.