EP3102760B1 - Antitheft device intended to be attached to an item on general sale - Google Patents

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of anti-theft devices intended to secure articles in free distribution. These devices are provided with a means interacting with a gantry equipping the exit areas outside the boxes, and triggering an alarm when a barge tries to leave the place of sale without paying the item to which the antitheft device is attached.

The cashier has an unlocker to remove the device of the article during the checkout.

The anti-theft devices are configured according to the geometry and nature of the article to be protected. The present invention relates more particularly to anti-theft devices for protecting clothing articles such as shoes, articles having one or more holes in which part of the anti-theft device can be introduced.

These include, for example, shoes, leather goods, fashion accessories, underwear, etc. The device is then fixed in one of the eyelets of the article.

State of the art

For this type of article, it is known in the state of the art to provide a lock formed of two parts hinged to form a kind of "macaroon" in the closed position. One of the parts has a tip that can pass through a hole in the article, or perforate a tissue. This tip is housed in a cavity provided on the complementary part. This cavity has a locking system that firmly holds the tip, when engaged in the second part. Its release is only possible with a specific unlocker.

The closest state of the art document is the US patent US1338605 filed April 27, 1920 (D1).

This document does not relate to an anti-theft device intended to be attached to an over-the-counter item. Moreover, it does not seem that in 1920 the notion of "free sale" existed and therefore a fortiori that the problem of the fight against the theft of self-service articles existed.

It relates to a lock and includes an actuated spring-driven rod that operates in a housing which is adapted to engage one end of a pivoting stirrup when inserted through an opening in the housing. A key is provided for threaded engagement with the rod so that the rod is retracted to an inactive position when the key is rotated in a given direction.

The patent is also known EP0615041 describing an antitheft device for spectacles, of the type using an element capable of being fixed to the object to be protected, stall being carried out with a specific tool released by authorized persons, said member being constituted by a plate equipped with hooking means on a presentation support, and by a reinforced link, one end of which is fixed to said plate, said cross member forming, in the locking position, a closed loop of the clamping bridge of the eyeglass frame.

Licences US2004 / 237267 , US953556 and US1766784 present other solutions belonging to the technological background.

In known manner, the lock mechanism is constituted by a magnetic latch from blocking or release a notch formed on the metal ring, as was already proposed in several previous solutions.

Disadvantages of the solutions of the prior art

These solutions of the prior art are not fully satisfactory.

The disadvantage of these devices is that the locking by a flyweight is inefficient for padlock type locks because it is easy to exert a mechanical force on the metal ring, for example with a lever, to force the release notch interacting with the weight. In addition, this mobile flyweight is pushed into the locking position by a spring. It suffices to give a well controlled blow to provoke, by the inertia of the weight, a temporary disengagement allowing to open such locks.

In this case, a thief can remove the device and thus counter the alarm devices provided in the store.

Solution provided by the invention

In order to overcome these drawbacks, the present invention relates, in its most general sense, to an antitheft device according to claim 1.

Thus, the antitheft device is remarkable in that it has a body extended on one side of a median plane passing through the cavity of introduction of the free end by a means for actuating said needle, and having on the opposite side a housing for receiving said end of said needle, the housing having locking means configured to allow a deflection between a position in which said needle is engaged in said light of the free end of the ring and a release position in which said needle is disengaged from said free end to allow removal of the free end of the ring .

According to an advantageous embodiment, the housing comprises locking means configured to allow the release of said needle with the aid of an unlocker, to allow a movement between a position in which said needle is engaged in said light of the free end of the ring and a release position in which said needle is disengaged from said free end to allow removal of the free end of the ring.

Advantageously, said actuating means has at least one cage allowing the displacement of said needle between a retracted position where the tip of said needle does not exceed the inner surface of the receiving cavity of the free end, and an exit position where said needle is engaged in the complementary housing and passes through the complementary light provided in the free end of the ring.

According to a variant, the actuating means comprises a plurality of nested cages and a spring means for driving the needle in the retracted position at rest.

Advantageously, said cages have a cylindrical shape, with a shoulder interacting with a complementary shoulder provided on the consecutive cage to limit movement to the retracted position.

Preferably, the locking means is constituted by at least one ball driven by a spring towards the bottom of the housing for receiving the needle, said housing having a frustoconical shape intended to cause a jamming of the ball against the needle, said bile being able to interact with an unlocking means to oppose the action of said spring.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the needle has a bulge and in that the light provided in the free end has a section in the form of a "keyhole".

According to a variant, the body comprises means for pushing the ring in the open position.

According to another variant, said second portion is extended in the axis of the needle by a damper.

Advantageously, this damper is constituted by an elastically deformable part.

According to an alternative, said damper is constituted by a movable part axially and damped by a spring.

Detailed description of a non-limiting embodiment of the invention

• La figure 1 représente une vue de face d'un dispositif selon l'invention en position ouverte
• les figures 2 et 3 représentent des vues en coupe du dispositif fermé respectivement en position déverrouillée et en position verrouillée
• les figures 4 et 5 représentent deux variantes de réalisation du système de verrouillage.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings relating to nonlimiting examples of embodiment in which:

• The figure 1 represents a front view of a device according to the invention in the open position
• the Figures 2 and 3 represent sectional views of the closed device respectively in the unlocked position and in the locked position
• the Figures 4 and 5 represent two variants of the locking system.

The figure 1 represents a front view of a device according to the invention in the open position.

The device has the general shape of a padlock, with a body (1) and a ring (2) shaped "U", with two parallel branches (3, 4) connected by an arcuate zone (5). The ring (2) can be formed by a metal rod with an oval or rectangular section, or preferably of round section. In the example described, the branch (3) is of round section and slides in a longitudinal cavity of complementary section to the section of the branch (3) and opening on one face (6) of the body (1) through an opening (7). ). The body (1) contains, in a known manner, a means of interaction with an associated detector, for example a tuned antenna, an RFID tag, a transponder or any other equivalent means capable of interacting electromagnetically with complementary equipment. It can also contain an activated sound source in case of fraudulent passage in front of complementary equipment or remote activation by detection of attempted fraud.

The branch (3) is movable in translation and in rotation relative to the body (1), by sliding between the closed position and the retracted position of opening, shown in FIG. figure 1 . In this position, the ring (2) is pivotable with respect to the longitudinal axis of the branch (3) and the body cavity (1), in known manner, to provide a large insertion area on an object to protect.

The branch (4) is configured to penetrate into a complementary cavity provided in the body (1), parallel to the cavity in which the branch (3) moves. This embodiment is a simple example, the ring (2) can also interact with the body (1) by pivoting with respect to a transverse pivot or by a displacement along a circular arc in a curved cavity.

The free end of the leg (4) has a keyhole-shaped slot (8). This light (8) has a first inner section (9) of width less than the width of a second outer section (10). The body further comprises a locking system (11) described in more detail in the following.

The Figures 2 and 3 represent sectional views of the device respectively in the unlocked position and in the locked position.

The locking system (11) comprises a needle (14) having, in the example described, a bulge (15). The section of the needle (14) substantially corresponds to the first inner section (9) of the hole formed at the free end of the ring (2). The section of the bulge (15) substantially corresponds to the first outer section (10) of the hole formed at the free end of the ring (2).

In the unlocked position, the needle (14) is pushed back into the retracted position by a spring (16) represented on the figure 2 only partially. This spring (16) abuts against an annular shoulder (17) provided at the head (18) of the needle (14). This spring rests on the opposite side on the bottom (19) of the locking system, and opening through an opening allowing the tip of the needle (14) to pass through the hole (8) passing through the free end of the branch (4) of the ring.

The needle (14) is enclosed in a set of three retractable and nested cages (22, 23, 24). The first frustoconical cage (22) has the largest section. It is fixed and integral with the flange. It has an inner shoulder (25) reducing the section and delimiting a passage for the second frustoconical cage (23) having an outer shoulder (26) limiting the displacement and preventing the withdrawal of the second cage relative to the first cage (22) .

The second cage (23) also has an inner shoulder (27) reducing the section and defining a passage for a third frustoconical cage (24) having an outer shoulder (28) limiting the displacement and preventing the withdrawal of the third cage relative to the second cage (23). The bottom of the third cage (24) is closed by a bottom (30) constituting an inner abutment against which the head of the needle (14) abuts, and whose outer surface forms a bearing zone allowing the user to push the needle back to the locked position.

By exerting an axial force on the bottom of the third cage (24), it causes the engagement of the three cages into each other, which reduces their height and allows the needle to pass through the hole (8) of the free end of the branch (4) of the ring, then to penetrate the opposite side into a receptacle (29). This receptacle (31) has a frustoconical housing (31) containing two balls (32, 33). These balls (32, 33) are pushed towards the bottom of this conical housing (31) by a spring (35) bearing on the bottom of the receptacle (29). These balls come to block the displacement of the needle (14) by the jamming effect resulting from the radial component of the action of the balls (32, 33) on the inner wall of the frustoconical housing (31).

The balls (32, 33) are metallic and possibly magnetic. When an unlocker has a strong magnet or an electromagnet is brought near the bottom of the receptacle (29), the magnetic force opposes the effect of the spring (35), which reduces the jamming effect of the needle (14) and allows to release the needle, and thus to unlock and open the device.

To prevent axial shocks, exerted on the bottom of the receptacle, by suddenly tapping the device on a hard surface, do not unexpectedly move the balls and release the needle, different solutions are proposed.

The first is to orient the longitudinal axis defined by the needle (14) and the receptacle (29) at an angle relative to the transverse plane of the device, for example an angle of 10 to 35 degrees relative to the perpendicular, so that a frontal impact does not intervene in the axis of movement of the balls (32, 33).

Another solution is described with reference to Figures 4 and 5 .

The bottom of the receptacle (29) is extended by a damped area. This is, in the example illustrated by the figure 4 , an elastically deformable additional piece, for example a rubber half-sphere (40).

An alternative illustrated by the figure 5 consists in providing in the bottom of the receptacle (29) a closed cage (41) in which bears the spring (35). When the needle (14) passes through the hole (8) passing through the free end of the branch (4) of the ring, it prevents the displacement of the ring relative to the body (1) of the device. The ring (2) thus forms with the body (1) a closed loop preventing the withdrawal of the protected object. To allow the displacement of the ring (2) by translation relative to the body in the example described, then, when the free end comes out of the body, by pivoting about the axis of the branch (3), it is necessary to first remove the needle. To do this, it is necessary to unlock the locking system to allow the raising of the needle (14) under the effect of the spring (16).

The keyhole shape prevents the withdrawal of the needle in the rest position. Indeed, the bulge (15) has a section greater than that of the inner section of the keyhole. To allow removal of the needle, it is necessary to push the ring towards the inside of the body, so that the outer section (10) is in the axis of the needle (14). This section (10) allows the passage of the bulge (15) and thus the removal of the needle.

The position of the keyhole relative to the end of the free leg (4) is determined so that the outer section (10) is coaxial with the needle (14) when the ring (2) is completely pushed back into the body (1), and that the effect of an ejection spring branch (3) then pushes the ring so that the needle comes into contact with the side of the keyhole lying on the side the free end of the branch (4).

It is also proposed to provide a rough surface condition on the flanks of the lumen (8) to ensure dry friction with the rough surface of the needle (14). This configuration also avoids the inconvenient withdrawal of the needle when it causes shocks on the locking system.

Claims (10)

1. An anti-shoplifting device designed to be attached to an article on sale on a self-service basis, the anti-shoplifting device comprising a shackle (2) having one end fastened to a rigid body (1) and its free other end configured to enable it to be inserted into a complementary cavity formed in said rigid body (1), said body (1) including a locking mechanism for locking the free end in the body (1) when said free end is inserted into said cavity, said locking mechanism having a needle (14) mounted to move perpendicularly relative to the insertion direction in which said free end is inserted into said cavity, between a direction in which it passes through a complementary slot (8) formed in said free end, and a withdrawn position in which it releases said free end so that said end can move freely, said body (1) containing interaction means suitable for interacting electromagnetically with an associated detector;
   said anti-shoplifting device being characterized in that said body (1) is extended on one side of a midplane passing through the free-end insertion cavity (8) by actuation means for actuating said needle (14), and, on the opposite side, is provided with a recess for receiving said end of said needle (14), the recess being provided with locking means configured to enable said needle (14) to be released by means of an unlocker, in order to allow it to move between a position in which said needle (14) is engaged in said slot in the free end of the shackle, and a release position in which said needle (14) is disengaged from said free end to enable said free end of the shackle (2) to be withdrawn.
2. An anti-shoplifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that said actuation means has at least one cage (22; 23; 24) enabling said needle (14) to move between a retracted position in which the tip of said needle (14) does not project beyond the inside surface of the cavity receiving the free end, and a deployed position in which said needle (14) is engaged in the complementary recess and passes through the complementary slot (8) provided in the free end of the shackle.
3. An anti-shoplifting device according to claim 2, characterized in that said actuation means comprise a plurality of interfitting nested cages (22; 23; 24) and spring means (16) for urging the needle (14) into the retracted position at rest.
4. An anti-shoplifting device according to claim 4, characterized in that said cages (22; 23; 24) are of cylindrical shape, each having a shoulder interacting with a complementary shoulder provided on the consecutive cage to limit movement towards the retracted position.
5. An anti-shoplifting device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking means are constituted by at least one ball (32, 33) urged back by a spring (35) towards the endwall of the recess designed to receive the needle (14), said recess having a frustoconical shape designed to cause the ball to be wedged against the needle, said ball being suitable for interacting with unlocking means for opposing the action of said spring.
6. An anti-shoplifting device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the needle (14) has a bulge (15) and in that the slot (8) provided in the free end has a cross-section in the shape of a keyhole.
7. An anti-shoplifting device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body (1) has means for urging the shackle (2) back into the open position.
8. An anti-shoplifting device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the recess receiving the end of the needle (14) is extended along the axis of the needle by a shock absorber (40).
9. An anti-shoplifting device according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said shock absorber is constituted by an elastically deformable piece (40).
10. An anti-shoplifting device according to claim 9, characterized in that said shock absorber is constituted by a piece (41) mounted to move axially and damped by a spring.

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