GB2153902A - Securing devices - Google Patents

Abstract

Unauthorised removal of articles such as video recorders is obviated or minimised by providing a set of tracks 1 which are fixed to a relatively immovable object such as a piece of furniture and a set of runners 10 removably engaged in the tracks to be held there by the combination of the shapes of the tracks and the runners and by fixing locking devices to the tracks after the runners have been engaged with the tracks. The locking devices are preferably padlocks engageable in holes 7 in the track. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to securing devices This invention relates to securing devices and has been devised particularly though not solely as a securing device for appliances such as video recorders, microwaves and other household electronic equipment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a securing device which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly, in one aspect the invention consists in a method of securing an article to a relatively immovable object using a set of tracks and a set of sliders, said method comprising the steps of fixing one or other of said set of tracks and said set of sliders to said article in parallel spaced relationship, fixing the other of said slides and tracks to said immovable object, in complimentary spaced relationship and engaging the sliders with the tracks and locking said sliders to said tracks with locking in a manner means such that the tracks and sliders cannot be separated without unlocking said locking means.

In a further aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist in a securing device comprising a set of tracks and a set of sliders one or other of said set of tracks and said set of sliders having a longitudinal slot therein with an open mouth leading to said slot the width of the mouth being narrower than the width between flanges of the set of tracks or sliders, the other of said sliders or set of tracks and set of sliders being of a shape such that the tracks or sliders may only be inserted into or removed from slots in the other one of said sets of tracks and sliders by end-wise insertion into said slots, in use one or other of sets of said tracks and sliders being fixed to a relatively immovable object in parallel arrangement, and a locking means engageable with one or other of said sets of tracks and sliders and the other of said sets of tracks and sliders being fixed to an article, the tracks and sliders being engaged by end-wise movement and said locking means then fixed to prevent separation of said sets of tracks and sliders from each other, To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective sketch of a track in the form of a channel constructed according to the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective sketch of a sliderengageable with the channel trrack of Figure 1, Figures 3 and 4 show alternative methods of fixing the slider of Figure 2 to an article such as an electronic device and Figure 5 is a cross-section of the invention in use.

Referring to the drawings, a securing device will be described for use in fixing articles, in particular video recorders, microwaves or other expensive pieces of equipment to a relatively immovable object such as a piece of furniture in a manner such that the user may free the article by unlocking a locking means shortly to be described and removing the article by end wise movement and so that without the locking means being actuated or freed, the article may not be removed from the immovable object.

Accordingly, the invention is put into effect by providing a plurality, preferably two tracks in the form of channels 1, each channel track having an open mouth 2 which is small or in width than the distance between the opposite walls 3 of the channel track. The open mouth 2 is obtained by having inturned edges 4 of the walls 3 or the walls 3 may be inwardly sloped i.e. a dove tail slot 2 provided or otherwise as desired.

The base 5 of each channel is provided with a series of apertures 6, any convenient number of apertures 6 being provided and the length of the channel track being of any suitable length for example 370mm so as to be useful with current video recorders on the market. The pattern of holes 6 may be for example six holes spaced apart by 20mm at each end and a central hole.

In addition, one or more of the channels may be provided with a further series of apertures 7 arranged as shown in one of the walls 3 though such apertures could if desired be provided in both of the walls 3 one of such apertures receiving a padlock means to prove a locking means.

To co-act with the channel 1, a series of sliders 1 0 (Figure 2) are provided and such sliders have a cross-sectional profile such that on end wise insertion of a slider 10 into the slot 8 of a channel 1, the sliders may not be withdrawn in a direction away from the base 5 of the channel, i.e. normal to the longitudinal axis of the channel. Thus each slider 10 is provided with wing members 11 and the width of the wings 11 is greater than the width of the open mouth 2 of the slot 8 in the channels 1.

Each slider is provided with a hole 1 2. The securing device is supplied as a kit and included in the kit are end plugs 1 5 (Figure 5) a plastic spacing member 16, and the locking means preferably comprises a padlock 1 7 or other securing device which coacts with an aperture 7. In addition, fixing screws and washers are provided so that the device may be assembled and used as follows. The chan nel tracks 1 are preferably of aluminium alloy and the slides 10 of a plastics material such as Nylon.

To put the securing device into use the set of channels 1 are arranged and for example two channels or tracks are fixed to an immovable object such as an article of furniture, for example a desk or a wall unit in a lounge or other relatively immovable or large object. To carry out fixing the preferred procedure is as follows. Where the article or appliance to be fixed has a removable bottom plate 20, the bottom plate 20 is removed and holes drilled in it ensuring that the hole positions are square and parallel, thus four holes are fixed to the bottom plate 20 and the plastic sliders 10 are then fixed to these holes. Thus referring to Figure 3 the bottom plate 20 has holes drilled in it and machine screws 21 fix the slider 10 to the bottom plate 20, the fixing being effected by a nut 22.Alternatively, where the appliance does not have a removable bottom plate the drilling is effected into the bottom of the appliance and fixing effected for example by screws 23 as seen in Figure 4. These screws may be wood screws for a wooden base to an appliance or self tapping screws where a metal base such as the base 24 is provided.

It is of course important to ensure that the screws and nuts do not interfere with any electrical circuits or internal workings of the appliance, and to this end it is desirable that holes drilled should not be more than lOmm deep.

Where two channel tracks 1 are provided, four sliders 10 are fixed to the appliance. The two tracks are now slid onto the sliders and with the appliance the correct way up, the tracks are positioned on the surface of the piece of furniture 25. The tracks are positioned so that they protrude for example 26mm in front of the front plastic sliders 1 0.

The one of the tracks which in use carries the apertures 7 for the padlock 1 7 is arranged so that these apertures are at the rear of the appliance and piece of furniture. With a pencil the front position and outside edges of the tracks are marked and the appliance is then removed. Holes 30 are drilled in the piece of furniture 25 to receive screws 31 and the appliance 32 is now slid into position preferably from the rear so that the forward end of the forward slider 10 contacts the screw 31 but if slid from the front then profile 1 5 of the sliders 10 are arranged so that by lifting the appliance the sliders will run over the round head of the screw 31. With the forward edge of the front slider 10 in contact with the screw 31 a hole 33 is marked or drilled clear of the appliance and a screw 34 inserted in that hole.If desired, and the track is too long, then the track is cut off at the rear but leaving at least one padlock fixing hole 7 in part of the channel track 1 which extend beyond the rear of the appliance. The appliance is removed and a centre screw 35 fixed in position and the rear screw 34 fixed if that has not already been done. The front screws are now removed and replaced but before replacing a vertical spacer for example two washers 40 are placed under the head of the screw so that now the head of the screw extends high enough to resist movement of the front slider 10 over that screw. The appliance is now installed by sliding the sliders 10 into the slots 8 in the channel tracks 1 through the rear open ends of those slots and the sliders 10 being then slid along the slot in the tracks until the front sliders 10 engage the screws 31.A cover 42 is now cut to length so as to fit between the rear slider 10 which engages the track 1 which has holes 7 therein and the hasp of the padlock 1 7 is passed through a convenient hole 7 and the padlock locked.

The cover covers the head of the screw 34.

The cover may be of a plastics material but may be of metal if desired. The spacer or cover 42 is principally provided however to eliminate any free movement of the appliance backwards and forward.

To complete the fitting of the device, the end caps 1 5 are fitted in the screwed end of the slot of each track to provide a neat finish and the appliance is now secured to the piece of furniture in a manner such that it will be difficult to be removed without damaging either the appliance or the piece of furniture or both. Such securing is effected firstly by the engagement of the wings 11 of the slides 10 with the internal edges and the walls 3 thus preventing removal of the slides from the tracks 1 in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis of the tracks and secondly by the padlock 1 7 obstructing end-wise removal of at least one rear slider from its track.

Although the construction has been described above as having female tracks and male sliders, it will be apparent that the arrangement could be reversed with a male track having upper members or formation wider than lower members or formation and the channel members then provided to be fixed to the base of the appliance. Also, instead of disparate sliders being provided the sliders for each track could be provided as a single member but of course that would utilise more material without gaining any material effect.

It will be apparent that by a simple device an article such as in particular a video recorder may be fixed to an object such as a piece of furniture making it difficult for a thief to remove the appliance from that piece of furniture.

Claims (10)

1. A method of securing an article to a relatively immovable object using a set of tracks and a set of sliders, said method comprising the steps of fixing one or other of said set of tracks and said set of sliders to said article in parallel spaced relationship, fixing the other of said sliders and tracks to said immovable object, in complementary spaced relationship and engaging the sliders with the tracks and locking said sliders to said tracks with locking in a manner means such that the tracks and sliders cannot be separated without unlocking said locking means.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 when effected substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

3. A securing device comprising a set of tracks and a set of sliders one or other of said set of tracks and said set of sliders having a longitudinal slot therein with an open mouth leading to said slot the width of the mouth being narrower than the width between flanges of the set of tracks or sliders, the other of said sliders or set of tracks and set of sliders being of a shape such that the tracks or sliders may only be inserted into or removed from slots in the other one of said sets of tracks and sliders by end-wise insertion into said slots, in use one or other of sets of said tracks and sliders being fixed to a relatively immovable object in parallel arrangement, and a locking means engageable with one or other of said sets of tracks and sliders fixed to an article, the tracks and slides being engaged by end-wise movement and said locking means then fixed to prevent separation of said sets of tracks and sliders from each other.

4. A securing device as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said locking means comprise one of a series of apertures in at least one of said tracks and a padlock the hasp of which is in use inserted in said one aperture and then locked.

5. A securing device as claimed in Claim 4 wherein a cover is provided, arranged in use to extend from a rear slider to the hasp of a said padlock to resist backward and forward movement of the sliders relative to the channel.

6. A securing device as claimed in any one of Claim 3 to 5 each channel track is provided with a front fixing screw, said fixing screw having a blocking member of a size such that when fixed in position, said sliders may not move past said blocking member.

7. A securing device as claimed in any one of the Claims 3 to 6 wherein said sliders are of block formation with wings extending either side of a lower part thereof, the wings being of a size such that they will not pass through the mouth of the channel track in a line directly away from the base of the channel.

8. The combination of a security device according to any one of the preceding claims, an appliance and a relatively immovable object parts of said security device being fixed to said appliance, and parts fixed to said relatively immovable object in a manner such that said appliance once it has been placed in position and lock secured, the appliance may not be moved relative to the relatively immovable object.

9. A security device when constructed, arranged and operable substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A combination of a security device, an article and a relatively immovable object when constructed, arranged and operable substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.