US3815117A

US3815117A - Alarm apparatus for office equipment

Info

Publication number: US3815117A
Application number: US00291777A
Authority: US
Inventors: A Gopperton
Original assignee: Paymaster Corp
Current assignee: Paymaster Corp
Priority date: 1972-09-25
Filing date: 1972-09-25
Publication date: 1974-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 1991-06-04
Also published as: CA1003923A

Abstract

This invention is concerned with an alarm apparatus constructed in an enclosed housing and having attachment means for quick connection to a piece of office equipment. The alarm housing is made up of a box-shaped case and a removable base plate. Its major operating components are an alarm buzzer, a battery unit, two switch assemblies and a lock device, which are all contained within the housing. A rocker lever is pivotally mounted within the housing along its intermediate portion and carries a plunger on one of its arms which is disposed to extend through an opening formed in the base plate. A spring provides a biasing force on the lever in a direction to urge the plunger to move down into engagement with the surface supporting the base plate. One of the switch assemblies includes a switch closing means for energizing the alarm buzzer when actuated by one of the lever arms in response to the plunger''s downward travel caused by the lifting of the alarm housing. A second switch assembly has a switch closing means for energizing the alarm buzzer due to the actuation by one of the arms upon the plunger being raised. A lock device is provided for selectively deenergizing both of the switch assemblies to prevent their energization of the alarm buzzer regardless of the position of the plunger.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Gopperton June 4, 1974 Ardath A. Gopperton, Mount Prospect, Ill.

[75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: The Paymaster Corporation,

Chicago, 111.

221 Filed: Sept. 25, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 291,777

[52] US. Cl 340/280, 200/153 K, 340/272. 340/283 [51] Int. Cl. G08b 13/14 [58] Field of Search 340/283, 280, 272, 274; 200/153 K, 85 R, 153 D, 153 E, 61.76

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,273.440 2/1942 Gould 340/283 X 2,441,888 5/1948 Lansing 200/153 K 2,617,868 11/1952 Menkin 1 1 340/274 2,797,405 6/1957 Stelter 340/280 3,044,053 7/1962 Larsen 340/280 4 3,685,037 8/1972 Bennett 340/283 X 3,714,643 1/1973. Sosin 340/274 5 7 1 ABSTRACT This invention is concerned with an alarm apparatus constructed in an enclosed housing and having attachment means for quick connection to a piece of office equipment. The alarm housing is made up of a boxshaped case and a removable base plate. its major operating components are an alarm buzzer, a battery unit, two switch assemblies and a lock device, which are all contained within the housing. A rocker lever is pivotally mounted within the housing along its intermediate portion and carries a plunger on one of its arms which is disposed to extend through an opening formed in the base plate. A spring provides a biasing force on the lever in a direction to urge the plunger to move down into engagement with the surface supporting the base plate. One of theswitch assemblies includes a switch closing means for energizing the alarm buzzer when actuated by one of the lever arms in response to the plungers downward travel caused by the lifting of the alarm housing. A second switch assembly has a switch closing means for energizing the alarm buzzer due to the actuation by one of the arms upon the plunger being raised. A lock device is provided for selectively deenergizing both of the switch assemblies to prevent their energization of the alarm buzzer rel0 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEU $815317 SHEET 20F 3 PATENTEDJ N 4mm 3L815L117 SHEEI 30F 3 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an alarm apparatus, and in particular, to an alarm apparatus adapted to be connected to office equipment for preventing theft of such equipment.

There are a number of anti-theft alarm devices in the prior art for protecting office equipment, such as Jagger U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,336. Most of these prior alarm devices have the same inherent disadvantage of the alarm system described in the Jagger patent of being built into the particular office equipment and are consequently limited to use with the one particular piece of equipment. This invention overcomes the above mentioned disadvantage by constructing the alarm apparatus in a self-contained housing having an attachment means for connection to a variety of office equipment items.

The anti-theft alarm devices of the type described in the Jagger patent operate on the principle of a spring bias actuating means that is tripped upon its housing being lifted above a supporting surface. An inherent problem with thistype of alarm device can be deactivated by slipping a relatively thin solid object beneath the actuating device and simultaneously raising it with the housing to prevent the alarm actuation. This invention prevents this tampering of the alarm system by adding a second switch means that will energize the alarm buzzer upon the slightest upward movement of the actuating member.

A further feature embodied in this invention is a lock device which controls the activation of the two switch assemblies to permit the alarm buzzer to be selectively deactivated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention comprises an alarm apparatus having an enclosed housing and having attachment means for quick connection to a piece of office equipment. A rocker lever is pivotally mounted within the housing along its intermediate portion and carries a plunger on one of its arms which is disposed to extend through an opening formed in the base plate. A spring provides a biasing force on the lever in a direction to urge the plunger to move down into engagement with the surface supporting the base plate. One of the switch assemblies includes a switch closing means for energizing an alarm buzzer when actuated by one of the lever arms in response to the plungers downward travel caused by the lifting of the alarm housing. A second switch assembly has a switch closing means for energizing the alarm buzzer due to the actuation by one of the arms upon the plunger being raised. A lock device is provided for selectively deenergizing both of the switch assemblies to prevent their energization of the alarm buzzer regardless of the position of the plunger.

8 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of this invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a top plan view of the alarm box with the top broken away for illustrating the alarm buzzer, battery unit, and switch assemblies for actuating the alarm buzzer;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an end view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end view showing a modification of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 3; v

FIG. 5 is a partial end view showing the attaching means for attaching the alarm apparatus housing to an adjacent office equipment housing;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the switch assemblies and deactivating means employed in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 3;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the FIG. 6 illustration;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 7 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

F 1G. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 1010 of FIG. 9 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of the rocker lever used in interconnecting the switch actuating plunger to the two switch assemblies; and

FIG. i2 is an electrical schematic diagram of the electrical operating components used in my invention.

I DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, there is shown an alarm apparatus generally designated by the reference numeral 20 and embodying the principles of my inven tion. Alarm apparatus 20 is contained in an enclosed housing 22 comprising a box-shaped case 24 and a cover member or base plate 26 closing its open end. The housing 22 is provided with four spaced feet members 28 mounted on base plate 26 for supporting the housing 22 on a suitable horizontal surface, such as a table or desk.

Alternatively, the housing 22 for the alarm apparatus could be supported on a nonabrasive layer of material 29 such as felt, as illustrated in FIG. 4, in lieu of using the four feet 28. The FIG. 4 embodiment would be identical to that shown in FIGS. 1-3 except that the alarm plunger 54 which extends from the bottom of the cover member 26 would of necessity be shorter in length. The reason for a shorter length of the plunger is of course that the thickness of the material 29 is much less than the length of the feet 28.

The alarm apparatus 20 is provided with a lock cylinder 32 of known design mounted through an aperture provided in one of the sidewalls 30 of the box-shaped case 24. The lock cylinder 32 operates by turning a key 33 (FIG. 9) which rotates its lock arm 36 between two angular orientations separated by a angle. Referring to FIG. 7, when the lock arm 36 is in the dottedline, horizontal position the alarm apparatus 20 is in the alarm on position, and when the lock arm 36 is in the vertically down, solid-line position of FIG. 7, the alarm apparatus is in the alarm off position.

Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that when the lock arm 36 is in the alarm position, stud 37 extending perpendicular from the outer end of the arm 36 engages a first flange. portion 38 formed at right angles at the upper right hand end of post 40 which is secured at its inner end to the base plate 26. By virtue of this arrangement, the cover 26 is held in a locked relationship whenever the alarm apparatus is set to the alarm on position, and consequently the base plate 26 cannot be removed once the alarm apparatus is set to operate.

Similarly, when the lock arm 36 is in the alarm off position, stud 37 engages a second flange portion 39 formed at the upper left hand end of post 40. Thus cover 26 is also held in a locked relationship with the. alarm set to the off position. To remove the cover 26, the lock arm 36 must be turned to a position between the on and of positions.

In addition to the lock cylinder 32, the basic operating components of the alarm apparatus 20 comprise alarm buzzer 44 of a known design, a battery unit 46 and two

switch assemblies

48 and 50 operated by a pot sition sensing device 52.

The position sensing device 52 includes a plunger 54 that is secured to one end of rocker level 60 and extends through an opening 56 formed in cover member 26. Referring to FIG. 11, the rocker lever 60 is shown as fabricated from two relatively

thin members

62 and 64 which are bonded together and preferably made of metal. The upper member 64 includes an arcuate portion 66 which forms-a sleeve for pivot pin 67 (FIG. 7) extending perpendicularly from sidewall 30 to provide a pivotal connection for the rocker lever 60. The lever is retained on pivot pin 67 by means of C-shaped retainer 69. The plunger '54 is secured to'one arm 68 of the rocker lever 60 by virtue ofa threaded engagement with threaded aperture 70. The other arm 72 of the rocker lever 60-isbent upwardly to provide a ramp for closing the switch circuit of switch assembly 48. A spring 74 extending between the upstanding Stud 76 (FIG. 11) and a downwardly bent hook portion 77 of an L-shaped bracket 78 (FIG. 8) constantly urges the plunger 54 downwardly against the-surface supporting enclosed housing 22 of the alarm apparatus 20.

Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown the first switch assembly 48 which is mounted on one arm 80 of L- shaped bracket 78 and is disposed directly below the lock cylinder 32. The switch assembly 48 comprises a switch actuating plunger 84 slidably mounted in an opening 86 formed through the center of an insulating housing 88. The actuating plunger 84 has an upper tubular insulating element 90 and a lower tubular conducting element 92 which are arranged in an end-toend relationship separated by a small space to define detent 94. A stop washer 96 at the lower end of the conducting element 92 I limits the upward travel of plunger 84. Similarly, an enlarged head portion 98 is provided on the upper end of insulating element 90 and engages the annular shoulder 99 formed by the enlarged diameter portion of the opening 86 to serve as a limit to the downward travel of plunger 84. There is provided in a passage 102 crosswise to opening 86 a pair of

switch contacts

104 and 106 in the form of a ball 108 and spring 110 which is secured at its other end to an adjustable screw 112. Electrical leads 113 are connected to the two screws 112.

When the actuating plunger 84 is in the position illustrated in FIG. with the lock arm 36 in the vertical down orientation, the switch assembly 48 is in the open position since the balls 108 are separated by an insulating material. However, when the lock arm 36 is turned to the alarm on position, plunger 84 is free to slide in passageway 86 and upon the housing 22 being lifted the plunger-S4 will be pushed downwardly under the biasing force of spring 74 to effect a resultant upward force upon the actuating plunger 84 to bring the conducting element 92 into frictional engagement with the pair of balls 108 and thereby provide a closed current path for the switch assembly 48. Upon this occurrence, the circuit between the battery unit 46 and the alarm buzzer 44 is closed to energize the alarm system.

It will be noted from the above description that the first switch assembly 48 is actuated when the plunger 54 is freed to move below its alarm ready position due to the raising of the housing 22 above the supporting surface. The second switch assembly 50, which will now be described, is actuated when the plunger 54 is moved in the opposite direction, i.e., upwards. The second switch assembly makes alarm apparatus 20 tamper-proof by eliminating the possibility of slipping a thin solid object, such as a thin metal plate 55 depicted in FIG. 8., under the plunger 54 and raising this object simultaneously with the housing 22 to avoid the actuation of the first switch assembly 48. I

The second switch assembly 50 comprises a first contact carried on the outer end of rocker lever 60 and a second electrical contact 122 disposed above the first switch contact a short distance when the plunger element 54 is in its alarm ready position (see FIG. 8). Electrical contact 120 (FIG. 8) comprises a stem portion 124 and a contact button 126 (FIG. 7). Electrical contact 120. is mounted on the end 68 of lever 60 by means of a rivet 127 threaded through opening 128 of lever 60 and insulating bushing 129 which insulates the contact 120 from lever 60. Electrical contact 122 likewise consists of a stem portion 128 and contact button 130 which is disposed directly above the contact button 126. The electrical contact 122 is secured to the lower end of a pivotal mounted support 132 for the reasons to be described hereinafter.

One of the novel features of this invention is a means operated by the lock device 32 that will selectively deactivate both

switch assemblies

48 and 50 to prevent the energization of the alarm buzzer regardless of the position of plunger 54. One part of this deactivating means can be seen by referring to FIGS. 6-10 which show the lock arm 36 positioned in the alarm off positionrln thisalarm off position, the lowermost rounded edge 134 of lock arm 36 is in engagement with the upper end of plunger 84 when the plunger is in its open switch position. It will thus be appreciated that regardless of theposition'of rocker lever 60, the first switch assembly 48 will be'maintained in the open switch position aslongas lock arm 36 is in thealarm off position.

The means for deactivating thesecond switch assembly 50 is providedv through a lever arrangement between the lock arm 36 and the pivotal mounted support block 132 as best illustrated in FIGS. 6-9. The pivotal mounted support block 132 which carries the switch contact 122 for the second switch assembly 50 is pivotally mounted on a pin 138 extending perpendicular from arm140 of L-shaped bracket 78. A spring 142, stretched between'stud 144 on pivotal mounted support block 132 and stud 146 on arm 140 of L-shaped bracket 78, urges the support 132 to turn in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 9, A stop lug 148 extending from the arm 140 of L'shaped bracket 78 is adapted to engage the tail portion 150 of the pivotal support block 132 to limit the counterclockwise movement of the pivotal support. An interconnecting lever 152 is pivotally supported at its intermediate portion on a pivot pin 154 extending perpendicular from the arm 80 of L-shaped bracket 78 such that one of the lever arms 156 is adapted to engage a guide pin I58 extending perpendicular from the lock arm 36, and its other lever arm 160 is disposed in the path of a follower pin 162 extending from the forward face of an inturned flange 164 of pivotal mounted support block 132. Through this lever arrangement, the lock arm 36 upon being turned to the vertically down off position causes its associated guide pin to rotate interconnecting lever 152 counterclockwise about its axis to cause its other arm 160 to engage follower pin 162 and thereby raise the pivotal mounted support 132 upwardly a sufficient distance to prevent the closing of

contacts

120 and 122 of the second switch assembly 50 regardless of the position of the plunger 54.

The schematic diagram depicted in FIG. 12 illustrates the circuit for the alarm apparatus comprising an alarm buzzer 44 energized by a battery unit 46, which comprises two dry cell batteries 170 (FIG. 1), connected electrically in series by means of DC battery socket 172 that is mounted on base plate 26. The alarm buzzer 44 is energized when either of the

switch assemblies

48 or 50, which are connected in parallel, are closed through the movement of plunger 52 as described above.

The above described alarm apparatus 20 is adapted to be connected to an adjacent piece of equipment by means of a bracket 180 (FIG. 5) extending outwardly of the bottom surface of base plate 26. Bracket 180 has its inner end secured to base plate 26 as by welding and is provided by an opening 182 in its outer end for receiving a stud 184 extending through a similar opening 186 at the outer end of bracket 188 which extends outwardly from the base of business machine 190 or the like. A compressive material such as soft rubber or foam 191 is compressed between bracket 180 and bracket 188 which maintains a downward pressure of the alarm apparatus 20. As a consequence, when the business machine I90 is lifted, the alarm apparatus will also be raised to trigger its alarm buzzer. A further thought to the type of connector means used between the alarm apparatus and equipment to be protected would be to make it difficult to disconnect the units without the alarm sounding.

I claim: I

1. An alarm apparatus comprising a generally enclosed housing having a bottom wall with an opening formed therein, first and second switch assemblies and an alarm buzzer contained within said housing, a rocker lever rotatably-mounted along its intermediate portion within said housing, a plunger extending downwardly from one arm of said lever and disposed to extend into said bottom wall opening, spring means for urging said plunger to move downwardly into engagement with the surface normally supportingsaid bottom wall in spaced relation, said plunger in engagement with said supporting surface defining an intermediate alarm ready position, said first switch assembly including first switch closing means for energizing said alarm buzzer disposed to be actuated by the other arm of said rocker lever upon said plunger moving below said alarm ready position, and said second switch assembly including second switch closing means for energizing said alarm buzzer disposed to be actuated by said one arm of said rocker lever upon said plunger moving above said alarm ready position.

' 2. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for selectively deactivating both of said switch assemblies to prevent the energization of 6 said alarm buzzer regardless of the position of said plunger.

3. An alarmapparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for attaching said enclosed housing to the housing of office equipment.

4. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said deactivating means includes a lock device having a lock cylinder mounted through a side wall of said housing and disposed adjacent said first switch closing means, a lock arm mounted on the inner end of said lock cylinder and rotatable between two angular orientations with said lock arm engaging said first switch closing means in one of said two angular orientations in a manner to prevent the actuation of said first switch closing means.

5. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said second switch closing means comprises a first electrical contact mounted on said arm of said rocker lever facing upwardly and said second switch assembly fur-.

ther includes a second electrical contact above said first contact in a contacting position when said plunger is raised above said alarm ready position, a support block pivotally mounted and carrying said second contact between said contacting position and a noncontacting position, and wherein said deactivating means further'includes lever means for moving said second contact from said contacting position to said non-contacting position upon said lock arm being moved to said one of said two angular orientations.

6. An alarm apparatus comprising a generally enclosed housing having a box-shaped case and a removable base plate for covering the open end of said case. said base plate having an opening formed therein. first and second switch assemblies and an alarm buzzer contained within said housing, a rocker lever rotatably mounted along its intermediate portion with said housing, a plunger extending downwardly from one arm of said lever and disposed to extend into said base plate opening, spring means for urging said plunger to move downwardly into engagement with the surface normally supporting said base plate in spaced relation, said plunger in engagement with said supporting surface defining an intermediate alarm ready position, said first switch assembly including first switch closing means for energizing said alarm buzzer disposed to be actuated by the other arm of said rocker lever upon said plunger moving below said alarm ready position. said second switch assembly including second switch closing means for energizing said alarm buzzer disposed to be actus ated by said one arm of said rocker lever upon said plunger moving above said alarm ready position, means for selectively deactivating both of said switch assemblies to prevent energization of said alarm buzzer regardless of the position of said plunger and including means for locking said base plate onto said case.

7. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 6, further comprising means for attaching said base plate to the housing of office equipment.

8. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said deactivating means includes a lock device having a lock cylinder mounted through a side wall of said housing and disposed adjacent said first switch closing means, a lock arm mounted on the inner end of said lock cylinder and rotatable between two angular orientations with said lock arm engaging said first switchclosing means in one of said two angular orientations in a manner to prevent the actuation of said first switch closing means, and wherein said lock means for said base plate comprises a post secured to said base plate and having a flange portion engaged by said lock arm when moved to said one of said two angular orientations.

9. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said second switch closing means comprises first electrical contact mounted on said one arm of said rocker lever facing upwardly and said second switch assembly further includes a second electrical contact above said first contact in a contacting position when said plunger is raised above said alarm ready position, a support block pivotally mounted and carrying said second moved to either of said two angular orientations.

Claims

1. An alarm apparatus comprising a generally enclosed housing having a bottom wall with an opening formed therein, first and second switch assemblies and an alarm buzzer contained within said housing, a rocker lever rotatably mounted along its intermediate portion within said housing, a plunger extending downwardly from one arm of said lever and disposed to extend into said bottom wall opening, spring means for urging said plunger to move downwardly into engagement with the surface normally supporting said bottom wall in spaced relation, said plunger in engagement with said supporting surface defining an intermediate alarm ready position, said first switch assembly including first switch closing means for energizing said alarm buzzer disposed to be actuated by the other arm of said rocker lever upon said plunger moving below said alarm ready position, and said second switch assembly including second switch closing means for energizing said alarm buzzer disposed to be actuated by said one arm of said rocker lever upon said plunger moving above said alarm ready position.

2. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for selectively deactivating both of said switch assemblies to prevent the energization of said alarm buzzer regardless of the position of said plunger.

3. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for attaching said enclosed housing to the housing of office equipment.

5. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said second switch closing means comprises a first electrical contact mounted on said arm of said rocker lever facing upwardly and said second switch assembly further includes a second electrical contact above said first contact in a contacting position when said plunger is raised above said alarm ready position, a support block pivotally mounted and carrying said second contact between said contacting posiTion and a noncontacting position, and wherein said deactivating means further includes lever means for moving said second contact from said contacting position to said non-contacting position upon said lock arm being moved to said one of said two angular orientations.

6. An alarm apparatus comprising a generally enclosed housing having a box-shaped case and a removable base plate for covering the open end of said case, said base plate having an opening formed therein, first and second switch assemblies and an alarm buzzer contained within said housing, a rocker lever rotatably mounted along its intermediate portion with said housing, a plunger extending downwardly from one arm of said lever and disposed to extend into said base plate opening, spring means for urging said plunger to move downwardly into engagement with the surface normally supporting said base plate in spaced relation, said plunger in engagement with said supporting surface defining an intermediate alarm ready position, said first switch assembly including first switch closing means for energizing said alarm buzzer disposed to be actuated by the other arm of said rocker lever upon said plunger moving below said alarm ready position, said second switch assembly including second switch closing means for energizing said alarm buzzer disposed to be actuated by said one arm of said rocker lever upon said plunger moving above said alarm ready position, means for selectively deactivating both of said switch assemblies to prevent energization of said alarm buzzer regardless of the position of said plunger and including means for locking said base plate onto said case.

8. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said deactivating means includes a lock device having a lock cylinder mounted through a side wall of said housing and disposed adjacent said first switch closing means, a lock arm mounted on the inner end of said lock cylinder and rotatable between two angular orientations with said lock arm engaging said first switch closing means in one of said two angular orientations in a manner to prevent the actuation of said first switch closing means, and wherein said lock means for said base plate comprises a post secured to said base plate and having a flange portion engaged by said lock arm when moved to said one of said two angular orientations.

9. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said second switch closing means comprises first electrical contact mounted on said one arm of said rocker lever facing upwardly and said second switch assembly further includes a second electrical contact above said first contact in a contacting position when said plunger is raised above said alarm ready position, a support block pivotally mounted and carrying said second contact between said contacting position and a noncontacting position, and wherein said deactivating means further includes lever means for moving said second contact from said contacting position to said non-contacting position upon said lock arm being moved to said one of said two angular orientations.

10. An alarm apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said lock means for said base plate comprises a post secured to said base plate and having a pair of spaced flange portions engaged by said lock arm when moved to either of said two angular orientations.