WO2023017287A1

WO2023017287A1 - Goods protection device for presenting info-communications devices in sales areas

Info

Publication number: WO2023017287A1
Application number: PCT/HU2022/000008
Authority: WO
Inventors: Balázs OLTVAI
Original assignee: Shopguard Kft.
Priority date: 2021-08-10
Filing date: 2022-07-07
Publication date: 2023-02-16
Also published as: HU5418U

Abstract

The present invention relates to a goods protection device for presenting info- communications devices in sales areas, which contains a carrier body (10), at least two clamping members (20, 30) that may be moved compared to the carrier body (10), as well as a locking device (40) interposed between at least one of the clamping members (20, 30) and the carrier body (10) and connected to at least one of the clamping members (20, 30), the first clamping member (20) has a support piece (21) fitted into the carrier body (10) so that it may move and a clamping jaw (22) located at the free end (21a) of the support piece (21), while the second clamping member (30) has a support piece (31) fitted into the carrier body (10) so that it may move and a clamping jaw (32) located at the free end (31a) of the support piece (31). The characteristic feature of the invention is that, the first clamping member (20) has a first locking piece (23) while the second clamping member (30) has a second locking piece (33) cooperating with the first locking piece (23) of the first clamping member (20), where the movement trajectory (24) of the first locking piece (23) and the movement trajectory (34) of the second locking piece (33) cross each other, and the first locking piece (23) and the second locking piece (33) are connected to one another in the crossing zone (KZ) of the movement trajectory (24) of the first locking piece (23) and the movement trajectory (34) of the second locking piece (33), independently of the locking device (40) the first clamping member (20) is connected to the carrier body (10) in such a way that it may move, and the second clamping member (30) is connected to the locking device (40).

Description

Goods protection device for presenting info-communications devices in sales areas

The subject of the invention relates to a goods protection device for presenting info- communications devices in sales areas, which contains a carrier body, at least two clamping members that may be moved compared to the carrier body, as well as a locking device interposed between at least one of the clamping members and the carrier body and connected to at least one of the clamping members, the one clamping member has a support piece fitted into the carrier body so that it may move and a clamping face located at the free end of the support piece, while the other clamping member has a support piece fitted into the carrier body so that it may move and a clamping face located at the free end of the support piece.

With the fast rate of the development of info-communications devices in the past decades it has become increasingly important to be able to present these products in the sales areas of retail outlets. The reason for this is that this made it possible for the customer to hold the products and try them out before making the right decision about which product would be best for him or her. However, the prices of these devices have become increasingly higher due to the expansion of the rage of services accumulating in them, which increased the number presented products that were successfully stolen. The most widespread form of protection against theft today is electronic product protection, in the course of which a goods protection device is secured to the product, which enables the product to be held in the hand and tried out, but prevents it from being taken away from the display counter. In the cases of larger, basically flat, cuboid-shaped tablets, smartphones and e-books good protection devices have been used recently that have a base panel and a clamping face protruding from this that may be set at a variable distance from and along at least a part of the sides of the cuboid. The info-communications device to be protected may be placed between such opened clamping faces, and then the device may be grasped by sliding the clamping faces towards the base panel. Finally the device may be secured to the base panel by fixing the clamping faces so they cannot move so that the device may be tried out but it may not be removed from the location where the device is tried out. Such goods protection devices are disclosed in, among others, patent document registration number CN 106101332 and in publication document number CN 111802872.

However, a deficiency of the known solutions is that the adjustment and securing of the clamping faces, as well as their releasing takes a long amount of time, even as much as 3 to 5 minutes per product, which in the case of products placed on display when the retail unit opens and removed on closing may take up hours of the working time of employees in the case of larger stores with a broader range of info-communications devices, which may damage the standard of customer service and, therefore, sales.

A further disadvantage is that the handling of the screw securing elements generally used for locking the clamping faces is difficult and requires the use of auxiliary devices. Even the securing elements themselves may become lost, roll away, which may make then entire goods protection devices inoperable and useless.

With the structure according to the invention our objective was to overcome the deficiencies of the known goods protection devices used in the case of the sales area presentation of info-communications devices, and to create a version that may be locked and opened using simple motions in a very short amount of time, that does not contain any securing elements that may become misplaced or that are operated with the use of auxiliary devices, and that is able to accommodate info-communications devices of various sizes over a broad range of dimensions without having to perform adjustments on the goods protection device itself or replacement of component parts.

The recognition that led to the design according to the invention was that if the slidable clamping members are positioned compared to one another so that their movement trajectories unconventionally cross each other, in addition the first clamping member and the second clamping member are supplied with locking pieces having a unique geometrical shape in the interest of them cooperating with each other in a novel way so that the first clamping member firmly secures the second clamping member while the clamping members are moving, then, with the goods protection device in a given state the securing of the clamping faces is completed automatically, for which no additional auxiliary devices are needed to be used and so the task may be solved. The recognition also involved that if the movement of the clamping members located opposite each other and moving in parallel with each other is harmonised, and the locking clamping members belonging to the movement trajectories crossing each other are connected using a locking device, then the number of movements and their length required for locking may be minimised, which may make the implementation of the task even more efficient.

In accordance with the set objective, the goods protection device for presenting info- communications devices in sales areas according to the invention, - which contains a carrier body, at least two clamping members that may be moved compared to the carrier body, as well as a locking device interposed between at least one of the clamping members and the carrier body and connected to at least the first clamping member, the first clamping member has a support piece fitted into the carrier body so that it may move and a clamping jaw located at the free end of the support piece, while the second clamping member has a support piece fitted into the carrier body so that it may move and a clamping jaw located at the free end of the support piece - is set up in such a way that the first clamping member has a first locking piece while the second clamping member has a second locking piece cooperating with the first locking piece of the first clamping member, where the movement trajectory of the first locking piece and the movement trajectory of the second locking piece cross each other, and the first locking piece and the second locking piece are connected to one another in the crossing zone of the movement trajectory of the first locking piece and the movement trajectory of the second locking piece, independently of the locking device the first clamping member is connected to the carrier body in such a way that it may move, and the second clamping member is connected to the locking device.

A further feature of the goods protection device according to the invention may be that the first locking piece is formed by the set of connection ribs positioned perpendicularly to the direction of the movement trajectory of the first clamping member arranged next to one another on the surface of the support piece, while the second locking piece is formed by the set of locking ribs positioned parallel to the direction of the movement trajectory of the second clamping member arranged next to one another on the surface of the support piece cooperating with the connection ribs forming the first locking piece, and when the goods protection device is in locked state the locking ribs are pushed to lie in between the connection ribs.

In the case of another version of the goods protection device the first clamping member is coupled with the first opposite clamping member, where the first opposite clamping member has a support piece and a clamping jaw positioned at the free end of the support piece, and the first opposite clamping member is connected to the carrier body so that it may slide on the side of the carrier body opposite to the first clamping member, furthermore the support piece of the first clamping member has a torque-transfer piece, and the support piece of the first opposite clamping member has a torque-transfer piece, while a torque-transfer element that may rotate compared to the carrier body is interposed between the torque-transfer piece of the support piece of the first clamping member and the torque- transfer piece of the support piece of the first opposite clamping member, and in this way a first clamping member-pair with harmonised movement is created from the first clamping member and the first opposite clamping member.

In the case of another different embodiment of the invention the second clamping member is coupled with the second opposite clamping member, where the second opposite clamping member has a support piece and the support piece has a clamping jaw at its free end, and the second opposite clamping member is connected to the carrier body in a slipping manner on the side of the carrier body opposite the second clamping member, in addition the support piece of the second clamping member has a torque-transfer piece, and the support piece of the second opposite clamping member has a torque-transfer piece, while a torque-transfer piece that may rotate compared to the carrier body is interposed between the torque-transfer piece of the support piece of the second clamping member and the torque-transfer piece of the support piece of the second opposite clamping member, and in this way a second clamping member-pair with harmonised movement is created from the second clamping member and the second opposite clamping member.

In the case of yet another different embodiment of the goods protection device an energy-storage element made from a flexible material is interposed between the second clamping member and the second opposite clamping member and/or between the second clamping member and the carrier body and/or between the second opposite clamping member and the carrier body.

From the point of view of the invention it may be preferable if the torque-transfer element belonging to the second clamping member-pair is connected to the locking device.

In the case of another embodiment of the goods protection device the carrier body is provided with a supplementary clamping member and an opposite supplementary clamping member cooperating with it, where the supplementary clamping member has a support piece fitted into the carrier body so that it may move, and a clamping jaw positioned at the free end of the support piece, while the opposite supplementary clamping member has a support piece fitted into the carrier body so that it may move, and a clamping jaw positioned at the free end of the support piece, furthermore the support piece of the supplementary clamping member has a torque-transfer piece, and the support piece of the opposite supplementary clamping member has a torque-transfer piece, also a torque- transfer element that may rotate compared to the carrier body is interposed between the torque-transfer piece of the support piece of the supplementary clamping member and the torque-transfer piece of the support piece of the opposite supplementary clamping member, and in this way a supplementary clamping member-pair with harmonised movement is created from the supplementary clamping member and the opposite supplementary clamping member.

In the case of a different embodiment of the invention among the first clamping member and the first opposite clamping member of the first clamping member-pair one of them is connected to the one of the supplementary clamping member and the opposite supplementary clamping member of the supplementary clamping member-pair located on the opposite side of the carrier body via a forced motion body, where the forced motion body is connected to the carrier body so that it may rotate with respect to the carrier body. Optionally the forced motion body is rigidly connected to the torque-transfer element of the second clamping member-pair.

The goods protection device according to the invention has numerous preferable features. The most important of these is that due to the novel arrangement and geometric shape of the clamping members, and the unconventional movement trajectories the info- communications device to be protected may be placed into the goods protection device essentially using a single movement and then secured into it with two additional movements. In this way the capturing and releasing of the info-communications device may be solved without the use of auxiliary equipment, within one minute, which results in savings of significant amounts of time and labour as compared to the known solutions. The employees may perform other useful activities in the released time, which may increase the amount of sales.

Another feature that may be listed among the advantages is that due to the unique locking method the level of security of the goods protection device against sabotage significantly increases, as the securing of the various clamping members itself cannot be accessed from the environment, so there is no possibility of dismantling or loosening the locking from outside.

It must also be viewed as an advantage that using the suitably positioned energy-storage element release may be essentially implemented with one motion, i.e. releasing the locking device, which further decreases the amount of time needed to be spent on goods protection.

In the following embodiments of the goods protection device according to the invention are presented in detail with reference to figures, wherein

Figure 1 shows a view of a possible version of the goods protection device according to the invention,

Figure 2 shows a rear view of the goods protection device according to figure 1 with the cover being partially removed,

Figure 3 depicts an enlarged detail of the cross-section taken along the plane III-III of the goods protection device according to figure 2,

Figure 4 shows a view of a different embodiment of the goods protection device according to the invention, in partial cross-section,

Figure 5 shows a view of another different embodiment of the goods protection device according to the invention, in partial cross-section, Figure 6 depicts the cross-section of the goods protection device according to figure 5 taken along the plane IV-IV.

A simple version of the goods protection device 1 according to the invention may be seen in figures 1 and 2, which is adapted for the accommodation of smaller-sized protected objects 6, such as smartphones, e-books. The carrier body 10 of the goods protection device 1 may be clearly observed, which has a façade surface 19 indicated with a broken line serving for supporting the protected object 6. A support tab 15 protrudes from the façade surface 19 on its first edge 19a, and a support tab 16 protrudes from the façade surface 19, on the neighbouring second edge 19b. The task of the support tab 15 and of the support tab 16 is to grasp the protected object 6 from two sides with their undercut jaws that, as a result, means they accommodate at least a part of the side of the protected object 6. The first clamping member 20 protrudes out of the side of the carrier body 10 opposite the first edge 19a, while the second clamping member 30 protrudes out of the side of the carrier body 10 opposite the second edge 19b. The first clamping member 20 has a support piece 21, which may be moved compared to the carrier body 10 and a clamping jaw 22, while the second clamping member 30 has a support piece 31 and a clamping jaw 32.

Figure 2 provides a better illustration of the support piece 21 of the first clamping member 20 which protrudes into the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 protected by a cover 17, and is fitted into it so that it may slide, and of the clamping jaw 22 formed at the free end 21a of the su pport piece 21. The support piece 31 of the second clamping member 30 is also fitted into the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 so that it may slide, and here also the clamping jaw 32 is formed at the free end 31a of the support piece 31.

It is also easy to see that the first locking piece 23 is located on a section of the surface 21b of the support piece 21. Here, as shown in figure 3, the first locking piece 23 consists of a set of connection ribs 23 a arranged perpendicular to the direction of the movement trajectory 24 of the support piece 21 of the first clamping member 20, and only marked in figure 3. As in the present embodiment the connection ribs 23a face the internal space 18 of the earner body 10, therefore these are shown with a broken line in figure 2. In addition the second locking piece 33 is arranged on a section of the surface 31b of the support piece 31 of the second clamping member 30. The second locking piece 33 is formed by a set of locking ribs 33a arranged independently parallel to the direction 34a of the movement trajectory 34 of the support piece 31. Naturally the size and shape of the connection ribs 23a and the locking ribs 33a is such that the locking ribs 33a may slip, without obstruction, in between the connection ribs 23a, and so are able to lock any movement in the direction 24a along the movement trajectory 24 of the support piece 21 of the first clamping member 20. It is also obvious that the connection ribs 23a must be positioned on the surface 21b of the support piece 21, and the locking ribs 33a on the surface 31b of the support piece 31 so that they are opposite each other. This is why the connection ribs 23a are marked in figure 2 only with a broken line.

In other words figure 3 illustrates the arrangement of the connection ribs 23 a formed on the surface 21b of the support piece 21 and constituting the first locking piece 23, and of the locking ribs 33a formed on the surface 31b of the support piece 31, as well as its arrangement in locked position in the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10.

Returning now to figure 2 it shows that the support piece 31 of the second clamping member 30 is connected to the locking device 40, which is preferably a ratchet assembly, and its task is to keep the support piece 31 in locked status and immobile as compared to the carrier body 10 in the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10. Only authorised persons are able to unlock the locking device 40 using a special tool. It should be noted that such locking devices are known of in the prior art, and may be found in the other goods protection devices in use. An example of this is the locking structure of the goods protection device called “Drinkspector” made by SHOPGUARD KFT. It must also be mentioned here that an important condition of proper operation is that the support piece 31 of the second clamping member 30 be connected to the locking device 40.

It may also be observed in figure 2 that the energy-storage element 5 is interposed between the end of the support piece 31 of the second clamping member 30 opposite the free end 31a and the carrier body 10. The energy-storage element 5 is preferably a coil spring, and its task is to push the second clamping member 30 outwards from the carrier body 10. So when the locking device 40 is in unlocked state, the clamping jaw 32 of the support piece 31 of the second clamping member 30 automatically leaves the carrier body 10 and stands in open terminal position.

The operation of the goods protection device 1 presented in figures 1 to 3 is as follows. In the basic state the free end 21a of the support piece 21 of the first clamping member 20 of the goods protection device 1 and along with this the clamping jaw 22 is withdrawn out of and so removed from the carrier body 10. In addition the energy-storage element 5 pushes the support piece 31 into its external terminal position. In this way the clamping jaw 32 of the second clamping member 30 is also more distant from the carrier body 10. In this case first the protected object 6 needs to be placed onto the façade surface 19 of the carrier body 10 in such a way that one side of the protected object 6 comes into contact with the support tab 15 of the carrier body 10 and another side of the protected object 5 comes into contact with the support tab 16 of the carrier body 10, becomes seated in its undercut section.

Following this by pushing the clamping jaw 22 of the first clamping member 20 towards the carrier body 10 the support piece 21 slips back, without obstruction into the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 progressing in direction 24a along the movement trajectory 24. This slipping back continues until the clamping jaw 22 reaches the edge of the protected object 6 and rests upon it. With the support piece 21 in this internal position the first locking piece 23 consisting of connection ribs 23 a formed on the surface 21b of the support piece 21 reaches a position in the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 that is contained within the crossing zone KZ located in the vicinity of the intersection of the movement trajectory 24 of the support piece 21 and the movement trajectory 34 of the support piece 31. It must be noted here that the crossing zone KZ obviously depends on the sizes of the first locking piece 23 and of the second locking piece 33. Therefore the crossing zone KZ is understood to mean the area in which the first locking piece 23 and the second locking piece 33 meet each other, and the second locking piece 33 is able to grasp the first locking piece 23 in such a way that it is able to prevent the movement of the support piece 21. Following this by pushing the clamping jaw 32 of the second clamping member 30 towards the carrier body 10, the support piece 31 also slides into the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10. While the support piece 31 is sliding the second locking piece 33, progressing in the direction 34a of the movement trajectory 34 of the support piece 31, reaches the crossing zone KZ, in which the connection ribs 23a of the first locking piece 23 of the support piece 21 have now become positioned and the locking ribs 33a slide nicely in between the connection ribs 23a. The clamping jaw 32 and the support piece 31 progress into the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 until the clamping jaw 32 rests up against the edge of the protected object 6.

While the support piece 31 slides inwards into the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10, it moves the ratchet locking device 40 connected to it, which permits the sliding of the support piece 31 into the free direction per ratchet tooth. In addition while the support piece 31 is sliding inwards the support piece 31 is constantly compressing the energy- storage element 5 interposed between support piece 31 and the carrier body 10, in which strain energy is accumulated. As soon as the clamping jaw 32 comes into contact with the protected object 6 the sliding of the support piece 31 stops. However, the ratchet locking device 40 does not permit the support piece 31 to move in the opposite direction, which in this way remains locked until the locking device 40 is released. As the locking ribs 33a of the support piece 31 have slid in between the connection ribs 23 a of the support piece 21 and with this they prevent the support piece 21 from moving outwards in the direction 24a of the movement trajectory, the support piece 21 also gets into locked state. In this way then the support tab 15, the support tab 16, the clamping jaw 22 and the clamping jaw 32 together hold the protected object 6 placed onto the façade surface 19 of the carrier body 10 in the goods protection device 1.

If an authorised person, i.e. having the appropriate opening device, wishes to open the goods protection device 1, then the blocked state of the locking device 40 is released. In this case the strain energy accumulated in the energy-storage element 5 is released and moves the energy-storage element 5 back to its initial state, i.e. the coil spring, optionally, unwinds. However, as a consequence of this the support piece 31 how moves outwards on its movement trajectory 34 from the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10. Along with this the locking ribs 33a slip out from between the connection ribs 23a, and the clamping jaw 32 moves away from the edge of the protected object 6. When the locking ribs 33a completely slide out from between the connection ribs 23a, i.e. the locking ribs 33a leave the crossing zone KZ, then the support piece 21 is also released, and along the movement trajectory 24 the clamping jaw 22 may be removed from the edge of the protected object 6, In this way then the protected object 6 is relieved of the clamping and it may be removed from the fagade surface 19 or the carrier body 10 of the goods protection device 1.

Moving over now to figure 4, it shows a schematic view of a different embodiment of the goods protection device 1. It may be observed that here the fagade surface 19 of the carrier body 10 is smooth, however, in addition to the first clamping member 20 the first opposite clamping member 50 may be found at the first edge 19a of the carrier body 10 opposite the first clamping member 20, while in addition to the second clamping member 30 the second opposite clamping member 60 may be found at the second edge 19b of the carrier body 10 opposite the second clamping member 30.

The structure of the first opposite clamping member 50 is essentially the same as that of the fist clamping member 20. Here also we may find the support piece 51 with the clamping jaw 52 located at the free end 51a of it. Furthermore, a portion of the surface 51b of the support piece 51 has the first locking piece 53, which here too consists of connection ribs 53a. Also the direction 54a of the movement trajectory 54 of the support piece 51 of the first opposite clamping member 50 is parallel to the direction 24a of the movement trajectory 24 of the support piece 21 of the first clamping member 20.

The same may also be said of the second opposite clamping member 60. Similarly to the second clamping member 30, the second opposite clamping member 60 also contains a support piece 61, and a clamping jaw 62 located at its free end 61a. Also a part of the surface 61b of the support piece 61 is provided with a second locking piece 63 consisting of locking ribs 63a. In addition the direction 64a of the movement trajectory 64 of the support piece 61 of the second opposite clamping member 60 is parallel to the direction 34a of the movement trajectory 34 of the support piece 31 of the second clamping member 30. A basic difference between this embodiment and those disclosed previously is that the surface 21b of the support piece 21 of the first clamping member 20 contains a torque- transfer piece 21c, which is a toothed rack, and a torque-transfer piece 51c may also be found on the surface 51b of the support piece 51 of the first opposite clamping member 50, which is a toothed rack of the same design as the torque-transfer piece 21c. Apart from this, there is a torque-transfer element 11 formed as a cogwheel in the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10, which may rotate around its own rotation axis 11a inside the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10.

The task of the torque-transfer piece 21c, the torque-transfer piece 51c and the torque- transfer element 11 is to harmonise the sliding of the first clamping member 20 and the first opposite clamping member 50 in such a way that their movement is opposite to each other. So when the support piece 21 of the first clamping member 20 slides inwards towards the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 then the support piece 51 of the first opposite clamping member 50 also moves into the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10. In this way the sum total of the first clamping member 20 and the first opposite clamping member 50 constitutes the first clamping member-pair 2 with harmonised movement.

Another difference is that a torque-transfer piece 31c forming a tooth rack may also be found on the surface 31b of the support piece 31 of the second clamping member 30, while a torque-transfer piece 61c is also located on the surface 61b of the support piece 61 of the second opposite clamping member 60, which has the same structure as the torque-transfer piece 31c. Furthermore a torque-transfer element 12 formed as a cogwheel may be found inside the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10, which may rotate around its rotation axis 12a in the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10.

Together the torque-transfer element 12, the torque-transfer piece 31c and the torque- transfer piece 61c serve to harmonise the movement of the support piece 31 or the second clamping member 30 and of the support piece 61 of the second opposite clamping member 60, and in such a way that when the support piece 31 slides towards the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 then the support piece 61 of the second opposite clamping member 60 moves towards the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 along the movement trajectory 64. In this way the sum total of the second clamping member 30 and the second opposite clamping member 60 constitutes the second clamping member-pair 3 with harmonised movement.

Figure 4 also illustrates that in the case of the given embodiment the torque-transfer element 12 is connected to the locking device 40, which here also is the ratchet structure mentioned previously. An energy-storage element 5 is interposed between the end opposite the free end 31a of the support piece 31 of the second clamping member 30 and the carrier body 10, and also between the end opposite the free end 61a of the support piece 61 of the second opposite clamping member 60 and the carrier body 10. The task of the energy- storage element 5 here too is when the support piece 61 and the support piece 31 are in “released” state to push them out of the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 to their external terminal positions. It should also be noted here that depending on the material of the energy-storage element 5 and the magnitude of the strain energy that can be stored in it a single energy- storage element 5 may also be sufficient, which is only fitted between the support piece 31 and the carrier body 10 or between the support piece 61 and the carrier body 10.

The operation of the goods protection device 1 according to figure 4 is as follows. In the basic state the support piece 21, the support piece 51, the support piece 31 and the support piece 61 are in their external terminal positions. In this case the protected object 6 may be placed up to the façade surface 19 of the carrier body 10. After this by either pushing the clamping jaw 22 of the support piece 21 or the clamping jaw 52 of the support piece 51 towards the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 both the support piece 21 of the first clamping member 20 and the support piece 51 of the first opposite clamping member 51 slide inwards. This is a result of that, for example, when the clamping jaw 22 is pushed inwards the teeth of the torque- transfer piece 21c become connected to the teeth of the torque-transfer element 11 constituting a cogwheel thereby causing the torque-transfer element 11 to rotate, which transfers the torque received to the teeth of the torque-transfer piece 51c in contact with its teeth and formed on the support piece 51. In this way due to the effect of the torque received the torque-transfer piece 51c also starts off inwards in the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 and pulls the support piece 51 into the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10. In other words the first clamping member-pair 2 consisting of the first clamping member 20 and the first opposite clamping member 50 always moves inwards towards the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 symmetrically.

When the clamping jaw 22 and the clamping jaw 52 clamp the two facing sides of the protected object 6, symmetrically as a result of the operation of the first clamping member- pair 2, then by pressing the clamping jaw 32 and/or the clamping jaw 62, as a result of the effect of the torque-transfer element 12, both the support piece 31 and the support piece 61 slide inwards into the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10, while the torque-transfer element 12 rotates around its rotation axis 12a. In this way, therefore, the second clamping member-pair 3 consisting of the second clamping member 30 and the second opposite clamping member 60 also moves symmetrically along the movement trajectory 34 and the movement trajectory 64.

When the clamping jaw 32 and the clamping jaw 62 move inwards towards the protected object 6, the locking ribs 33a of the second locking piece 33 of the support piece 31 and the locking ribs 63a of the second locking piece 63 of the support piece 61, as disclosed in the cases of figures 1 to 3, enter into the crossing zone KZ and there slide in between the connection ribs 23a of the first locking piece 23 of the support piece 21 and in between the connection ribs 53 a of the first locking piece 53 of the support piece 51. In this way these are secured so that neither the support piece 21 is able to move in the direction 24a of its movement trajectory 24 nor the support piece 51 is able to move in the direction 54a of its movement trajectory 54.

While it is rotating the torque-transfer element 12 is connected to the locking device 40, and so it is only possible to rotate the torque-transfer element 12 in one direction, its reverse rotation is prevented. When, finally, the clamping jaw 32 and the clamping jaw 62 reach the edge of the protected object 6, the movement stops, and the ratchet structure of the locking device 40 prevents the support piece 31 and the support piece from sliding backwards, i.e. out of the internal space 18. While the support piece 31 and the support piece 61 are being pushed in the energy-storage elements 5 are also compressed, and so strain energy becomes accumulated in them. The fixed-position clamping jaw 22, clamping jaw 32, clamping jaw 52 and clamping jaw 62 holds the protected object 6 until an authorised person releases the locking device 40 using the appropriate unlocking key.

When the key is used the locking device 40 and the torque-transfer element 12 become temporarily disconnected, and the force originating from the energy-storage elements 5 pushes back the support piece 31 and the support piece 61 to their initial positions. While the support piece 31 and, along with this, as a result of the torque-transfer element 12 the support piece 61 slide outwards from the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 the locking ribs 33a of the second locking piece 33 slide out from between the connection ribs 23 a of the first locking piece 23, and the locking ribs 63 a of the second locking piece 63 slide out from between the connection ribs 53a of the first locking piece 53. Finally the second locking piece 33 and the second locking piece 63 leave the crossing zone KZ. In this way the securing of the support piece 21 and of the support piece 51 stops, and the protected object 6 may be removed from the façade surface 19 of the carrier body 10.

Moving over now to figures 5 and 6, these show an additional embodiment of the goods protection device 1 according to the invention that serves for holding larger protected objects 6, e.g. tablets. Here the previously disclosed first clamping member 20, first opposite clamping member 50, second clamping member 30 and second opposite clamping member 60 are only symbolically depicted. Their structure and connection are the same as in the case of that disclosed in connection with figure 4.

The given goods protection device 1 differs from that depicted in figure 4 in that it has a supplementary clamping member 70 and an opposite supplementary clamping member 80, as well as a torque-transfer element 13 realising the synchronising connection between them, and also a forced motion body 14 which, in the case of the present version, connects the first clamping member 20 to the opposite supplementary clamping member 80 located diagonally across the carrier body 10.

The supplementary clamping member 70 also has a support piece 71 and a clamping jaw 72 at the free end 71a of the support piece 71. The first locking piece 73 consisting of connection ribs 73a and the torque-transfer piece 71c may be found on the surface 71b of the support piece 71. While the opposite supplementary clamping member 80 contains the support piece 81 and the clamping jaw 82 at its free end 81a, the support piece 81 contains on its surface 81b the second locking piece 83 consisting of connection ribs 83a and the torque-transfer piece 81c.

The movement trajectory 74 of the support piece 71 of the supplementary clamping member 70 and the movement trajectory 84 of the support piece 81 of the opposite supplementary clamping member 80 are parallel to each other, and to the movement trajectory 24 of the support piece 21 and to the movement trajectory 54 of the support piece 51. In other respects also the structure, geometry, construction and operation of the supplementary clamping member 70 are the same as that of the first clamping member 20, while the structure, geometry, construction and operation of the opposite supplementary clamping member 80 are the same as that of the first opposite clamping member 50. In addition the torque-transfer element 13 performs the harmonisation of the movement of the supplementary clamping member 70 and of the opposite supplementary clamping member 80, which may be rotated around the rotation axis 13a as compared to the carrier body 10. In this way the sum total of the supplementary clamping member 70 and the opposite supplementary clamping member 80 also constitutes a supplementary clamping member- pair 4 with harmonised movement.

In the interest of the movement of the first clamping member-pair 2 of the first clamping member 20 - first opposite clamping member 50 and of the supplementary clamping member-pair 4 of the supplementary clamping member 70 - opposite supplementary clamping member 80 being harmonised in the case of this embodiment a forced motion body 14 is positioned between the support piece 21 of the first clamping member 20 and the support piece 81 of the opposite supplementary clamping member 80 that may be rotated around the rotation axis 14a as compared to the carrier body 10.

In the interest of appropriate operation it is preferable if the rotation axis 12a of the locking device 40 and of the torque-transfer element 12 connected to it and the rotation axis 14a of the of the forced motion body 14 are coaxial, and if the lever of the forced motion body 14 between the rotation axis 14a and the support piece 21 and its lever between the rotation axis 14a and the support piece 81 are of the same magnitude. The pivoted connection between the forced motion body 14 and the support piece 21 and between the forced motion body 14 and the support piece 81 is sufficiently loose so that the turning of the forced motion body 14 and the straight-line movement of the support piece 21 and of the support piece 81 does not cause jamming. It is important to note that although the rotation axis 12a of the torque-transfer element 12 and the rotation axis 14a of the forced motion body 14 are coaxial there is no positive mechanical engagement between them.

It must also be mentioned that the forced motion body 14 may also be located between the first opposite clamping member 50 and the second opposite clamping member 60. The essence is only that from the point of view of the carrier body 10 the forced motion body 14 should be positioned diagonally. The reason for this is that, because of the positive mechanical engagement caused by the various torque-transfer elements and pieces, in this case the expectation is fulfilled that by pressing the clamping jaw 22 or the clamping jaw 72 located on the one side of the carrier body 10 the clamping jaw 52 and the clamping jaw 82 both on the same side and on the opposite side start to move in a harmonised way with each other, and either all of them move towards the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 or away from the carrier body 10 to the same extent.

Figure 5 also shows that here the energy-storage member 5 is interposed between the second opposite clamping member 60 and the carrier body 10.

Figure 6 illustrates how the locking device 40 is positioned in the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 enclosed by its façade surface 19 and cover 17 compared to the torque- transfer element 12 and the forced motion body 14. The connection between the support piece 31, the support piece 61 and the torque-transfer element 12 can also be seen. It may also be seen that the rotation axis 12a of the torque-transfer element 12 and the rotation axis 14a of the forced motion body 14 are coaxial.

The operation of the goods protection device 1 according to figures 5 and 6 is fundamentally the same as that disclosed in connection with figure 4. Therefore, here, only the differences will be shown in connection with operation. With the goods protection device 1 in its basic state the clamping jaw 22 and the clamping jaw 52 belonging to the first clamping member-pair 2, the clamping jaw 72 and the clamping jaw 82 forming a part of the supplementary clamping member-pair 4, and the clamping jaw 32 and the clamping jaw 62 of the second clamping member-pair 3 are in their external terminal position the furthest away from the carrier body 10. Following this the protected object 6 may be placed on the facade surface 19 of the carrier body 10. After the protected object 6 has been positioned, e.g. by pushing the clamping jaw 22 inwards, this moves the support piece 51 and its clamping jaw 52 inwards via the torque-transfer piece 21c - torque-transfer element 11 - torque-transfer piece 51c connection.

In addition to this when the clamping jaw 22 is pushed inwards the forced motion body 14, which has an articulated connection to the support piece 21, also turns around its rotation axis 14a, as a result of which the end of the forced motion body 14 opposite the support piece 21 also turns.

Because of this rotation of the end of the forced motion body 14 opposite the support piece 21 the support piece 81 of the opposite supplementary clamping member 80 also moves and slides along the movement trajectory 84 towards the carrier body 10. Because of this sliding of the support piece 81 the support piece 71 also starts to move towards the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10 as a consequence of the torque-transfer piece 81c - torque-transfer element 13 - torque-transfer piece 71c connection.

In this way, in other words, by pushing in only the clamping jaw 22, the clamping jaw 52, the clamping jaw 72 and the clamping jaw 82 also withdraw towards the carrier body 10 and grasp the protected object 6. Following this, by pressing the clamping jaw 32 for example, due to the torque-transfer piece 31c - torque-transfer element 12 - torque-transfer piece 61c connection the support piece 61 and, via this, the clamping jaw 62 move inwards in the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10. While the support piece 31 and the support piece 61 slide inwards, the locking ribs 33a of the support piece 31 penetrate the crossing zone KZ of the movement trajectory 34 of the support piece 31 and the movement trajectory 54 of the support piece 51, and slide among the connection ribs 53a of the support piece 51, while the locking ribs 63 a of the support piece 61 slide among the connection ribs 73a of the support piece 71, and firmly secure them in their locked terminal position.

When the clamping jaw 32 and the clamping jaw 62 reach the edge of the protected object 6 their movement stops, however because of the rotation-restricting ratchet design of the locking device 40 linked to the torque-transfer element 12 the support piece 31 and the support piece 61 are no longer able to slide backwards, i.e. outwards out of the carrier body 10. In this way the clamping jaw 22, the clamping jaw 32, the clamping jaw 52, the clamping jaw 82, the clamping jaw 62 and the clamping jaw 72 hold the protected object 6 in grasped state. When the goods protection device 1 is in this state the energy-storage element 5 is in compressed state, and so stored strain energy.

When the locking device 40 is unlocked the connection between the locking device 40 and the torque-transfer element 12 is released, and the strain energy accumulated in the energy-storage element 5 pushes the support piece 31 out from the internal space 18 of the carrier body 10. Along with this motion the support piece 61 also slides outwards from the carrier body 10. When the second locking piece 33 and the second locking piece 63 leave the crossing zone KZ, then the securing of the first clamping member 20 and the first opposite clamping member 50 constituting the first clamping member-pair 2 and the supplementary clamping member 70 and the opposite supplementary clamping member 80 constituting the supplementary clamping member-pair 4, and so the clamping jaw 22, the clamping jaw 52, the clamping jaw 72 and the clamping jaw 82 may be pulled away from or, using a spring, even propelled away from the carrier body 10, as a consequence of which the protected object 6 may be taken off the carrier body 10 of the goods protection device 1.

The goods protection device according to the invention may be used to good effect for the protection of all protected objects but particularly info-communications devices during sales area presentation that can be grasped between the clamping jaws, and when the objective is to grasp the protected object quickly, simply and in a secure way and also to quickly and simply release it. List of reference signs

Claims

1. Goods protection device for presenting info-communications devices in sales areas, which contains a carrier body (10), at least two clamping members (20, 30) that may be moved compared to the carrier body (10), as well as a locking device (40) interposed between at least one of the clamping members (20, 30) and the carrier body (10) and connected to at least one of the clamping members (20, 30), the first clamping member (20) has a support piece (21) fitted into the carrier body (10) so that it may move and a clamping jaw (22) located at the free end (21a) of the support piece (21), while the second clamping member (30) has a support piece (31) fitted into the carrier body (10) so that it may move and a clamping jaw (32) located at the free end (31a) of the support piece (31), characterised by that the first clamping member (20) has a first locking piece (23) while the second clamping member (30) has a second locking piece (33) cooperating with the first locking piece (23) of the first clamping member (20), where the movement trajectory (24) of the first locking piece (23) and the movement trajectory (34) of the second locking piece (33) cross each other, and the first locking piece (23) and the second locking piece (33) are connected to one another in the crossing zone (KZ) of the movement trajectory (24) of the first locking piece (23) and the movement trajectory (34) of the second locking piece (33), independently of the locking device (40) the first clamping member (20) is connected to the carrier body (10) in such a way that it may move, and the second clamping member (30) is connected to the locking device (40).

2. Goods protection device according to claim 1, characterised by that the first locking piece (23) is formed by the set of connection ribs (23a) positioned perpendicularly to the direction (24a) of the movement trajectory (24) of the first clamping member (20) arranged next to one another on the surface (21b) of the support piece (21), while the second locking piece (33) is formed by the set of locking ribs (33a) positioned parallel to the direction (34a) of the movement trajectory (34) of the second clamping member (30) arranged next to one another on the surface (31b) of the support piece (31) cooperating with the connection ribs (23a) forming the first locking piece (23), and when the goods protection device (1) is in locked state the locking ribs (33a) are pushed to lie in between the connection ribs (23a).

3. Goods protection device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised by that the first clamping member (20) is coupled with the first opposite clamping member (50), where the first opposite clamping member (50) has a support piece (51) and a clamping jaw (52) positioned at the free end (51a) of the support piece (51), and the first opposite clamping member (50) is connected to the carrier body (10) so that it may slide on the side of the carrier body (10) opposite to the first clamping member (20), furthermore the support piece (21) of the first clamping member (20) has a torque-transfer piece (21c), and the support piece (51) of the first opposite clamping member (50) has a torque-transfer piece (51c), while a torque-transfer piece (11) that may rotate compared to the carrier body (10) is interposed between the torque-transfer piece (21c) of the support piece (21) of the first clamping member (20) and the torque-transfer piece (51c) of the support piece (51) of the first opposite clamping member (50), and in this way a first clamping member-pair (2) with harmonised movement is created from the first clamping member (20) and the first opposite clamping member (50).

4. Goods protection device according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised by that the second clamping member (30) is coupled with the second opposite clamping member (60), where the second opposite clamping member (60) has a support piece (61) and the support piece (61) has a clamping jaw (62) at its free end (61a), and the second opposite clamping member (60) is connected to the carrier body (10) in a sliding manner on the side of the carrier body (10) opposite the second clamping member (30), in addition the support piece (31) of the second clamping member (30) has a torque-transfer piece (31c), and the support piece (61) of the second opposite clamping member (60) has a torque-transfer piece (61c), while a torque-transfer element (12) that may rotate compared to the carrier body (10) is interposed between the torque-transfer piece (31c) of the support piece (31) of the second clamping member (30) and the torque-transfer piece (61c) of the support piece (61) of the second opposite clamping member (60), and in this way a second clamping member-pair (3) with harmonised movement is created from the second clamping member (30) and the second opposite clamping member (60).

5. Goods protection device according to claim 4, characterised by that an energy- storage element (5) made from a flexible material is interposed between the second clamping member (30) and the second opposite clamping member (60) and/or between the second clamping member (30) and the carrier body (10) and/or between the second opposite clamping member (60) and the carrier body (10).

6. Goods protection device according to claim 4 or 5, characterised by that the torque- transfer element (12) belonging to the second clamping member-pair (3) is connected to the locking device (40).

7. Goods protection device according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterised by that the carrier body (10) is provided with a supplementary clamping member (70) and an opposite supplementary clamping member (80) cooperating with it, where the supplementary clamping member (70) has a support piece (71) fitted into the carrier body (10) so that it may move, and a clamping jaw (72) positioned at the free end (71a) of the support piece (71), while the opposite supplementary clamping member (80) has a support piece (81) fitted into the carrier body (10) so that it may move, and a clamping jaw (82) positioned at the free end (81a) of the support piece (81), furthermore the support piece (71) of the supplementary clamping member (70) has a torque-transfer piece (71c), and the support piece (81) of the opposite supplementary clamping member (80) has a torque-transfer piece (81c), also a torque-transfer element (13) that may rotate compared to the carrier body (10) is interposed between the torque-transfer piece (71c) of the support piece (71) of the supplementary clamping member (70) and the torque-transfer piece (81c) of the support piece (81) of the opposite supplementary clamping member (80), and in this way a supplementary clamping member-pair (4) with harmonised movement is created from the supplementary clamping member (70) and the opposite supplementary clamping member (80).

8. Goods protection device according to claim 7, characterised by that among the first clamping member (20) and the first opposite clamping member (50) of the first clamping member-pair (2) one of them is connected to the one of the supplementary clamping member (70) and the opposite supplementary clamping member (80) of the supplementary clamping member-pair (3) located on the opposite side of the carrier body (10) via a forced motion body (14), where the forced motion body (14) is connected to the carrier body (10) so that it may rotate with respect to the carrier body (10).

9. Goods protection device according to claim 8, characterised by that the forced motion body (14) is rigidly connected to the torque-transfer element (12) of the second clamping member-pair (3).