GB2037157A - Device for displaying tape cassettes - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has open fronted recesses 6 for accommodating tape cassettes 7 and means 14 movable between positions in which the tape cassettes can and cannot be removed from the recesses. The means 14 may comprise arms pivotally connected to the top and bottom of the device and located adjacent one side of the recesses, the portions 15 of these arms cooperating with fixed abutments 19. A star wheel (21) has projections (22) and can be locked in position so that the projections maintain the arm portions 15 against said abutments. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Display devices This invention relates to devices for displaying recorded tape cassettes which are disposed in holders bearing the titles of the recordings.

In order to guard against stealing of recorded tape cassettes from a display, the tape cassettes in their holders may be accommodated in individual containers arranged in racks in locked cabinets having transparent panels to enable a prospective buyer to read the titles on the holders or, alternatively, the recorded tape cassettes may be removed from their respective holders and the empty holders displayed in open racks. In either case, the racks take up a lot of space which tends to restrict the sales outlets for recorded tape cassettes to shops or shop departments selling primarily music products. Moreover, lockable cabinets are expensive and expensive to install.

For convenience, the term tape cassettes is used herein also to include holders containing recorded tape cassettes.

Devices are known for storing tape cassettes, for example as described in Applicant's British Patent No. 1483056 in which the amount of space required to store a given number of tape cassettes is considerably reduced as compared to that achieved by the known rack system. Such storage devices generally have four open-fronted storage recesses which are arranged at about 900 apart and in which the tape cassettes can be slidably inserted and supported one above the other. Usually such devices are mounted on a rotatable turntable so that the open-fronted recesses can be brought successively into a certain position for ease of removal of the tape cassettes therefrom.At least one such storage device could easily be accommodated in a wide variety of shops whose main line of business is not music products but whose space is restricted by the display and storage of goods forming its line of business: but the problem arises as how to prevent unauthorized removal of the tape cassettes from the storage recesses.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for displaying tape cassettes at point of sale, which occupies a minimal amount of space and which prevents unauthorized removal of the tape cassettes from the device.

To this end, the present invention consists in a device for displaying tape cassettes, having four open-fronted recesses of which each is disposed at an angle of about 900 with respect to the adjacent recesses and in which the tape cassettes can be supported one above the other, characterized by means which is movable between first and second positions in which the tape cassettes can and cannot be removed from the recesses and which is lockable in said second position.

The display device according to the invention can easily be accommodated, e.g. on a shop counter or on a stand at a supermarket check-out point, with the device locked to prevent stealing the tape cassettes.

A customer can choose the desired tape cassette or cassettes from the display and then it is a simple matter for the shopkeeper or assistant to unlock the device, move the movable means to the first position in which the desired tape cassette(s) can be removed from the device and sold to the customer and then move the movable means to the second position and lock the device.

Preferably, a key-operated lock is provided for locking the movable means in order to increase secu rity, the key being held by the shopkeeper or shop assistant. It will be appreciated that when such devices are available to many shops throughout the country, a suitable number of different keys and locks will be provided.

The movable, lockable, means may be of any suitable form, provided that titles on the tape cassettes (these titles are normally on one of the long side edges of the tape cassette holders) are readily visible to the prospective customer. Thus, the movable, lockable means may comprise four doors of transparent material which may be hinged either to the top, bottom or sides of the recesses or be slidable upwards and downwards or from side to side across the open fronts of the recesses between the first and second positions.

Alternatively, for ease of manufacture and simplicity of operation, the movable means may take the form of a plurality of substantially vertically arranged arms which may be hinged either to the top or bottom of the associated recess.

In an even more advantageous embodiment which is simple to operate, the arms are pivoted to the top and bottom of the recesses so that they can be moved into and out of the first and second positions.

Preferably, whatever the kind of movable means employed, the upper ends thereof cooperate with mechanism under the control of a lock, the mechanism being concealed by a cover in such manner as to be tamper proof.

Conveniently, the lock is of cylindrical form and is fitted in a bore in the cover, the lock having a locking member which when the key is turned in the lock causes the mechanism to release the movable means and which when the key is turned in the opposite direction the locking member causes the mechanism to lock the movable means.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the movable means comprises four substantially vertical arms which have inwardly projecting portions which are pivoted to the top and bottom of the recesses at a location which is adjacent one side wall of the associated recess, the inwardly projecting arm portions which are pivoted to the top wall of the respective recesses project underneath the cover where they are engageable by mechanism comprising a star wheel which is engaged by the locking member, the projections on the star wheel hold said arm portions against respective abutments, also underneath the cover, in the locked position of the arms and said star wheel being turnable by the lock to a position in which the projections permit pivoting of the arms to the first position.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a display device constructed in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1 with a cover forming part of the device removed, and Figure 3 is a scrap view of the device, partly in section.

The display device shown in the drawings, gener ally indicated at 1, comprises base and top plates 2 and 3 between which are mounted four individual upright members 4 of L-shaped cross-section in plan, each comprising a back wall and a side wall angled at about 90 with respect to each other. The upright members 4 are located in correspondingly angled recesses (not visible) in the base and top plates 2, 3 such that the free edge of each back wall abuts against an intermediate part of the back wall of an adjacent member4 at an angle of about 900. Thus, each upright member4 defines with a portion 5 of a back wall of an adjacent upright member an openfronted display recess 6 of rectangular cross-section.

Tape cassettes can be inserted into the recesses 6 such that the cassettes project beyond the open fronts of the recesses a sufficient distance for the cassette to be grasped easily by a person's fingers and removed from the recesses. One such tape cassette is shown in Fig. 1 ,from which it will be observed that the cassette is displayed in the recess with the edge bearing the title facing outwards where it can be readily read by a customer. The recesses 6 are each disposed at about 90 with respect to the adjacent recesses and extend around a central passage 13 defined by the remaining portions of the back walls of the recess. The passage accommodates a screw-thread member 8 (Fig. 3) which is screwed into a nut 9 held captive in a tubular projection 10 depending from, and integral with, the under surface of the top plate 3.The screwthread member 8 and cooperating nut 9 act on the base and top plates 2, 3 so that the upright members 4 are secured therebetween by a clamping action.

The screw member also mounts a turntable 11 on the bottom of the base plate 2.

The parts of each upright member 4 which form the sides of a recess 6, i.e. the back wall portions and the side walls, are provided with spaced horizontal bars 12 on which the tape cassettes can be slidably inserted and supported one above the other in the recesses 6.

In order to prevent unauthorized removal of tape cassettes 7 from the display device, in accordance with the invention, the device comprises movable means in the form of substantially vertical arms 14 which are pivoted to the base and top plates 2, 3 by respective inwardly directed arm portions 15 and 16 as by rivets 17 to be movable between a first position shown in chain lines in Fig. 2 in which the tape cassettes can be removed from the recesses and the second position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 in which removal of the tape cassettes from the recesses is prevented. The arms 15 are preferably made of metal but could be made of a rigid transparent plastics material.As will be seen from Fig. 1, the pivot points for the arms are located adjacent to one side of the recess so that only a very small pivoting movement is required to move the arm from the second to the first position in which the cassettes can be removed. The arm portions 15 are extended inwardly beneath a tamper-proof cover 18 and cooperate respectively with fixed abutments 19 spaced apart by approximately 900 and screwed or otherwise secured by bonding to the upper surface of the plate 3, underneath the cover. The cover 18 is secured to the top plate 3 by countersunk screws 20 passing from underneath the top plate 3 and into the coverthrough the abutments 19, for reasons of security.Centered in a recess in the depending projection 10 is a star wheel 21 having four projections 22 which, in the second position of the arms 14 shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 hold the projecting arm portions 15 against their respective abutments 19.

The star wheel 21 has a projection 27 extending into the central hole in the star wheel and by means of which projection 27 the star wheel is turned by the action of a locking memberto be described. Fitted in a central bore 28 in the cover 18 is a cylindrical lock comprising a fixed outer member 23 and an inner rotatable member 24 provided at its outer end with a key hole slot and at its inner end with a locking member 25 having a recess in which engages the projection 27 of the star wheel 21.When the key 26 is inserted in the lock in the full line position of the arm portions 15, the key can be turned to turn the part 24 of the lock and thus the locking member 25 which turns the star wheel 21 in the clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 so that the star wheel projections 22 occupy the chain line position shown in Fig. 2 in which the arms 14 can be pivoted to the first position in which the arm portions occupy the chain line position shown in Fig. 2. In the first position, the star wheel projections 22 abut against the fixed abutments. When a tape cassette has been removed from a recess the arm or arms are pivoted back to the full line position of the arm portions 15 and the key is then turned in the lock, bringing the star wheel into the position in which the arms 14 are held in the locked position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The key can then be removed from the lock.In the unlocked position of the arms, the key 26 cannot be removed from the lock and thus gives an indication that the device is not locked should the shopkeeper or shop assistant inadvertently forget to lock the device.

The display device shown in the drawings can display up to 60 tape cassettes occupying a minimal amount of space and is particularly suitable for displaying tape cassettes on which the top 60 tunes of the hit parade charts have been recorded.

It will be appreciated that several of the illustrated devices may be mounted one above the other, thereby increasing the number of displayed tapes without increasing the space taken up by the display.

It should be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the invention.

For example other forms of lock and locking mechanisms may be provided such as would be suitable with outwardly hinging arms 14 such as arms which are hinged to the base plate 2 and cooperate with suitable mechanism sealed by a tamper-proof cover.

The locking mechanism may be so arranged that the key is turnable to four positions in which the four arms are respectively unlocked so that only one arm may be unlocked at a time or alternately to positions in which only two arms are unlocked at a time.

Although the invention is primarily concerned with the display of tape cassettes, it should be appreciated that the invention is also applicable to the display of other suitable articles, e.g. holders containing jewellery. Also, it should be appreciated that the described device can be increased in height to accommodate even more tape cassettes, for example 180, i.e. 45 tape cassetes in each recess.

Another way of increasing the capacity of the device is to arrange a number of devices 1 one on top of the other, in which case the turntable 17 and locking mechanism would be removed from the adjacent top and bottom plates 2 and 3 and these plates 2 and 3 secured together with the arms 14 extending all the way from the top to the bottom of the combined device.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the arms 14 may be pivotally connected to an adjacent recess wall at at least one location intermediate their ends, by a suitable link, which provides support for and thus increases the strength of the arms. Such a construction is of particular use when the height of the device is increased, and where the device is built up from a plurality of devices 1 the pivotal connection may be to the top or bottom wall (plate 2 or 3) of the recess.In another modification, each of the arms 14 is individually lockable in which case the star wheel 21 is omitted and the cover 18 may support four locks disposed above the inner ends of the arm portions 15 and arranged to actuate a respective locking pin or the like which engages in an aperture in the respective arm portion 15.

In embodiments where the arms 14 are replaced by vertically slidable transparent panels, the cover 18 and star wheel 21 may be increased in size so that the projections 22 of the star wheel project over the upper ends of the panels in the locked position and when the lock is unlocked the star wheel is turned and the projections are moved out of the paths of upward movement of the panels. Naturally when sliding panels are used suitable slideways will be provided on the opposite walls of each recess.

Panels which are hinged at one of their sides to an adjacent recess wall may be individually locked at the other sides to the opposite recess wall by suitable locks.

Claims (13)

1. A device for displaying tape cassettes, having open4r'onted recesses for accommodating tape cassettes characterized by means which is movable between first and second positions in which the tape cassettes can and cannot be moved respectively from the recesses and which is lockable in said second position.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the movable means includes a plurality of members, one for each recess, each of which is moveable from said first position to extend from the top to the bottom of the open front of a respective recess in said second position.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that each of said members comprises a transparent panel which in said second position covers at least a portion of the open front of the respective recess.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that each of said members is a substantially vertically arranged arm having a width which is significantly less than that of the respective recess.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that each of said arms, in said second position, lies adjacent one side of a respective recess.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that each of said arms has inwardly projecting end portions which are pivotally connected to the top and/or bottom respectively of the respective recesses for pivotal movement between said first and second positions.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the pivotal connection of each of said arms is at a location which is adjacent one side wall of the respective recess.

8. A device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that each of said members is individually lockable and releasable.

9. A device as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the upper ends of said members co-operate with mechanism under the control of a lock, said mechanism being concealed by a cover.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the lock is operated by a key, is of cylindrical form and is fitted in a bore in the cover, the lock having a locking member which when the key is turned in the lock causes the mechanism to release the moveable members and which, when the key is turned in the opposite direction, causes the mechanism to lock the movable members.

11. A device as claimed in claim 6 or7, wherein said inwardly projecting end portions co-operate with mechanism underthe control of a lock, said mechanism being concealed by a cover and comprising a rotatable member having a plurality of projections which are spaced around the periphery of the rotatable member and which are respectively engageable with said inwardly projecting portions so as to hold them against respective abutments when the arms are in said second position and the lock is locked, and said rotatable member being turnable when said lock is released into a position in which the projections permit pivoting of the arms to said first position.

12. 12. A device as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7 and 11, wherein each of the arms is pivotally connected to an adjacent wall of a recess at a location intermediate its ends.

13. A device for displaying tape cassettes, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.