HK1064145B - Anti-shop lifting device for bottles - Google Patents

Description

Background of the invention Field of the invention

The invention relates to an anti-shop-lifting device, intended to be passed onto and locked to a bottle-neck having an external circumferential bead.

Description of the Prior Art

EP-B1-0 688 390 describes an anti-shop-lifting device to be locked to a bottle-neck having an external circumferential bead, comprising an inner socket to be passed onto the bottle-neck, an outer socket mounted externally on the inner socket and displaceable axially thereof, retainers distributed circumferentially on the inner surface of the outer socket, which extend into the inner socket through openings in the wall thereof to engage behind the bead, and latch means which in a latching position lock the inner socket against displacement in relation to the outer socket in a position preventing movement of the retainers from said engaged position to prevent the anti-shop-lifting device from being removed from the bottle-neck.

Problem involved

In the illustrative embodiment of the prior art anti-shop-lifting device disclosed in EP-B1-0 688 390 the retainers comprise spring blades which in the locked position extend obliquely towards the mouth of the bottle engaging the surface of the bottle. Bottles for champagne or other sparkling wines usually have the upper portion of the bottle covered by a tinfoil coating which is easily damaged by the spring blades. A bottle with champagne or the like having a damaged tinfoil coating is not accepted by the customer.

Brief Summary of the Invention

The purpose of the invention is to provide an anti-shop-lifting device which can be used on bottles with a tinfoil coating without damaging such coating, and this purpose is achieved by an anti-shop-lifting device of the kind referred to above having the characterizing features defined in claim 1.

Further features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described in more detail below reference being made to illustrative embodiments of the invention which are disclosed in the accompanying drawings in which

• FIG. 1 is an axial cross-sectional view of the anti-shop-lifting device in an unlocked position,
• FIG. 2 is a corresponding axial cross-sectional view of the anti-shop-lifting device in a locked position,
• FIG. 3 is a transverse cross sectional view of an inner socket,
• FIG. 4 is a side view of the socket in FIG 3,
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a retainer ring,
• FIG. 6 is an axial cross-sectional view of the retainer ring,
• FIG. 7 is a view of a strip of spring steel included in the anti-shop-lifting device, shown in a flattened condition,
• FIG. 8, is an axial cross sectional view of an outer socket of the anti-shop-lifting device, and
• FIG. 9 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG 8.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The disclosed anti-shop-lifting device in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1-9 comprises a circular cylindrical inner socket 10 of rigid plastics, which is closed at the upper end thereof by an end wall 11. At a circumferential shoulder 12 on the outside surface of the socket the socket changes to a lower end portion with a larger wall thickness than the upper portion of the socket. In this thicker portion there are provided four rectangular openings 13. The socket terminates at the lower end thereof in a circular ring 14 integral with the socket. An axial groove 15 is provided at the shoulder centrally of each opening 13 a transverse notch 16 being formed in each groove. The ring 14 forms four pairs of mutually spaced outwardly projecting protuberances 17 the pairs of protuberances being mutually spaced 90° on the circumference of the ring.

Externally of the inner socket 10 there is provided co-axially therewith an outer circular cylindrical socket 18 also of rigid plastics which can be displaced axially in relation to socket 10. Socket 18 forms an annular end wall 19 at the upper end thereof. A retainer ring 20 also of rigid plastics is connected to socket 18 at the lower end thereof, said ring forming four retainers 21 received each in one of openings 13. Ring 20 is connected to the outer socket 18 by ultrasound welding, gluing or in any other suitable way.

A strip 22 of magnetically attractable spring steel having a thickness of e. g. 0.25 mm and having the shape which can be seen in FIG. 7 is resiliently bent to a circular ring and mounted in the outer socket 18. The spring steel strip forms longitudinal ribbon-shaped upper and lower portions 23 and 24, respectively, interconnected by integral webs 25 and forming together with the webs rectangular windows 26. Four spring tongues 27 uniformly distributed along the spring steel strip project perpendicularly from the upper portion 23 into associated windows. The spring tongues are slightly deflected inwards at an angle to portion 23 and have a bulged end portion 28 to be engaged with notches 16. Also two spring tongues 29 slightly deflected inwards project from portion 23 into associated windows 26. Finally, at the ends the spring steel strip forms flaps 30 for interconnecting the ends of the strip so as to impart to the strip the shape of a circular ring.

In order to mount the spring steel strip 22 in the outer socket 18 there is provided in the inside corner of the socket at end wall 19 a circumferential groove 31 receiving portion 23 of the strip with tongues 27 and 29 directed towards the ouside surface of the inner socket 10.

The outer socket 18 forms a space 32 in order to receive therein an alarm element forming part of an alarm system. This space is closed by a cover 33 which is attached to socket 18 by means of snap elements 34 or by welding, so that the cover cannot be removed in order to allow access to the alarm element and removal of it from the socket.

The outer socket 18, the retainer ring 20 and the spring steel strip 22 thus form a unit which can be displaced axially in relation to the inner socket 10. In one displaced position which is shown in FIG 1 and is an unlocked position the inner socket 10 is releasably held in this position by tongues 27 which at the bulged end portions 28 thereof engage notches 16. By this arrangement the inner socket will be prevented from sliding down by gravity to the locked position shown in Fig. 2.

When the anti-shop-lifting device is to be applied to a bottle the device in the unlocked position shown in FIG 1 is pushed at socket 18 onto the bottle neck - fragmentarily indicated by dot-and-dash lines - the retainers 21 being engaged with the bead at the opening of the bottle at oblique surfaces 35 which are circularly curved circumferentially, and being deflected outwards when passing over the bead. The retainers then snap back behind the bead, FIG. 2. The inner socket 10 then is pressed down spring tongues 27 being disengaged from notches 16. By displacement of the inner socket spring tongues 29 will leave the thicker wall portion of the socket and will engage behind shoulder 12 as disclosed in FIG 2. In this position beveled edge surfaces 36 of socket 10 will be located close to correspondingly beveled surfaces 37 on retainers 21 and will prevent deflection thereof, which means that the retainers cannot pass over the bead of the bottle and the device accordingly cannot be removed from the bottle.

As will be understood the device must be dimensioned so as to match the dimensions of the bottle, particularly the dimensions of the bead thereof. It is the intention that the device of the invention shall be dimensioned so as to match bottles that are used for champagne and other sparkling wines which does not exclude use of the device in combination with bottles of other types provided that they have matching dimensions. The device disclosed in EP-B1-0 688 390 has a more universal use but in case of bottles with a tin foil cover such as bottles for champagne or other sparkling wines causes the problem accounted for above.

In the embodiment described the anti-shop-lifting device prevents unauthorized uncorking of a bottle in a shop and activates an alarm by means of the alarm element in space 32 if a bottle having the anti-shop-lifting device applied to it is carried out from the region protected by means of the alarm system, e.g. if a person with the protected bottle passes sensing means at the exit of a self-service shop.

Authorized removal of the anti-shop-lifting device can take place only by using a special tool which is used by the counter attendant in the self-service shop. Such a tool can be constructed as described in EP-B1-0 688 390 and can consist of a ring which has an inner diameter sufficiently large in order that the ring can be passed over the outer socket 15 but forms a shoulder portion to engage the end wall 19 so that the ring can be placed on socket 18. In the ring there are provided powerful permanent magnets, and when the ring with the anti-shop-lifting device in the engaged position according to FIG. 2 is passed over the outer socket 18 these permanent magnets will attract the associated spring tongues 29. By attraction of spring tongues 29 to the magnets in the ring the tongues are disengaged from shoulder 12 so that the inner socket 10 will be released for axial displacement upwards in relation to the outer socket 18. By displacement of the inner socket 10 upwards in relation to the outer socket 18 to the position shown in FIG. 1 the beveled surfaces 36 will be withdrawn from the beveled surfaces 37 so that retainers 21 will be deflected when engaged with the bead from below and will pass over the bead allowing the anti-shop-lifting device to be removed from the bottle. The deflection of the retainers is facilitated by rounded surfaces 38 on the retainers.

The outer socket 18 is provided with a projection 39 which by engagement with one of the pairs of protuberances 17 defines the angular position of the outer socket in relation to the inner socket 10, in which retainers 21 are in register with openings 13.

Claims (3)

1. An anti-shop-lifting device to be locked to a bottle-neck having an external circumferential bead, comprising an inner socket (10) to be passed onto the bottle-neck, an outer socket (18) mounted externally on the inner socket and displaceable axially thereof, retainers (21) distributed circumferentially on the inner surface of the outer socket, which extend into the inner socket through openings (13) in the wall thereof to engage behind the bead, and latch means (29) which in a latching position lock the inner socket against displacement in relation to the outer socket in a position preventing movement of the retainers from said engaged position to prevent the anti-shop-lifting device from being removed from the bottle-neck, characterized in that the retainers (21) are substantially rigid but are flexible to yield, by engagement with the bead, at displacement of the device onto the bottle neck, to take a position behind the bead, and that the inner socket (10) in the locked position thereof forms an abutment for the retainers preventing yielding thereof from the position behind the bead.
2. The anti-shop-lifting device according to claim 1, wherein the retainers have rounded end surfaces (38).
3. The anti-shop-lifting device according to claim 2 wherein the retainers (21) are connected with a ring (20) attached to the lower end of the outer socket (18).