Patent Application
20120256748
Not Applicable
The present invention relates to disc media securement, and more particularly to protecting items such as CD-roms or DVDs from theft.
No federal funds were used to develop or create the invention disclosed and described in the patent application.
Not Applicable
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document may contain material that is subject to copyright and trademark protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
Optical data storage media such as CD's (Compact Discs), DVD's (Digital Video Discs or Digital Variety Discs), DVD-ROM, and CDROM's are used to distribute software, games, movies, and the like. Various electronic and mechanical devices have been provided for tracking and monitoring of goods and containers. These devices include acoustic magnetic security strips and radio frequency security tags. These devices often are embodied in tags, pods, labels, or patches, having adhesive surfaces for attaching the device to the goods or their containers. These devices facilitate tracking and monitoring of goods and containers. The security devices are typically attached to the articles particularly susceptible to pilferage and improper removal from a warehouse or retail store. The security devices include a detectable sensor. One known type of security tag has a circuit that resonates at a predetermined detection frequency range. A transmitter provides electromagnetic energy that excites the circuit. A receiver detects the output signal from the resonating circuit. The transmitter and the receiver are located at detection points, often exits from retail facilities. As the article is carried through the detection point, the receiver signals an alert when an activated sensor device is detected. For articles that are permitted to pass (such as purchased DVDs), a separate device is used to deactivate the detectable sensor prior to passage. Other devices include RFID devices that communicate digital signals. In some known RFID devices, the signal is indicative of unique identifiers for tracking particular containers.
Often large retailers require manufacturers of articles to include tracking and monitoring devices within the containers for the articles. For smaller retailers and smaller inventories of articles, the tracking and monitoring devices may not be included with or attached to containers. In such circumstances, the articles may be provided with after-market tracking and monitoring devices. For example, electronic article surveillance tags are available with adhesive backing to secure the tags to the containers. While the containers are thereby subject to electronic article surveillance, the adhesively attached tags experience problems during use. One significant problem is that the tags, being on the exterior of the container, are susceptible to removal. Removing the security tag facilitates unauthorized removal of the article from the secured area. However, removal by a purchaser also causes problems. The covering to which the security tag attaches may become torn or ripped. The package with the security tag, or without such by removal is unattractive. The security tag may also overlie or cover over ornamental graphics or text on the packaging.
In the illustrated embodiment, the hard cover product 50 attaches to an interior body, such as plastic matingly engagable plastic diskholders, configured for receiving compact discs or DVD discs. However, the interior body may be a bound assembly of papers for a book. Other shell devices that define an interior body for the hard cover product may be gainfully attached to the interior front and back covers, such as for packaging small articles, video tapes, books, ring binders, or other articles.
Other Prior art which may be of interest to the present invention and which is incorporated by reference is:
In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered limited of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.
Before the various embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that phraseology and terminology used herein with reference to device or element orientation (such as, for example, terms like “front”, “back”, “up”, “down”, “top”, “bottom”, and the like) are only used to simplify description of the present invention, and do not alone indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation. In addition, terms such as “first”, “second”, and “third” are used herein and in the appended claims for purposes of description and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or significance.
Although the present invention and its associated methodology may be described with respect to a single type of optical storage media, the ordinarily skilled artisan will readily appreciate that these teachings may also be applied to other types of optical storage media.
“Electronic article surveillance” and “EAS” herein refers to commercially available systems for inhibiting the theft of goods from retail stores using an active tag associated with each article, which triggers an alarm when entering an interrogation zone at the store exit. The EAS tag reacts to signals transmitted by EAS security devices positioned at the exits of the store. Upon being interrogated by a specific signal, the EAS tag is adapted to emit a signal that is detectable by an EAS receiver, which can then activate an alarm. The preferred anti-theft device is integral to the primary package, increasing the security of the overall package. There are several types of EAS systems presently in use including RF, microwave, harmonic, and acoustomagnetic or magnetomechanical techniques for spatial magnetic interrogation and novel tags. EAS technology is disclosed e.g. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,791 (Isaac et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,859,587 (Alicot et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,425 (Baldwin), all incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. The technology described in WO 96/31790, sometimes referred to as “Flying Null” technology, is based on exploiting the behavior of magnetic materials as they pass through a region of space containing a magnetic null. Passive tags containing one or more magnetic elements can perform as remotely-readable data carriers, the number and spatial arrangement of the elements representing information such as a unique package identifier.
The present invention relates to a theft proof fastening for a DVD, or other optical media container, and more particularly to a theft proof fastening which incorporates EAS for a DVD container that prevents the compact disk from being stolen away from the outer DVD container.
Since the application of compact disks is popular, many products make use of compact disks such as DVD as data storage media and the products are sold with the advantages of the compact disk. However, compact disk providers may have their compact disk stolen without even knowing it and at great economic cost. Although magnetic sensors can be installed in the DVD container and a retailer may notice such once the sensor at the door initiates the alarm, the potential thief is only interested in the compact disk itself, and the thief may steal the compact disk by one of the following ways:
1. Firstly, press the positioning structure at the central hole of the compact disk to detach the compact disk from the positioning structure.
2. Cut a slit along the notch of the DVD container which is packaged by a transparent plastic membrane outside the DVD container.
3. Shake the DVD container until the compact disk inside the DVD container falls out from the notch of the DVD container and the slit of the transparent plastic membrane.
4. Put the DVD container back into the original position and take away the compact disk. Since the compact disk has no magnetic sensing material on it, a potential thief can successfully take away the compact disk. The problem at this time is more serious than the theft itself because the DVD container has no DVD disk in it, and the people of the shop do not realize their has been a theft. When a customer buys such a compact disk, the customer generally will not notice the small slit on the transparent plastic membrane when making payment at the cashier, but as soon as the customer opens the package and discovers the compact disk is missing, the customer will definitely ask for compensation from the shop. It does not only cost damages to the business itself, but also to the reputation of the company.
It is clear then that the present art is intended to alleviate this problem by incorporating EAS technology into the packaging of the DVD itself while burglar or theft proofing the packaging for the DVD by not allowing the removal of the DVD from the package without triggering the EAS alarm system.
As shown in
Having described the preferred embodiment, other features of the disk media securement device and methods will undoubtedly occur to those versed in the art, as will numerous modifications and alterations in the embodiments as illustrated herein, all of which may be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the disk media securement device or case 20 are not limited to the specific embodiments pictured and described herein, but are intended to apply to all similar apparatuses and methods for securing disc media. Modifications and alterations from the described embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art without departure from the spirit and scope of the case 20 or mounting base 32.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61265714 | Dec 2009 | US |
