Patent Application
20120248115
The present invention is directed towards security packages for retail products and in particular security packages with locking collars and with casings which conform to contained retail products.
In retail stores, theft of merchandise is a difficult problem to tackle effectively. This problem is even more apparent in large stores with small items for sale, where it is infeasible to hire enough staff to monitor the entire store, and where patrons might easily conceal a small item in their clothing or in a bag. Some retailers have worked around this problem by putting small items in relatively large packages using the strategy that it will be more difficult to conceal the large package. However, consumers and manufacturers are becoming less comfortable with this solution because it generates a considerable amount of packaging waste. As well, even though the packaging may be relatively large it still may be relatively is to tamper with it and get at the product. Another problem with this solution is that it takes up a lot of shelf space as well as space during shipping to the retailer. Many retailers have strategically laid out their display shelving to maximize selling space. Any changes to that space causes further implementation problems and costs. It is also apparent that traditional larger security boxes take up extra space and if there is an item for sale that is not in the larger security box then that items is more likely to be stolen. A further problem with this solution is that it typically uses hard plastic boxes or something that is becoming seen as less environmentally friendly.
Some solutions to this problem are highlighted in the following paragraphs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,886,688 describes a security package for enclosing DVD's and other articles for deterring the tampering with the shrink wrapped protecting the product or removing the product from the security package. The security package is made from inexpensive material and can be placed on the product at the factory. The security package is thin such that it fits in the display racks for the product and is made of a clear material such that a customer can see the packaging information on the package. The security package can be removed at the store with a special key, or when purchased the consumer may take the security package home with the product therein and remove the security package at home. The security package may be removed and reused at the store or sold with the product inside. Since the security package is inexpensive it may be disposed of rather than reused. This is also perceived as merely adding to the waste from an environmental perspective.
U.S. Publication No. 2006/0196780 describes an anti-theft box for protection of goods comprising a main body defining an inner space for the goods to be protected, a lid closing the main body, an alarm transmitter triggering a central alarm in case the anti-theft box passes an alarm gate, and a releasable lock locking the lid to the main body. The anti-theft box according to the invention also comprises an internal alarm circuit that is controlled to be fused when the releasable lock is in a locking position and defused when the releasable lock is in an unlocked position. The internal alarm circuit comprises a first switch, which in the fused state is arranged to trigger the alarm circuit to emit a sound signal in case the first switch indicates that the lid and the main body are separated.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,173 describes a security package for use in a retail setting having a pair of members hinged together that can be rotated about the hinge between an open and closed position. A lock is also provided to secure the two members in the closed position. A plurality of ribs are provided to reinforce the side walls of the two members and interlocks are provided on each member which cooperate to cover the edges of the side walls when the package is closed to prevent unauthorized opening of the package by prying apart the side walls.
U.S. Publication No. 2006/0174667 describes a security device including at least two pins and at least two locks. Each lock is adapted to releasably receive one pin. At least one of the at least two pins and the at least two locks are attached together. The device has a release position wherein the pins are not in the locks and has a locked position where the pins are secured in the locks. In another aspect of the invention there is provided a detacher for use with two locks.
The present invention provides a security package for a product, comprising
a casing having an open and a closed configuration and comprising at least one cavity shaped to receive the product; and a collar having a locked and an unlocked configuration, in the locked configuration the collar secures the casing in the closed configuration, the collar has a first locking member having at least one male locking mechanism, and a second locking member having at least one female locking mechanism lockable to the at least one male locking mechanism. In some embodiments, the casing may comprise a first casing portion, a second casing portion, and a connector connected between the first and second casing portion. The cavity is formed by one or both of the first and second casing portions. The connector may comprise a strip of foldable material, and the first casing portion, the second casing portion and the connector are made of one continuous piece of material. The casing may also comprise at least one hole shaped to allow a portion of the at least one male locking mechanism therethrough. The casing may be formed from one continuous piece of thermoforming plastic.
In some embodiments, the casing comprises a first casing portion, and a second casing portion, wherein the second casing portion is integrally formed with one of the first and second locking members.
In other embodiments, the casing further comprises a first casing portion, and a second casing portion, wherein the first casing portion is integrally formed with the first locking member, and the second casing portion is integrally formed with the second locking member.
The collar of the present invention may be shaped to form a perimeter around the cavity.
In another embodiment, the at least one male locking mechanism is a plurality of male locking mechanisms, the at least one female locking mechanism is a plurality of female locking mechanisms, and the male and female locking mechanisms are disposed in the first and second locking members in a pattern, wherein the collar transitions from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration only when all of the locking mechanisms are unlocked simultaneously. In addition, the first and second locking members may be formed from an opaque material, wherein the first and second locking members substantially envelope the plurality of male locking mechanisms and the plurality of female locking mechanisms when the collar is in the locked configuration. This provides the retailer with a wide variety of options. For example a different type of lock may be used in the plurality of locks so that different type of detacher need to be in registration with the specific lock so that all of the locks can be released simultaneously to release the device.
In some embodiments of the invention, collar further comprises a metal wire, wherein the metal wire forms a perimeter around the cavity. The collar may also comprise at least one electronic security device, wherein the metal wire forms an antenna of the at least one electronic security device.
In other embodiments of the invention, the first and second locking members each comprise at least one member having an adjustable length.
Further, in some embodiments, the at least one male locking mechanism is a plurality of male locking mechanisms, a preselected number of the plurality of male locking mechanisms are lockable to corresponding female locking mechanisms in the second locking member, and the remaining number of the plurality of male locking mechanisms are insertable in at least one non-locking slot in the second locking member.
Further, in some embodiments, the at least one female locking mechanism is a plurality of female locking mechanisms, a preselected number of the plurality of female locking mechanisms are lockable to corresponding male locking mechanisms in the first locking member, and the remaining number of the plurality of female locking mechanisms are not locked. Further, the at least one male locking mechanism and the at least one female locking mechanism may comprise one or a combination of mechanical locking mechanisms and magnetic locking mechanisms.
The collar of the present invention may comprise at least one electronic security device. In such embodiments, the at least one electronic security device may be removable from the collar when the collar is in the unlocked configuration. Further, the at least one electronic security device may be one or a combination of RFID device and electronic article surveillance device. In some embodiments, the at least one electronic security device is an active device powered by a battery.
The at least one cavity may be a plurality of cavities shaped to receive a plurality of pieces of the product.
The casing may have a product information portion configured to receive product information. The product information portion may be a pocket. The casing may further include a third casing portion and the second and the third casing portion may have and open and closed configuration and in the closed configuration the second and third casing portions are the product information portion.
The collar may form a perimeter around the cavity and the collar may include a rigid portion and at least one flexible portion. The collar may include two flexible portions. The flexible portion may be a wire.
The casing may be provided by a manufacturer of the product and may be intended to stay with the product.
A security package for a product and a product package having an open and a closed configuration and comprising at least one cavity shaped to receive the product comprising a collar having a locked and an unlocked configuration, in the locked configuration the collar secures the product package in the closed configuration, the collar has a first locking member having at least one male locking mechanism, and a second locking member having at least one female locking mechanism lockable to the at least one male locking mechanism.
The systems described herein are directed, in general, to security packages for retail products and in particular security packages with locking collars and with casings which conform to contained retail products. Although embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein, the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary and it should be understood that the invention relates to many alternative forms, including different shapes and sizes. Furthermore, the Figures are not drawn to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular features while related elements may have been eliminated to prevent obscuring novel aspects. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for enabling someone skilled in the art to employ the present invention in a variety of manner. For purposes of instruction and not limitation, the illustrated embodiments are all directed to security packages with collars and casings which conform to contained retail products.
As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and “including” are to be construed as being inclusive and open ended, and not exclusive. Specifically, when used in this specification including claims, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and “including” and variations thereof mean the specified features, steps or components are included. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.
As used herein, the terms “about” and “approximately”, when used in conjunction with ranges of dimensions, compositions of mixtures or other physical properties or characteristics, is meant to cover slight variations that may exist in the upper and lower limits of the ranges of dimensions so as to not exclude embodiments where on average most of the dimensions are satisfied but where statistically dimensions may exist outside this region. It is not the intention to exclude embodiments such as these from the present invention.
As used herein, the coordinating conjunction “and/or” is meant to be a selection between a logical disjunction and a logical conjunction of the adjacent words, phrases, or clauses. Specifically, the phrase “X and/or Y” is meant to be interpreted as “one or both of X and Y” wherein X and Y are any word, phrase, or clause.
As shown in
In many embodiments of the invention, the closed and open configurations of the casing 11 and the locked and unlocked configurations of the collar 16 are independent of one another. The open configuration of the casing 11 is any that allows a product to be placed in the cavity 12, while the closed configuration is any configuration suitable for accepting the collar 16 for locking the casing 11 in that configuration; these two configurations are shown in
In one embodiment of the invention, the casing 11 comprises a first casing portion 28, a second casing portion 30, and a connector 32 connected between the first and second casing portions 28, 30, as shown in
In another embodiment of the invention, the casing 11 comprises a first casing portion 28, and a second casing portion 30, wherein the second casing portion 30 is integrally formed with one of the first and second locking members 18, 22 as shown in
In another embodiment of the invention, the casing 11 comprises a first casing portion 28, and a second casing portion 30, wherein the first casing portion 28 is integrally formed with the first locking member 18, and the second casing portion 30 is integrally formed with the second locking member 22, as shown in
It should be appreciated that in embodiments of the invention comprising a first and second casing portion 28, 30, the cavity 12 of the casing 11 can be formed by one or both of the first and second casing portions 28, 30, as shown in
The casing 11 may be comprised of any material suitable for housing a product of interest, and may be comprised of a thermoforming plastic, for example one made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The use of a thermoforming plastic allows the casing 11 to be formed entirely of recycled material, which may result in cost and marketing advantages for retailers. In contrast the locking collar 16 may be made by injection molding. This allows the male locking mechanism 20 and female locking mechanism 24 to be attached during the molding process. It is contemplated that the casing 11 made from thermoforming may need to be changed more frequently than the locking collar 16 because it may be more easily scratched. It will be appreciated that one of the casing portions may be integrally attached to one of the locking collar portions and in that instance it may be more likely that the combined locking member and casing portion would be injection molded and then only one portion of the casing would be made by thermoforming. In this instance the thermoformed portion might be changed by time to time.
The collar 16 of the present invention is designed to hinder illicit attempts to release the locking mechanisms 20, 24 from one another. In at least one embodiment of the invention, the male and female locking mechanisms 20, 24 comprise one or a combination of magnetic and mechanical locking mechanisms. In a further embodiment, the at least one male and female locking mechanisms 20, 24 are a plurality of male and female locking mechanisms 20, 24 disposed in the collar 16 in a pattern, as shown in
The collar 16 of the present invention may also be designed to hinder attempts to circumvent the locking mechanisms 20, 24 altogether. In an embodiment of the invention shown in
Referring to
The collar 16 of the present invention may be formed of any material suitable for housing the male and female locking mechanisms 20, 24. Specifically the collar 16 may be formed from injection moulded plastic. This allows the male and female locking mechanisms 20, 24 to be embedded in the collar 16 during its construction.
Further, the security package of the present invention may comprise a different number of male and female locking mechanisms 20, 24. In embodiments where the male locking mechanism 20 comprises a protruding portion that extends from the first locking collar 18, the second collar 22 may have at least one non-locking slot 16 to accept these protruding portions without locking to them. In other words, a preselected number of the male locking mechanisms 20 are lockable to corresponding female locking mechanisms 24 in the second locking member 22, while remaining number of the male locking mechanisms 20 are insertable in at least one non-locking slot 16 in the second locking member 22. Thereby, one universal first or second locking member 18, 22 may be produced for many retailers with different corresponding first or second locking members 18, 22 for locking to a different number of the male or female locking mechanisms 20, 24 present depending on the level of security required for the merchandise sold. Alternatively there may be more female locking mechanisms 24 than male locking mechanisms 20.
The security package of the present invention may comprise at least one security device 26 which sets off an alarm when passed through security gates as best seen in
A larger RFID antenna is generally capable of being read at a further distance, which is a preferable feature in retail security packages. The collar 16 of the present invention provides a suitable location for the placement of a larger antenna than is typically possible, especially in embodiments of the invention where the collar 16 is shaped to form a perimeter around the cavity 12. In such embodiments, the antenna of the security device 26 may perform multiple functions: it may be both an antenna and a metal wire 15 for deterring attempts to cut the collar 16. An example of such an embodiment of the invention is shown in
It will be appreciated that a wide variety of shapes of cavities 12 may be used. By way of example only we have generally used box shapes, however other shapes could be used and as an example a dome shaped cavity is shown in
Further it will be appreciated that the embodiments of the security package shown herein by be used as way of reducing packaging. However, some consumers, manufacturers or retailers might need to have printed material associated with the product. This may be provided to the consumer when the product is purchased and the packaging is left with the retailer. In this instance it may be desirable to provide a product information portions. Referring to
It will be appreciated that a wide variety of different locks may be used as the at least one male and female locking mechanism. The locking mechanisms may be a spring lock or a magnetic lock. By way of example only the male and female locking mechanism may be spring lock disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,419 issued to Nguyen et al. on Jun. 20, 1995; spring lock disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,829 issued Mar. 9, 1976 to Humble et al., spring lock disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,870 issued Nov. 1, 1981 to Humble et al. or U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,453 issued Aug. 5, 1986 to Yokoyama all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively the locking mechanisms may be a combination spring and mechanical lock as disclosed in US patent application 2009/0139279 published Jun. 4, 2009 to Glen Walter Garner which is incorporated herein by reference. Further it will be appreciated that in the configurations that use a plurality of male and female locking mechanisms a different type of lock may be used in the plurality of locks so that different type of detacher need to be in registration with the specific lock so that all of the locks can be released simultaneously to release the device.
There are several advantages to using the security package of the present invention. First, the modular nature of the package allows parts to be reused and/or recycled independently of one another, resulting in cost reduction for retailers. For instance, a casing 11 designed for one product may be reused on that product repeatedly until that product is no longer sold or the casing 11 is damaged, at which point the casing 11 may be recycled while the collar 16 used with it may continue to be reused on different products' casings 11. Second, because the casing 11 substantially conforms to the product, the security package maintains the brand image of the product and the same number of units may be placed on the shelf, as if there were no security package enclosing the product. Third, any RFID or electronic article surveillance devices 26 may be reused, representing further cost reductions for retailers. In addition to the immediate cost reduction, retailers can also attract customers by marketing themselves as using only reusable, environmentally friendly merchandising. Further with the multilock configurations different stores may have different placement of the locking mechanism thus making it possible for adjacent stores requiring different releasers.
