TETHER CORD AND SENSOR ALARMS

• US 20100188222A1
• Filed: 04/01/2010
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Rapp, Michael, Irmscher, Julia
• Granted Patent: US 8,081,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.200
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 7/024 with provisions for preventing unauthorised removal show cases with devices for prevention of theft A47F3/002; devices for locking portable objects against unauthorised removal E05B73/0017
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1445 with detection of interference with a cable tethering an article, e.g. alarm activated by detecting detachment of article, breaking or stretching of cable furniture, e.g. shelves for displaying merchandise, incorporating tethers to prevent theft A47F7/024, A47F5/0861
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/149 with electric, magnetic, capacitive switch actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0225 Monitoring making use of different thresholds, e.g. for different alarm levels
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address

Abstract

Methods, systems and other embodiments associated with protecting merchandise items are presented. A method of protecting merchandise items includes displaying a plurality of merchandise items at a consumer display so that the merchandise items can be handled by a consumer. Each merchandise item is connected to the consumer display with a corresponding tether. A first alarm is generated when one of the consumer items is removed from one of the corresponding tethers. A second alarm is generated that is different than the first alarm when one of the tethers is severed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a plurality of merchandise items at a consumer display so that the merchandise items can be handled by a consumer, wherein each merchandise item is connected to the consumer display with a corresponding tether; and

generating a first alarm when one of the plurality of merchandise items is removed from one of the corresponding tethers; and

generating a second alarm that is different than the first alarm when one of the tethers is severed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating the first alarm further comprises:

blinking a first light emitting diode (LED), and wherein the generating the second alarm further comprises;

blinking a second LED.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the blinking the first LED further comprises:

blinking the first LED having a first color wherein the blinking the second LED further comprises;

blinking the second LED having a second color.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating the first alarm further comprises:

sending a first wireless message to a remote device, and wherein the generating the second alarm further comprises;

sending a second wireless message to the remote device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating the first alarm further comprises:

detecting that a sensor has been removed from one of the merchandise items and generating the first alarm when the sensor has been removed from one of the merchandise items.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

generating a non-alarm indication when none of the plurality of merchandise items has been removed from the corresponding tethers and when none of the tethers has been severed.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a merchandise item is being handled by a customer; and

displaying video content and audio content corresponding to the merchandise item being handled on an audio and video display at the consumer display.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting a merchandise item is being handled further comprises:

detecting a magnet has been moved away from a sensor located at a cable retractor attached to the consumer display, wherein a merchandise item is being handled by a customer when the magnet has been moved away from the sensor.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting the presence of a secure key within a predetermined distance of the consumer display, wherein the generating the first alarm further comprises;

not generating the first alarm when the presence of the secure key is within the predetermined distance.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first alarm is a silent alarm and the second alarm is a silent alarm.

11. A consumer display system for displaying a plurality of merchandise items comprising:

a display area to display the plurality of merchandise items and configured to allow a customer to handle the merchandise items;

a plurality of tethers, wherein corresponding merchandise items are attached to first ends of corresponding tethers and second ends of the corresponding tethers are attached to the display area;

a content display configured to display video content and audio content of the merchandise items; and

alarm logic configured to detect when one of the plurality of merchandise items is removed from the first end of one of the tethers and to generate a removal alarm, wherein the alarm logic is further configured to generate a severance alarm that is different than the removal alarm when one of the plurality of tether is severed.

12. The consumer display system of claim 11 wherein the alarm logic is further configured to generate the removal alarm by lighting a first light emitting diode (LED) and the removal alarm by lighting of a second LED, and wherein the first LED and the second LED are different colors.

13. The consumer display system of claim 11 further comprising:

one or more sensors, wherein corresponding sensors are attached to corresponding ends of one or more of the tethers, wherein corresponding merchandise items are adjacent the one or more sensors.

14. The consumer display system of claim 13 wherein the alarm logic is further configured to detect a change in a signal from one of the sensors when one of the plurality of merchandise items is removed from one of the tethers.

15. The consumer display system of claim 11 further comprising:

a sensor located at a display post, wherein the sensor is adapted to determine when one of the merchandise items attached to one of the tethers that passes through the display post is located at the display post.

16. The consumer display system of claim 15 further comprising:

a magnet attached to the end of one of the tethers connected to one of the merchandise items;

a removal logic configured to detect the magnet has been moved away from the sensor at the display post, wherein the content display is configured to display content associated with the merchandise item attached to the tether that passes through the display post when the removal logic detects the magnet has been moved away from the sensor.

17. The consumer display system of claim 16 wherein the sensor at the display post is a reed sensor.

18. The consumer display system of claim 11 wherein the first ends of the tethers include a contact to power the corresponding merchandise items attached to tethers.

19. The consumer display system of claim 11 wherein the alarm logic is configured to detect when one of the merchandise items is moved more than a distance from the display area and to generate a removal alarm.

20. The consumer display system of claim 19 wherein the alarm logic is further configured to generate the removal alarm at the merchandise item to indicated to a consumer that the merchandise item was moved more than the distance from the display area.