ANTITHEFT MERCHANDISE DISPLAY SYSTEM

• US 3,668,681 A
• Filed: 02/04/1971
• Issued: 06/06/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Selwyn Kaplan
• Original Assignee: Selwyn Kaplan
• Inventors: Kaplan, Selwyn
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swann, III, Glen R.
• Application Number:
  US05/112,600
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 340/280,285
• US Class Current: 340/537
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1454 Circuit arrangements thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1463 Physical arrangements, e.g. housings devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags A45C13/18

Abstract

A multiplicity of pedestals, each individually locked to a ring or other article of merchandise, each receivable in a socket in a jewelry box or other display apparatus with a resistor in each of the pedestals. The resistors in a particular system desirably differ among themselves in value of their resistance. When the pedestals are all inserted in their sockets, their resistors form one leg of a Wheatstone bridge circuit to balance the bridge and illuminate a pilot lamp to indicate that the system is in operation. Removal of one of the pedestals, or the substitution of a pedestal having a resistor of incorrect value, will unbalance the Wheatstone bridge circuit and thereby extinguish the pilot lamp and illuminate a warning signal lamp, which, unless extinguished by switch means under the operator'"'"''"'"'s control, remains lighted until a pedestal having the proper resistance is replaced. The pedestal has a rectangular cross section for properly orienting the ring with respect to the jewelry box, and has a hook with an extended leg which is threaded into a fastener rotatable relative to the pedestal, to move the hook toward and away from the pedestal to releasably lock the ring to the pedestal.

Claims

1. An antitheft merchandise display system for the display of individual articles of merchandise or the like, which permits the individual article to be removed for inspection by the customer and then replaced by the customer after inspection, such system comprising:

a support means having at least one socket therein;

a pedestal for each socket, each locked to an individual article of merchandise, each pedestal being receivable in a socket and having therewithin an element having an electrical characteristic of predetermined value;

electrical characteristic sensing means in said support means responsive to the electrical characteristic of the element when a pedestal is in a socket; and

indicating means operated by the sensing means for indicating that each socket has a pedestal therein.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, additionally including a second indicating means, operated by the sensing means when the first indicating means is not operating, for indicating that a pedestal has been removed from the socket, or that a pedestal whose element has a value different from the predetermined value is in a socket.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the electrical characteristic of the element is impedance, and wherein the pedestal and the socket have mating electrical contacts, the electrical contacts of the pedestal being connected to the element, and the electrical contacts of the socket being connected to the sensing means.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein the element is a resistor, and the sensing means is responsive to the predetermined value of the resistance of the resistor.

5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein a plurality of sockets are provided in the support member, and wherein the sensing means senses the predetermined value of the sum of the electrical characteristics, permitting the pedestals to be placed in the sockets in random order and still operate the indicating means.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein the electrical characteristic is Impedance, and wherein the pedestal and the socket have mating electrical contacts, the electrical contacts of each pedestal being connected to its element, and the electrical contacts of the sockets being connected with each other and the sensing means.

7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the pedestal includes a body with an upper end for contacting the article, and a lower end sized to mate with the socket, said element being mounted in the body adjacent said lower end, and means are provided in said body adjacent the upper end for releasably locking the article to the body.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein the socket is of rectangular cross section, and the pedestal lower end has a mating rectangular cross section, and the body and the socket are provided with mating male and female contacts located along the major center line of the rectangle, and equally spaced from the minor center line of the rectangle.

9. The invention as defined in claim 7 wherein the releasable locking means includes:

hook means for hooking the article of merchandise to hold the article, and rotatable locking and unlocking means in the pedestal for moving the hook means towards the pedestal in response to rotation in one direction to lock the article to the hook means, and for permitting the hook means to be moved away from the pedestal in response to rotation in the opposite direction.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein the article is a ring, wherein the hook means has a hook end for passing through the ring, said hook end having two legs, one of which is extended and threaded, wherein the pedestal has a hollow body with an opening therein through the top wall for receiving the extended leg, and wherein the rotatable locking and unlocking means is a threaded nut engaging the threaded leg.