Anti-theft fastening device and tool for releasing same

• US 3,947,930 A
• Filed: 04/14/1975
• Issued: 04/06/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics Corporation (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: I H W Engineering Limited
• Inventors: Vandebult, Jan, Martens, Henry J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Donald A.
• Application Number:
  US05/568,151
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 24/150 R, 24/155 BR, 24/49 P, 24/49 CP, 40/2 R, 40/20 R, 279/1 M, 279/22, 85/5 B, 335/289
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 73/0017 Anti-theft devices, e.g. tags or monitors, fixed to articles, e.g. clothes, and to be removed at the check-out of shops
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4614 Moves slidably guided, nonself-biasing, holding component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/505 including additional fastener structure linking parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5004 For antitheft signaling device on protected article
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7057 Permanent magnet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7124 Retracted electrically only

Abstract

A fastening device for securing articles together, the device including releasably connected male and female components. The male component comprises a pin and the female component comprises a retaining insert positioned in a housing for releasably clamping the pin. When joined, the pin can not be separated from the retainer except by a special tool. The insert is of magnetic material, and an actuating tool including an electromagnet is employed to actuate the insert to permit removal of the pin. The housed insert is attached to a tag, with the tag being attached to the article which is to be sold. The tag houses an electrical circuit which activates an alarm if the tag is not properly removed at the checkout point by means of the special tool.

Claims

1. The combination of a fastening device and a detaching tool for releasing the same comprising:

a. a generally cylindrical non-metallic housing closed at one end and formed with a central opening and a relatively enlarged recess at the open end of said housing;

b. a ring mounted in said recess in said housing, said ring being formed with a downwardly and inwardly tapered inner surface;

c. an insert formed of magnetic material loosely received within said housing and extending upwardly substantially into said central opening, said insert being formed with a conical lower end adapted to mate with said tapered surface of said ring, an axial bore, and at least one transverse opening formed in said conical end of relatively greater dimension than said axial opening;

d. a pin extending upwardly through said axial bore of said insert;

e. a plurality of retaining balls disposed within said transverse opening of said insert;

f. spring means for resiliently biasing said insert toward the open end of said housing thereby adapting said balls to tightly frictionally engage said pin and retain the same in said insert,

g. a detaching tool for releasing said retaining balls and freeing said pin, said tool including electromagnetic means and circuit means for energizing said electromagnetic means, said detaching tool when positioned adjacent the closed end of said housing and when said electromagnetic means is energized functioning to retract said insert against the bias of said spring means thereby permitting movement of said retaining balls away from said pin to permit removal of said pin, and

h. a tag assembly in which said fastening device is mounted, said tag assembly including top and bottom tag cover sections rigidly secured together, one of said sections being formed with a tubular extension at one end thereof which loosely receives said fastening device, the other of said sections being formed with an opening to receive said pin, and antenna means and diode means mounted between said tag cover sections, said antenna means including a first antenna leg and a second antenna leg electrically connected to said first antenna leg through said diode means, said diode means being mounted on said antenna means in such a manner as to double the frequency received by said first antenna leg whereby said second antenna leg transmits said doubled frequency for actuating an alarm circuit.