Bottle security device

• US 7,100,784 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Alpha Security Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Belden, Dennis D. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Newhouse, Nathan J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELOSHWAY, NIKI MARINA
• Application Number:
  US11/133,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20050205511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 215/207, 215/215, 215/272, 215/274, 215/216, 215/277, 215/206, 215/225, 215218-221, 215/204, 215/302, 215/253, 215/278, 215/293, 220/225.1, 220/210, 220/259.3, 220/259.5, 220/284
• US Class Current: 215/215
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 55/14 Applications of locks, e.g. of permutation or key-controlled locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 73/0041 for essentially round objects, e.g. bottles or racket handles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5031 Receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7486 Single key

Abstract

A bottle security device includes an inner member, an intermediate member and an outer member that cooperate to lock the device on a bottle neck. The inner member includes a plurality of fingers adapted to fit under the bead on a bottle neck. The intermediate member slides over the inner member and forces the fingers against the bottle. The intermediate member includes a plurality of upwardly extending arms with inwardly projecting teeth that engage outwardly extending teeth on the inner member to lock the inner and intermediate members together. A key unlocks and rotates a rotatable member to separate the intermediate and inner members to unlock the device. Upon rotation of the cover cap, camming surfaces on the rotatable member engage the upwardly extending arms to move them radially outward to disengage them from the inner member.

Claims

1. A bottle security device for use with a bottle having a neck, the bottle security device comprising:

an outer member defining a cavity;

an inner member movable between locked and unlocked positions and adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle and lockably engage the neck of the bottle when the inner member is in the locked position;

a portion of the inner member disposed in the outer member cavity;

a rotatable member for unlocking the device when the rotatable member is rotated relative to the outer member;

a locking mechanism having locked and unlocked positions for respectively preventing and allowing rotation of the rotatable member; and

a plurality of engaging members which lockably engage the inner member to lock the inner member in the locked position;

wherein a portion of each engaging member is moved to disengage the engaging members from the inner member in response to rotation of the rotatable member.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of engaging members are a plurality of upwardly projecting engaging fingers.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the outer member has a sidewall bounding the outer member cavity;

wherein the inner member has a sidewall defining a cavity adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle; and

wherein the engaging members are disposed within the outer member cavity between the outer member sidewall and the inner member sidewall.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the outer member has a sidewall bounding the outer member cavity;

wherein the inner member includes a plurality of downwardly projecting locking fingers adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle and lockably engage the neck of the bottle when the inner member is in the locked position; and

wherein the engaging members are disposed between the outer member sidewall and the locking fingers.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the rotatable member includes a plurality of outwardly extending arms which respectively move the plurality of engaging members to disengage the engaging members from the inner member when the rotatable member is rotated.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the rotatable member includes a top wall and a sidewall extending downwardly therefrom;

and wherein the plurality of arms extend outwardly from the sidewall.

7. A bottle security device for use with a bottle having a neck, the bottle security device comprising:

an outer member defining a cavity;

an inner member movable between locked and unlocked positions and adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle;

a portion of the inner member disposed in the outer member cavity;

a rotatable member for unlocking the device when the rotatable member is rotated;

a locking mechanism having locked and unlocked positions for respectively preventing and allowing rotation of the rotatable member; and

a plurality of engaging members which lockably engage the inner member to lock the device; and

wherein the rotatable member engages the plurality of engaging members to disengage them from the inner member to unlock the device.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the plurality of engaging members are a plurality of upwardly projecting engaging fingers.

9. The device of claim 7 wherein the outer member has a sidewall bounding the outer member cavity;

and wherein the engaging members are disposed between the outer member sidewall and the inner member.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the inner member has a sidewall defining a cavity adapted to fit around a portion of the neck of the bottle;

and wherein the engaging members are disposed in the outer member cavity between the outer member sidewall and the inner member sidewall.

11. The device of claim 7 wherein the inner member includes a plurality of downwardly projecting locking fingers adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle and lockably engage the neck of the bottle when the inner member is in the locked position.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the outer member has a sidewall bounding the outer member cavity;

and wherein the engaging members are disposed between the outer member sidewall and the locking fingers.

13. A bottle security device for use with a bottle having a neck, the bottle security device comprising:

an outer member defining a cavity;

an inner member movable between locked and unlocked positions and adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle;

a portion of the inner member disposed in the outer member cavity;

a rotatable member for unlocking the device when the rotatable member is rotated;

a locking mechanism having locked and unlocked positions for respectively preventing and allowing rotation of the rotatable member; and

wherein the locking mechanism includes at least one movable piston which creates an interference between the rotatable member and another member of the device when in the locked position of the locking mechanism to prevent rotation of the rotatable member.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the at least one piston is magnetically movable.

15. The device of claim 13 further including a spring which biases the at least one piston into locking engagement between the rotatable member and the other member of the device.

16. A bottle security device for use with a bottle having a neck, the bottle security device comprising:

an outer member defining a cavity;

an inner member movable between locked and unlocked positions and adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle;

a portion of the inner member disposed in the outer member cavity;

a rotatable member for unlocking the device when the rotatable member is rotated;

a magnetically actuated locking mechanism having locked and unlocked positions for respectively preventing and allowing rotation of the rotatable member.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the device has a top wall a portion of which is formed by the rotatable member;

and wherein a key contacts said portion of the rotatable member to unlock the locking mechanism.

18. The device of claim 16 wherein the rotatable member is rotatably mounted on a non-rotatable member which is disposed in the outer member cavity;

and wherein the rotatable member is selectively lockable to the non-rotatable member to prevent rotation of the rotatable member.

19. A bottle security device for use with a bottle having a neck, the bottle security device comprising:

an outer member defining a cavity and including a sidewall having an inner surface;

an inner member movable between locked and unlocked positions and adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle;

a portion of the inner member disposed in the outer member cavity;

a rotatable member for unlocking the device when the rotatable member is rotated;

a locking mechanism having locked and unlocked positions for respectively preventing and allowing rotation of the rotatable member; and

wherein a plurality of strengthening fingers extend upwardly inside the outer member cavity and abut the inner surface of the outer member sidewall.

20. The device of claim 19 further including a non-rotatable member on which the rotatable member is rotatably mounted;

wherein the strengthening fingers have respective upper ends; and

wherein the non-rotatable member is seated on the strengthening fingers adjacent the upper ends thereof within the outer member cavity.

21. The device of claim 19 wherein the strengthening fingers are cantilevered with respective free ends thereof extending upwardly.

22. A bottle security device for use with a bottle having a neck, the bottle security device comprising:

an outer member defining a cavity;

an inner member movable between locked and unlocked positions and adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle;

a portion of the inner member disposed in the outer member cavity;

a rotatable member for unlocking the device when the rotatable member is rotated;

a locking mechanism having locked and unlocked positions for respectively preventing and allowing rotation of the rotatable member; and

a non-rotatable member on which the rotatable member is rotatably mounted;

wherein the outer member has a sidewall and a plurality of axially oriented ribs extending inwardly from the sidewall and defining therebetween a plurality of channels; and

wherein the non-rotatable member includes a plurality of outwardly extending tabs which are respectively disposed within the channels to prevent rotation of the non-rotatable member.

23. A bottle security device for use with a bottle having a neck, the bottle security device comprising:

an outer member defining a cavity;

an inner member movable between locked and unlocked positions and adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle;

a portion of the inner member disposed in the outer member cavity;

a non-rotatable member disposed within the outer member cavity;

a rotatable member rotatably mounted on the non-rotatable member for unlocking the device when the rotatable member is rotated;

the rotatable member and the non-rotatable member defining therebetween an enclosure; and

a locking mechanism disposed in the enclosure for selectively locking the rotatable member to the non-rotatable member to prevent rotation of the rotatable member.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein the rotatable member includes a top wall and a sidewall extending downwardly therefrom wherein the top wall and sidewall bound the enclosure.

25. The device of claim 23 wherein the device has a top wall;

and wherein the rotatable member has a top wall which forms a portion of the top wall of the device.

26. The device of claim 23 wherein one of the rotatable member and the non-rotatable member includes a central hollow substantially cylindrical member which extends toward the other of the rotatable member and the non-rotatable member within the enclosure;

wherein a portion of the other of the rotatable member and the non-rotatable member is disposed within the hollow cylindrical member whereby the rotatable member is rotatably mounted on the non-rotatable member.

27. A method comprising the steps of:

unlocking a locking mechanism which prevents rotation of a rotatable member when in a locked position;

rotating the rotatable member subsequent to the step of unlocking to unlock an inner member which is partially disposed in a cavity of an outer member and which defines an inner member cavity adapted to fit around at least a portion of a neck of a bottle to allow the inner member to move from a locked position adapted to lock the inner member to the neck of the bottle to an unlocked position adapted to allow insertion and removal of the neck of the bottle from the inner member cavity; and

wherein the step of unlocking includes the step of moving a piston to eliminate an interference between the rotatable member and another member of the device wherein the interference prevents rotation of the rotatable member.

28. A method comprising the steps of:

unlocking a locking mechanism which prevents rotation of a rotatable member when in a locked position;

rotating the rotatable member subsequent to the step of unlocking to unlock an inner member which is partially disposed in a cavity of an outer member and which defines an inner member cavity adapted to fit around at least a portion of a neck of a bottle to allow the inner member to move from a locked position adapted to lock the inner member to the neck of the bottle to an unlocked position adapted to allow insertion and removal of the neck of the bottle from the inner member cavity; and

wherein the step of rotating includes the step of moving a plurality of engaging members to disengage them from locking engagement with the inner member.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the step of rotating includes the step of rotating the rotatable member to unlock the inner member which includes a plurality of downwardly projecting locking fingers adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle and lockably engage the neck of the bottle when the inner member is in the locked position.

30. A bottle security device for use with a bottle having a neck, the bottle security device comprising:

an outer member defining a cavity;

an inner member movable between locked and unlocked positions and including a plurality of downwardly projecting locking fingers adapted to fit around at least a portion of the neck of the bottle and lockably engage the neck of the bottle when in the locked position;

a portion of the inner member disposed in the outer member cavity;

a rotatable member for unlocking the device when the rotatable member is rotated relative to the outer member to allow the inner member to move from the locked to the unlocked position;

the rotatable member having a top wall; and

a locking mechanism which is disposed below the top wall of the rotatable member within the outer member cavity and has locked and unlocked positions for respectively preventing and allowing rotation of the rotatable member relative to the outer member.

31. The device of claim 30 wherein the rotatable member includes a sidewall which extends downwardly from the rotatable member top wall and defines a cavity in which the locking mechanism is disposed.

32. The device of claim 30 wherein the rotatable member includes a plurality of arms which extend radially outwardly and move a portion of the device during rotation of the rotatable member to unlock the device.

33. The device of claim 32 wherein the outer member has a sidewall bounding the outer member cavity;

and wherein the arms of the rotatable member are in abutment with or closely adjacent to the outer member sidewall.

34. The device of claim 30 wherein the outer member includes a sidewall bounding the outer member cavity and an annular top wall which extends radially inwardly from the sidewall and defines an upwardly opening entrance opening of the outer member cavity;

wherein a portion of the rotatable member is disposed within the entrance opening; and

wherein a portion of the rotatable member engages the annular top wall to prevent removal of the rotatable member upwardly through the entrance opening.

35. The device of claim 30 wherein the entire inner member moves downwardly with respect to the outer member from the locked position to the unlocked position.

36. The device of claim 30 wherein the locking mechanism is magnetically unlockable.