Cable wrap security device

• US 7,162,899 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Alpha Security Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Fawcett, Christopher J., Belden, Dennis D. Jr., Marsilio, Ronald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gale; Lloyd A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boswell; Christopher
• Application Number:
  US11/023,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20060137409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 70/18, 70/30, 70/49, 70/57, 70/571, 70/58, 70/14, 70/19, 702/33, 164/38, 164/45, 242/382, 242/388, 242/382.5, 242/384.7, 242/396.2, 242/396.4
• US Class Current: 70/57
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/0046 Ratchet mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 35/008 for simple tool-like keys
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 45/005 Chain-locks, cable-locks or padlocks with alarms
• 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: E05B 73/0029 Tags wrapped around the protected product using cables, wires or the like, e.g. with cable retraction for tensioning
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 73/0052 of the magnetic type
• 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 13/1463 Physical arrangements, e.g. housings devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags A45C13/18
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2402 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS], i.e. systems using tags for detecting removal of a tagged item from a secure area, e.g. tags for detecting shoplifting mechanical aspects of the tags, e.g. related to locking E05B73/0017; RFID readers G06K7/00; RFID tags G06K19/00; access control systems G07C9/00; anti-theft control in point of sale systems G07G3/003; security seals G09F3/03
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/483 Flexible shackle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/50 Special application
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5004 For antitheft signaling device on protected article
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5009 For portable articles

Abstract

A security device includes a locking member, a ratchet mechanism, and a plurality of cables. The cables extend through both a fastener and a base of the locking member and are wrapped around all six sides of a box-like structure. The fastener is releasably snap-fitted into the base of the locking member and secured therein by a magnetically attractable tine. The ratchet mechanism includes a housing containing a spool and a locking pawl. A bottom wall encloses a portion of the housing and includes a rotatable central portion having a key receiving recess for unlocking the spool from the pawl. The housing has a rotatable top wall portion which includes a flip-up handle for rotating the top wall portion and the internal ratchet to tighten the cable about an article. An alarm system is contained in the housing of the ratchet mechanism and actuates an audible alarm upon certain unauthorized actions occurring. An LED located within the housing provides a visual indication that the alarm system is activated.

Claims

1. A security device adapted to be placed about an object, said device comprising:

a cable for placement about the object;

a ratchet mechanism connected to the cable, said ratchet mechanism having a flip-up handle moveable between a raised operating position for manual rotation of an internal spool for tightening the cable around the object and a down position;

a locking member being connected to the cable and releasably engaged in a locked position for securing said cable about the object; and

said ratchet mechanism including a housing containing the internal spool, a plurality of one-way teeth and a first member rotatable relative to the one-way teeth, said first member having at least one locking pawl to latch the spool in a fixed position relative to the housing to maintain the cable tightened around the object and wherein the first member and the spool are rotatable about a common axis, and a second member disposed within the housing and rotatable about the common axis and relative to the first member to move the at least one locking pawl out of engagement with the ratchet teeth to place the spool in a free wheeling position.

2. The security device defined in claim 1 wherein the locking member is a two-piece member including a base and a fastener, each being connected to the cable and releasably engageable between the locked position and an unlocked position;

and in which an EAS tag is concealed in one of the locking members.

3. The security device defined in claim 2 wherein at least one magnetically attractable tine is mounted in one of the base and fastener and releasably engageable with the other of said base and fastener to secure the fastener in the base when in locked position.

4. The security device defined in claim 1 wherein the ratchet mechanism includes a top wall portion rotatably mounted on the housing;

and in which the flip-up handle is pivotally mounted on said top wall portion.

5. The security device defined in claim 4 wherein the housing includes a cylindrical sidewall and a bottom wall;

in which the spool is rotatably mounted within the housing; and

in which the top wall portion is rotatably mounted with respect to the sidewall and operatively connected to the spool for rotating said spool by the flip-up handle to tighten the cable about the object.

6. The security device defined in claim 5 wherein the bottom wall is formed with a central opening through which the common axis extends;

and in which a pawl release plate is rotatably mounted in said central opening.

7. The security device defined in claim 6 wherein the pawl release plate defines a recess;

and in which the locking member includes a portion configured complementary to said recess and receivable therein to rotate said pawl release plate between locked and unlocked positions.

8. The security device defined in claim 1 including an alarm system contained in the ratchet mechanism;

and in which a sensing loop is formed in the cable and when compromised actuates an audible alarm of the alarm system.

9. The security device defined in claim 8 wherein the alarm system includes a visual indicator indicating that the alarm system is activated.

10. The security device defined in claim 9 wherein the flip-up handle includes a transparent portion;

in which the visual indicator is a blinking LED; and

in which the blinking LED is visible through said transparent portion of the handle.

11. The security device defined in claim 10 wherein the LED is mounted in the housing and is located adjacent a hole formed in a rotatable top wall portion of the housing beneath the flip-up handle.

12. The security device defined in claim 1 wherein the ratchet mechanism includes a top wall portion rotatably mounted in the housing;

in which said top wall portion has a generally half dome-shaped portion and a generally semicircular planar portion;

wherein the housing has an annular top wall defining an opening;

wherein a portion of the top wall portion is disposed in the opening;

wherein the half dome-shaped portion and the flip handle are disposed above the top wall of the housing; and

in which the flip-up handle is pivotally mounted on the half dome-shaped portion and lies along the semicircular planar portion when in the down position.

13. The security device defined in claim 1 wherein an alarm system is contained within the ratchet mechanism and includes an audible alarm and a visual indicator that the alarm is activated, and a sensing loop in the cable;

and in which a battery supplies power to the audible alarm, visual indicator and sensing loop.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the at least one locking pawl includes a lever arm having at least one locking tooth and a projection cammingly engaged with the second member to swing the lever arm away from the ratchet teeth of the housing to place the spool in the free wheeling position.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the ratchet mechanism includes a housing comprising a circumferentially extending sidewall and an annular top wall which extends radially inwardly from the sidewall and defines an opening;

wherein the ratchet mechanism includes a top wall portion having an outer perimeter disposed within the housing below the annular top wall and adjacent the sidewall;

wherein the top wall portion extends upwardly from within the housing through the opening;

wherein the flip-up handle is pivotally mounted on the top wall portion for pivoting between the raised position and the down position;

wherein the flip-up handle, the top wall portion and the spool rotate together about the common axis during the manual rotation of the spool via the flip-up handle.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the spool includes a hub and an upper flange extending radially outwardly therefrom;

wherein the top wall portion adjacent its outer perimeter abuts the upper flange.

17. A security device adapted to be placed about an object, said device comprising:

a cable for placement about the object;

a ratchet mechanism connected to the cable, said ratchet mechanism having a flip-up handle moveable between a raised operating position for manual rotation of an internal spool for tightening the cable around the object and a down position; and

a locking member being connected to the cable and releasably engaged in a locked position for securing said cable about the object;

wherein the ratchet mechanism includes a housing formed with a series of internal ratchet teeth;

in which the spool has at least one locking pawl operatively connected thereto and releasably engageable with the ratchet teeth of the housing to maintain the cable tightened around the object;

wherein the spool includes a hub and first and second spaced flanges, said first flange being operatively connected to a gear disc having a plurality of the locking pawls formed thereon; and

in which a locking disc is rotatably mounted within the housing and moveable with respect to the locking pawls for moving said pawls out of engagement with the ratchet teeth to place the spool in a free wheeling position.

18. The security device defined in claim 17 wherein each of the locking pawls includes a lever arm having at least one locking tooth and a projection cammingly engaged with the locking disc to swing said lever arm away from the internal ratchet teeth of the housing to place the spool in the free wheeling position.

19. The security device defined in claim 18 wherein the pawl release plate is secured to the locking disc for rotation therewith;

and in which each of the locking pawl projections extends into an arcuate shaped slot formed in the locking disc and is engageable with a surface of the slot to provide the camming engagement therebetween.

20. A security device comprising:

a cable adapted for placement about an object;

a locking member connected to the cable and releasably engaged in a locked position for securing the cable in an object-securing position in which the cable is adapted to be secured about the object; and

a ratchet mechanism connected to the cable and comprising;

a plurality of one-way ratchet teeth;

an internal spool which is rotatable relative to the ratchet teeth in a cable-tightening direction to wind the cable thereon and rotatable in an opposite cable-loosening direction to unwind the cable therefrom;

at least one locking pawl which is operatively connected to the spool and releasably engages the ratchet teeth to prevent the spool from rotating in the cable-loosening direction; and

a locking disc which is rotatable relative to the spool for moving the at least one locking pawl out of engagement with the ratchet teeth to place the spool in a free wheeling position in which the spool is freely rotatable in the cable-loosening direction.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein the locking disc during rotation thereof cammingly engages the at least one locking pawl to move the at least one locking pawl out of engagement with the ratchet teeth.

22. The device of claim 20 wherein the spool and the locking disc are rotatable about a common axis.

23. The device of claim 20 further including a gear disc having a body from which the at least one locking pawl extends.

24. The device of claim 20 wherein the ratchet mechanism includes a housing having a bottom wall;

wherein the spool is disposed within the housing and includes a hub and upper and lower spaced flanges which extend radially outwardly from the hub;

wherein the lower flange is disposed between the upper flange and the bottom wall; and

wherein the gear disc and the locking disc are disposed between the lower flange and the bottom wall.

25. The device of claim 20 wherein the at least one locking pawl is spring biased to engage the ratchet teeth.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein the at least one locking pawl is movable radially outwardly to engage the ratchet teeth.

27. A security device comprising:

a cable adapted for placement about an object;

a locking member connected to the cable and releasably engaged in a locked position for securing the cable in an object-securing position in which the cable is adapted to be secured about the object;

a ratchet mechanism connected to the cable and comprising;

a plurality of one-way ratchet teeth;

an internal spool which is rotatable relative to the ratchet teeth in a cable-tightening direction to wind the cable thereon and rotatable in an opposite cable-loosening direction to unwind the cable therefrom; and

a gear disc which is rotatable relative to the ratchet teeth and includes a plurality of locking pawls which are movable radially outwardly to releasably engage the ratchet teeth to prevent the spool from rotating in the cable-loosening direction;

wherein the locking pawls are spring-biased to engage the ratchet teeth.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein the gear disc includes a body from which the locking pawls extend outwardly;

wherein the locking pawls are formed of a resilient material whereby the pawls are spring-biased to engage the ratchet teeth.

29. The device of claim 28 wherein the body and the locking pawls are formed as an integral one-piece member.

30. The device of claim 27 further including a rotatable member which is rotatable relative to the gear disc for moving the locking pawls out of engagement with the ratchet teeth to place the spool in a freewheeling position.