Theft deterrent device
First Claim
1. An alarm system for protecting a merchandise item comprising:
- a connector housing having a portion sized to be received within a connector port on the merchandise item;
a locking door hingedly coupled to the connector housing, wherein the locking door has an open position and a closed position;
an elongated flexible contact connector with a first end attached to the connector housing and a second end adapted to be connected to the merchandise item, the second end having a wider portion than the first end, wherein the elongated flexible contact connector is secured to the connector housing when the locking door is the closed position;
alarm logic configured to generate an alarm when the flexible contact connector is removed from the connector housing or the flexible contact connector is severed; and
a plunger switch located at least partially within the connector housing, wherein the plunger switch is positioned to directly contact a surface of the merchandise item located within the connector port in order to switch from an extended position to a depressed position when the portion of the connector housing is received within the connector port.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for protecting a merchandise item is presented. An alarm system for protecting the merchandise item includes: an alarm logic, a cable, and a switch. The cable has first and second ends with the first end adapted to be plugged into the alarm system. The switch is located at the second end of the cable and indicates when the second end of the cable is attached to the merchandise item and when the second end of the cable is not connected to the merchandise item. The second end of the cable can be connected to a standard port located on the merchandise item. The alarm system generates an alarm when the second end of the cable is not connected to the merchandise item.
17 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An alarm system for protecting a merchandise item comprising:
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a connector housing having a portion sized to be received within a connector port on the merchandise item; a locking door hingedly coupled to the connector housing, wherein the locking door has an open position and a closed position; an elongated flexible contact connector with a first end attached to the connector housing and a second end adapted to be connected to the merchandise item, the second end having a wider portion than the first end, wherein the elongated flexible contact connector is secured to the connector housing when the locking door is the closed position; alarm logic configured to generate an alarm when the flexible contact connector is removed from the connector housing or the flexible contact connector is severed; and a plunger switch located at least partially within the connector housing, wherein the plunger switch is positioned to directly contact a surface of the merchandise item located within the connector port in order to switch from an extended position to a depressed position when the portion of the connector housing is received within the connector port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for protecting a merchandise item, comprising:
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providing a connector housing having a portion sized to be received within a connector port on the merchandise item; hingedly coupling a locking door to the connector housing, wherein the locking door has an open position and a closed position; attaching a first end of an elongated flexible contact connector to the connector housing, wherein the elongated flexible contact connector is secured to the connector housing when the locking door is in the closed position; attaching a second end of the elongated flexible contact connector to the merchandise item, the second end having a wider portion than the first end; generating an alarm when the flexible contact connector is removed from the connector housing or the flexible contact connector is severed; and positioning a plunger switch to directly contact a surface of the merchandise item in order to switch from an extended position to a depressed position when the portion of the connector housing is received within the connector port. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification