Anti-theft element in an anti-theft device

Details Anti-theft element in an anti-theft device Anti-theft element in an anti-theft device

2000-02-28

2001-09-18

Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2632)

Communications: electrical

Condition responsive indicating system

Specific condition

C340S571000, C340S572900, C340S590000, C116S211000, C116S214000, C109S029000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06292101

ABSTRACT:

The present invention relates to an anti-theft element for use in an anti-theft device which is intended to be attached to a theft-attractive article in a manner such that the device can only be released from said article with the aid of a special release device. The anti-theft element includes an ampule which contains a so-called fouling substance, for instance a stain, a corrosive substance, an ill-smelling substance or any other article-defacing and article-spoiling substance, and which is so arranged in the anti-theft element that any attempt to release the anti-theft device from the theft-attractive article without the aid of the release device will result in the anti-theft element being broken, crushed, destroyed or opened in some other way such that the fouling substance is released. The invention also relates to a fouling substance ampule intended for inclusion in an anti-theft element.
Anti-theft or theft-deterrent devices of this kind are attached to theft-attractive articles, such as clothes, suitcases and other easily carried goods on sale in stores and like establishments, and are used to prevent or deter theft of such articles. Such a device is intended to be attached to the article in such a manner that the device can only be released with the aid of a special release device, it being assumed that potential thieves lack access to such a device. Attempts to remove the anti-theft device from an article without the aid of said release device will render the article practically unusable, either by tearing the article or by fouling the article with the fouling substance contained in the ampule as the ampule breaks and releases said substance, so as to stain, corrode or otherwise damage the article. Thus, in its capacity as a theft deterrent an anti-theft device of this kind shall be able to stain different types of goods and materials, such as the cloth in an article of clothing, the leather of a shoe or suitcase, handbag, or some other material from which an article is comprised, so as to render the article practically unusable.
Anti-theft devices that include ampules which contain a fouling substance that has a given fouling effect are known to the art; see for instance U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,738. For instance, the fouling substance enclosed in the ampule is a stain which contains a pronounced pigment, which may be light in colour, for instance yellow, or dark in colour, for instance blue, and which will have a fouling effect, i.e a staining effect, on the article concerned when the colour of the stain deviates sufficiently from the colour or tone of the cloth, leather or material from which the article is made. If the colour of the stain does not differ markedly from the colour of the article to which the device is attached, the anti-theft device together with its visible ampule enclosing the stain will loose its deterring capacity.
Anti-theft devices that include several ampules containing fouling substances are also known to the art; see for instance U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,122. Such a known anti-theft device includes an anti-theft element which comprises double ampules that are placed on a respective side of a connecting element which is sensitive to irregular manipulation of the device and which is threaded through or pierced through the article concerned and interconnects both elements in the anti-theft device. An anti-theft element of this kind may, for instance, include an ampule that contains a light stain and which will therefore stain a dark cloth or material, and a second ampule which contains a dark stain which will therefore stain a light cloth or material. One drawback with an anti-theft device of this kind is that it is expensive to produce because it includes double ampules and because the cost of the ampules constitutes a major part of the production costs of the anti-theft device as a whole. Another drawback is that an unauthorised person may be able to manipulate the anti-theft device so that only one of the two ampules will break. As mentioned above with respect to the single ampule solution, this may mean that the stain contained in the broken ampule will not deviate sufficiently in colour from the material from which the article is made and therewith render the article unusable.
The object of the present invention is to solve the aforesaid problems, by providing an anti-theft device that includes an ampule containing a fouling substance with which the cost of producing the device and the weight of said device can be kept to a low, competitive level and which is effective in fouling or marking the theft-attractive article in a more pronounced manner than was earlier the case, so as to cause the article to become unusable if the anti-theft device is manipulated in an irregular manner.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by means of an anti-theft element in an anti-theft device, and a fouling substance ampule having the characteristic features set forth in the following claims.
One advantage afforded by the inventive anti-theft device is that it can be used highly effectively as a theft deterrent with all types of theft-attractive goods, regardless of the type of goods concerned, their colour and the material from which they are made. The device has the added advantage of being simple and reliable in construction, which results in low production costs and low weight. These advantages are achieved by means of an anti-theft device adapted for a single ampule that contains at least two different fouling substances which will not readily dissolve in one another or which are unable to dissolve in each other. The fouling substances have mutually different fouling properties, meaning that if one of these fouling substances does not distinguish sufficiently from the theft-attractive article, it is ensured that the remaining substance or substances released simultaneously with the first-mentioned substance and having a different fouling property, for instance a different colour, will render the article unusable. Thus, it is not possible to manipulate the inventive anti-theft device in an irregular manner without releasing a plurality of fouling substances, e.g. stains, that have mutually different properties.
Because the cost of an ampule in an anti-theft device of this kind constitutes a major part of the total manufacturing cost of the device, about 40% in the case of a single ampule solution and about 60-75% in the case of a two-ampule solution, the inventive anti-protective device has a competitive advantage over known multi-ampule solutions due to its low production cost. The simple construction of the inventive anti-theft device also results in a device which is light in weight, therewith reducing the chance of the article being damaged when the anti-theft device is handled normally in the store.
In accordance with the invention, the ampule containing the fouling substances is clearly visible from one side of the anti-theft device and will therefore have an enhanced theft deterring effect by virtue of the fact that the fouling substances in the ampule are mutually immiscible and therewith show clearly that any attempt to release the anti-theft device from the article in an irregular manner would result in the article being stained, impaired or likewise fouled, so as to become useless, regardless of the specific properties of individual theft-attractive articles.
According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fouling substance phases enclosed in the ampule have mutually different densities, so that said substances will be layered and clearly delimited in the ampule, with a clear boundary between adjacent phases.
The terms “ampule” and “fouling substance ampule” used in the present context thus refer to ampules which are independently produced units that can be fitted into an anti-theft element. The terms, however, also refer within the scope of the invention to ampules that are formed by and constitute a part of the construction of the anti-theft element and which define a cavity that contains fouling substances. In th

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