Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E05—LOCKS; KEYS; WINDOW OR DOOR FITTINGS; SAFES
  • E05G—SAFES OR STRONG-ROOMS FOR VALUABLES; BANK PROTECTION DEVICES; SAFETY TRANSACTION PARTITIONS
  • E05G1/00—Safes or strong-rooms for valuables
  • E05G1/10—Safes or strong-rooms for valuables with alarm, signal or indicator
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
  • A45C13/00—Details; Accessories
  • A45C13/18—Devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags
  • A45C13/24—Devices for sound-producing, piercing, gas-discharging, or the like
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
  • G08B13/00—Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
  • G08B13/02—Mechanical actuation
  • G08B13/14—Mechanical actuation by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
  • G08B13/1436—Mechanical actuation by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles with motion detection

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an anti-theft arrange ⁇ ment according to the preamble of Claim 1.
• a relatively sophisticated anti-theft arrangement of the aforesaid kind is known from SE-B-447920 and its Ameri ⁇ can counterpart US-A-4,725,823.
• the alarm device is activated after a predeter ⁇ mined time period has lapsed so as to destroy the con ⁇ tents of the " cassette and render them unusable.
• the replacement of valuable documents that have been de- stroyed or made unusable by staining is an expensive, complicated and time-consuming process, among other things because of the necessary controls that must be undertaken.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a novel and advantageous anti-theft arrangement which will essentially eliminate the aforesaid drawbacks of known anti-theft arrangements.
• an anti-theft arrangement of the aforesaid kind is also given the characteristic features set forth in the characterizing clause of Claim 1.
• FIG. 1 is a block schematic which illustrates the present invention.
• Figure 2 is a container for the transportation of valu ⁇ able objects or valuable documents.
• the block schematic illustrated in Figure 1 includes a time-counting device 1, a motion or vibration sensing detector 2 and an alarm-activating device 3. This latter device is intended to trigger an alarm device 4 in response to a signal received from the time-counting device.
• the block schematic further includes a current supply device 5 and an on-off switch 6.
• the time-count- ing device 2 preferably consists of an electric or electronic clock circuit of known kind which starts when a voltage is applied to its input and then subsequent to counting down over a predetermined time interval produc ⁇ es a signal for activation of the alarm activating device 3. In order for the time-counting device to remain in function, it is necessary for the detector to sense a given minimum movement or minimum vibration.
• the detector 2 may have the form of an elec ⁇ tric switch which disconnects and prevents the applica- tion of an operating voltage to the time-counting device provided that no vibration or movement is sensed.
• the detector 2 controls the time-counting device 1 in a manner to stop the countdown during periods in which no movement is sensed. Those periods of time over which movement is sensed and the time-counting device thus counts down are summated until the accumulated time corresponds to the aforesaid predetermined time period and the time-counting device delivers a control signal to the alarm- activating device 3.
• the inven ⁇ tive anti-theft device may also include a device 7 which displays visually the countdown time that has already passed or the countdown time that remains.
• the anti-theft device may include a warning device 8 which delivers an acoustic and/or visual warning that activation of the alarm device 4 is imminent.
• the alarm device 4 may be of any appropriate kind. For instance, it may be constructed to deliver one or more alarms in the form of an acoustic signal, a light sig ⁇ nal, an odour signal and/or a smoke signal, or may be constructed to deliver a substance which will stain or heavily erode the contents of the container. Alterna ⁇ tively, the alarm device may be constructed to deliver, for instance, electric signals which will trigger an alarm in a remote alarm centre or to activate, for instance, a computer in which the alarm device is in ⁇ stalled.
• the on-off switch 6 may consist of a conventional me ⁇ chanical lock which is intended to break and make an electric on-off contact, but may also be comprised of an electrically, electronically or electromagnetically actuable electric on-off contact, or the like.
• FIG. 2 illustrates a container 9 intended for the transportation of valuable objects or valuable docu- ments, such as banknotes and cheques, constructed in accordance with the invention.
• the container can be used to great advantage internally, for instance in a depart ⁇ ment store, for the transportation of valuable documents between so-called output tills and a central cash point.
• the illustrated container 9 is comprised of an outer, • open-bottom box 10 which covers an open-top box 11.
• an anti-theft device 1-6 of the kind described with refer- . ence to Figure 1.
• the aforesaid on-off switch means is comprised of a mechanical lock by means of which the boxes 10 and 11 can be locked together.
• the mechanical lock is intended to activate an electric on-off switch contact (not shown) which, when the lock is released, sets the anti-theft arrangement to zero and which, when locking the lock, sets the anti-theft arrangement into operation, so that it begins to count down and summate the down-counted period during which the detector 2 has sensed vibratory movement or some other form of motion.
• the box 11 has a space above the anti-theft arrangement 1-6 which is accessible for the insertion of, for in- .stance, banknotes and cheques through an inlet 12 pro ⁇ vided in the upper part of the box 10.
• banknotes and cheques can only be removed from the container 9 by releasing the lock 6 and lifting the box 10 from the box 11.
• the container 9 can be used advantageously in the fol ⁇ lowing manner, in department stores that have a central cash point and so-called cashier tills.
• each till operator collects an empty, locked container 9 from the central cash point and takes the container to his/her till, where the container is placed on a stationary support.
• the till operator has no key which will open the con ⁇ tainer 9, and is therefore unable to reach the valuable documents that are placed in the container.
• the time- counting device 1 is set so that its countdown time.
• the alarm device 4 is activated, this device preferably comprising a staining device which stains the valuable documents in the container so as to render then unusable as a means of payment.
• This arrangement provides the till personnel with a high degree of safety while, at the same time, minimizing the chances of a robber or thief acquiring a large sum of money.
• the container may be equipped with a warning device 8 which functions to produce a signal, for instance in the form of a ticking noise, immediately prior to activation of the alarm device 4.
• a warning device 8 which functions to produce a signal, for instance in the form of a ticking noise, immediately prior to activation of the alarm device 4.
• the container-boxes 10, 11 may be made, for instance, of an appropriate sheetmetal which is sufficiently strong to resist non-legitimate attempts to open the container within the predetermined countdown time.
• the count ⁇ down device 1 or the detector 2 are preferably of the kind with which the countdown is not interrupted until a given period of time has passed, e.g. 10 seconds, from that time at which such movement or vibrations can no longer be sensed.
• the inventive anti-theft arrangement can also be used for more or less stationary devices intended for the safe storage of valuable documents or valuable articles, such as safes for instance.
• it is parti- cularly suitable to provide the safe storage device with an arrangement 7 which will disclose visually that part of the countdown time that has lapsed or that remains, thereby enabling it to be ascertained whether or not the storage device has been interfered with at some time during an unguarded period.
• the device which functions to disclose the countdown time that has passed or that remains can be given a more or less sophisticated con ⁇ struction.
• it may be constructed to dis ⁇ close the time periods during which an attempt to force the container have taken place, and, in combination with the detector 2, may be constructed to distinguish be ⁇ tween different types of movement or vibration, so as to discard any natural and permitted movement or vibrations that may occur.
• the inventive arrangement is also suitable for use as protection against the theft of theft-attractive elec ⁇ trically operated apparatus, such as computers, video display screens, printers, television apparatus, etc., in which case the anti-theft arrangement may have the form of an auxiliary device attached to the theft-attractive apparatus or may be built integrally therewith.
• the anti-theft arrangement may be activated in response to disconnecting the appa ⁇ ratus from its current supply network, or the anti-theft arrangement may be activated and deactivated by means of an access code to the apparatus concerned.
• the alarm device 4 may also in this case be a staining device, although it may, of course, have other forms.
• the alarm device 4 may function to destroy some vital part of the protected apparatus, so as to render the apparatus no longer theft-attractive.
• the alarm device 4 may be constructed to produce non-erasable text on the screen, or to produce on the screen text which can only be erased by a specialist, this text disclosing that the apparatus concerned has been stolen.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Burglar Alarm Systems (AREA)
• Telephone Function (AREA)
• Orthopedics, Nursing, And Contraception (AREA)
• Prostheses (AREA)
• Air Bags (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20384979

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (7)

• 1992
  • 1992-01-10 SE SE9200055A patent/SE510456C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1993
  • 1993-01-08 AU AU34120/93A patent/AU3412093A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1993-01-08 DK DK93902613T patent/DK0699328T3/da active
  • 1993-01-08 ES ES93902613T patent/ES2130251T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-01-08 DE DE69324048T patent/DE69324048T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1993-01-08 AT AT93902613T patent/ATE177863T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1993-01-08 EP EP93902613A patent/EP0699328B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1993-01-08 WO PCT/SE1993/000007 patent/WO1993014477A1/en active IP Right Grant
• 1994
  • 1994-07-06 FI FI943228A patent/FI112001B/fi active
  • 1994-07-08 NO NO942585A patent/NO307238B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1999
  • 1999-04-26 GR GR990401137T patent/GR3030057T3/el unknown

Patent Citations (7)

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