Patent ID: 9472068
Filing Date: 2016-10-18
CPC Classification: G08B

Claim Text:
1. An anti-theft device for monitoring an electronic device having a female receptacle, comprising: an alarm module having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the alarm module monitors a flow of an electric current between the first and the second terminals; a male plug having a sheath; a plurality of conductive pins disposed within the sheath, at least two of the plurality of pins configured to engage corresponding electrical contacts of the female receptacle when the male plug is inserted therein; a first pin of the plurality of conductive pins being in electrical communication with the first terminal of the alarm module; a second pin of the plurality of conductive pins being in electrical communication with the second terminal of the alarm module; a tongue having an electrically conductive surface, wherein the tongue has a first retracted position in which the conductive surface is retracted away from the plurality of conductive pins and a second displaced position in which the conductive surface engages the first and the second pins thereby enabling the electric current to flow therebetween, the tongue being biased toward the first retracted position; wherein insertion of the male plug into the female receptacle transitions the tongue into the second displaced position in which the conductive surface of the tongue becomes an electrical conduit between the first and the second pins; whereby the alarm module supplies the electric current to the first terminal and detects the electric current flowing to the second terminal, the alarm module configured to transmit an alarm signal responsive to detecting an interruption in the flow of the electric current between the first and the second terminals.