SECURITY CASE

Abstract: A security case with a fastening member for fastening to a shopping trolley, comprising at least two, in relation to one another movable and abutting shell parts, the case internally being provided with a locking mechanism to be operated from the outside with a separate key for unlocking the lock. The fastening member is integrated in the lock such that after the case has been fastened to the shopping trolley, the fastening member will only release the case to detach it from the shopping trolley after the lock has been unlocked.

Description: Security case The invention relates to a security case with a fastening member for fastening to a shopping trolley, comprising at least two, in relation to one another movable and abutting shell parts, the case internally being provided with a locking mechanism to be operated from the outside with a separate key for unlocking the lock. 'Key' in this invention encompasses any mechanism suitable for the authorized unlocking of the lock. Such a security case is known from US-A- 5,002,292. Shopping trolleys comprising an integrated se- curable compartment are also known from GB-A-2 , 183 , 564 and DE-A-44 06 706. For years the shop keeper has endeavoured to com- bat shopping without paying by employing, for example, electronic measures such as electronic security devices on articles, observation cameras, and the like. In practice these measures do not appear to be effective. An additional disadvantage is that the shopkeeper has to spend much time and consequently money on maintaining the security devices on articles. Certain valuable or theft-prone articles are therefore kept under lock and key, possibly near the checkout, to ensure that the retail of such articles follows a completely controlled course. However, this imposes a rather heavy burden on the shop organization. In GB-A-2 , 183 , 564 it is suggested to place a customer's personal possessions, such as carrier bags, into a locked portion of the shopping trolley, after which the customer can pursue his shopping activities and at the end pay for all his articles, and retrieve his personal belongings that are held in the locked compartment . The object of the invention is to provide a separate security case that can be used in combination with a shopping trolley and that is easily detachable therefrom, whereby using said security case will greatly reduce the risk of theft in the shop situation. To this end the security case according to the invention is characterized in that the fastening member is integrated in the lock such that after the case has been fastened to the shopping trolley, the fastening member will only release the case to detach it from the shopping trolley after the lock has been unlocked. This considerably augments the effectiveness of the security case ac- cording to the invention, since it has now become impossible for the security case containing the product to leave the shop unnoticed. Should this be attempted, then the security case is in any case still attached to the shopping trolley, something that even very inattentive people and shop personnel will not fail to notice, so that it can hardly be a matter of unintentionally taking away products that have not been paid for. A suitable embodiment is characterized in that the lock is embodied as a locking-cylinder-pin combination which locking cylinder and pin are coupled together in a snap coupling, wherein the locking cylinder is coupled with a first shell part, and the pin is inserted through an opening in the second shell part that abuts and inter- mates with the first shell part, the pin, at an end facing away the from the locking cylinder, being provided with a widening whose width is greater than the diameter of the opening. This makes the security case according to the invention especially easy to operate as only the pin needs to be pushed into a locking cylinder, thereby effecting the coupling between said parts and the locking of the two shell parts of the case. The operational ease of the security case according to the invention and the convenient use of it in the shop situation are further enhanced in that, when locking the locking-cylinder-pin combination, there is sufficient room left between the widening at the one end of the pin and the second shell part, for the accommodation of the bars of a shopping trolley. An important aspect of the se- curity case according to the invention is that, without any special measures, it can be used with any type of shopping trolley, which aspect is achieved by the measure discussed above of the lock being formed by the locking- cylinder-pin combination, wherein the pin may be given a diameter suitable for any application of shopping trolley, and the widening of the pin has a dimension suitable to be used with shopping trolleys of the largest mesh size between the bars . In a desirable embodiment of the security case according to the invention, the same is internally provided with a guide tube extending from the opening in the second shell part to near the locking cylinder. This aids the operational ease during the locking of the security case, because it is unnecessary to make a special effort to position the pin in alignment with the locking cylinder for securing the lock. The invention will now be explained with reference to the drawings which in Figure 1, show a shopping trolley with a security case according to the invention, in Figure 2 and Figure 3 , show a front view and a rear view of the shopping trolley with the security case fastened thereto, and in Figure 4, show a schematic cross-sectional side view of the security case with a few bars of the shopping trolley. In the Figures, identical reference numbers are used for similar parts. Referring first to Figure 1, a shopping trolley 1 is shown to which a security case 2 is fastened. As clearly shown in Figure 4, the security case 2 is embodied comprising at least two, in relation to one another movable and abutting shell portions 3 and 4, which are cou- pled by means of a hinge member 5 and which in the region of the hand grip 6 fit together when the shell parts 3 and 4 are moved toward one another. If the lock is not effective, the shell parts 3 and 4 can be moved apart. However, the hinge connection 5 remains effective, creating an opening near the hand grip 6 via which articles can be placed into the security case 2. The security case 2 is provided with an internal lock mechanism 7, 8, 9 and 10 that is externally operable with a separate (not shown) key for unlocking the lock. The lock 7, 8, 9, 10 is embodied with a locking cylinder 7 and a pin 9 which are coupled together by means of a snap connection when the pin 9 is moved into the locking cylinder 7. Unlocking of the pin 9 and the locking cylinder 7 occurs by inserting a key into the locking cylinder 7 from the outside of a security case 2, at the side of the shell part 4, at arrow A. As shown, the locking cylinder 7 is coupled with the first shell part 4, and the pin 9 can be inserted through an opening 11 in the second shell part 3 in the direction of the locking cylinder 7. To effectuate locking, the pin 9 is at the end facing away from the locking cylinder 7, provided with a widening 10 whose width is larger than the diameter of the opening 11. As can be clearly seen from the Figures 2 and 3, as well as 4, the fastening member for fastening the security case 2 to the shopping trolley 1 is integrated with the lock 7, 8, 9, 10 with the result that subsequent to fastening the security case 2 to the shopping trolley 1, the fastening member 7, 9, 10 will release the security case 2 only for the purpose of removing it from the shopping trolley 1, after the lock has been unlocked. The measurements of the locking cylinder 7 and the pin 9 as well as the widening 10 are such that at the side of the second shell part 3 resting against the bars 12 of the shopping trolley 1, there is sufficient room between the widening 10 and the shell part 3 for the accommodation of the bars 12 of the shopping trolley. Figure 4 shows that the case 2 is provided at the inside with a guide tube 8 extending from the opening 11 in the second shell part 3 close to the locking cylinder 7, by means of which the pin 9 can be conveniently guided close to the locking cylinder 7 to efficiently effectuate the snap connection between the pin and the locking cylinder 7. The above specification should be interpreted exclusively as an elucidation of the inventive thought, without being in any way limiting the protective scope afforded by the appended claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A security case with a fastening member for fastening to a shopping trolley, comprising at least two, in relation to one another movable and abutting shell parts, the case internally being provided with a locking mechanism to be operated from the outside with a separate key for unlocking the lock, characterized in that the fastening member is integrated in the lock such that after the case has been fastened to the shopping trolley, the fastening member will only release the case to detach it from the shopping trolley after the lock has been un- locked. 2. A security case according to claim 1, characterized in that the lock is embodied as a locking- cylinder-pin combination which locking cylinder and pin are coupled together in a snap coupling, wherein the lock- ing cylinder is coupled with a first shell part, and the pin is inserted through an opening in the second shell part that abuts and intermates with the first shell part, the pin, at an end facing away the from the locking cylinder, being provided with a widening whose width is greater than the diameter of the opening. 3. A security case according to claim 2, characterized in that when locking the locking-cylinder-pin combination, there is sufficient room left between the widening at the one end of the pin and the second shell part, for the accommodation of the bars of a shopping trolley. 4. A security case according to claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that the same is internally provided with a guide tube extending from the opening in the second shell part to close to the locking cylinder.

Inventors: VAN DER ZANDEN ADRIANUS JOANNE, VAN DER ZANDEN, ADRIANUS, JOANNES, MARIA
Applicants: RISICOATCH VEILIGHEIDSZORG, ZANDEN ADRIANUS JOANNES MARIA, VAN DER ZANDEN, ADRIANUS, JOANNES, MARIA
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B62B3
IPC codes: A45C13, B62B3