Abstract:
There is provided an apparatus for dispensing products that includes a theft deterrent retail product dispensing hook. In certain embodiments, the hook prevents product “sweeping” (where a thief quickly empties a conventional retail hook of product) and also delivers a time-delayed delivery of product per hook. A specific embodiment of a time-delay display hook system comprises a two-prong system having an upper member and a lower member, with the upper member supporting a dispensing system and the lower member supporting a product to be dispensed. Upon triggering of an activation member, the dispensing system releases a single product and provides a time-delay between dispensing of further product.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/812,832, filed Jun. 12, 2006 titled “Theft Deterrent Hook System,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates generally to theft deterrent devices for dispensing products. More specifically, the invention relates to dispensing devices that incorporate theft deterrent measures, such as knobs and time delays. 
     2. General Background 
     Theft of small items in retail stores is an all too common problem. Items that are in high demand by thieves include over-the-counter (OTC) products such as analgesics and cough and cold medications, razor blades, camera film, batteries, videos, DVDs, smoking cessation products and infant formula. Shelf sweeping is a particular problem for small items. It occurs when someone removes all the shelf stock (and in some instances, removes the hook on which the merchandise is hanging), and exits the store, similar to a “smash and grab” shoplifting technique. Shelf sweeping relies on excessive quantities of product being available on the shelf. However, retailers need to keep substantial inventory on shelf or incur the cost of constantly restocking. 
     In addition to preventing theft, retail stores may want to limit the purchase of certain items. For example, to make methamphetamine, large quantities of cold medication are needed. Pseudoephedrine, the sole active ingredient in many cold medicines and decongestants, is also a key ingredient in methamphetamine, a powerful and highly addictive stimulant. 
     Retailers are constantly challenged to balance the needs of legitimate consumers&#39; access to high theft items with measures to minimize the incidence of theft. It has long been known to place items such as cigarettes, sodas and newspapers in vending machines. Such machines require complete self-service by the customer. The customer places money into the vending machine and the machine dispenses the desired item. However, vending machines may be inconsistent with the way that people currently purchase items; many people prefer to use credit or debit cards instead of cash. Vending machines may also be inconvenience and occupy a great deal of space. Finally, typical vending machines do not employ any time delay mechanism to prevent a purchaser from quickly dispensing all the items in the vending machine. 
     Because theft has become so rampant in certain product categories, such as razors, infant formula, and cold medicine, many retail stores are taking the products off the shelves and placing them behind the counter or under lock-and-key. Customers must request the products in order to make a purchase. This requires additional labor costs to provide individual service to customers who would normally not require it. It also makes it difficult for customers to compare products. Furthermore, it may be impossible where the space behind the counter is limited and is needed for prescription medications. In some cases, some products are simply unavailable due to high pilferage rates. 
     Therefore, a device or dispensing apparatus that minimizes the incidence of product theft, particularly sweeping, is needed. The device or dispensing apparatus should also be able to fit within common grocery, drug store or other retail environment shelves. It is also desirable that the device or dispensing apparatus effectively display the products so consumers can easily identify the products. It is also preferable that the dispensing apparatus be easy to use. 
     Additionally, studies have shown that in addition to preventing sweeping, another desirable form of theft deterrence is to cause a time delay between the dispensing of multiple products. Would-be thieves are less likely to steal products if there is a substantial delay between the dispensing of individual products. It is also desirable to achieve time delayed dispensing of products in a cost effective manner. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In certain embodiments of the invention, the apparatus for dispensing products includes a theft deterrent retail product-dispensing hook. In certain embodiments, the hook prevents product “sweeping” (where a thief quickly empties a conventional retail hook of product) and also delivers a time-delayed delivery of product per hook. 
     For example, a specific embodiment of a time-delay display hook system, comprises a two-prong system having an upper member and a lower member, the upper member adapted to support a dispensing system and the lower member adapted to support product to be dispensed; a dispensing system associated with the upper member that comprises a motor, a blocking member, and an activation member, wherein the activation member is adapted to be triggered to release a product to be dispensed from the lower member. Upon triggering of the activation member, the blocking member is activated to prevent further product from being dispensed and the motor is activated to prevent further turning of the activation member until the motor times out, providing a time-delay between dispensing of individual products. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a side perspective view of one embodiment of a theft deterrent hook system. 
         FIG. 2  shows an exemplary mounting system and a two-prong for a theft deterrent hook system. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  show one embodiment of an activation member or knob for a theft deterrent hook system. 
         FIG. 4  shows one embodiment of a blocking member for a theft deterrent hook system. 
         FIG. 5  shows an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a theft deterrent system. 
         FIG. 6  shows the system of  FIG. 5  in a partially assembled position, with the activation member being put into place. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and described in more detail below, embodiments of the invention provide a two-prong system with a dispensing system on the upper member of the hook. The dispensing system is a spring-loaded rotary gate system, actuated by a customer turning an activation member or a knob, allowing one gate (which may be a part of knob or a separate element) to permit the forward-most product to be vended while the second gate (which may be a blocking member) prevents a subsequent product from being vended until the spring-loaded timing device re-sets itself. 
     Thus, the time-delay of the dispensing system provides a theft deterrent feature. In addition to the product-dispensing aspect of the device, there is provided a key/lock provision on the activation member or knob that allows a retailer to re-position the forward gate (activation member or knob) and allow product to be loaded on to the hook by a retail attendant and then locked in the position that allows for vending. The key/lock may also be used to completely lock the device during high theft times. 
     First, as shown in  FIG. 2 , there is provided a two-prong system  90 . Hook  90  includes an upper member  92  and a lower member  94 . Members may be attached to a mounting member  96 , which may in turn, mount member to a display board, a cross bar  98 , or any other structure. If provided, cross-bar  98  may be attached to an in-store shelf backing by a hanger  100  or any other appropriate attachment mechanism. One advantage of a cross-bar mounting system is that it allows adjustability to the left to right. Another advantage is that it ensures that the connection of the hook  90  to the cross-bar  98  is sound. Present devices rely on pegboard backer which can easily be broken. Another advantage is that incorporating a mounting member  96  to the hook can help connect the hook to a pre-existing in-store retail fixture. Additionally, mounting systems according to various embodiments help impart strength and lower the risk of would-be-thieves from easily removing the system from a shelf. (An additional built-in theft deterring mechanism is a time delay between the dispensing of products, discussed below.) This system may be constructed of tubular steel or any other conventional materials. 
     The embodiment of theft-deterring device  10  shown in  FIG. 1  includes a two-prong system  90  associated with a dispensing system  60 . The dispensing system  60  may be associated with the upper member  92 , so that the lower member  94  can support product to be dispensed. Dispensing system  60  is a spring-loaded rotary gate system that allocates only one product at a time, with a time delay between each product dispensing action. 
     Each of these elements will be discussed in more detail below, but in a specific embodiment, the dispensing system  60  is actuated by the activation of an activation member  20  (which may a knob, a lever, a push button, a pull button, or any other device that may be used to activate a motor), which releases the lower member  94  from the knob  20  and allows a single product to be removed. That motion also rotates a blocking member  40  or gate that prevents all other products on the member from being removed. The turning motion also loads a spring  70  that will begin to rotate and actuate a motor  62  once the activation member  20  (which is shown as a knob in the figures) is released. As the spring-loaded system begins to unwind (guided by a gear and resistance motor), there is a point at which the blocking member  40  will allow another product to gravity feed forward to a position between the blocking member  40  and the activation member  20 . This product, and only this product, is in a position to be accessed by another rotation of the activation member  20 . 
     Turning now to the other specific components of the system, one embodiment of activation member  20  is shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B  as a knob  20 .  FIG. 3A  shows the side of knob  20  that faces consumer, which has a portion  22  to be grasped. As shown in  FIG. 3B , knob  20  also has a dispensing groove  24 , which generally follows at least a portion of circumference  26  of knob  20 . In use, dispensing groove  24  releases the end of lower member  94 , which allows the consumer to remove the product. Knob  20  also has a connecting member  28 , which allows it to be connected to upper member  92  and/or the spring-loaded system  60 . Connecting member  28  is shown as a circular opening, but it should be understood that any connection mechanism of any shape and size that will allow knob to connect to the rest of device  10  (e.g., a peg, a ratcheted system, etc.) is considered within the scope of this invention. 
     Once knob  20  is turned, blocking member  40  moves into a position that blocks product from sliding down lower member  94 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , blocking member  40  has a shape similar to the shape of knob  20 . Its groove  42  moves to the position to release product only after the motor has timed out. In one embodiment, the motor action may slowly rotate blocking portion  44  around in order to allow groove  42  to release product once motor has timed out. In another embodiment, blocking portion  44  remains stationary during the motor action, and the groove  42  snaps back into place once the motor times out, allowing product to gravity feed. 
     Knob  20  and blocking member  40  are attached to a spring/motor combination. As shown in  FIG. 1 , one end of spring  70  is preferably attached to the motor mount  64  (which provides resistance for spring&#39;s action) and the other end is attached to a resistance motor  62  and gear  66  system. The turning of knob  20  tightens and loads spring  70 , while the motor and gear system are allowed to freewheel. Once the knob  20  is released, the spring tension activates resistance motor  62 . In a certain embodiment, the resistance motor  62  is of the type commonly used in toy cars, so that is can be wound up and then un-wound to create energy or movement. The resistance motor  62  may incorporate a series of gears  66  which prevent the blocking member  40  and knob  20  from returning to the dispensing mode until a period of time has passed, such as approximately 15 or 30 seconds. Thus, one advantage of the devices described is that in addition to preventing sweeping of multiple products while the single item is dispensing, they also provide a time-delay in between each dispensing step. This time delay may be any desired time, for example from about 5 to about 60 seconds. (Much longer may prevent legitimate consumers from purchasing product, although any time limit is possible.) 
     As the spring loaded dispensing system  60  begins to unwind, there becomes a point at which the blocking member  40  allows a product to gravity feed forward to a position in between the blocking member  40  and the knob  20 . This is the only product that is allowed to move forward to a staging position to be accessed by another rotation of the knob  20 . 
       FIG. 5  shows an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment of device  10 . This embodiment includes activation member  20 , blocking member  40 , spring  70 , motor  62 , and gear  66 . It also features a motor mount  64 , which covers motor  62 , that prevents contaminants from entering the dispensing system  60 , and gives the device  10  a more polished look. This embodiment also has a dispensing bar system  120  that can hold and support product, if desired. The dispensing bar system  120  includes a support bar  122  and a support pusher  124 . In addition to providing a supportive back for product, support pusher  124  is spring loaded and helps to push product forward. In one embodiment, upper member  92  has a spring-coiled member  91  on its underneath portion and support pusher  124  has an engaging system  126  that cooperates with upper member  92 . The engaging system  126  may feature outer arms  128  that are adapted to receive ends  93  of upper member  92 . Engaging system  126  may also have an inner track  129  track that engages with a spring coiled-member  91  on the underneath side of upper member  92 . As product is allowed to move forward due to the action of the motor, spring coiled-member  91  forces support pusher  124  forward. Support pusher  124  also has an opening  125  that receives lower member  94  in use. Support pusher is particularly useful in systems that are not gravity feed systems, although gravity feed systems may also use the theft deterrent hook features described herein. 
     Also, in this embodiment, rather than being a circular rod, upper member  92  is shown as a flat bar  112 . Flat bar  112  may be integrally connected to a mounting member or it may be formed as a separate piece, depending upon display requirements. As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , flat bar  112  may have an opening  114  that receives lower member  94 , which may hold the elements more securely and conveniently together. 
     Another beneficial feature of device  10  is that support bar  122  may be adjusted to receive variously-sized product. As shown in  FIG. 5 , a support member  140  may be provided that can be mounted onto flat bar  112 . Support member  140  has adjustable openings on its underneath side that allow prongs  123  of support bar  122  to be received at different locations to provide more or less space for product in the area between support pusher  124  and support bar  122 . (This can be seen more clearly on  FIG. 6 .) 
     A further feature of device  10  is that dispensing system  60  may be removed from the two-prong system  90  for restocking purposes. Once assembled, dispensing system  60  may be a self-contained unit having the activation member (shown as a knob) and motor connected to one another. The system  60  can have a key lock  150  that allows system  60  to be removed from and replaced onto two-prong system  90 . Dispensing system  60  can also be completely locked during busy, high-theft times. 
     Alternatively, the key lock  150  may be associated with knob  20  to allows a retailer to re-position the forward gate (turning knob) and allow product to be loaded onto the hook by a retail attendant and then locked in the position that allows for vending. 
     During use of the system shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , when the consumer turns knob  20 , a single product is released from lower member  94 , and the groove  42  of blocking member  40  engages lower member  94  to prevent further product from being released. The turning of knob  20  also winds the motor  62 , which controls the movement of blocking member  40 . As discussed above, blocking member  40  may be slowly rotated by the movement of motor  62  (so that once motor  62  times out, blocking member  40  allows another product to be released), or blocking member  40  may remain in a blocked position and then be released in a single, snapping motion once the motor  62  times out or reaches a pre-determined point in its progress. 
     While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, it should be understood that alternate versions may be developed that would fall with in the scope and spirit of the attached claims. For example, it may be possible to use two gates, rather than a knob and a blocking member. The gates could retain products when in the closed position and may be opened by activating a push-button or lever. The spring loaded motor could still be engaged by a spring, although it could also be operated by a circuit board, an electric motor, or any other appropriate device. In this instance, when a consumer presses a dispensing button or activates a dispensing lever, an electric motor could cycle, opening a first gate, allowing a product to be removed, but activating a second gate to prevent more than one product from being dispensed. Once the product has been removed, the spring can snap back to its original position and push the gates closed. In the snap-back embodiment, there may be provided a trigger  152  that snaps and locks when the activation member  20  is turned. When the motor unwinds, it pulls the trigger  152  out from its locked position. Additionally, the time delay may be controlled by a circuit board or a built-in timer, rather than the motor and spring concept. 
     To further deter theft, device  10  may include a sound to alert store employees that a product is being dispensed. For example, device  10  may include a clicker for providing an audible clicking sound. The clicker may be incorporated into the spring  70  so that the sound is heard when the spring is recoiled when the knob, button or lever is triggered. Additionally or alternatively, device  10  may include an audible beeping sound or an audible message when a product is dispensed. These sounds may alert people in the vicinity that a product is in the position to be removed, attracting the attention of a store clerk and deterring thieves. 
     While the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to the disclosed embodiments, it will be understood that variations and modifications can be affected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein.