Patent Publication Number: US-6039496-A

Title: Retractor cable connector for tethered product display

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to tethered product displays, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a connector for attaching a product to a retractable tether. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In a tethered product display, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,685, owned by the Assignee of the present application, a retractor and sensor, located behind a panel in the product display, senses a severing of the product display tether and sounds an alarm of an impending theft of a product connected to the tether as the retractor rewinds the tether. In tethered product displays where an alarm function is not desired, a Pullbox® cable retractor manufactured by the Assignee of the present application may be used satisfactorily. 
     While it is desirable to locate the retractor behind a display panel, there are problems in attaching the product to the bitter end of the tether. This is because the product attachment device is usually too large to pass readily through a small hole. This necessitates the formation of a large hole in the display panel, but this is both unsightly and difficult to do in the field. The use of a small hole would solve this problem, but a small hole makes it necessary to secure the attachment device to a product in the field by first inserting the cable bitter end from rear to front through the small hole and then securing the bitter end of the tether to the product to be displayed. Heretofore, a key-ring has been used, but not entirely satisfactorily. 
     A satisfactory product attachment device needs to provide a secure tether connection to the product and yet be tamperproof to preclude disconnection from the product. Moreover, the securement device needs to be capable of attachment readily without special tools or special skills, and it needs to be inexpensive to manufacture. 
     OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     With the foregoing in mind, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel product attachment device which can be readily secured to a cable in a tethered product display yet which does not require a large hole in a display panel. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a unique product attachment device which can be quickly installed without special tools or special skills. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a product attachment device which can be manufactured inexpensively. 
     As a still further object, the present invention provides a product display and method of assembly which requires only a small panel hole yet which allows a novel large connector to be fastened to the product tether and to the product. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     More specifically, the present invention provides a product securement device which enables a retractor cable in a tethered product display to be readily secured to a product in a tamper resistant manner. To this end, the securement device comprises a base having a cable guideway which opens into a protrusion having a recess for receiving a terminal end fitting on the bitter end portion of a cable, or tether. A locking element having a slot affording lateral engagement with the cable adjacent to the terminal end fitting has a surface which operably engages the recess surface when the cable is disposed in the cable guideway and tensioned. Preferably, the locking element is molded integral with the base and is releasably connected thereto by a fracturable web. Various means are provided on the base for fastening the base mounting surface to the product in a manner that resists disconnection. A preferred fastening means includes a double-sided adhesive tape which is installed across the cable guideway and recess to capture the locking element until the connector is attached to the product. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective partially broken-away view of a tethered product display having a retractor cable connector embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cable connector; 
     FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along on 3--3 of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but illustrating the cable connector in a different mode of attachment to a product tether. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a tethered product display 10 such as illustrated and described in Applicant&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,685. As described in that patent, the tethered product display 10 includes a retractor 11 which has a tether, or cable, 12 that is attached to a product P by means of a connector, or product securement device, 13. The retractor may incorporate a sensor which is electrically connected to a sound emitting device, such as an alarm, 14 mounted in the product display behind a panel 16. The panel 16 has a hole, 16a, through which the tether 12 passes, enabling it to extend when the product P is pulled and to retract in response to a spring provided in the retractor 11. For a more complete description of operation of a retractor having a sensor and alarm, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,685, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     According to the present invention, the retractor cable connector 13 connects the bitter end portion 12a of the cable 12 to the product P in a secure manner which requires only a small hole 16a to be provided in the panel 16. To this end, as best seen in FIG. 2, the connector 13 has a base portion 13a with a circular outer periphery 13b. The connector 13 has a rear planar product mounting surface 13c and a front side with a protrusion 13d having a recess 13e (FIG. 4) opening rearward to the rear product mounting surface 13d. The protrusion 13d has an annular shoulder 17 with a central circular aperture 17a providing a first cable guideway sized to enable the cable bitter end 12b to pass into the recess 13e from front to rear as shown in FIG. 3. The base 13a also has a second cable guideway formed by a radial channel 19 opening to the rear product mounting surface 13d and extending between the outer periphery of the base 13a and the recess 13e to enable the cable bitter end portion 12b to be laid radially in the manner shown in FIG. 4 with the cable end terminal fitting 12b disposed in the recess 13e as shown. 
     To secure the cable bitter end fitting 12b in the recess 13e, the connector includes a locking clip 21. As best seen in FIG. 2, the locking clip 21 is preferably molded integral with the periphery of the base 13a, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 2. The locking clip 21 has a radial slot 21b slightly larger than the cable diameter to receive the bitter end portion of the cable 12b. The size of the slot 21b is sufficiently small as to preclude passage of the cable terminal end fitting 12b. The outer periphery of the locking clip 21 is complementary with the shape of the surface of the inside of the recess 13e, and is larger in size than the recess aperture 17a. In the illustrated embodiment, the locking clip 21 is circular, as is the inner peripheral surface of the recess 13e, but the clip and recess may be of any shape. 
     As best seen in FIG. 3, when the locking clip 21 is laterally engaged with the bitter end portion 12b of the cable 12, and the cable 12 is tensioned in the direction shown in FIG. 3, the locking clip 21 engages the shoulder 17a in the recess 13e and prevents the cable 12 from being disconnected from the connector 13. If desired, the locking clip 21 can be connected to the bitter end portion 12b of the cable 12 in the manner shown in FIG. 4 to provide a lateral cable run when such is desired in connection with certain products. When so connected, the complementary peripheral outer surface of the locking clip 21 reacts relative to the inner surface of the recess 13e to aid frictionally in retaining the bitter end portion of the cable 12 engaged with the product P and connector 13 when tension is applied to the cable 12 in the direction shown in FIG. 4. 
     To positively connect the connector 13 to a product, such as the product P illustrated in FIG. 1, various means are provided on the base of connector 13. A preferred means includes a double-sided adhesive laminate 25 applied across the base mounting surface 13c and having opposed peelable covers 26 enabling adhesive 25&#34; to be exposed for attachment to a product surface, such as shown in FIG. 1. The adhesive laminate 25 is applied after the clip 21 has been secured to the cable bitter end portion 12b in the connector recess 13c to capture the locking clip 21. This has the advantage of enabling the connector 13 to be connected to the cable and the product P subsequently secured to the connector 13. Alternatively, the connector base 13a may be provided with circular attachment holes 13f for fasteners, such as threaded fasteners, rivets, or the like (not shown) that pass through the hole 13f in the base 13a and into the product P, and the base 13a may be provided with a pair of elongate holes 13g for receiving conventional tie straps. 
     In its as manufactured condition, the connector 13 has a pair of the locking clips 21 molded of plastic integral with the outer periphery of the base as shown in FIG. 2 and connected thereto by a fracturable or breakaway web 23. One clip, or the other, may be broken off, such as the clip 21a in FIG. 2 for connection to the cable bitter end. The remaining clip, which is a spare, may be either broken off and discarded or may be utilized in case the first clip has been lost during assembly. Alternatively, one clip may have a larger slot size for a larger diameter cable. Furthermore, clips 21 may be molded separate from the connector 13. 
     Installation of the connector 13 is straightforward. At the product display location, the bitter end portion 12b of the cable 12 is inserted from behind the panel 16 through the small (less than 1/4 inch diameter) hole 16a and held with one hand. The cable bitter end 12b is fed through either cable guideway in connector base 13. One of the locking clips 21a is broken away from the base 13 and engaged with the cable bitter end 12b, as shown in either FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 to seat in the recess as shown. One laminate adhesive cover 26 is removed, to expose the adhesive 25&#39; which is placed against the connector base surface 13c (FIG. 4). Then the other adhesive cover 26 is removed and the exposed adhesive 25&#34; is placed against the product P and held for a short time to effect a strong tamper resistant bond. In addition, or alternatively, a threaded fastener may be connected to the product through the hole 27, or a tie strap may be fed through slots 13g and attached to the product P. 
     In view of the foregoing, it should be apparent that this invention now provides an improved cable connector which can be manufactured readily and installed in the field without any special skills or tools. 
     While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, various modifications, alterations and changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.