WO1993014477A1

WO1993014477A1 - An anti-theft device

Info

Publication number: WO1993014477A1
Application number: PCT/SE1993/000007
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gunnar Oskar Persson
Original assignee: Swedish Protection & Consulting Ab
Priority date: 1992-01-10
Filing date: 1993-01-08
Publication date: 1993-07-22
Also published as: FI943228L; NO942585L; SE510456C2; SE9200055D0; EP0699328B1; ES2130251T3; DE69324048D1; GR3030057T3; DE69324048T2; DK0699328T3; NO942585D0; EP0699328A1; FI943228A0; FI112001B; NO307238B1; ATE177863T1; SE9200055L; AU3412093A

Abstract

An anti-theft arrangement includes an alarm device (4) and an alarm-activating device (3). This latter device is controlled by a time-counting device (1) so as to activate the alarm device when the time-counting device has counted down a predetermined time period. In turn, the time-counting device (1) is controlled by a motion or vibration sensing detector (2), which is constructed to prevent the time-counting device (1) from counting down when no movement is sensed by the detector.

Description

An anti-theft device

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. In one use of this arrangement to protect valuable documents against theft when transported in a cassette from one station to another, 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 destruction of valuable documents is therefore a considerable drawback when the reason for exceeding the predetermined time period is not caused by robbery or theft of the cassette, but the result of some legitimate cause which leads to an unexpected delay, for instance because of difficulties in arriving at said other station in time or because of a doorlock malfunc- tion, etc. On the other hand, if the alarm device is activated while a robbery is in progress, it may easily result in desperate actions on the part of the robber or thief, with subsequent risk to personnel welfare.

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.

To this end, it is proposed in accordance with the invention that an anti-theft arrangement of the aforesaid kind is also given the characteristic features set forth in the characterizing clause of Claim 1. Thus, if the time taken to transport a theft-protected object in the container or cassette is longer than planned and exceeds the time period for which the time-counting device has been set, the countdown can be stopped readi¬ ly and simply for a short period of time, irrespective of whether this delay has been caused by robbery or theft or by legitimate causes, and the time extended correspondingly by, for instance, placing the object on a stationary surface. If the forces exerted on the container and sensed by the detector as motion or vibra¬ tions, for instance occasioned by drilling or by some other attempt to break open said object, are exerted on a stationary theft-protected object, down-counting of the timing mechanism will take place and the alarm device will be activated upon completion of an accumu¬ lated movement-time or vibration-time corresponding to the time for which the time-counting device has been set.

Further characteristic features of the invention and advantages afforded thereby will be evident respectively from the depending Claims and the following description of exemplifying embodiments of the invention, this description being made with reference to the accompany¬ ing drawing, in which

Figure 1 is a block schematic which illustrates the present invention? and

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. For instance, 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. Thus, 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.

As indicated by the broken lines in Figure l, 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. Alternative- ly, or additionally, 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.

The earlier publications SE-B-447920 and US-A-4,725,823 describe a cassette for transporting valuable documents which, to some extent, operates in accordance with the aforedescribed block schematic, although with the ab¬ sence of a movement or vibration detector. The particu¬ lar aims of the present invention and the advantages afforded thereby cannot therefore be achieved with this known cassette. It is realized, however, that the known arrangement can be supplemented advantageously in accor¬ dance with the invention with a motion or vibration detector, which, for instance, will enable an undesir¬ able alarm to be avoided in the case of legitimate, unexpected delays or during a critical moment during the progress of a robbery or theft, by placing the cassette on to a stationary surface.

Figure 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.

Incorporated in the bottom region of the box 11 is 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. On the other hand, 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. Prior to start¬ ing a working shift at a till point, 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. with a certain margin, will correspond to the time taken for the till operator to walk from the central cash point to the till concerned and back to the central cash point, where a cashier who possesses a key to the lock 6 is able to set the anti-theft arrangement to zero, when so desired. During his/her working shift at the till concerned, the till operator inserts cheques and bank¬ notes over a given value into the container, so that the till need only contain a requisite amount of small cash and bills for change purposes. When the till operator has completed his/her working shift, the till operator returns the container to the central cash point. In the event of a robbery, the till operator simply places the container onto a stationary surface or gives it to the thief. At the end of the countdown period, 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.

In order to avoid staining the contents of the container 9 unintentionally or unnecessarily, 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. This enables the till operator to avoid unin- tentional destruction of the container contents, by placing the container onto a stationary support surface and summoning a main cashier or a guard who is in pos¬ session of a key to the lock 6.

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. In order to prevent the container 9 being forced by actions which promote only brief movements or vibrations, 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. In this case, 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. For instance, 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. In this regard, 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. For in¬ stance, when the anti-theft arrangement is activated, 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. When fitted to apparatus provided with a display screen, 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.

It will be understood that the invention is not res- tricted to the illustrated and described exemplifying embodiment thereof, and that the invention is solely restricted by the scope of the inventive concept as defined in the following Claims.

Claims

1. An anti-theft arrangement comprising an alarm device (4) and an alarm-activating device (3) which is con- trolled by a time-counting device (1) in a manner to activate the alarm device at the end of a predetermined time period which is counted down by the time-counting device, and in which the time-counting device (1) is, in turn, controlled by a detector-^' (2), which senses vibra- tion or movement, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the detector (2) is constructed to cause an inter¬ ruption in the count down of the time-counting device (1) when no movement is sensed by said detector. -

2. An anti-theft arrangement according to Claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the time-counting device (1) can be reset with regard to the time that shall be counted down by said device.

3. An anti-theft arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arrangement is mounted in a lockable container (9) for the transporta¬ tion of valuable documents or valuable articles; and in that the time-counting device (.1) can be set to zero and set in operation by unlocking and locking the container (9) respectively.

4. An anti-theft arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arrangement is connected to a theft attractive, electrically operated apparatus, such as a computer, a video display screen, television apparatus, etc.; and in that the time-count¬ ing device (1) can be set to zero and set into operation by disconnecting the apparatus from its current supply network.

5. An anti-theft arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arrangement is connected to computer equipment; and in that the time- counting device (1) can be disconnected by means of a computer access code.

6. An anti-theft arrangement according to any one of Claims 1-5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the alarm device (4) is. a staining device.

7. An anti-theft arrangement according to Claim 4 or 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the alarm device (4) is constructed to destroy at least one-vital part of the apparatus when activated.

8. An anti-theft arrangement according to any one of Claims 1-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arrangement includes a display device (7) which visually displays the length of countdown time that has passed or that remains.

9. An anti-theft arrangement according to any one of Claims 1-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arrangement includes a warning device (8) which func- tions to provide a warning, an acoustic and/or visual warning, that activation of the alarm device (4) is imminent.