VERSATILE SECURE DISPLAY SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a versatile secure display system provided with a spool. It allows a secure display of objects to individuals, in particular of commercial items to customers. It allows the object to be handled while making it possible to detect fiddling, theft attempt or even actual theft.

Systems for securely displaying objects to consumers and for allowing them to be handled are known and widely used, in particular in stores. They are of various types and are generally adapted to specific needs. They generally require substantial, or even complex, operations for their installation, display modifications, etc.

Moreover, such systems must not be troublesome for the consumer that wishes to reach the object and to handle it; they must neither trigger alarms when there is no theft or theft attempt.

It is therefore desirable to have an efficient system as for the security, which is relatively simple to install and to configure or reconfigure, which is adaptable/versatile while being aesthetically interesting.

Therefore, the present invention proposes a secure display system that is versatile in that it allows a stand-alone operation with a removable control unit or in relation with an external security system.

Accordingly, the invention relates to a versatile secure display system for displaying an object, the object being intended to be attached to the system and the system comprising at least one wire detection means for detecting a separation of the object from the display system.

According to the invention, the system comprises at least a base, a sliding column and a head, wherein the base, the column, the head are distinct elements that are assembled together, the head receiving a detector to which is attached the object, the detector comprising at least one detection sensor for detecting a separation of the object from the detector, the detector and its sensor being intended to be connected by an electric cable to a wire monitoring electronic unit, the head being removably attached to a first end of the column, the base comprising a through-hole through which the second end of the column may be inserted and the column be slid and immobilized at the desired height on the base by an immobilization means, the column being an elongated hollow tube integrating at least one electric cable storage means.

In various embodiments of the invention, the following means are used, which can be used either alone or in any technically possible combinations:

• the base through-hole is substantially in central position,
• the base comprises a substantially circular peripheral edge,
• the base comprises a substantially polygonal, and preferably square or rectangular, peripheral edge,
• the system further comprises an individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit,
• the individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit is integrated to the base,
• the individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit is an element that is distinct from the base,
• the individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit is an element comprising a through-hole whose shape is complementary to that of the column and the immobilization means, the unit being slid around the column in such a way to come and rest on the base, said unit covering the base and the immobilization means, the base further comprising a side cable pathway allowing the cable going inside the column and going out through the second end of the column to go up to the monitoring electronic unit, going through said base through said side cable pathway,
• the individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit comprises, on its lower face, a connector for the cable,
• the system further comprises an individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit, said unit comprising a through-hole whose shape is complementary to that of the column, the individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit covering the base and the immobilization means,
• the wire monitoring electronic unit further allows the detection of a cable disconnection,
• the wire monitoring electronic unit further allows the detection of a fiddling attempt,
• the electric cable is a spiral cable,
• the electric cable storage means is at least inside the hollow tube of the column,
• the column further comprises a means for the return and storage of the electric cable when the head is installed on the column end, and the release of the cable according to the spacing of the column with respect to the head when the latter is separated from the column,
• the means for the return and storage of the electric cable is passive, the electric cable itself ensuring its return,
• the means for the return and storage of the electric cable is active, the electric cable being returned back by said means,
• the active return and storage means is a spool,
• the column further comprises an electric cable spool for the return and storage of the electrical cable when the head is installed on the column end, and for the release of the cable according to the spacing of the column with respect to the head when the latter is separated from the column,
• the spool is active, the electric cable being returned back by the spool,
• the cable comprises at least a spiral portion that can extend or retract as a function of the traction exerted, and the column comprises a means for the storage of said spiral portion, the return and release of the cable being produced in particular by said spiral portion of the cable,
• the electric cable is a cable with at least a spiral portion, and the column further comprises a means for the return and storage of the electric cable when the head is installed on the column end, and for the release of the cable according to the spacing of the column with respect to the head when the latter is separated from the column,
• the head is formed of two parts, a lower part for the attachment to the column and an upper part for the attachment to the object and its detector, the two parts being swiveling relative to each other,
• the head comprises a swiveling ball joint,
• the lower part for attachment of the head to the column comprises an attachment means that is complementary of the first end of the column,
• the lower part for attachment of the head to the column is introduced into the first end of the column and locked in position by a rotation around an axis coaxial to the column,
• a fitting means for the head lower part is introduced into the first end of the column and locked in position by rotation around an axis coaxial to the column,
• the two parts of the head are rotationally swiveling relative to each other around a single axis,
• the two parts of the head are rotationally swiveling relative to each other around two axes,
• the two parts of the head are rotationally swiveling relative to each other through a Cardan joint,
• the two parts of the head, once swiveled, are immobilized relative to each other by at least one screw or one pin,
• the two parts of the head, which are swiveling relative to each other, may be immobilized relative to each other at a determined number of positions, the immobilization being obtained by matching holes of the part for attachment to the column with holes of the part for attachment to the object and introducing an stud into the matched holes,
• the stud is a pin,
• the stud is a screw,
• the base comprises a peripheral crown delimiting the through-hole of said base and comprises a ring extending heightwise, said ring edging the through-hole of said base and allowing the column to be immobilized at the desired height by the immobilization means acting on said ring, said crown being intended to rest on a display support,
• the immobilization means is a removable clamping or attaching member,
• the immobilization means is a clamping collar acting as a stuffing box relative to the ring that is divided into strips and allowing said ring to be clamped on the column,
• the immobilization means is a locking screw,
• the immobilization means is a notched device, the column comprising notches and the base at least one snug that locks at least one notch,
• the immobilization means is reversible,
• the ring is extended upward, above the peripheral crown,
• the ring is extended downward, under the peripheral crown,
• the ring is extended upward and downward, on either side of the peripheral crown,
• the base and the immobilization means are configured so that the immobilization means is installed above the display support,
• the base and the immobilization means are configured so that the immobilization means is installed under the display support,
• the column is circular in cross-section,
• the column is oval in cross-section,
• the column is square or rectangular in cross-section,
• the lower end of the column comprises a flange directed outward and intended to prevent the passage of said lower end through the base and/or the display support, the column having to be inserted through the base and the display support by the underside,
• the upper end of the column comprises a flange directed outward and intended to prevent the passage of said upper end through the base and/or the display support, the column having to be inserted through the base and the display support by the topside,
• the wire detection means comprises at least one detector with a sensor and one wire link,
• the detector is a contact detector,
• the detector is a remote-detection detector,
• the detector is arranged in a recess of the upper part of the head.

The versatile secure display system that is proposed can thus operate in a stand-alone manner with its own individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit or in relation with an external control unit to protect an object carried by the system.

The system of the invention shown in FIG. 1 is intended to secure an object 4, for example a mobile phone, the monitoring of which is ensured by a wire monitoring electronic unit that may be a monitoring control unit common to several systems of the invention (control unit not shown), or that may be an individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit, for a single system of the invention and the object thereof. A wire link is implemented, and it must therefore be possible to install an electric cable (not shown), with preferably at least one spiral portion, in the system of the invention.

The object 4 is attached to a detector 13 that is in the form of a case comprising a detection sensor 15, for example a switch, a control finger of which protrudes out of the case to come into contact with the object 4. When the object is separated from the detector, the state of the sensor changes due to the fact that the control finger is no longer pushed by the object. A wire link (not shown) is connected to the detector 13 and allows the transmission of the state changes of the detection sensor 15. It is to be understood that one or several sensors, passive or active, may be installed in the detector 13 as a function of the desired level of sophistication of the monitoring.

The system of the invention comprises essentially a base 1, a column 2 and a head 3. The column 2 is a tube that is internally hollow for the passage and/or the storage of an electric cable (not shown) of the wire link, preferably a spiral cable that extends/retracts due to the turns being moved apart/closer together when the cable is pulled or released, respectively. The base 1 comprises a substantially planar peripheral crown 11 delimiting a central through-hole 8 of said base and a ring 10 extending heightwise, said ring 10 edging the central through-hole 8 of said base. The column 2, at its lower end, is slid into the ring 10 of the base and is attached/immobilized thereto by an immobilization/attachment means 20. The height of the column 2 with respect to the base 1 may thus be adjusted. In this exemplary embodiment, the ring 10 is substantially perpendicular to the crown 11 so that the column extends substantially vertical when the base is put horizontal. Still in this example, a cable pathway 9 is formed through the crown 11 of the base 1 so that the cable that has gone inside the column 2 and through the central through-hole 8 of said base can goes out, in particular for the connection to an individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit 6 that will be described hereinafter.

The base 1 may be put and attached on a display support, such as a table or a shelf (not shown), common to several systems of the invention. The display support may be pierced or not with an orifice for each system of the invention, so as to allow the passage of the electric cable and, possibly, of the column, according to the possible height-adjustment that is desired for the column.

The base 1, in a first variant intended for the connection to a control unit common to several systems of the invention, is covered with a cover 5 or, in a second variant, the base is covered with the individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit 6.

The head 3 is attached to the upper part of the column 2 by a fitting means 14 that is extraction-locked by a rotation as shown by the curved arrow. Such attachment of the head 3 to the column 2 is preferably manually removable, in that a person wishing to replace the control unit 6 or to exchange the latter with the cover 5 can separate the head from the column by rotating the head with respect to the column without needing to use any tool. The electric cable being attached to the detector 13 by means of a connector, it will have to be disconnected to allow the separation of the two elements and thus to clear the space required for performing the operation. Such disconnection operation will generate an alarm, except the wire monitoring unit is inhibited, such inhibition being controlled by a person authorized to inhibit the monitoring.

The head 3 is formed of two parts, a lower one and an upper one, articulated to each other to adjust the direction of the detector 13 and the object 4 relative to the column. The head thus comprises a head base that is the lower part of the head and a ball joint that is the upper part of the head, such ball joint being able to be swiveled to different positions. The extraction-locked fitting means 14 form the bottom of the lower part of the head 3. The detector 13 is place in the upper part 12 of the head 3, within an adapted housing. Preferably, once the correct direction is obtained, the two parts of the head are immobilized relative to each other, by mechanical means, such as a pin or a screw for example, as well as the detector 13 in the upper part 12 of the head 3. Preferably, predefined directions are provided between the two parts of the head, for example two directions. For that purpose, screw orifices are formed in the two parts of the head, such orifices being able to match with each other in these predefined directions, the screw introduced in the matching orifices then ensuring the immobilization of the two parts.

The object 4 is attached to the detector 13 by a mechanical means, such as screw or glue, in particular a double-sided adhesive, for example.

In order to improve the aesthetic aspect of the system in case where an individual and stand-alone monitoring electronic unit is not used, a cover 5 is slid on the column and covers the base. The cover 5 comprises an opening 16 for it to be slid along the column before the installation of the head 3 on the column 2. In this case, the end of the electric cable that is opposed to that of the head is connected to a wire monitoring control unit arranged under the display support or farther away from the system.

In case where it is desired to make an individual and stand-alone secure system, the cover (optional) is replaced by a stand-alone monitoring electronic unit 6 that is slid on the column thanks to its opening 16 and that covers the base. This stand-alone monitoring electronic unit 6 comprises alarm generation means, in particular an audible alarm 17, for example upon disconnection of the cable from said control unit or upon separation of the object from the detector 13, or even upon a fiddling of the cable. The cable is connected by the underside of the stand-alone monitoring electronic unit 6 and it is thus not visible, said unit covering the base. To go up to the unit 6, said cable goes through the cable pathway 9 formed through the crown 11 of the base 1. Such stand-alone monitoring electronic unit 6 comprises its own power supply, using a cell or a battery.

Therefore, in the simplest version, the system comprises a base 1, a column 2, a head 3 and a cover 5. A detector may be supplied with the system in case where the user would not already have a detector adapted to the head. Types of detectors adapted to certain groups of objects may be made and supplied, for example detectors intended for cameras or video cameras screwing onto the camera or the video camera. The system, in a stand-alone version, may comprise a stand-alone monitoring electronic unit 6 instead of the cover. The electric cable and the winding/storage and unwinding means, whether they depend or not on the capacity the cable would have to retract itself (spiral cable), whether they are thus passive or active, are supplied, integrated in the column.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above, but extends to all the variants and equivalents compliant with the spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is well understood that the invention may be declined into many other possibilities without thereby departing from the scope of the invention defined by the description and the claims.