Pilfer-resistant arrangements for watch and jewelry boxes
Watch and jewelry boxes including pilfer-resistant arrangements for securing watches and jewelry items are disclosed. Various embodiments include a fastening member received within the watch or jewelry box and an anchor/retaining member arranged to engage the fastening member. The fastening member and anchor/retaining member cooperate to secure the loop of a ring or a loop portion of a jewelry item within the box in a manner that is resistant to pilfering.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional Application No. 60/656,400, filed Feb. 28, 2005 and entitled PILFER-PROOF ATTACHMENTS FOR WATCH AND JEWELRY BOXES.
BACKGROUNDShoplifting is, in general, a big problem in the retail watch and jewelry industry. For example, a shoplifter will ask to be shown several watches or pieces of jewelry at the same time, and will remove one or more watches and/or pieces of jewelry from their box. The merchant, without realizing that any items are missing from the boxes, will then return the boxes to their display or storage position. The merchant will only realize items are missing from the boxes when he or she shows the boxes to another customer, which might be a few days later.
As known in the industry, in order to reduce the above-described shoplifting problem, merchants often tie down watches and pieces of jewelry into their boxes using plastic ties. This deters a would-be-thief from removing items from the box. However, it is very easy for thieves to cut and remove the ties, thereby leaving the watches and/or jewelry unsecured in the box and easy to remove. Additionally, if a merchant wants to show a watch or piece of jewelry to a customer, the merchant must cut the tie and remove it from the box. Thus, the merchant has no way to re-secure the watch or jewelry item unless he or she has spare ties of the required size, which are usually not readily available.
SUMMARYThe disclosure is directed to watch and jewelry boxes including pilfer-resistant arrangements for securing jewelry items, such as watches, rings and bracelets. In certain embodiments, a jewelry box comprises:
a bottom member including a central cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item;
a fastening member arranged to extend through an opening in a first side of the bottom member, through a closed loop of the jewelry item and into a second side of the bottom member opposite the first side of the bottom member; and
an anchor member disposed in the second side of the bottom member and arranged to engage the fastening member so as to secure the fastening member in the jewelry box.
According to another embodiment, a jewelry box comprises:
a bottom member including a central cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item;
a fastening member comprising a head portion and a pair of prongs extending from said head portion and terminating in hooked ends, wherein said prongs are arranged to extend downward into said central cavity or channel so as to entrap a loop portion of the jewelry item; and
an anchor member disposed in the bottom member, said anchor member comprising a pair of longitudinally extending ledges bounding said central cavity or channel and arranged to engage said hooked ends.
According to another embodiment, an arrangement for securing a watch or other piece of jewelry in a box includes:
a bottom member formed from a U-shaped inner wall and a U-shaped outer wall that is spaced from and connected to said U-shaped inner wall so as to define a hollow, U-shaped cross-section comprising first and second interior side channels and an interior bottom channel extending between said first and second interior side channels, said bottom member including a central exterior cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item; and
a fastening member disposed within said first interior side channel and said interior bottom channel, wherein said fastening member is laterally movable between an open position and a closed position entrapping a loop portion of the jewelry item.
Additional features and advantages will become apparent from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
According to the embodiment of
The screw 110 may be inserted into the anchor member 140 by simply pushing the screw 110 through the hole 144. However, the screw 110 can only be removed from the box 100 by turning the screw, because the flap 142 obstructs the threads 112 and prevents the screw 110 from moving backwards without being turned. Furthermore, the hole 122 may be recessed into the side 120 such that it is impossible to turn the screw 110 with a person's fingers. Thus, the box 100 can be designed such that the screw 110 can only be removed with a screwdriver, thereby making it difficult for a thief to steal the jewelry item 130. A merchant who wishes to show the jewelry item 130 to a customer must remove the screw 110 with a screwdriver in order to remove the jewelry item 130 from the box 100. After showing the jewelry item to the customer, the merchant can return the jewelry item 130 to the box 100 and secure the jewelry item by simply pushing the screw 110 into the box 100.
Although the screw 110 is shown with several threads, the screw can be molded with as many or as few threads as desired. For example, a screw 110a which includes two threads 112 may be used so that the screw 110a can be removed quickly by a merchant with fewer turns. However, using a greater number of threads makes theft more difficult.
In order to remove the clip 210 so that the jewelry item 130 can be removed from the box 200, one must insert a pin 280, or a similar item, through a pin hole 290 in the side 250 and push the pin 290 against the head portion 212 of the clip 210 until the clip 210 is backed out of the opening 222.
Each of the above embodiments provides arrangements which reduce the likelihood that jewelry will be stolen from display boxes while a merchant is showing the jewelry to a potential thief. Although the disclosure references specific embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawing figures, additional embodiments and variations within the scope of the invention are possible.
Claims
1. A jewelry box comprising:
- a bottom member including a central cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item;
- a fastening member arranged to extend through an opening in a first side of the bottom member, through a closed loop of the jewelry item and into a second side of the bottom member opposite the first side of the bottom member; and
- an anchor member disposed in the second side of the bottom member and arranged to engage the fastening member so as to secure the fastening member in the jewelry box.
2. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein the fastening member is a screw.
3. The jewelry box of claim 2, wherein the anchor member is a flap comprising a hole sized to engage threads of the screw.
4. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein the jewelry item is a watch, a bracelet or a ring.
5. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein:
- the fastening member is a clip comprising a head portion and a pair of prongs extending from said head portion and terminating in hooked ends; and
- the anchor member comprises a passage having ledges arranged to engage said hooked ends.
6. A jewelry box comprising:
- a bottom member including a central cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item;
- a fastening member comprising a head portion and a pair of prongs extending from said head portion and terminating in hooked ends, wherein said prongs are arranged to extend downward into said central cavity or channel so as to entrap a loop portion of the jewelry item; and
- an anchor member disposed in the bottom member, said anchor member comprising a pair of longitudinally extending ledges bounding said central cavity or channel and arranged to engage said hooked ends.
7. The jewelry box of claim 6, wherein the jewelry item is a watch, a bracelet or a ring.
8. A jewelry box comprising:
- a bottom member formed from a U-shaped inner wall and a U-shaped outer wall that is spaced from and connected to said U-shaped inner wall so as to define a hollow, U-shaped cross-section comprising first and second interior side channels and an interior bottom channel extending between said first and second interior side channels, said bottom member including a central exterior cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item; and
- a fastening member disposed within said first interior side channel and said interior bottom channel, wherein said fastening member is laterally movable between an open position and a closed position entrapping a loop portion of the jewelry item.
9. The jewelry box of claim 8, wherein the fastening member comprises:
- a vertically-extending segment;
- a jewelry-trapping arm extending from a first end of the vertically-extending segment; and
- a sliding arm extending from a second end of the vertically-extending segment; wherein the sliding arm is laterally slidable within said first interior side channel and said interior bottom channel to effect movement of the fastening member between the open position and the closed position; and the jewelry-trapping arm is arranged to slide laterally into and out of the central exterior cavity or channel via an opening in the inner wall upon sliding of the sliding arm, so as to entrap or release the jewelry item.
10. The jewelry box of claim 9, comprising a false base enclosing the interior bottom channel, wherein the false base is removable to allow sliding operation of the sliding arm.
11. The jewelry box of claim 8, comprising a false base enclosing the interior bottom channel, wherein the false base is removable to allow sliding operation of the fastening member.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 30, 2005
Publication Date: Aug 31, 2006
Applicant: IMPENCO LTD. (Montreal)
Inventor: Jack Herzog (Montreal)
Application Number: 11/289,520
International Classification: B65D 85/40 (20060101);