Security Device for Use with a Bottle

Abstract

A security device (200) for housing a security tag (2008), such a security device being able to be fixably attached to a sealing portion (214) of a bottle (216). The security device can be formed by a two-part injection molding tool. The security device comprises a planar surface (2006) for engaging a security tag and a plurality inwardly protruding portions (212) having planar surfaces which are parallel to the surface the tag is attached to. These protruding portions obstruct access to a security tag mounted to the device. The security device provides a low cost highly visible means for attaching the tag to a bottle.

Description

The present application relates to a security device and relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a security device for use with a bottle.

Security tags may be attached to items in a store so that if an item, to which a security tag is attached, is removed from the store an alarm system is activated.

Such security tags may be adhesively attached to items directly. Alternatively, a security tag may be housed in a security device which may then be removably attached to an item. Examples of adhesively attached security tags are illustrated in FIG. 1 where a plurality of such security tags 100 are shown to be fixedly attached to a glass bottle 102. It is well known good practice to recycle glass bottles. However, if a security tag has been adhesively attached to the glass portion of a bottle it is common that people do not remove the tag before recycling which leads to contamination problems in the glass recycling process.

As mentioned above, security tags may be housed in a security device that may be removably or fixedly attached to an item. There are currently many security devices in existence able to be removably attached to items wherein such security devices are required to be removed at the checkout of the store in which the item is sold. Subsequently, removed security devices may then be reused by reattaching them to another item. The removal of reusable security devices within a store slows down the transaction process. Further, removed security devices need to be stored, collected and reattached before reuse which is also time consuming. Many of such security devices consist of a plurality of components that fix together and require complex injection moulding tools. This leads to high costs of manufacture.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention seek to overcome the above disadvantages of the prior art.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a security device for use with a bottle, the device comprising a body adapted to at least partially cover a sealing portion of a bottle, said body having:

a first surface for receiving adhesive such that said security device can be fixed to said sealing portion of said bottle; and

a second surface adapted to engage at least one security tag.

Because the security device of the present invention is attached to a removable sealing portion (the top) of a bottle it is easily separated from the glass portion of a bottle making it less likely that the security device will not be removed prior to recycling. As a result there will be less contamination associated with the glass recycling process. Furthermore, because the device can be easily manufactured it is inexpensive thereby not significantly increasing the cost of adding the security device to the bottle. This in turn allows such security devices to be used on a larger range of bottled products, for example, including cheaper products, than is the case with the bottle top mounted security devices of the prior art, whilst still providing the deterrent effect of clearly indicating the presence of the security device. As a result it is possible to use the security device on, for example, all bottles of alcoholic drink. It is then clear that any bottles of alcoholic drink in a store that do not have the security device have been tampered with. In contrast, security tags of the prior art shown in FIG. 1 can be easily removed so that it is not immediately obvious that tampering has occurred.

In a preferred embodiment said body further comprises at least one first body portion having a third surface adjacent to and parallel to said second surface wherein said first body portion is adapted to restrict access to said security tag when said security tag is engaged with said second surface and said security device is mounted to said sealing portion of said bottle.

By providing a body portion adjacent the tag this restricts access to a security tag fixably mounted to the device. This provides the advantage that the security tag is less likely to be tampered with or removed such that the theft of a bottle to which such a security device is mounted is more likely to be alerted.

In another preferred embodiment said body further comprising at least one second body portion adapted to further restrict access to said security tag when said security tag is engaged with said second surface and said security device is fixably mounted to said sealing portion of said bottle.

In a further preferred embodiment the planes defined by said surfaces of both said first and second body portions are parallel.

In a preferred embodiment said first surface is planar.

By applying adhesive to a planar surface allows adhesive to be applied cleanly and easily which increases the speed at which a security device can be attached to a bottle.

In another preferred embodiment said first surface is cylindrical.

In a further preferred embodiment said second surface is planar.

By mounting the tag on a planar surface allows a security tag to be easily mounted increasing the speed at which a security device can be prepared for use. Furthermore, this allows existing tags that are already used in conjunction with a stores existing security system to be used. As a result existing security tags and existing security systems can be used in conjunction with the security device of the present application.

In a preferred embodiment said second surface is parallel to an axis defined by a portion of said bottle to which said security device is attached.

A security device in accordance with the present invention is able to be formed by two part injection moulding. This provides the advantage that the cost of manufacture will be small.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a security device for use with a bottle, the device comprising a body adapted to receive a tag, the body, and tag engaged to the body, adapted to be fixedly attached to a sealing portion of a bottle, wherein the body comprises:

a cover portion adapted to cover an uppermost surface of the sealing portion of the bottle; and

side portions extending from said upper portion and covering the junction between the sealing portion of the bottle and the cover portion.

By providing a security device including a tag and a body that are stuck to the top of the bottle's seal and has sides that extend down the seal to cover the junction between the seal and the body, the advantage is provided that the security device is very difficult to remove without damaging the bottle. Specifically it is difficult to remove the tag from the bottle top without removing the top. Typically this type of security device is used on bottles having a metallic screw top that is divided into two portions, a removable screw top and a ring that is retained on the bottle, the two portions being separated by a perforated ring. As a result, in order to steal a bottle that uses such a security device, it would be necessary to remove the tag and carry the open bottle out of the shop. If the purpose of the theft is resale then the value of the stolen goods is significantly reduced by breaking of the perforated seal. Similarly, because the tag can be easily adhered to the seal with a force stronger than the perforations, even if the security device can be removed from the bottle top it cannot be removed without breaking the perforations which again significantly reduces the value of the stolen goods.

In a preferred embodiment the body is adapted to be fixed directly to said sealing portion of said bottle.

In another preferred embodiment the body is adapted to be fixed indirectly to said sealing portion by being fixed to said security device which is in turn fixed to said sealing portion.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plurality of security tags fixedly attached to the glass portion of a bottle;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the security device of the present invention prior to engagement with a security tag;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the security device of FIG. 2 after engagement with a security tag;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the security device of FIG. 3 being brought into engagement with a bottle;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the security device of FIG. 3 in engagement with the receiving portion of a bottle;

FIG. 6 is a view from below the security device of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the security device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 10 together with a bottle.

With reference to FIG. 2, a security device 200 for use particularly, but not exclusively, with a bottle includes a substantially cylindrical first receiving portion 201 adapted to receive and engage the sealing portion of a bottle. The sealing portion of a bottle includes a screw fit top, a cork or other stopper type seal. It should also be noted that the sealing portion includes any packaging material used to cover a screw fit top or cork such as a shrink wrap cover. The first receiving portion 201 includes a planar portion having an inside surface 202 and a cylindrical portion having an inside surface 204.

The security device also includes a second receiving portion 205 which preferably does not engage the sealing portion of a bottle. The second receiving portion 205 has a planar surface 206 which is adapted to engage a security tag 208. Protruding internally from the inside surface 209 of the second receiving portion 205 is a first body portion 210 which defines a surface 211 adjacent to and parallel to the planar surface 206 used to engage the security tag 208. Also, parallel to, but displaced further from the planar surface 206 for engaging a security tag 208 than the first body portion 210 is a plurality of further body portions 212 which internally protrude from the inside surface 209 of the second receiving portion 205.

The operation of the security device 200 will now be described. Security tag 208 is engaged with and fixedly mounted to planar surface 206 using adhesive as illustrated by the arrow in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates the security device 200 to which a security tag 208 is fixedly mounted. The planar surface 202 and/or the inside cylindrical surface 204 of the first receiving portion 201 are then coated with adhesive before being fixedly attached to the sealing portion of a bottle. FIG. 4 illustrates an adhesive coated security device 200 being brought into engagement with a sealing portion 214 of a bottle 216 along the direction of the arrow as shown.

FIG. 5 illustrates a security device 200 fixedly mounted to the sealing portion 214 of a bottle 216. Outer planar surface 207 is the surface on the external side of the second receiving portion 205, opposite to surface 206 in FIG. 2. It is illustrated that a vector 219 defining the direction of elongation of outer planar surface 207 is perpendicular to an axis 217 of the sealing portion of the bottle.

FIG. 6 illustrates a security device 200 which has been fixedly mounted to the receiving portion 214 of a bottle 216. Body portions 210 and 212 restrict access to the security tag 208 which is fixedly mounted to the planar surface 206 of the second receiving portion 205 of the security device.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 the second receiving portion 205 of security device 200 further comprises an outer planar surface 207 opposite and external to that of planar surface 206. The outer planar surface provides an opportunity to clearly display a message or image. Such a message may for example warn that the bottle to which the security device is mounted is security tagged. Alternatively, the logo of the store in which the tagged item is to be sold or of the product in the bottle may be displayed.

A second embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 8, in which parts common with FIGS. 2 to 5 are denoted with like reference numerals increased by 100. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that when the security device 300 is mounted to the sealing portion 314 of a bottle 316 a vector 319 defining the direction of elongation of outer planar surface 307 is parallel to an axis 317 of the sealing portion of the bottle. This second embodiment also differs from the first in that the planar portion of the device comprising outer planar surface 307, the opposite side 310 of which is adapted to engage a security tag, is an extension of the first receiving portion 301 in the absence of a second receiving portion.

FIG. 8 further illustrates the presence of a hole 318 in the first receiving portion 301 of the second embodiment of the present invention 300. This allows the removal of a cork when the device is used on a bottle which uses a cork to contain liquid. A hole similar to 318 may also be incorporated into the first receiving portion 201 of the first embodiment of the security device 200 illustrated in FIG. 2.

A third embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 9, in which parts in common with FIGS. 2 to 5 are denoted with like reference numerals increased by 200. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment, shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, in that the first receiving portion 201 shown in these figures has been removed so that an upper surface 420 which opposes the inside surface 402 from the top of the second receiving portion 405. The fins 412, although not visible in FIG. 9, are present in essentially the same form shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As a result of the removal of the first receiving portion 201, the third embodiment shown in FIG. 9 is shorter than that shown in FIGS. 2 to 5.

A fourth embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, in which parts in common with FIGS. 2 to 5 are denoted with like reference numerals increased by 400. This fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 in that the security tag 508 is attached to the tag in a different place than the tag 208 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The tag 508 is bonded to inside surface 502 of the security device 500. These two components are then stuck to the sealing portion 514 of bottle 516. This sticking can either be by having adhesive on both sides of the tag 508 so that it sticks to inside surface 502 and top surface 522 of sealing portion 514 or by sticking the tag 508 to inside surface 502 and then sticking the device to the sealing portion 514 for example using the inside surfaces 504 or 509.

The tag 508 is typically a Radio Frequency ID tag (RFID tag) as opposed to tag 208 which is typically an Acousto Magnetic tag (AM tag).

In a variation of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 the security device could be simplified by simply having a cover portion in the form of upper surface 520 and side portions 524 extending therefrom the whole device being formed essentially as receiving portion 501 with an RFID tag 508 stuck to planar surface 502. The side portions 524 mean that direct access to the tag 508 cannot be made and that the security device cannot be levered off the top of the bottle without applying considerable forces to the bottle top. The application of such will inevitably result in the damage to the bottle top and in particular the breaking of the perforated band 526 that separates the removable top 528 from the ring 530 that is retained on the bottle.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, a security device may not include a plurality of further body portions, illustrated as 212 in FIG. 2.

Claims

1. A security device for use with a bottle, the device comprising a body adapted to at least partially cover a sealing portion of a bottle, said body having:

a first surface for receiving adhesive such that said security device can be fixed to said sealing portion of said bottle; and

a second surface adapted to engage at least one security tag.

2. The security device according to claim 1, said body further comprising at least one first body portion having a third surface adjacent to and parallel to said second surface wherein said first body portion is adapted to restrict access to said security tag when said security tag is engaged with said second surface and said security device is mounted to said sealing portion of said bottle.

3. The security device according to claim 2, said body further comprising at least one second body portion adapted to further restrict access to said security tag when said security tag is engaged with said second surface and said security device is fixably mounted to said sealing portion of said bottle.

4. A security device according to claim 1, wherein the planes defined by said surfaces of both said first and second body portions are parallel.

5. A security device according to claim 1, wherein said first surface is planar.

6. A security device according to claim 1 wherein said first surface is cylindrical.

7. A security device according to claim 1, wherein said second surface is planar.

8. A security device according to claim 1, wherein said second surface is parallel to an axis defined by a portion of said bottle to which said security device is attached.

9. A security device for use with a bottle, the device comprising a body adapted to receive a tag, the body, and tag engaged to the body, adapted to be fixedly attached to a sealing portion of a bottle, wherein the body comprises:

a cover portion adapted to cover an uppermost surface of the sealing portion of the bottle; and

side portions extending from said upper portion and covering the junction between the sealing portion of the bottle and the cover portion.

10. A security device according to claim 9 wherein said body is adapted to be fixed directly to said sealing portion of said bottle.

11. A security device according to claim 9 wherein said body is adapted to be fixed indirectly to said sealing portion by being fixed to said security device which is in turn fixed to said sealing portion.

12. (canceled)