The invention relates to a multipurpose goods protection carrying unit for displaying products on the sales area during operation, which comprises a mobile member that can be attached to the product to be protected and a stationary member co-acting with the mobile member but separable from it and having a reception zone, the mobile member has a house with a closed internal space and an alarm initiating part-unit situated in the internal space of the house, where the alarm initiating part-unit has a signal forwarding channel that can be connected to the product monitoring centre, and the goods protection carrying unit has an electric energy input connector.

These days, devices for sale are displayed on the freely accessible shelves at points of sale ready for customers to try them out themselves. However, in the case of "unsupervised" product display products need to be protected against the risk of misappropriation. The so-called "wired goods protection systems" have been developed for this purpose, and their principle is that a sensor is attached to the displayed products, and the sensor is connected to an alarm central via an electric signal forwarding cable, and if the connecting member is removed or damaged, it issues an alarm to indicate sabotage. However, in the case of electronic goods, such as video cameras, digital cameras, mobile telephones, MP3 and MP4 players, displayed for testing, customers can test such devices only if the product itself is operable, i.e. if it is connected to an electric power supply. Consequently it has become necessary to develop goods protection devices where, besides protecting the goods against misappropriation, the battery ensuring energy supply for the device is also charged up. Such carrying units connected to charging current supply are described in patent specifications no. US 6.386.906 and US 6.896.543.

However, in the case of the known solutions having such charging current and/or information signal feed it is a general deficiency that the cable connected to the product to be tested makes testing difficult, which, in some cases, even puts customers off examining the products more thoroughly, preventing purchase. Another disadvantage is that such permanent-cable charging represents an increased load on the battery of the portable device, which then fails sooner, in which case the product may also become inoperable, which may prevent testing or even purchasing the product.

Our aim with the solution according to the invention was to overcome the deficiencies of the known constructions and to create a goods protection carrying unit which has a simpler construction and enables the periodic charging of the battery, while the number and the size of the cables between the product and the display surface carrying the product can be reduced, as a result of which it becomes much more convenient to test the displayed product.

The idea behind the invention was based on the consideration that the batteries ensuring energy supply for portable communication and information technology products, picture and sound recording devices can be charged with a low current. With a suitably chosen magnetic field generating device and a device co-acting with it and generating electron flow as a result of the changing of the magnetic field an electric energy forwarding procedure can be realised - operating similarly to a transformer during which electric current of a restricted intensity can be produced for charging the batteries of the displayed devices in a wireless connection between the generating device and the electric charge supplying part-unit.

The construction of the goods protection carrying unit was based on the recognition that if, unlike the ordinary practice, a magnetic field generating part-unit is inserted in the goods protection carrying unit, which co-acts with the electric charge supplying part-unit responsible for charging the battery placed in the given product, so that between them there is no wired connection for supplying electric current, then the number and size of cables between the product and the supplying devices, that is between the alarm central and the energy source, can be reduced because of the elimination of wired power supply, and so the task can be solved.

In accordance with the set aim the multipurpose goods protection carrying unit for displaying products on the sales area during operation - which comprises a mobile member that can be attached to the product to be protected and a stationary member co-acting with the mobile member but separable from it and having a reception zone, the mobile member has a house with a closed internal space and an alarm initiating part-unit situated in the internal space of the house, where the alarm initiating part-unit has a signal forwarding channel that can be connected to the product monitoring centre, and the goods protection carrying unit has an electric energy input connector - is constructed in such a way that the goods protection carrying unit is supplemented with at least one magnetic field generating part-unit having an electric conductive connection with the electric energy input connector, the magnetic field generating part-unit is paired with an electric charge supplying part-unit separated from it with an insulating layer and co-acting with it without a conductive wired connection, where the electric charge supplying part-unit is placed in the goods protection carrying unit or in the product to be protected, and when the goods protection carrying unit is in use, the electric charge supplying part-unit is connected to the energy storing member of the product to be protected via a current conductor.

A further criterion of the goods protection carrying unit according to the invention may be that the electric charge supplying part-unit is supplemented with a regulator part-unit, and when the goods protection carrying unit is in use, the electric charge supplying part- unit is connected to the energy storing member of the product to be protected via a current conductor, by inserting the regulator part-unit.

In the case of a possible version of the goods protection carrying unit according to the invention the magnetic field generating part-unit is placed in the cavity enclosed by the casing of the stationary member, while the electric charge supplying part-unit is placed in the internal space of the house of the mobile member, and in this way the magnetic field generating part-unit and the electric charge supplying part-unit are allocated to each other so that they can be moved away from each other, the electric energy input connector is connected to the magnetic field generating part-unit, and when the goods protection carrying unit is put down, the electric charge supplying part-unit is connected to the energy storing member of the product to be protected via an electric conductive cable being the current conductor. In the case of a different execution of the goods protection carrying unit the magnetic field generating part-unit is placed in the cavity enclosed by the casing of the stationary member, while the electric charge supplying part-unit is placed in the product to be protected, and in this way the magnetic field generating part-unit and the electric charge supplying part-unit are allocated to each other so that they can be moved away from each other, the electric energy input connector is connected to the magnetic field generating part- unit, and when the goods protection carrying unit is put down, the electric charge supplying part-unit is connected to the energy storing member of the product to be protected via the current conductor.

In the case of an even further different execution of the invention the magnetic field generating part-unit is placed in the internal space of the house of the mobile member that can be attached to the product to be protected, while the electric charge supplying part-unit is placed in the product to be protected, the electric energy input connector is connected to the magnetic field generating part-unit, and when the goods protection carrying unit is put down, the electric charge supplying part-unit is connected to the energy storing member of the product to be protected via the current conductor.

In the case of another different execution of the goods protection carrying unit the alarm initiating part-unit has an activating body extending out at least partly from the internal space of the house of the mobile member, and when the mobile member and the product to be protected are fastened to each other, the activating body is pressed close against the product to be protected.

In the case of a further different version of the invention the alarm initiating part-unit is paired with the magnetic field generating part-unit placed in the internal space of the house of the mobile member, and when the mobile member and the product to be protected are fastened to each other, the alarm initiating part-unit paired with the magnetic field generating part-unit is in a signal transmitting connection with the electric charge supplying part-unit placed in the product to be protected.

In the case of a favourable execution of the goods protection carrying unit the magnetic field generating part-unit has a current induction coil made of a conductive material. From the aspect of the invention it may be favourable, if the magnetic field generating part-unit has a product status indicating output, and when the goods protection carrying unit is in use, the product status indicating output is connected to the product monitoring centre via a data transfer channel.

In the case of an even further different execution of the goods protection carrying unit a passive sensor is placed in the cavity of the casing of the stationary member, and the magnetic field generating part-unit has a product status indicating output, and when the goods protection carrying unit is in use, the passive sensor and the magnetic field generating part-unit are connected to each other in a way suitable for periodic signal generation.

The most important advantage of the goods protection carrying unit according to the invention is that due to the magnetic field generating part-unit placed in the goods protection carrying unit in a specific way and due to the electric charge supplying part-unit co-acting with the magnetic field generating part-unit it is possible to ensure continuous electric energy supply for the portable communication, electronic or information technology products displayed for testing during operation in a simpler way, with the help of fewer and smaller cables. It is favourable not only from an aesthetic aspect, but it is also easier to handle the product when trying it out, which makes testing more convenient for the people interested and has a favourable influence on purchases.

Another advantage is that when using the charging method according to the invention the battery supplying the product is not charged continuously, but only when the product is resting on the stationary member of the goods protection carrying unit, and in the case of a suitable chosen arrangement it is interrupted, when the mobile member attached to the product is removed from the stationary member. As a result of this the loading of the battery during charging can be reduced, which may result in increasing the lifetime of the batteiy.

It is also an advantage that due to the specific construction of the goods protection carrying unit according to the invention and the arrangement of its parts the magnetic field generating part-unit itself and the further parts co-acting with it can also be made suitable for performing numerous tasks, such as alarm or consumer statistical data collection, which could only be performed in a different way so far. It makes the entire equipment simpler, which has a favourable effect on manufacturing costs and also on installation and operation expenses.

It is important to emphasise that as a result of the use of the goods protection carrying unit according to the invention - and the other structural elements related to it - the charging loss occurring during charging the battery of the products reduces, which may result in significant energy saving.

It is also favourable that the elements of the goods protection carrying unit according to the invention are simple to manufacture and assemble, and the product can be protected against misappropriation in the ordinary way, so goods protection systems installed earlier and already operating can also be reconstructed in a simple way with the help of the goods protection carrying units according to the invention and converted into a more modern and more economically operating solution, which can be operated more reliably and is more efficient in providing information for customers about the products and for distributors about consumer behaviour.

Below the goods protection carrying unit according to the invention is described in detail in connection with execution examples, on the basis of a drawing. In the drawing figure 1 is the schematic representation of a possible version of the goods protection carrying unit according to the invention in side-view, partly in section, figure 2 is the side-view of another version of the goods protection carrying unit, partly in section,

figure 3 is the side-view of an even further execution of the goods protection carrying unit, partly in section.

Figure 1 shows a version of the goods protection carrying unit 10 according to the invention and the parts connected to it, where the product to be protected 1 contains only the energy storing member la and it does not contain the electric charge supplying part-unit 30. It can be seen that here the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 is situated in the internal space 1 l b of the house 11a of the mobile member 1 1 attached to the product to be protected 1. The alarm initiating part-unit 13 is also situated in the internal space 1 lb of the house 1 1 a of the mobile member 11, and it has an activating body 13b, and it extends out from the house 1 1 a - in a way known in itself - and is in contact with the product to be protected 1. The alarm initiating part-unit 13 is connected to the product monitoring centre 2 via a signal forwarding channel 13a. The signal forwarding channel 13a can be a wired connection between the alarm initiating part-unit 13 and the product monitoring centre 2 or it can also be a radio-frequency connection. The product monitoring centre 2, as usual, includes the alarm central indicating attempts of misappropriating the product to be protected 1 , and the information providing and evaluating centre, which performs tasks relating to describing the product and preparing consumer statistics. Favourably the product monitoring centre 2 is a computer with appropriate capacity.

The electric charge supplying part-unit 30 situated in the internal space 1 lb of the house 1 la of the mobile member 1 1 has a regulator part-unit 32, and through this, with the help of a current conductor 31 , it is connected to the energy storing member 1 a of the product to be protected 1. In this case the current conductor 31 is a small cable running between the mobile member 11 and the product to be protected 1.

In figure 1 it can be seen that besides the mobile member 1 1 the goods protection carrying unit 10 also contains a stationary member 12. The stationary member 12 is a structural element of the goods protection carrying unit 10, which is attached to the sales area furniture or counter in a fixed position, and its task is to provide appropriate support, positioning and placement for the mobile member 11 of the goods protection carrying unit 10 attached to the product to be protected 1. In the case of this version of the invention the casing 12a of the stationary member 12 is constructed in such a way that on the one part the reception zone 12b facilitates the accurate and simple placement of the mobile member 11 on the stationary member 12 of the goods protection carrying unit 10. On the other part the cavity 12c enclosed by the casing 12a can carry the magnetic field generating part-unit 20, which, in the present case, contains a current induction coil 21.

The magnetic field generating part-unit 20 is connected to the energy source 3 via the electric energy input connector 1 , while with the help of the data transfer channel 23 connected to the product status indicating output 22 of the magnetic field generating part- unit 20 it is connected to the product monitoring central 2. The task of the data transfer channel 23 is to transfer data needed for preparing consumer statistics and information relating to the changing of the position of the mobile member 1 1 of the goods protection carrying unit 10 to the product monitoring central 2 for the processing and evaluation. The electric energy input connector 14 transfers electric energy from the energy source 3, e.g. from the mains electric connection point, to the magnetic field generating part-unit 20.

When operating the goods protection carrying unit 10 shown in figure 1, first the mobile member 1 1 of the goods protection carrying unit 10 must be attached to the product to be protected 1 so that the activating body 13b of the alarm initiating part-unit 13 should be pressed close against the product to be protected 1 to set it in "alert status". Then the product monitoring centre 2 and the energy source 3 can be turned on, and after fitting the mobile member 11 attached to the product to be protected 1 into the reception zone 12b of the stationary member 12 the goods protection itself is ready for use.

After the product monitoring centre 2 and the energy source 3 has been turned on, the electric energy transferred from the energy source 3 through the electric energy input connector 14 into the magnetic field generating part-unit 20, in the present case into its current induction coil 21 , creates a magnetic field in the direct environment of the magnetic field generating part- unit 20, that is the stationary member 12 of the goods protection carrying unit 10. When the mobile member 1 1 is in the reception zone 12b of the casing 12a of the stationary member 12, the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 stimulates the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 situated in the internal space l ib of the mobile member 11 and starts a stream of electrons in there, that induces electric current. The electric current, with the parameters set by the regulator part- unit 32, passes through the current conductor 31, gets into the energy storing member la of the product to be protected 1 and starts charging it.

When a person interested lifts up the product to be protected 1 to try it out, the mobile member 1 1 attached to the product to be protected 1 moves away from the stationary member 12, and so the distance between the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 and the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 increases. At this point the magnetic field generated by the current induction coil 21 of the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 does not reach the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 anymore, the stream of electrons stops and the charging of the energy storing member 1 a of the product to be protected 1 is discontinued.

When the mobile member is lifted up 11 , due to the changing of the characteristics of the local magnetic field a signal is transmitted through the product status indicating output 22, via the data transfer channel 23 into the product monitoring centre 2, providing information that the product to be protected 1 has been removed. This signal can start several processes in the product monitoring central 2, which processes support the preparation of statistics and the provision of product information mentioned above but not described here in detail.

If an attempt is made to remove the mobile member 1 1 from the product to be protected 1 , or if the signal transmitted through the signal forwarding channel 13a is interrupted for any other reason, the product monitoring central 2 issues an alarm.

When the person interested has finished trying out the given product to be protected 1 , he/she places the product to be protected 1 back on the stationary member 12 of the goods protection carrying unit 10. At this point, due to the reception zone 12b the mobile member 1 1 of the goods protection carrying unit 10 is returned to a position where the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 is within the magnetic field generated by the current induction coil 21 of the magnetic field generating part-unit 21 again. Due to the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 the stream of electrons starts in the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 again, as a result of which electric current passes through the regulator part-unit 32 and the current conductor 31 again and gets into the energy storing member 1 a of the product to be protected, that is the charging process continues until the given product to be protected 1 is lifted up again by another person interested.

Basically the goods protection carrying unit 10 shown in figure 2 has a form of execution similar to the one shown in Figure I. The basic difference is that here the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 is not situated in the internal space l ib of the house 11a of the mobile member 1 1 , but it is in the same space as the energy storing member la to be charged inside the product to be protected 1 , so the current conductor 31 does not need to run between the mobile member 1 1 and the product to be protected 1. Consequently, there is no wired connection between the product to be protected 1 and the mobile member 11.

At the same time, the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 is situated in the cavity 12c enclosed by the casing 12a of the stationary member 12 of the goods protection carrying unit 10, and in this case too it is connected to the electric energy input connector 14. The mobile member 1 1 is also part of the solution, but here only the alarm initiating part-unit 13 is situated in its internal space l ib enclosed by the house 1 la, but in this case the alarm initiating part-unit 13 has an activating body 13b and is connected to a signal forwarding channel 13 a. The electric charge supplying part-unit 30 situated in the product to be protected 1 also contains a regulator part-unit 32 and a current conductor 31 , which is connected to the energy storing member la.

Basically the goods protection carrying unit 10 shown in figure 2 operates in the same way as the goods protection carrying unit 10 shown in figure 1. The electric energy that passes through the electric energy input connector 14 and gets into the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 situated in the cavity 12c of the stationary member 12 stimulates the magnetic field generating part-unit 20, which creates a magnetic field reaching the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 situated in the product to be protected 1. A stream of electrons starts in the electric charge supplying part-unit 30, and through the current conductor 31 the electric current having physical characteristics set by the regulator part- unit 32 charges the energy storing member la of the product to be protected 1 until a person interested removes the product to be protected 1 attached to the mobile member 11 from the stationary member 12 of the goods protection carrying unit 10.

The form of execution shown in figure 3 represents a further different realisation of the goods protection carrying unit 10. Here the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 is built in the product to be protected 1 , and it is connected to the energy storing member la via the regulator part-unit 32 and the current conductor 31. The stationary member 12, however, contains only a passive sensor 40 in the cavity 12c enclosed by the casing 12a of the stationary member 12, while in this version the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 is situated in the internal space l ib of the house 11a of the mobile member 1 1. Here the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 placed in the mobile member 1 1 also performs the task of the alarm initiating part-unit 13, so besides the electric energy input connector 14 the signal forwarding channel 13a is also connected to the magnetic field generating part- unit 20. The electric energy input connector 14 connects the magnetic field generating part- unit 20 with the energy source 3, while the signal forwarding channel 13a connects it with the product monitoring centre 2.

In order to make the product to be protected easier to handle and position it appropriately the casing 12a of the stationary member 12 also accommodates the reception zone 12b.

In the interest of the appropriate operation of the goods protection carrying unit shown in figure 3 the mobile member 1 1 must be attached to the product to be protected 1 in this case too. After the mobile member 1 1 has been secured and the product to be protected 1 has been placed on the stationary member 12, the goods protection carrying unit 10 is ready for use. The energy storing member la of the product to be protected 1 is charged up as described above. With the help of the electric energy arriving from the energy source 3 through the electric energy input connector 14 in the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 situated in the internal space 1 lb of the mobile member the magnetic field generating part- unit 20 creates a magnetic field of the appropriate size, which reaches the passive sensor situated inside the cavity 12c of the stationary member 12 on the one part and the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 situated in the product to be protected 1 on the other part.

Due to the stream of electrons generated in the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 charging current starts in this case too through the regulator part-unit 32 and the current conductor 31 towards the energy storing member la, and the charging process starts.

When the product to be protected 1 is removed from the stationary member 12, the effect caused by the passive sensor 40 in the area of the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 changes to a certain extent, which change is sensed by the magnetic field generating part-unit 20, and it sends a signal about it through the signal forwarding channel 13a to the product monitoring centre 2 in order to display product information and start consumer statistics. However, if an attempt is made to remove the mobile member 1 1 from the product to be protected 1 , the interaction between the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 and the electric charge supplying part-unit 30 changes, and this change is sensed by the magnetic field generating part-unit 20 in a different way, and it reports this change through the signal forwarding channel 13a to the product monitoring central 2, which issues an alarm, if necessary.

The goods protection carrying unit 10 according to the invention can be used favourably in the case of all smaller portable products displayed in the sales area for customers to test during operation.

List of references

product to be protected l a energy storing member product monitoring centre energy source goods protection carrying unit 1 1 mobile member

11a house

l ib internal space

12 stationary member

12a casing

12b reception zone

12c cavity

13 alarm initiating part-unit 13a signal forwarding channel 13b activating body

1 electric energy input connector 0 magnetic field generating part-unit 21 current induction coil

22 product status indicating output

23 data transfer channel 0 electric charge supplying part-unit 31 current conductor

32 regulator part-unit 0 passive sensor