This invention relates to security containers.

In shops, or other retail outlets, there is a considerable problem of theft in relation to video cassettes. In order to overcome this problem, containers are usually displayed without their cassettes inside so that the public can select the container and then the retailer will provide the cassette from a secure store in another part of the shop.

It is, however, unsatisfactory to separate the cassette from its container. There are several reasons for this. One is that the storage area in the shop has to be effectively doubled to take account of the separated items and another problem is organisation of the shop in such a way that the correct cassette video can be married up to its container. It is also possible for the cassette to be damaged when not in its container.

The present invention is concerned with provision of a container which enables the video cassette or other thief sensitive article to be maintained securely in the container when the container is on display.

Accordingly the invention comprises a security system comprising a body member to contain an article to be protected and a security lid, said security lid comprising a plurality of resilient latches holding the lid irremovably in position on the body member and defining a plurality of apertures one adjacent each latch, and said latches being delatchable by a removal key including a corresponding plurality of probe members which, when the security lid and key are brought together, said probe members enter said apertures and force the latches to delatch and render the security lid removable.

Since the security lid is virtually impossible to open without use of the removal key, it is difficult for a thief to remove the video cassette from the shop in the absence of its container.

In a preferred form of the invention, the security lid incorporates an alarm actuating feature Thus, if the container is taken out of the shop with the security lid still in place, this will actuate an alarm.

Generally the container body member will be in the form of a sleeve of rectangular cross-section and the security lid will be a telescoping sliding fit on said body member. This makes the container particularly suitable for holding a video cassette, but other shapes to contain other articles are also possible. Generally, in the case of a container of rectangular cross-section, there will be four latches one adjacent each external corner of the security lid.

In a preferred form of the invention, the container has an inner lid and an outer security lid, the outer security lid comprising the latches and apertures and being removable for sale of the product and the inner lid being for use as a closure after the container has been sold. In such an arrangement, the dimensions of the inner lid will

normally need to be slightly less than those of the outer security lid so that the inner lid can be encompassed within the outer security lid.

In order to enable the system to operate satisfactorily, it is preferable that the inner lid has apertures corresponding in location to the apertures of the outer security lid whereby the latches of the outer security lid can pass through the apertures of the inner lid to latch the outer security lid irremovably in position and whereby the probe members of the key can pass through the apertures of the outer and inner lids to delatch the latches.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a video cassette container.and security lid;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a delatching key;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of an inner lid; and

Figure 4 shows an exploded section view of the container and its lids and key.

Figure 1 shows a container body member 1 having a security lid 2 which comprises four apertures 3 adjacent external corners of this lid.

Referring to Figure 4, this is a sectional view of the container 1 the security lid 2 an inner lid

4 and a removal key 5. The inner lid 4 is sectioned on the lines 4-4 of Figure 3 (which also shows this inner lid) and the outer lid and body section are also sectioned along the same plane.

The security lid 2 has four downwardly projecting resilient latches 6 located in each case adjacent an aperture 3. Thus, when both the inner lid and the security lid are in position on the body

member 1, the probes 6 latch into apertures 7 on the body member.

The top surface of the inner lid 4 is slightly recessed so as to enable it to accommodate an alarm actuator 9 incorporated on the inner side of the security lid 2. The inner lid 4 also has apertures 10 to accommodate the probes 6 as they pass through to latch into the apertures in the side walls of the body member 1.

The removal key 5 has four upstanding probes 11. These are located so that when the lid and key are brought together the probe members enter the apertures 3 and 10 and then force back the latches 6 so that the security lid 3 can be removed.

The removal key 5 can either be a portable hand device to be placed on top of a container when in the location shown in Figure 1, or it can be a permanent feature on a work table where the container itself is inverted and its lid and slot 3 are than placed over the removal key 5.

Thus, in practice, video containers containing video cassettes can be on display in a shop and customers can take these to a checkout counter where the product will be paid for, after which the security lid will be removed so that the video container and its cassette can be taken out of the shop without setting off the alarm.