TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to a security display hook for the support and display of merchandise. In particular this invention is directed towards providing security against pilfering of

merchandise that is hung and displayed on display hooks in retail outlets.

BACKGROUND

It is well known to use display hooks for the support and display of merchandise in retail situations. Such display hooks typically have an elongate support member protruding from a mounting element. The mounting element is typically configured to mount the display hook to a peg board, wire grid, stand or other like member having a "vertical mount surface", whilst the elongate support member is used to support a plurality merchandise items (products), typically in packets, in a hanging arrangement. Some examples of display hook arrangements are shown in US4362249 (Thalenfeld), US 4018341(Jarecki) and US5080238 (Hochman).

Conventionally, a product is removed from the display hook at the free end of the elongate support member. A problem exists in that in many display hook arrangements it is easy for a thief/shoplifter to grab several packets of a product in a single grab and remove them.

Attempts have been made to provide security to prevent pilfering, and one example is shown in US5259220 (Fredrickson). It uses a security device that can be locked to the free end of the display hook. This sort of security device requires a retail staff member to remove it so that the product can be removed from the display hook. Whilst providing security, this is an expensive arrangement, not suited to self serve retail outlets such as supermarket and convenience stores that sell high volumes of items.

The present invention seeks to provide a security display hook able to ameliorate at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art. SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In a first aspect, the present invention consists of a security display hook for hanging merchandise off a vertical mount surface, said security display hook comprising at least one elongate support member for hanging a plurality of merchandise items thereon, having a mount element at one end and an opposed free end, characterised in that a security element is pivotally connected to said elongate support member at or near its free end, and in use said security element only allows removal of one of said plurality of merchandise items at a time from said display hook, as removal of the merchandise item closest to said free end during a removal action pivotally actuates said security element thereby causing obstruction to remaining merchandise items until said removal action is complete.

In one preferred embodiment, said security element has a lower portion that projects from the underside of said support member when said display hook is in its normal at-rest position, said lower portion having a curved edge, and during said removal action said merchandise item closest to said free end slidably engages with said curved edge, thereby urging said security element to move upwardly so that a free end of said security element projects from the topside of said support member thereby temporarily causing said obstruction to said remaining merchandise items.

In another preferred embodiment, said security element is elongate with an aft portion extending towards said mount element, and an integral fore portion at angle thereto, and said security element is pivotally connected to said support member at a location where said aft portion transitions to said fore portion, and in its normal at-rest position said aft portion of said security element is substantially parallel to said support member, and said fore portion projects outwardly from said support member.

Preferably, in its normal at-rest position, said fore portion of said security element projects upwardly from said support member, and during said removal action said merchandise item closest to said free end slidably engages with a top edge of said fore portion, thereby urging said fore portion to move downwardly so that said aft portion moves upwardly, projecting from said support member, thereby temporarily causing said obstruction to said remaining merchandise items. Alternatively, in its normal at-rest position, said fore portion of said security element projects downwardly from said support member, and during said removal action said merchandise item closest to said free end slidably engages with a bottom edge of said fore portion, thereby urging said fore portion to move upwardly so that said aft portion moves downwardly, projecting from said support member, thereby temporarily causing said obstruction to said remaining merchandise items.

Preferably, said security element is pivotally movable within a slot disposed in said support member.

In a second aspect, the present invention consists of a security display hook for hanging merchandise off a vertical mount surface, said security display hook comprising at least one elongate support member for hanging a plurality of merchandise items thereon, having a mount element at one end and an opposed free end, characterised in that a security element is pivotally connected to said elongate support member at or near its free end, said security element having a first obstruction portion and a second actuation portion, and wherein during a removal action in which a merchandise item is drawn towards said free end passing over said security element, said merchandise item strikes said second actuation portion thereby causing said security element to pivot such that said first obstruction portion causes an obstruction to removal of remaining merchandise items until said removal action is complete.

Preferably, said security element is pivotally connected to said support member by a pivotal connection, and said first obstruction portion is disposed between said pivotal connection and said mount element, and said first obstruction portion is disposed between said second actuation portion and said mount element.

In one preferred embodiment, said first obstruction portion and said second actuation portions are both on the same side of said pivotal connection. In another preferred embodiment, said first obstruction portion and said second actuation portions are on opposite sides of said pivotal connection. 001234

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Preferably, when said security element is in its normal at-rest position said second actuation portion projects from said support member, and during said removal action said first obstruction portion projects from said support member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a security display hook in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows the security display hook of Fig. 1 with a plurality of merchandise items hanging therefrom.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the free end of the security display hook shown in detail III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevation view of the security element of the security display hook shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 show the first and second steps respectively to remove an item from the security display hook of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a security display hook in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 8 shows the security display hook of Fig. 7 with a plurality of merchandise items hanging therefrom.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a security display hook in accordance with the present invention, with its security element in its normal at-rest position.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the of the security display hook shown in Fig. 9 with the fore portion of its security element urged downwardly to raise its aft portion.

Fig. 11 is a partial perspective exploded view of the security display hook shown in Fig. 9. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figs. 1 to 6 depict a first embodiment of a security display hook 1 in accordance with the present invention. Security display hook 1 comprises an elongate support member 2 having a mount element 3 at one end and an opposed free end 4. The mount element 3 may be of any conventional type which allows for security display hook 1 to be attached to a vertical mount surface (not shown) such a peg board, wire grid, stand or other like mounting arrangement as is known in the prior art.

Support member 2 is adapted to support in hanging arrangement a plurality of merchandise items in packets 16. Each packet 16 has a hanging opening 17 near its top that support member 2 passes through. Support member 2 comprises a relatively long, straight middle portion 18 that packets 16 hang from, and an up-turned portion 5, near its free end 4, that is angled upwards from middle portion 18. Support member 2 may be constructed from mild steel rod, preferably of about 6-7mm in diameter.

A vertical slot 7, about 1.4 mm wide, is disposed in up-turned portion 5 of support member 2. Slot 7 extends through the thickness of portion 5 such that it is open to both the topside and the underside of support member 2. A security element 8 is disposed in slot 7 and it is pivotally connected to support member 2 near its free end 4 by a horizontal pivot pin 9, in such a manner that security element 8 freely pivots within slot 7. Security element 8 is preferably a wafer-like member of thin sheet metal, preferably about 1mm thick. Referring to Fig. 4, security element 8 has a hole 19 near one end that pivot pin 9 passes through. Security element 8 has a lower actuation portion 10 with a convex curved bottom edge 15 extending along most of its length resulting in security element 8 being substantially crescent-shaped. At the opposite end to hole 19, security element 8 has an obstruction portion 1 1 at its free end. When security element 8 is assembled with support member 2, obstruction portion 1 1 is disposed between pivot pin 9 and mount element 3, and obstruction portion 1 1 is disposed between actuation portion 10 and mount element 3. Also, both obstruction portion 1 1 and actuation portion 10 are on the same side of pivot pin 9, opposite free end 4. In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6, display hook 1 is in its normal at-rest position in which security element 8 is substantially seated within slot 7, by means of gravity, with its lower actuation portion 10 and its curved edge 15 projecting from the underside of slot 7 and from the underside of elongate support member 2. In this position, the obstruction portion 11 of security element 8 is below the topside of support member 2, and in this position obstruction portion 11 contacts the end of slot 7 to prevent security element 8 from falling further.

Figs. 5 and 6 show two steps of a "removal action" in which a merchandise item, in packet 16a, closest to free end 4 is removed from security display hook 1. Referring to Fig. 5, as a merchandise item in packet 16a is removed by sliding it towards free end 4, it passes over security element 8 thereby pivotally actuating it. During this motion, the opening 17 in packet 16a strikes the curved bottom edge 15 of the lower actuation portion 10 of security element 8, which slidably engages bottom edge 15. This urges security element 8 to pivot upwardly so that its obstruction portion 1 1 , at the free end of security element 8, is moved upwardly through slot 7 such that it projects from the topside of support member 2 thereby temporarily causing an obstruction during the "removal action". The temporary obstruction means that the next merchandise item cannot be removed from support member 2 until the "removal action" of the first merchandise item in packet 16a is completed and the security element 8 has returned to its rest position, as shown in Fig. 6.

In this embodiment, a second pin 12 is disposed across slot 7 thereby acting as a stop, so that security element 8 cannot pivot upwardly beyond a predetermined orientation, to prevent it flipping and allowing the free flow of packets 16 from support member 2. The general principle is that security element 8 is pivotally moved by the movement of the first merchandise item to cause the temporary obstruction, so that whilst the first merchandise item can be removed in a removal action multiple merchandise items cannot be removed in the same removal action. As such, only one merchandise item can be removed at a time. As with conventional display hooks, the overall length of elongate support element 2 of security display hook 1 may vary and preferably it may be in the range of 140mm-240mm. Also, the lengths of the security element 8, slot 7 and upturned portion 5 of may vary, but typically they would be about 30mm. Due to differing merchandise items and their packaging, some variations in the shape and size of the security element 8 may be necessary.

Figs. 7 and 8 depict a second embodiment of a security display hook la in accordance with the present invention. Display hook la is similar to, and operates in the same manner as, security hook 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 6. The main differences between display hooks 1 and la are that the elongate support member 2a of hook la has a middle portion for hanging packets 16 constructed as two spaced apart, parallel rods 18a, and the free end 4a of support member 2a has a wide portion 5a. Like hook 1, hook la has a security element 8a that pivots in a slot 7a in wide portion 5a. Security hook la also has an optional extension member 20, above support member 2a, that may be used to support a display tag or the like. Security hook la may be suited to larger items, or items in packets 16 that have wide hanging openings 17.

Figs. 9 to 11 depict a third embodiment of a security display hook 101 in accordance with the present invention. Security display hook 101 comprises an elongate support member 102 having a mount element 103 at one end and an opposed free end 104. The mount element 103 may be of any conventional type which allows for the security display hook 101 to be attached to a vertical mount surface (not shown) such as a peg board, wire grid, stand or other like mounting arrangement as is known in the prior art.

The elongate support member 102 may be of mild steel rod adapted to support in hanging arrangement a plurality of merchandise items in packets (not shown), in a similar manner to the display hook 1 shown in Figs. 1 to 6. In this embodiment the security display hook 101 also has an upper extension rod 105 attached to mount element 103.

A vertical slot 107 is disposed in elongate support member 102 at its free end 104. Slot 107 opens to the topside of support member 102 and to free end 104. However, slot 107 does not extend through the thickness of support member 102, and as such it does not open to the underside of support member 102. A security element 108 is pivotally connected to support member 102, near free end 104, by a horizontal pivot pin 109, in such a manner that it freely pivots within slot 107. Pivot pin 109 passes through a hole 1 19 in security element 108. Security element 108 is elongate with an integral obstruction aft portion 108a, and an integral actuation fore portion 108b at angle thereto. The fore and aft portions 108a, 108b are angled to each other such that security element 108 is approximately shaped as a shallow vee when viewed side on. Fore portion 108b extends from pivot pin 109 towards free end 104, and aft portion 108a extends from pivot pin 109, away from free end 104, towards mount element 103. As such, aft portion 108a is disposed between pivot pin 109 and mount element 103, and aft portion 108a is also disposed between fore portion 108b and mount element 103. The security element 108 is pivotally connected within slot 107 at a location where aft portion 108a transitions to fore portion 108b such that aft portion 108a and fore portion 108b are on opposite sides of pivot pin 109.

Security element 108 has its weight distributed such that when it is allowed to freely pivot about pivot pin 109, the fore portion 108b rises and the aft portion 108a falls. As such, in its normal at-rest position shown in Fig. 9, security element 108 has its aft portion 108a substantially seated within slot 107, substantially parallel to support member 102. In this position the free end 1 1 1 of aft portion 108a is below the topside surface of support member 102, and the fore portion 108b of security element 108 projects upwardly and outwardly from slot 107, towards free end 104 of support member 102. In this normal at-rest position, only the fore portion 108b of security element 108 projects from the topside of support member 102.

During a "removal action" when a merchandise item closest to free end 104 is being removed from security display hook 101, the merchandise item passes over security element 108 thereby pivotally actuating it. During this motion, the merchandise item strikes the top edge 1 10 of fore portion 108b of security element 108, thereby slidably engaging top edge 1 10, so that fore portion 108b moves downwardly. This urges aft portion 108a of security element 108 to move upwardly, out of and away from slot 107, as shown in Fig. 10. The raised aft portion 108a, projecting upwardly from support member 102, thereby temporarily causes an obstruction during the "removal action" to the remaining merchandise items. This temporary obstruction means that the next merchandise item cannot be removed until the "removal action" of the first merchandise item is completed and the security element 108 has returned to its normal at-rest position. The bottom of slot 107 restricts the pivoting movement of security element 108. In its normal at-rest position, the bottom of aft portion 108a contacts the bottom of slot 107, and the bottom of slot 107 also limits the downward movement of fore portion 108b.

The general principle of security display hook 101 is the same as for hook 1, shown in Figs. 1 to 6, in that security element 108 is pivotally moved by the movement of the first merchandise item to cause the temporary obstruction, so that whilst the first merchandise item can be removed in a removal action, multiple merchandise items cannot be removed in the same removal action.

As with conventional display hooks, the overall length of elongate support element 102 of security display hook 101 may vary and preferably it may be in the range of 140mm-240mm. Also, the lengths of the security element 108 and slot 107 may vary. Due to differing merchandise items and their packaging, some variations in the shape and size of the security element 108 may be necessary.

It should also be understood that in another not shown embodiment, the elongate support member 102 may be made as a member having of constant cross-section with an axially extending hollow or channel formed therein. In such an embodiment the hollow or channel could be used for the security element to pivot in, rather than the slot 107.

In another not shown variation of security display hook 101, its slot may open to the underside of its support member (instead of the topside) with the actuation fore portion of its security element projecting outwardly and downwardly from the underside of its support member, towards its free end, when the security element is in its normal at-rest position. In such a variation of display hook 101, the security element has its weight distributed such that when it is allowed to freely pivot about the pivot pin, the actuation fore portion falls and the obstruction aft portion rises into the slot. During a "removal action" when a merchandise item closest to the free end is being removed, the merchandise item will strike the bottom edge of the fore portion, thereby slidably engaging the bottom edge, so that the fore portion moves upwardly. This urges the aft portion to move downwardly, out of and away from the slot, such that it projects from the underside of the support member. The lowered aft portion thereby temporarily causes an obstruction during the "removal action" to the remaining merchandise items, in a similar manner as for display hook 101.

In other not shown embodiments of the invention, a spring may be connected to the security element to bias it towards its normal at-rest position. If a spring is added to the embodiment shown in Figs. 9 to 1 1, then it will still operate properly even if the weight of the security element is not distributed such that the fore portion would normally rise when the security element pivots freely. In other not shown embodiments of the invention, the security element may be pivotally attached to the side of the elongate support member, rather than it being located within a slot. In such embodiments, the elongate support member may have a step in its side, when viewed from above, at its free end. The security element sits in the step such that it does not project from the side of the remainder of the elongate support member. Otherwise, without the step, merchandise items may catch on the obstruction portion of the security element when it is in its normal at-rest position.

The terms "comprising" and "including" (and their grammatical variations) as used herein are used in inclusive sense and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of.