These types of devices are known in the art and are such as to prevent the theft of spectacles or other objects equipped with bars of an elongated shape, since they are unmovably connected to these (unless they are disconnected by authorized personnel) and contain therein anti-theft members (of the electromagnetic, magneto-acoustic type and the like) adapted to trigger corresponding alarm circuits if they pass through the influence area of these circuits.

These devices however are not satisfactory and they have the following problems: -some devices are of very big sizes and weight and therefore are uncomfortable to be applied to articles with bars such as spectacles and uncomfortable as well when such articles are worn to try then on before purchasing them; other devices are of a complicated construction and are equipped with numerous members that are mutually coupled or hinged, providing a costly arrangement to be realised and that is not favourably accepted by the market.

Object of the present invention is solving the above prior-art problems, by providing an anti- theft device for articles equipped with at least one bar member, particularly spectacles, that is of small sizes, reduced weight and simple construction, using the minimum number of component parts that are suitable to make it work.

A'further object of the present invention is providing an anti-theft device of the above- mentioned type that guarantees a safe anti-theft function, without any chance of removing it fraudulently, inadvertently or undesiredly, from the bar to which it is applied.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention, as will appear from the following description, are obtained by an anti-theft device as claimed in Claim 1. Preferred embodiments and non-trivial variations of the present invention are claimed in the dependent Claims.

The present invention will be better described by some preferred embodiments thereof, given as a non-limiting example, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the anti-theft device according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the device of Fig. 1 ; Figure 3 is a bottom view of the device of Fig.

1 ; Figure 4 is a front view of the device of Fig.

1 ; Figure 5 shows the device of Fig. 1 applied to a pair of spectacles; Figure 6 is a perspective view that shows the device of the invention in the suitable arrangement for housing anti-theft members of the square or circular type; Figure 7 is a rear view of the device of Fig. 6; Figure 8 is a side view of the device of Fig. 6; and Figure 9 is a perspective view of the device of Fig. 6 applied to a pair of spectacles.

With reference to Figures 1 to 5, a first embodiment is shown of the anti-theft device 1 for articles 3 equipped with at least one bar member 5, particularly for spectacles, of the present invention: in this first embodiment, the anti-theft device 1 is configured in such a way as to house inside it electromagnetic or magneto-acoustic tags or the like (not shown, because they are known), namely anti-theft members adapted to trigger corresponding alarm circuits when the article 3 is taken into the operating range of these latter ones, without having been previously detached from the article 3 through suitable detaching means (not shown) that are available to authorised sales personnel in the place where such articles 3 are exhibited and marketed. While in the following description reference will be made to article 3 as a pair of spectacles for an easy illustration, it is obvious that the device 1 of the present invention can be applied to any article 3 comprising at least one bar 5 for providing it with the anti-theft functionality.

The anti-theft device 1 for articles 3 equipped with at least one bar member 5 of the invention substantially comprises a support body 9 commonly shaped as an elongated paralellepiped and with very small sizes, such as not to be a great encumbrance when . he device 1 is assembled onto the spectacles 3. While in the embodiment of Fig. 5 the coupling is shown between device 1 and bar 5 of spectacles 3 in which the device 1 is placed in parallel with the longitudinal extension of the bar 5, to allow a user to comfortably wear the spectacles 3 in order to try them on, it is obviously possible to shape the device 1 so that it is applied to the bar 5 in a vertical position or in any other suitable position.

The anti-theft device 1 of the invention further comprises coupling means 11 and tightening means 13, that mutually cooperate to guarantee the connection and disconnection of the device 1 from the bar 5 of the spectacles 3. For such purpose, the coupling means 11 are preferably shaped as a C and are adapted to be slidingly placed into a pair of housing grooves 15 obtained in the support body 9: with such arrangement, the coupling means 11 can be made slide through a pressure from the fingers of a hand inside the grooves 15 in order to adjust the space 17 that is formed between the internal walls of the coupling means 11 and the support body 9: the bar 5 of the spectacles 3 will be inserted inside such space 17, and against such bar 5 the coupling means 11 will abut when closing.

The tightening means 13 instead are preferably shaped as an elongated slider, adapted to be housed into a corresponding recess 19 of the supporting body 9, through a longitudinal sliding operation of the tightening means 13 inside the support body 9, through the pressure of the fingers of one's hand on the pushbutton 21 with which the tightening means 13 are equipped at one of their ends.

Function of the tightening means 13 is engaging the coupling means 11 when closing the device 1 on the article 3, or disengaging the coupling means 11 themselves when opening the device 1. In order to guarantee such mutual engagement, both the coupling means 11 and the tightening means 13 are equipped with corresponding and respective rows 23 and 25 of small teeth 27 and 29 of a complementary shape, adapted to mutually engage and disengage by sliding. In the preferred embodiment shown here, the rows 23 and 25 are two for each one of the coupling means 11 and the tightening means 13 and are placed on the two respective walls (one for each wall) of such means 11 and 13.

Moreover, in order to complete the arrangement of the device 1, this is equipped with locking and unlocking means 31 for the tightening means 13, that are housed into a suitable recess 33 obtained in the support body 9 and are hinged thereto in point 35, for example through a screw or a rivet or the like that passes into a respective hole 37 obtained in the locking and unlocking means 31 and are secured in point 35. The locking and unlocking means 31 are preferably composed of a spring shaped as an elongated plane strip (Fig. 1), shaped in order to form a step in its longitudinal extension: with such arrangement, that is anyway known, the unhinged end 39 of the spring 31 abut against a corresponding wall 41 of the tightening means 13 preventing them from being withdrawn outside of the support body 9 when closing. When instead the spring 31 (that is composed of metallic material) is attracted through detaching means (not shown) of different types, such as those that are commonly found by counters or payment desks in shops or supermarkets, or such as other equivalent detaching means, the spring 31 is attracted outside the body 9 (downwards in Fig. 1) and is disengaged from the wall 41 allowing the partial extraction thereof from the support body 9 through the outward sliding of the body 9 itself: such sliding of the tightening means 13 disengages the mutual coupling of the small teeth 27 and 29 of the rows 23 and 25 and therefore frees the coupling means 11 allowing them to be upwards lifted (always according to Fig.

1) and the related disengagement of the bar 5 from the spectacles 3.

As shown in Fig. 1, the device 1 of the invention can be (and preferably is) equipped with elastic means 43, preferably composed of an elongated spring 43, adapted to be housed into a corresponding recess 44 of the body 9 and to be fixed at one of their ends to the body 9 itself and at the other end to the tightening means 13. Object of the elastic means 43, when existing, is pushing the tightening means 13, once freed from the engagement with the locking and unlocking means 31, outside of the body 9 and simultaneously keeping the tightening means 13 when they come out preventing them from being completely detached from the body 9 and from falling outside it. The elastic means 43 can as well be done without, in an alternative embodiment of the device 1, leaving the user with the task of manually extracting the tightening means 13 from the body 9 and providing suitable abutments (not shown) adapted to prevent the tightening means 13 from completely going out of the body 9.

In order to provide the anti-theft function for the device 1 of the invention, it is finally equipped with at least one anti-theft member (not shown) adapted to activate corresponding alarm circuits in case of an unauthorised removal of the spectacles 3 from their exhibition and/or sales place; and with housing means 45 for the anti-theft member. The housing means 45 are preferably obtained inside the tightening means 13, exploiting their elongated arrangement and realising the housing means 45 in the form of an internal recess to the tightening means 13; other arrangements of the housing means 45 are obviously possible, according to the shape of the anti-theft members to be housed. The anti-theft members can be of different types, amounts and configurations, as is well known in the art.

The operation of the anti-theft device 1 according to the present invention will now be described.

When installing on the spectacles 3 before their exhibition and sale, the locking and unlocking means 31 are attracted outside of the recess 33 and therefore the tightening means 13 are freed, and are made slide outside of the support body 9, in turn disengaging the coupling means 11, that are extracted from the body 9 itself. The bar 5 of the spectacles 3 is then passed into the space 17 and then the coupling means 11 are pushed downwards (in Fig. 1) till the bar 5 is tightened between them and the support body 9: as can be well seen in Fig. 5, it is the same arrangement of the common bars 5 for spectacles 3 that then prevents the device 1 from being withdrawn from the bar 5, given the longitudinally elongated shape of the device 1.

In order to guarantee the closing seal of the coupling means 11 on the bar 5, the tightening means 13 are pressed through the pushbutton 21 to make them slide inside the support body 9 and to mutually engage the various small teeth 27 and 29 of the rows 23 and 25. The tightening will be completed when the locking and unlocking means 31 will snap back towards the inside of the support body 9, at the end of the sliding of the tightening means 13, abutting against their wall 41 and preventing it from being removed by withdrawal from the support body 9. It is also possible first to snap the tightening means 13 into coupling with the locking and unlocking means 31 and then to press the coupling means 11 towards the inside of the body 9 making their small teeth 27 snap against the small teeth 29 of the tightening means 13 till the coupling means 11 come in contact with the bar 5.

In order to withdraw the anti-theft device 1 of the invention from the bar 5, the reverse operations will be performed with respect to the above-mentioned ones, starting from the attraction of the locking and unlocking means 31 outside the support body 9 through the known detaching means.

With reference now to Figures 6 to 9, a second preferred embodiment of the anti-theft device 1 of the present invenzion is shown. In this embodiment, the parts that are similar to those of the first embodiment shown in Fig. s 1 to 5 and that perform the same functions will be shown by the same reference numbers followed by an apex ().

The anti-theft device 1'of the second embodiment of the invention for articles 3 equipped with at least one bar member 5 substantially comprises a support body 9'commonly shaped as an elongated paralellepiped and with very small sizes, such as not to be a great encumbrance when the device 1'is assembled onto the spectacles 3. While in Fig. 9 the coupling is shown between device 1' and bar 5 of spectacles 3 in which the device 1'is placed in a vertical position with respect to the longitudinal extension of the bar 5, to allow a user to comfortably wear the spectacles 3 in order to try them on, it is obviously possible to shape the device 1'so that it is applied to the bar 5 in a vertical position or in any other suitable position.

The anti-theft device 1'of the invention further comprises coupling means 11'and tightening means 13', that mutually cooperate to guarantee the connection and disconnection of the device 1'from the bar 5 of the spectacles 3. For such purpose, the coupling means 11'are preferably shaped as a rod-like slider with gripping projections for the fingers on a hand and are adapted to be slidingly placed into a pair of housing grooves 15'obtained in the support body 9' : with such arrangement, the coupling means 11'can be made slide through a pressure from the fingers of one's hand inside the grooves 15'in order to adjust the space that is formed between the small internal rod of the coupling means 11'and the support body 9' : the bar 5 of the spectacles 3 will be inserted inside such space, and against such bar 5 the coupling means 11'will abut when closing.

The tightening means 13'instead are preferably shaped as an elongated slider hinged in 14', adapted to be housed into the supporting body 9', that occupies a closing position engaging the coupling means 11', and an opening position disengaging from the same means 11', opening position in which the tongue 13'goes due to the resiliency with which it is equipped for the particular plastic material of which it is composed. Also in this case the closing position is reached through the pressure of the fingers of a hand on the tongue 13'itself. In order to guarantee the mutual engagement between coupling means 11'and tightening means 13'to realise the operating closing stage of the device 1, both the coupling means 11'and the tightening means 13'are equipped with corresponding and respective rows 23' and 25'of small teeth of a complementary shape, adapted to mutually engage and disengage by sliding. In the preferred embodiment shown here, the rows 23'and 25'are one for each one of the coupling means 11'and the tightening means 13'.

Moreover, in order to complete the arrangement of the device 1, this is equipped with locking and unlocking means 31'for the tightening means 13', that are housed into a suitable recess 33'obtained in the support body 9'. The locking and unlocking means 31'are preferably composed of a small pin equipped with a projection 32'shaped as a mushroom that is adapted to be inserted into a corresponding recess 34'obtained in a perpendicular appendix 36' with which the tongue 13'is obtained. The small pin abuts on its lower side on elastic means (such as a common spring, not shown for clarity in the drawing) adapted to push the small pin 31'with its projections 32'inside the recess 34'of the appendix 36'to lock the tightening means 13'in their closing position. Instead, when opening, the small pin 31' (composed of metallic material) is attracted downwards by the above-mentioned detaching means in order to free the tightening means 13'to remove the device 11 from the spectacles 3. In fact, the tightening means 13', once freed from the engagement with the small pin 31', are opened outside of the device 1'due to their own resiliency and free the engagement of their own row of small teeth 25'with the corresponding row of small teeth 23'of the coupling means 11', allowing the slider-shaped coupling means 11'to downwards slide and to free the bar 5 of the spectacles 3 from the engagement with the device 1'.

In order to provide the anti-theft function for the device 1'of the invention, it is finally equipped with at least one anti-theft member 44' (in the embodiment shown it is composed of a wire wound with circular coils) adapted to activate corresponding alarm circuits in case of an unauthorised removal of the spectacles 3 from their exhibition and/or sales place; and with housing means 45'for the anti-theft member 44'. The housing means 45'are preferably connected to the support body 9'in a known way and are supported by the body 9'during the installation. The anti-theft members 44'can further be of different type, amount and configuration, as is well known in the art. In particular, the embodiment of Fig. s 6 to 9 has a general preferred arrangement in which the device 1'of the invention is equipped with housing means 45'of the circular type, adapted to house anti-theft members 44'of the type with square or circular wire.

The operation of the second embodiment of the device 1'of the invention is similar to the previous one and will not be described in detail.