FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to electronic article surveillance (EAS) security devices or security tags that can be applied to articles such as merchandise to inhibit theft or pilfering. In particular, the invention relates to re-usable EAS tags suitable for surveillance of bottles.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Security devices in the form of tags that can be attached to merchandise in EAS systems are widely used to alert retailers to unauthorised removal of tagged merchandise from their premises. The tags can be disposable or re-usable and a re-usable tag typically includes a body housing an EAS marker (also known in the art as a "sensor"). The body can be attached to the merchandise it is intended to protect and this is typically done with the aid of a tack with a shank that can pass through an article of merchandise and that can be received in an aperture in the tag body, where it is held firmly to prevent removal of the tag from the article of merchandise.

Some articles, especially valuable articles, are more susceptible to shoplifting than others and the geometry of some articles makes it difficult to attach a security tag to such an article. Bottled beverages, especially expensive alcoholic beverages are particularly susceptible to shoplifting and security tags have been developed that can be attached to such bottles.

Different EAS tags are available for surveillance of bottled substances, of which the tag disclosed in International Application Number WO 2008/075310 is an example and these tags, especially the one disclosed in WO 2008/075310, serve as effective deterrents to the theft of bottled products such as liquors. However, with the development of effective surveillance of bottled products, the incidence has increased, of removal of bottle caps and consumption of the contents of the bottles, without removing the bottles from the premises where they are under surveillance. This problem is especially acute in the liquor trade where expensive bottles of liquor are ruined when a person unscrews a cap in a store and consumes some of the liquor. In fact, even just the tampering with the cap alone ruins the value of the product.

The present invention seeks to allow for surveillance of bottled products, while inhibiting tampering with the bottles' caps and/or inhibiting removal of the caps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a surveillance device which includes: a body defining an inner cavity; at least one marker housed within the cavity; and a retaining formation that is attached to the body and that is displaceable between a lock orientation in which it can hold an object, such as a bottle's neck, captive adjacent the body and a free orientation in which the object can be removed from the retaining formation; wherein the body defines a recess adjacent the retaining formation, in which a part of an elongate object can be received, if said object is held captive by the retaining formation.

The retaining formation may be a latch that is pivotally attached to the body and that is configured to pivot between its lock orientation and its free orientation and the surveillance device may include a lock mechanism in the body that is configured to engage the a free end of the latch releasably, when it is in its lock orientation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of non-limiting example, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top three dimensional view of a surveillance device in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a bottom three dimensional view of the device of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a bottom view of the device of Figure 1 ; and Figure 4 is a sectional side view of the device of Figure 3, taken at IV-IV.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings, a surveillance device in the form of an EAS tag in accordance with the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.

The tag 10 includes a body 12 that includes a base part 14 that is generally kidney shaped with an internal cavity 16 and a protruding part 18 that defines a generally cylindrical recess 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the protruding part 18 also defines an inner cavity 22 that is continuous with the cavity 16 of the base. One or more EAS markers 24 are provided inside the cavities 16,22.

The tag includes a retaining formation in the form of a curved latch 26 that is pivotally attached to one end of the base part 14 of the body and that is configured to pivot between a free orientation in which the end 28 of the latch that is remote from its pivotal attachment, is free from the body, and a lock orientation in which the end 28 of the latch is held captive by a releasable lock mechanism 30 provided in the base part 14 of the body.

The lock mechanism 30 includes one or more magnetically attractable detents and the operation of the latch 26 and lock mechanism is generally as described in WO 2008/075310.

The kidney shape of the base part 14 of the body and the curved shape of the latch 26 are configured to form a closed loop when the latch is in its lock orientation, that can extend around a generally cylindrical object and the recess 20 is aligned with the orientation that such a cylindrical object would have, if surrounded by the base 14 and latch 26.

In use, the tag 10 is attached to a bottle by receiving the neck of the bottle between the base 14 and latch 26 while the latch is in its free orientation and then pivoting the latch to its lock orientation so that its end 28 is engaged by the lock mechanism 30. The latch 26 and base 14 now surround the bottle's neck and holds it captive, so that the tag remains attached to the bottle neck and can be used for surveillance of the bottle. When the bottle may leave the premises, the lock mechanism 30 is released with a purpose-built detacher, the end 28 of the latch is freed from the lock mechanism, the latch pivots to its free orientation and the bottle neck is released from the grip of the latch, so that it can be separated from the tag 10.

The operation of the tag 10 as described in the previous paragraph is generally the same as the operation of corresponding parts of the tags disclosed in WO 2008/075310, the contents of which is included herein, by reference.

While the tag 10 is attached to the bottle, by holding the bottle's neck captive between the base 14 and the latch 26, the top of the bottle, including the bottle cap, is received inside the recess 20. The grip of the base 14 and latch 26 on the bottle neck is tight enough to prevent substantial movement of the tag relative to the bottle neck and accordingly, the bottle's top cannot be accessed to a sufficient extent to open it or even to break its seal. Accordingly, the protruding part 18 of the tag 10 that extends over the bottle's top, with the bottle's cap protected inside the recess 20, inhibits tampering with the bottle's cap and/or removal of the cap, while the bottle is under surveillance in an EAS system.