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Display rod lock mechanismRelated Patent Categories: Supports: Racks, Special Article, Stacked Articles, Card Or Sheet, With Follower, With Impaling MeansDisplay rod lock mechanism description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060157431, Display rod lock mechanism. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application serial No. 60/644,207 filed Jan. 14, 2005; the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Technical Field [0003] The present invention relates to security devices, and particularly to a security device that prevents large numbers of items of merchandise from being rapidly removed from display racks, and in particular from display rods. Specifically, the present invention relates to the security device that is easily attached and locked on the display rod which allows one or several items of merchandise to be removed from the rack at any one time, but protects a number of the items from being removed from the rack by a shoplifter. [0004] 2. Background Information [0005] Numerous items of merchandise are displayed for sale on long protruding rods that are supported from a piece of pegboard, slat board, or other type of supporting structure. These rods are commonly referred to in the art as pegboard rods or slat board rods. Many items of merchandise such as batteries, small tools, tool components, film, or other relatively expensive small items are displayed in areas where consumers may pick them up and take them directly to a checkout counter. These items usually are suspended on the rods by the rod passing through a single hole in the package. Unfortunately, such merchandise is an easy target for shoplifters and it has been found that shoplifters can rapidly empty all of the merchandise from a pegboard display rod and make off with merchandise without being detected, or even if detected upon passing through a checkout security gate, will be difficult to apprehend. [0006] Various devices have been devised to prevent the removal of merchandise from these display rods such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,027,622, 5,275,027, 5,259,220, 5,689,978, 5,676,258, 6,622,979, and 6,474,748. The devices of these patents provide for some type of locking mechanism on the end of the rod preventing the removal of any items of merchandise from the rod. This has the disadvantage in that it requires the customer to contact a clerk who must unlock the lock mechanism from the end of the rod to enable the customer to remove the merchandise for purchase. It has been found that this reduces the amount of sales since many customers do not wish to wait or take the time to find a clerk to unlock the security device to enable the customer to secure the desired item. [0007] Other types of display rods use irregularly shaped ends on the rod which enables the customer to remove the item therefrom by moving it through a circuitous route along the various bends at the distal end of the rod. This has proven satisfactory to some extent in that it increases the difficulty of a shoplifter from rapidly removing a large number of the items from the storage rack. However, it does not prevent the shoplifter from removing all of the items of merchandise from the rod if the shoplifter uses a large amount of force upon sweeping the items from the rod or bunches the items together enabling a plurality of the items to be removed in one motion from the rod. [0008] Thus, it is desired in the art to provide a security device for these types of display rods so that large quantities of merchandise cannot be rapidly removed from the rods yet would allow legitimate customers to remove a limited number of the items from the rod without requiring a merchant or store clerk to assist the customer. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The present invention provides the security device for display racks that prevents the rapid removal of a large number of the displayed items of merchandise from display rods extending outwardly from the rack by placing a simple, compact, yet highly effective locking device on a linear length of the display rod located between a number of the items stored thereon. This will enable those items located between the security device and the distal end of the display rod to be removed by a customer yet prevents any removal of those items between the display rack and locking device until a clerk unlocks the security device and repositions it behind a number of the already stored items, or places new items inbetween the security device and distal end of the rod for subsequent removal by the customer. [0010] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide the display rod security device as a simple two-piece component pivotally joined at one end, each of which has a semicircular slot formed therein, which when in a closed locked position forms a circular opening through which the display rod extends, and which has a sufficient linear length or configuration to prevent it from being removed from a bent end of the display rod. [0011] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide one of the body members of the security device with a spring biased plunger which automatically snaps into locking engagement in a locking recess formed in the other of the body members when the body members are moved to a closed position. [0012] Another feature of the present invention is to form the locking plunger of a magnetically attractable material whereby a magnetic key when placed at a specific location on the lock mechanism will move the plunger to the unlocked position enabling the security device to be easily pivoted to an open position for removal of the device from the rack and subsequent reattachment thereto. [0013] A further aspect of the present invention is to form the two half body members inexpensively of rigid plastic material which is strong enough to prevent a thief from easily prying the two lock body members apart, and which can be constructed of a minimum number of component parts thereby enabling the lock mechanism to be mass produced relatively inexpensive encouraging the use thereof by merchants to reduce shoplifting. [0014] These features and advantages are obtained by the lock mechanism of the present invention which is attached to a rod extending outwardly from a merchandise display wherein the rod has a free end bent at an angle to an elongated portion of the rod, wherein the lock mechanism comprises first and second members pivotally joined at one end for movement between locked and unlocked positions, each of the members being formed with a generally semicircular slot which align with each other when in the locked position to form a generally circular slot complementary to and adapted to receive the elongated portion of the rod therethrough to secure the lock mechanism on the elongated portion of said rod, and wherein the bent free end prevents removal of the lock mechanism from the rod when in the locked position; and a magnetically attractable plunger for locking the members in the locked position about the rod. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS [0015] A preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated of the best mode in which Applicant contemplates applying the principles, is set forth in the following description and is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. [0016] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the lock mechanism mounted on an elongated portion of a display rod extending outwardly from a supporting structure. [0017] FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2, FIG. 1. [0018] FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3, showing the lock mechanism in a locked position. [0019] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the display rod showing a magnetic key engaged with the lock mechanism for unlocking the mechanism. [0020] FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5, FIG. 4, showing the locking plunger moving to an unlocked position. Continue reading about Display rod lock mechanism... Full patent description for Display rod lock mechanism Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Display rod lock mechanism patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Display rod lock mechanism or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Dish carrier for dish washers Next Patent Application: Baseball glove organizer Industry Class: Supports: racks ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Display rod lock mechanism patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.14183 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Computers: Graphics , I/O , Processors , Dyn. 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