Pilfer-resistant arrangements for watch and jewelry boxes

Patent Abstract
Watch and jewelry boxes including pilfer-resistant arrangements for securing watches and jewelry items are disclosed. Various embodiments include a fastening member received within the watch or jewelry box and an anchor/retaining member arranged to engage the fastening member. The fastening member and anchor/retaining member cooperate to secure the loop of a ring or a loop portion of a jewelry item within the box in a manner that is resistant to pilfering.

2. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein the fastening member is a screw.

3. The jewelry box of claim 2, wherein the anchor member is a flap comprising a hole sized to engage threads of the screw.

4. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein the jewelry item is a watch, a bracelet or a ring.

5. The jewelry box of claim 1, wherein: the fastening member is a clip comprising a head portion and a pair of prongs extending from said head portion and terminating in hooked ends; and the anchor member comprises a passage having ledges arranged to engage said hooked ends.

6. A jewelry box comprising: a bottom member including a central cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item; a fastening member comprising a head portion and a pair of prongs extending from said head portion and terminating in hooked ends, wherein said prongs are arranged to extend downward into said central cavity or channel so as to entrap a loop portion of the jewelry item; and an anchor member disposed in the bottom member, said anchor member comprising a pair of longitudinally extending ledges bounding said central cavity or channel and arranged to engage said hooked ends.

7. The jewelry box of claim 6, wherein the jewelry item is a watch, a bracelet or a ring.

8. A jewelry box comprising: a bottom member formed from a U-shaped inner wall and a U-shaped outer wall that is spaced from and connected to said U-shaped inner wall so as to define a hollow, U-shaped cross-section comprising first and second interior side channels and an interior bottom channel extending between said first and second interior side channels, said bottom member including a central exterior cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item; and a fastening member disposed within said first interior side channel and said interior bottom channel, wherein said fastening member is laterally movable between an open position and a closed position entrapping a loop portion of the jewelry item.

9. The jewelry box of claim 8, wherein the fastening member comprises: a vertically-extending segment; a jewelry-trapping arm extending from a first end of the vertically-extending segment; and a sliding arm extending from a second end of the vertically-extending segment; wherein the sliding arm is laterally slidable within said first interior side channel and said interior bottom channel to effect movement of the fastening member between the open position and the closed position; and the jewelry-trapping arm is arranged to slide laterally into and out of the central exterior cavity or channel via an opening in the inner wall upon sliding of the sliding arm, so as to entrap or release the jewelry item.

10. The jewelry box of claim 9, comprising a false base enclosing the interior bottom channel, wherein the false base is removable to allow sliding operation of the sliding arm.

11. The jewelry box of claim 8, comprising a false base enclosing the interior bottom channel, wherein the false base is removable to allow sliding operation of the fastening member.

Patent Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional Application No. 60/656,400, filed Feb. 28, 2005 and entitled PILFER-PROOF ATTACHMENTS FOR WATCH AND JEWELRY BOXES.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Shoplifting is, in general, a big problem in the retail watch and jewelry industry. For example, a shoplifter will ask to be shown several watches or pieces of jewelry at the same time, and will remove one or more watches and/or pieces of jewelry from their box. The merchant, without realizing that any items are missing from the boxes, will then return the boxes to their display or storage position. The merchant will only realize items are missing from the boxes when he or she shows the boxes to another customer, which might be a few days later.

[0003] As known in the industry, in order to reduce the above-described shoplifting problem, merchants often tie down watches and pieces of jewelry into their boxes using plastic ties. This deters a would-be-thief from removing items from the box. However, it is very easy for thieves to cut and remove the ties, thereby leaving the watches and/or jewelry unsecured in the box and easy to remove. Additionally, if a merchant wants to show a watch or piece of jewelry to a customer, the merchant must cut the tie and remove it from the box. Thus, the merchant has no way to re-secure the watch or jewelry item unless he or she has spare ties of the required size, which are usually not readily available.

SUMMARY

[0004] The disclosure is directed to watch and jewelry boxes including pilfer-resistant arrangements for securing jewelry items, such as watches, rings and bracelets. In certain embodiments, a jewelry box comprises:

[0005] a bottom member including a central cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item;

[0006] a fastening member arranged to extend through an opening in a first side of the bottom member, through a closed loop of the jewelry item and into a second side of the bottom member opposite the first side of the bottom member; and

[0007] an anchor member disposed in the second side of the bottom member and arranged to engage the fastening member so as to secure the fastening member in the jewelry box.

[0008] According to another embodiment, a jewelry box comprises:

[0009] a bottom member including a central cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item;

[0010] a fastening member comprising a head portion and a pair of prongs extending from said head portion and terminating in hooked ends, wherein said prongs are arranged to extend downward into said central cavity or channel so as to entrap a loop portion of the jewelry item; and

[0011] an anchor member disposed in the bottom member, said anchor member comprising a pair of longitudinally extending ledges bounding said central cavity or channel and arranged to engage said hooked ends.

[0012] According to another embodiment, an arrangement for securing a watch or other piece of jewelry in a box includes:

[0013] a bottom member formed from a U-shaped inner wall and a U-shaped outer wall that is spaced from and connected to said U-shaped inner wall so as to define a hollow, U-shaped cross-section comprising first and second interior side channels and an interior bottom channel extending between said first and second interior side channels, said bottom member including a central exterior cavity or channel arranged to accommodate a jewelry item; and

[0014] a fastening member disposed within said first interior side channel and said interior bottom channel, wherein said fastening member is laterally movable between an open position and a closed position entrapping a loop portion of the jewelry item.

[0015] Additional features and advantages will become apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1A is a partially exploded perspective view of a jewelry box including a pilfer-proof arrangement according to one embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing the pilfer-proof arrangement of FIG. 1A.

[0018] FIG. 2A is a partially exploded perspective view of a bottom member of a jewelry box including a pilfer-proof arrangement according to another embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 2B is a partial cross-sectional view showing the pilfer-proof arrangement of FIG. 2A.

[0020] FIG. 3A is a partially exploded perspective view of a bottom member of a jewelry box including a pilfer-proof arrangement according to another embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 3B is a partial cross-sectional view showing the pilfer-proof arrangement of FIG. 3A.

[0022] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a ring box including a pilfer-proof arrangement according to one embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 4B is a side view of the ring box of FIG. 4A.

[0024] FIG. 5A is perspective view of a bottom member of a jewelry box including a pilfer-proof arrangement according to another embodiment.

[0025] FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the jewelry box of FIG. 5A, wherein the pilfer-proof arrangement is in an open position.

[0026] FIG. 5C is a perspective view of the jewelry box of FIG. 5A, wherein the pilfer-proof arrangement is in a closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] According to the embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 11B, a jewelry box 100 including a novel pilfer-proof arrangement is shown. The box 100 includes a bottom member 104 and a top member 102 attached to the bottom member 104. The bottom member 104 includes a central cavity or channel 105 for accommodating a jewelry item 130. The pilfer-proof arrangement includes a screw 110 which is inserted into a hole 122 in a side 120 of the bottom member 104 of the box and extends through the cavity or channel 105 of the box 100, through a closed loop of the jewelry item 130 and into an opposite side 150 of the bottom member 104. Although the jewelry item 130 is shown to be a watch, other jewelry items such as bracelets may instead be placed in the box. An anchor member 140 located in the opposite side 150 of the bottom member 104 of the box engages the screw 110 so as to secure the screw 110 in the box. The anchor member 140 includes a flap 142 defining a hole 144 sized to engage threads 112 of the screw 110. Thus, the screw 110 secures the jewelry item 130 in the box 100 and prevents the jewelry item from being removed from the box.

[0028] The screw 110 may be inserted into the anchor member 140 by simply pushing the screw 110 through the hole 144. However, the screw 110 can only be removed from the box 100 by turning the screw, because the flap 142 obstructs the threads 112 and prevents the screw 110 from moving backwards without being turned. Furthermore, the hole 122 may be recessed into the side 120 such that it is impossible to turn the screw 110 with a person's fingers. Thus, the box 100 can be designed such that the screw 110 can only be removed with a screwdriver, thereby making it difficult for a thief to steal the jewelry item 130. A merchant who wishes to show the jewelry item 130 to a customer must remove the screw 110 with a screwdriver in order to remove the jewelry item 130 from the box 100. After showing the jewelry item to the customer, the merchant can return the jewelry item 130 to the box 100 and secure the jewelry item by simply pushing the screw 110 into the box 100.

[0029] Although the screw 110 is shown with several threads, the screw can be molded with as many or as few threads as desired. For example, a screw 110a which includes two threads 112 may be used so that the screw 110a can be removed quickly by a merchant with fewer turns. However, using a greater number of threads makes theft more difficult.

[0030] FIGS. 4A and 4B show a ring box 400 having a top member 402 and a bottom member 404 having a central cavity or channel 405 for accommodating a ring 430. The box 400 includes a pilfer-proof arrangement similar to that of FIGS. 1A and 1B, except that the screw 110 is inserted into a hole 422 in a back side 460 of the bottom 404 of the box and extends through the box 400, through the cavity/channel 205 and through the loop of the ring 430, and the anchor member 140 which engages the screw 110 is located on a front side 470 of the bottom 404 of the box. Naturally, the orientations of the hole 422 and the anchor member 140 may be reversed such that the hole 422 is located on the front side 470 and the anchor member 140 is located on the back side 460.

[0031] FIGS. 2A and 2B show a bottom member 204 of a box 200 (top member not shown) including a pilfer-proof arrangement according to another embodiment. The bottom member 204 includes a central cavity or channel 205 for accommodating a jewelry item 130. The pilfer-proof arrangement 200 includes a fastening member 210 which is inserted into an opening 222 in a side 220 of the bottom member 204 of the box and extends through the central cavity or channel 205 of the box 200 and inside a closed loop of the jewelry item 130. The fastening member 210 is a clip having a head portion 212 and a pair of prongs 214 extending from the head portion 212. The clip 212 is secured in the box 200 by an anchor member 240 located in an opposite side 250 of the bottom member 204 of the box. The anchor member 250 includes a passage 242 having ledges 244 arranged to engage hooked ends 216 of the prongs 214. To secure the jewelry item 130 in the box 200, the clip is inserted through the opening 220 until the head portion 212 is flush with the outer surface of the side 220 and the hooked ends 216 pass the ledges 244. In order for the hooked ends 216 to engage the ledges 244, the inner diameter of the passage 242 must be somewhat smaller than the distance between the outer edges of the hooked ends 216.

[0032] In order to remove the clip 210 so that the jewelry item 130 can be removed from the box 200, one must insert a pin 280, or a similar item, through a pin hole 290 in the side 250 and push the pin 290 against the head portion 212 of the clip 210 until the clip 210 is backed out of the opening 222.

[0033] FIGS. 3A and 3B show a bottom member 304 of a box 300 (top member not shown) including another embodiment of a pilfer-proof arrangement. In this embodiment, the box 300 includes an anchor member comprising a pair of longitudinal ledges 392 located inside the bottom member 304 of the box and bounding a central, jewelry-accommodating channel or cavity 305 of the bottom member 304 of the box. The clip 210 is arranged such that the prongs 214 extend vertically downward from the head portion 212 into a lower space 394 of the channel or cavity 305. The hooked ends 216 of the prongs 214 engage the ledges 392, and the prongs 214 entrap a portion (e.g., watch strap) of the jewelry item 130. In order for the hooked ends 216 to engage the ledges 392, distance between the ledges 392 must be somewhat smaller than the distance between the outer edges of the hooked ends 216. In order to remove the clip 210 so that the jewelry item 130 can be removed from the box 300, one must insert a pin (not shown), or a similar item, through a pin hole (not shown) in the bottom side of the box and push the pin upward against the head portion 212 of the clip 210 until the clip 210 is backed out of the bottom portion 394.

[0034] FIGS. 5A-5C shows a bottom member 504 of a box 500 (top member not shown) according to yet another embodiment. The bottom member 504 of the box 500 includes a central exterior recessed channel 505 for accommodating a watch or jewelry item. The bottom member 504 is formed from a U-shaped inner wall 509 and a U-shaped outer wall 511 that are connected to each other and spaced apart so as to define therebetween a hollow, U-shaped interior cross-section including two interior side channels 504 and 506 and an interior bottom channel 508 extending between the channels 504 and 506. A removable false base 502 closes the bottom of the channel 508. A fastening member 510 is disposed within the channels 506 and 508 of the box. The fastening member 510 includes a vertically-extending segment 512, a jewelry-trapping arm 514 extending laterally from a first end of the vertically-extending segment 512 towards the center of the box, and a sliding arm 516 extending laterally from a second end of the vertically-extending segment 512. The sliding arm 516 is laterally slidable within the side channel 506 and the bottom channel 508. The fastening member 510 is movable between an open position and a closed position entrapping the jewelry item 130 by removing the false base 502 (which hides the sliding arm 516 from sight) and sliding the sliding arm 516 laterally towards the center of the box such that the jewelry-trapping arm passes through an opening 507 the inner wall 509 at the side channel 506 and through a closed loop (e.g., watch band) of the jewelry item 130 in the channel 505. The fastening member 510 may be moved back to the open position by sliding the sliding arm laterally away from the center of the box.

[0035] Each of the above embodiments provides arrangements which reduce the likelihood that jewelry will be stolen from display boxes while a merchant is showing the jewelry to a potential thief. Although the disclosure references specific embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawing figures, additional embodiments and variations within the scope of the invention are possible.