EXPULSION OF DETRIMENTAL SUBSTANCE FROM THEFT-DETERRENT DEVICE

摘要

In a device for deterring theft of a protected article, including a pin and clutch respectively embodied in two components that are adapted to be locked togeth er on op- posite sides of a portion of the protected article to prevent unauthorized removal of the device from the article, the pin-containing component contains two fragile elongated glass vials that fracture when at least a predetermined pressure is applied thereto, with the vials containing a detrimental substance that would damage an article attached to the device if such substance were to be released from the vial; and the head of the pin includes a breaker element having a wedge-shaped surface of a fiber-loaded- reinforced thermoplastic, (which does not scratch glass), for applying more than the predeter- mined pressure against the vial In response to the pinhead being moved in response to application to the two components of at least a predetermined threshold separation force, to thereby completely fracture the vials by inducing a high bending stress without prematurely cracking the vials, and to thereby release the substance contain ed therein before the components are separated by prying or pulling the components apar t. A pli- able seal is disposed between the breaker element and the vials for preventi ng the detrimental substance that is released from the fractured vials from enterin g the head space and for expelling the released detrimental substance through the adjacent open- ing in response to pressure applied against the seal by the breaker element by the movement of the pinhead that results in the vials being fractured.