MECHANICAL LOCKING MECHANISM FOR A SECURITY PACKAGE

摘要

A reusable plastic package for securely holding and displaying a rectangular article such as a compact disc. This reusable plastic package includes a housing having a rectangular-shaped storage compartment for selectively storing an article in the compartment. The storage compartment has an access opening for inserting and removing the article into and out of the compartment. An adjacent smaller compartment functions as a lock compartment whereby a slide plate is slidably mounted thereon and selectively movable across a portion of the access opening of the storage compartment for releasably securing the article in the storage compartment. Deflectable locking levers are formed within the lock compartment and engage with mating projections formed on the slide plate when the slide plate is in the locked position for securing the article within the package due to a portion of the slide plate blocking the access opening. A key which is insertable through openings formed in the end wall of the lock compartment disengages the locking levers from the projections to enable the slide plate to be moved to the unlocked position. The locking levers and projections are spaced apart in groups in the locking compartment and on the slide plate to provide space for an electronic article surveillance tag. Cutouts are formed in a back wall of the storage compartment and mate with complementary shaped retaining flanges and locking tabs of an adjacent package to permit nesting of the adjacent packages.