Anti-theft retail merchandise hook with radio transmission

1. A retail theft deterrent system comprising:

a signal-emitting retail display device comprising:

a wire having a top portion and a bottom portion, the top portion configured to support a label holder; and

an electronic unit that includes an emitter, the emitter being configured to emit a warning signal, and configured to transmit a wireless signal to an alarm box in response to the warning signal;

wherein the wire is electrically coupled to the electronic unit such that the wire functions as an antenna for the transmission of the wireless signal to the alarm box; and

the alarm box comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a wireless signal from the signal-emitting retail display device;

an alarm box emitter configured to emit an audible signal in response to the wireless signal received from the signal-emitting retail display device; and

one or more terminals for connecting the alarm box to an output receiving device.

2. The retail theft deterrent system of claim 1 , wherein the alarm box further comprises control circuitry configured to transmit a control signal used to activate and/or control the output receiving device.

3. The retail theft deterrent system of claim 1 , wherein the output receiving device is one of a computer, a pager, a cellular telephone, a public address system, computer memory, a video camera, and a video monitor.

4. The retail theft deterrent system of claim 1 , wherein the alarm box further comprises control circuitry that causes the alarm box emitter to emit a first audible signal when a first wireless signal from the one or more signal-emitting retail display devices indicates no-theft condition, and to emit a second audible signal, different from the first audible signal, when a second wireless signal from the one or more signal-emitting retail display devices indicates a theft condition.

5. The retail theft deterrent system of claim 1 , wherein the emitter is configured to either:

emit an audible alarm when the label holder is rotated away from the bottom end, and configured to transmit a warning signal to the signal box when the label holder is rotated away from the bottom end for longer than a threshold length of time; or

emit the audible alarm and transmit a warning signal to the signal box when the label holder is rotated away from the bottom end for longer than a threshold length of time; or

emit the audible alarm and transmit a warning signal to the signal box when the label holder is rotated away from the bottom end more than a predetermined number of times within a threshold length of time.

6. The retail theft deterrent system of claim 1 , wherein the alarm box further includes a mode switching button for switching the alarm box between different modes of operation, and wherein the signal-emitting retail display device includes a mode switch for switching the signal-emitting retail display device between different modes of operation.

7. The retail theft deterrent system of claim 1 , wherein the top portion has a top end and the bottom portion has a bottom end, the top end and bottom end arranged in spaced relation to each other such that a label holder attached to the top end abuts the bottom end;

wherein the label holder is configured to rotate away from the bottom end; and

wherein the emitter is configured to emit the warning signal when the label holder is rotated away from the bottom end.

8. The retail theft deterrent system of claim 1 , wherein the signal-emitting retail display device comprises a U-shaped locking mechanism coupled to the electronic unit and configured to selectively rotate between an up position and a down position, wherein, in the down position, the U-shaped locking mechanism wraps around the bottom wire with the bottom wire passing through an aperture created by the U-shaped locking mechanism and the electronic unit, the U-shaped locking mechanism further configured to lock in the down position upon receipt of a signal by the electronic unit.

9. The retail theft deterrent system of claim 1 , further comprising a second alarm box and a plurality of retail signal-emitting retail display devices, wherein the alarm box is paired with the signal emitting device having a first identification code, and the second alarm box is paired with a second signal emitting device having a second identification code.