MX2010011324A - Auto-rack railroad car vehicle wheel chock. - Google Patents

Abstract

An improved vehicle wheal chock for a vehicle restraint system for an auto-rack railroad car which secures a vehicle in the auto-rack railroad car. The vehicle wheel chock is configured to be positioned on a grating adjacent to a tire of the vehicle. The improved vehicle wheel chock includes an improved face-plate.

Description

BLOCKING FOR WHEEL VEHICLE TRUCK RAILROAD FOR CAR MODULE PRIORITY CLAIMINDICATION This application claims the benefit of and the priority for the Provisional Patent Application of E.U.A. Do not . 61/25 1, 524, filed on October 4, 2009, entitled "BLOCKING FOR IMPROVED VEHICLE WHEEL FOR CARS MODULE OF FERROCARR i L", the complete contents of which are incorporated for reference in this BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The railroad industry employs a variety of rail cars for car modules to transport newly manufactured vehicles such as cars, vans and trucks. Railcars for car modules, known in the railroad industry as cars for cars, often travel thousands of miles across a varied terrain. A typical type of car for a car module is one in compartments, which has two or three floors or levels, two side walls, a pair of doors at each end, and a roof. Newly manufactured vehicles are loaded onto and unloaded from the car module car to be transported by a person (sometimes called the "loader") who drives the vehicle in or out of the car to the car module.

A problem with cars for car modules is the potential for damage to newly manufactured vehicles that can occur in the car for the car module due to the unwanted movement of one or more of the transport vehicles that are not properly secured in the car. car module. Several attachment or anchorage systems have been developed to prevent movement or movement of those vehicles during transport. The charger typically operates these systems fastening or anchoring the vehicle. A known type of system employs a "lower tie down" fastener using connected chains, to steel runners on the support surface of the car module car. A ratchet tool is usually required to secure these chains tautly. Certain types of these known systems use crank mechanisms and harnesses that must be adjusted on the vehicle's tires to contain the movement of the vehicle. These systems take time to install properly.

To solve these and other disadvantages of such mechanisms, a vehicle subjection system was developed to fix the vehicles transported in cars for the car module. This vehicle subjection system is described in detail in the U.S. Patents. Nos. 5, 3 1 2,2 1 3 and 5, 302,063. This vehicle fastener system includes a grid and a plurality of fasteners each secured removably to the grid and a plurality of fasteners each secured removably to the grid providing a supporting surface of the auto module car. This system uses four fasteners, one associated with each of the four wheels of the vehicle to be transported.

As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 2A, the vehicle wheel fastener 32 of this known system includes a front plate 34 for aligning with, and containing the movement of, a tire 402 of an associated wheel 42 of the vehicle 44 positioned on the grid 38. The faceplate 34 is vertically adjusted to a lower position (shown in Figs 2 and 2A), an intermediate position (not shown), and an upper position (shown translucently in Fig. 2) to provide different tire sizes. . The faceplate 34 is attached to the load transmitting member 36 which is adapted to transfer the load applied to the faceplate 34 to the grill 38. The grabber 32 also includes a shovel-shaped fastening member that holds the member 39 contacting the inner surface of the tire to prevent lateral movement of the tire and thus the vehicle. The blade-shaped attaching member 39 is connected to the faceplate 34 in such a manner that when the faceplate is adjusted vertically, the blade-like attaching member is adjusted vertically. For several years, this vehicle fastening system has been used extensively in cars for vehicle modules to secure vehicles.

Several problems have been developed with this vehicle subjection system especially in relation to new types or designs of vehicles such as cross-over vehicles and other vehicles with different body and particularly fenders, moldings or different spider moldings. For example, "cross-over" vehicles generally include a truck-type body or SUV mounted in a car-type frame. These cross-over vehicles have a more center of gravity high, a much lower brake weight than conventional cars and SUVs, and include fenders, moldings, fender molding and relatively low bumpers (compared to certain trucks, vans and SUVs). Other new vehicles also have fenders, moldings, fender moldings and bumpers. When such vehicles are loaded onto a railcar for car module in the grill, it has been found that these known vehicle fasteners do not suitably hold the vehicles in place or adequately prevent the movement of the vehicles to a desired minimum level. of movement . This fastener failure occurs, at least in part, because the adjustable member or faceplate 34 of such fasteners described above is not mounted or placed with the faceplate in the middle or upper position because it would interfere or could interfering with or contacting bumpers, spouts, trims, moldings or relatively low moldings of the vehicle as illustrated in translucent in Fig. 2. Vehicle manufacturers want to avoid such contact or potential contact during transportation of the vehicles. vehicles to avoid damage to vehicles.

More specifically, it will be appreciated that vehicle manufacturers provide extremely particular instructions warning against any contact or hooking between anything in rail cars for car modules and new vehicles because vehicle manufacturers wish to deliver newly manufactured vehicles. to sellers and their customers in "perfect" condition. Any damage, such as scrapes or dents to the fenders, bumpers, trim, fender moldings or other parts of the vehicle, would prevent or inhibit a customer from acquiring or picking up the vehicle, and. It usually needs to be fixed before the sale of the vehicle. As a result, vehicle manufacturers prefer that the fasteners do not contact and are not close to making contact with the fenders, bumpers, fender moldings or moldings of recently manufactured vehicles that are transported. The plate face 34 of the aforementioned holder should, therefore, be placed in the lowest position or, in the best case, the intermediate one when many vehicles currently manufactured in the cars for car module are secured. This causes the faceplate to engage the tire at the lowest point in the tire, and consequently, the vehicle is more likely to be able to jump over or jump off the brackets (as illustrated in Fig. 3) if the vehicle is subjected to sufficient forces.

Even when the faceplate is in the highest or intermediate position, other problems often arise with the tire holder in place, especially where the vehicles do not have steering columns secured. The cause for these problems is that the faceplate does not securely engage the tire or the suffi cient of the tire and the blade-shaped holding member 39 contacts the very high side of the tire 40 in a position that allows the tire rotates and disengages from the front plate of the fastener 32 as generally illustrated in Fig. 3A. In certain cases, the vehicle literally "walks" from this holder 32 as illustrated in FIG. 3A, this illustration is generally from a photograph taken inside the railroad car. for car module that uses the vehicle subjection system described above.

It will be appreciated that each tire of the vehicle has a safe operating area (front and rear of the tire) for a vehicle fastening system. Each safe zone is a somewhat triangular area in front of or behind the tire. Each safe zone defines the space in which the vehicle's fastening system can operate without the potential to contact the fenders, fender molding, molding or vehicle bumpers. For example, the safe areas 41 a and 41 b for the tire 40 of an automobile are generally illustrated in Fig. 3 B. The above-described vehicle securing system operates outside of those safe areas for many vehicles, as generally illustrated in Fig. 2A which shows (in translucent) that when the front plate 34 is in the most preferred top position, it is out of the safe zone 41 a. Therefore, as mentioned above, the fascia faceplate 32 often needs to be placed in the lowest or middle position to stay within the respective safe zone and prevent potential damage or damage to the fender, fender trim and bumper of the vehicle.

A related problem that can also cause the vehicle to be more likely to jump or jump over is that the grabber is sometimes not placed as close to the tire as is potentially possible as illustrated in Fig. 2. A reason for this is that the loaders are in a hurry when they load the vehicles in the rail cars for the car module. When the loaders are in a hurry, they tend to place the fastener in a position close to the tire without Substantially maneuvering the knife to the position closest to the tire. This positioning can sometimes lead to a gap between the gripper and the tire. This space coupled with a low faceplate position can allow the vehicle to reach speed which causes the vehicle to jump or jump off the bracket.

A similar problem results because the grabber may need to be positioned or spaced a distance from the tire because the tire is in a position in the grill or in relation to the grill that does not allow the grabber to be placed. hooked with the tire. The fastener in certain cases is placed up to a distance of 1.95 cm (three quarters of an inch) away from the tire due to the position due to the position of the tire or rung members relative to the tire and the tires. three sets of insured members of this subject. Again, in such situations, a space is created that allows the vehicle to be easier to jump or jump over the grabber. This is also illustrated in Fig. 2 where the size of the space between the tire and the faceplate is approximately half the distance between the rungs of the grille. This space problem is compounded because certain vehicle manufacturers require certain vehicles to be transported with the transmission in neutral to prevent damage to the vehicle (such as damage to the vehicle's transmission). In neutral, the transmission does not stop the vehicles of the movement.

These problems are also often amplified because only a relatively small portion of the faceplate 34 of the known fastener engages the tire. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2 of the U.S. Patent No.A. 5, 3 1 2.2 13, the tire engages the faceplate 34 along a relatively narrow horizontally extending portion of the flat front face of the faceplate 34.

It should also be appreciated that vehicles can jump or jump these carriers at a variety of different times such as during train movement that includes the sudden stop of the car for the car module or the severe deceleration of the car module car. Such cases may include sudden stoppage for emergency alone or in combination with the low-speed action. The amount of force in the vehicles that are transported in relation to the car module cart can cause the vehicles to jump or jump over the bra, especially if the tire is hooked by the front tire at a relatively low point, if the driver is spaced from the tire, if the front plate is in a lower position and is spaced from the tire or even when latched, does not fully engage the tire .

More importantly, during ignition at the sorting station, the cars for module cars are coupled and uncoupled with other rail cars on different freight trains on a regular basis. During the coupling action, several jolts of up to 1.87 to 1 6.09 km per hour (8 to 10 miles per hour) may be incurred by the car for the car module although the regulations (and signals at the sorting stations and at rail cars) limit speed to no more than 6.43 km per hour (4 miles per hour). These shakes can cause extreme force on the vehicles in relation to the rail cars and, in this way, cause the vehicles to jump or jump over these fasteners especially if the tire is hooked by the front plate at a relatively low point, if the fastener is spaced from the tire, and if the fastener with the front plate is along a horizontally narrow extending portion of the flat front face of the faceplate. When a vehicle jumps or skips a fastener, the vehicle can attach another vehicle to the car module car or one or more doors at the end of the car module car. There are instances of significant registration of this type of damage to vehicles in cars for car modules in the classification stations in recent years. As stated above, such damage to vehicles requires the replacement of the damaged part or parts and potentially other parts of the vehicle. This damage is extremely expensive for the manufacturers of vehicles that load the railroad is for such damage.

This problem is complicated for vehicle manufacturers when the damaged vehicle is a specially ordered vehicle (instead of a vehicle in stock) for a specific customer. The customer can wait one, two, three or more months for the specially ordered vehicle. If the specially ordered vehicle is damaged in transit, the customer may need to wait for another specially ordered vehicle to be manufactured. This can harm the business of the seller and manufacturer.

Sweepers are often also damaged when vehicles jump over or run on the brakes with sufficient force. The railroads have to replace these damaged fasteners or they have to repair or rebuild these damaged fasteners. This . causes additional expenses to be incurred by the railways. It should also be appreciated that these fasteners can often not be repaired easily and quickly in the field and thus have to be shipped to a repair facility.

It should be recognized in this way that although the vehicle fastening system described above, which has been widely commercially implemented, secures many vehicles that are transported in cars for car modules, in many cases this vehicle fastening system does not adequately protect the vehicles or prevents movement of the vehicles and thus prevents damage to the vehicles or the carriers by themselves. The automotive industry and the railway industry have looked for improvements in this vehicle fastening system.

Several improvements have been proposed. For example, Patents E.U.A. Nos. 6,926,480, 7,004,696, 7, 1 28, 508, and 7, 1 50, 592 describe supplementary fasteners that are configured to work with these fasteners. In another example, Patent E.U.A. No. 6,835,034 disclose a second holder configured to work in conjunction with the above-described fasteners. One issue with such additional devices is that the chargers of the vehicles in the cars for module of cars need to place (when they load) and to remove (when they unload) both the subjectors and these additional devices. This takes additional time and effort during the loading and unloading process. Additionally, these multiple devices add more cost and complications. In another example, Patent E.U.A. Do not . 6.85 1, 523 discloses an alternatively configured holder. This sujtat has not been commercialized. In this way, they have been Many attempts to improve the driver described above, but all these attempts have not been successful.

Consequently, there is a continuing need for improved vehicle wheel saddles that are easy to install and remove, join the existing grille on the car module cars, which keep the vehicles and specifically the tire more easily. safe, and easy to repair in the field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present description solves the above problems by providing an improved vehicle wheel lock for a car module car that more fully secures a vehicle to be transported in a car module car and reduces the movement of the vehicles to be transported in the car. for car module. The present disclosure contemplates that for most vehicles, a improved vehicle wheel lock will be placed adjacent to each tire of the vehicle to be transported (i.e., four improved locks in total to secure the vehicle). After the vehicle is loaded onto a car module car in the grids, each improved lock is placed directly adjacent to each respective vehicle tire and attached to the grille extending under that tire. It should be appreciated that the improved vehicle wheel lock of the present description can be used in other transport of vehicles such as truck with trailer and shipping containers. It should also be appreciated that one or more of the improved locks described herein may work with one or more of the previously known locks to secure a vehicle. For example, two improved locks can be employed with two known locks to maintain a vehicle. In this way, the use of the improved blocks described herein can be implemented gradually over time.

The present disclosure provides an improved wheel lock system for attaching road vehicles to be transported in grids disposed in transport containers such as rail cars for car modules. Each improved vehicle wheel lock, which is sometimes referred to herein as the improved lock, is similar to the vehicle wheel lock described in US Patent Nos. 5, 3 1 2, 2 1 3 and 5, 302,063, except that the improved lock described herein includes a faceplate that dramatically improves the performance of the wheel lock of the vehicle described in US Patents .A. Us 5, 3 1 2.2 1 3 and 5, 302.063. In this manner, each improved blockage of the present disclosure generally includes: (a) a base; (b) an assurance assembly configured to engage and secure the base on the grid; (c) an improved faceplate directed to the tread surface of a tire of this associated wheel for securing the vehicle; (d) a load transmitter; and (e) a lateral fastener configured to prevent axial movement of the tire, associated wheel and vehicle placed in the grill.

Depending on the size of the vehicle and the tires, in a lower position, for some vehicles in the intermediate position, and for some vehicles in the highest position, the improved locking is configured to extend in the safe area between the tire and the fender, molding, fender trim or adjacent bumpers and hook a significant portion of the tire while not touching the fender, molding, fender molding or bumper. This improved locking allows a loader to place the improved lock in a better engagement with the tire. The improved faceplate is also suitably better adjusted to distribute forces from the tire (and the vehicle) over a larger surface area than the faceplate described in the Patents of E.U.A. Us 5, 3 1 2.2 1 3 and 5, 302.063.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present description will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures sheets, wherein similar reference numbers refer to like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rail car for a car module configured to carry a plurality of vehicles.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view of a vehicle and a side view of the prior art driver in a car module car illustrating a grille in which the vehicle rests, the driver removably attached to the The front fascia plate is its lowest position, and the front fastener plate shown translucent in the highest position that would interfere with the vehicle's fender.

FIG. 2A is a fragmentary side view of a vehicle and a side view of the prior art driver on a car module carriage illustrating the driver in its lowest position, and the driver's front plate shown in FIG. translucent in the highest position and outside the safe area for the vehicle.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a vehicle that has jumped off the holder of the prior art illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3A is a fragmentary perspective view of a vehicle that has literally walked out of the prior art fastener illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 B is a fragmented side view of a vehicle showing the safe areas around one of the tires of the vehicle.

Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of a improved faceplate embodiment of the improved vehicle wheel lock of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the improved faceplate of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the improved faceplate of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a front view of the improved faceplate of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a top view of the improved front plate of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a bottom view of the improved front plate of Fig. 4.

Fig. 10 is a right side view of the improved faceplate of Fig. 4.

Fig. 1 1 is a side view of the improved front plate of Fig. 4 compared to the side view of the front plate of the prior art.

Fig. 1 2 is a schematic fragmentary side view of a vehicle and a side view of the improved vehicle wheel lock of the present disclosure, the lock in the grid, and the improved faceplate in its lowest position.

FIG. 1 3 is a schematic fragmentary side view of a vehicle and a side view of the improved vehicle wheel lock of the present disclosure, the lock in the grid, and the improved faceplate in the highest position.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary side view of an alternative embodiment of the improved faceplate of the present disclosure including an alternately configured bolt.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of a further alternative embodiment of the improved faceplate of the present disclosure that includes a bolt in addition alternatively configured.

Fig. 16 is a improved faceplate of the present disclosure including a bolt still further alternatively configured.

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary side view of a still further alternative embodiment of the improved faceplate of the present disclosure including a bolt still further alternatively configured.

Fig. 1 8 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of. the improved improved vehicle wheel lock face plate of the present disclosure, the improved front plate including spaced-apart engagement pins secured to the improved faceplate body.

Fig. 1 9 is a perspective view of the improved faceplate of Fig. 1 8. - Fig. 20 is a front perspective view of the. front plate shown in Fig. 1 8, with one of the latch pins shown removed from the body of the faceplate.

Fig. 2 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an improved front plunger engagement pin of Fig. 1 8.

Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the improved front plate of Fig. 1 8, illustrating the position of one of the engagement fingers.

Figs. 23A and 23B are schematic fragmentary cross-sectional views of the improved vehicle wheel lock including the front plate of Fig. 1 8, and showing the position of one of the previous hitch pins a and after a tire that contacts the upper surface of the improved faceplate.

FIG. 24 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the improved improved faceplate of the improved vehicle wheel lock of the present disclosure, the improved faceplate including spaced-apart latch pins molded into the body of the vehicle. frontal pl.

Fig. 25 is a rear perspective view of the improved faceplate of Fig. 24.

Fig. 26 is a cross-sectional view of the improved faceplate of Fig. 24, illustrating the position of one of the latching pins.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1, a typical car module cart 10 includes a frame 1 2 supported by trucks 14, each of which has various wheels 1 6 which roll along the tracks of rail 1 8. Frame 12 supports two flanks 20 and a roof 22. The carriage for car module 1 0 includes a pair of co-activating cover doors 24 and 26 mounted on each end of the carriage for car module 1 0 The doors 24 and 26 are opened to facilitate the loading and unloading of the vehicles inside and outside the car for 1 0 car module and are closed during transport and storage of the vehicles.

The flanks 20 include a series of vertical steel posts 28 which are mounted on, and extend upwardly of, the frame 1 2. The roof 22 is mounted on, and supported by, these vertical posts. The vertical poles are also spaced along the entire length of both flanges 20 of the car module carriage 1 0. A plurality of sidewall panels of rectangular galvanized steel 30 extending horizontally and separating vertically are mounted between each pair of vertical posts is 28. These sidewall panels are supported at their corners by supports (not shown) that are properly secured to the vertical posts. The average side wall panel has a multiplicity of round side wall panel holes 23. These side wall panel holes 23 provide the car module car with natural light as well as proper ventilation. Proper ventilation prevents the damage of toxic vehicle fumes to the person or persons (ie, chargers) who load or unload the vehicles inside or outside the car module car.

The car for a car module can be a three-level car, which has first, second and third levels. Normally, eighteen passenger vehicles can be transported in a trolley car for three levels, six on each level. The car module car can also have two levels for vehicles instead of three. The car for two-tier car module has a lower level and a higher level. The car for two-tier car module is generally used to transport larger vehicles, such as vans, mini-vans, trucks, four-by-four vehicles and cross-over. The car for two-tier car module can usually carry twelve of these vehicles, six in each level. The car for the car module can also be a simple level car.

The present disclosure provides an improved wheel lock system for attaching road vehicles that are conveyor in grilles disposed in transport containers such as this rail car for illustrated car module 1 0. The vehicle wheel lock system improved includes a plurality of improved vehicle wheel locks. Each improved vehicle wheel lock is similar to the vehicle wheel lock described in the Patents of E.U.A. 5, 31 2, 21 3 and 5, 302,063, except that the lock includes an improved front face (as described further below) that dramatically improves the performance of the vehicle wheel lock described in US Patents. A. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063.

More specifically, Figs. 4 to 10 illustrate an improved faceplate embodiment of the improved vehicle wheel lock of the present disclosure. In this illustrated embodiment, the improved faceplate 100 includes a body 102 and four separate arms 104, 106, 108, and 110 integrally connected to and extended from the body 102. The body 102 has a front side 112 and a rear side 114. The configuration of the improved faceplate 100 is substantially different from the improved faceplate configuration described in US Pat. A. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063. Fig. 11 generally illustrates a comparison of the substantially different profiles of the improved faceplate 100 as compared to the faceplate described in the US Patents. A. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063.

More specifically, in this illustrated embodiment, the improved faceplate 100 at approximately the same height and approximately the same width as the faceplate described in US Patents. A. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063; however, in this illustrated embodiment, certain portions of the improved faceplate 100 are substantially thicker than the faceplate described in US Pat. A. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063 as generally illustrated by the dimensions shown in Fig. 11.

The upper portion of the improved faceplate 100 and specifically the upper body portion 102 and the arms 104, 106, 1 08, and 1 10 define an upper curvature at the upper front side of the improved faceplate for major tire engagement and more precise. More specifically, the upper curvature is defined by the upper portion of the back wall of the body, the upper portion of the front wall of the body, the back walls of the arms, the front walls of the arms, and the upper walls of the body. the arms The bottom portion of the improved faceplate 1 00 and specifically the lower portion of the body 1 02 also define the curvature of the bottom on the front side of the improved faceplate 1 00 for greater and more accurate tire engagement. More specifically, the background curvature is defined by the bottom portion of the back wall of the body, the bottom portion of the front wall of the body, and the bottom wall of the body.

In one embodiment, the upper curvature and the lower curvature are approximately the same or approximately images reflected from one to the other. In one embodiment, the thickness of the central portion between the upper curvature and the lower curvature is approximately the same as the thickness of the face plate described in US Patents. Nos. 5, 3 1 2,2 1 3 and 5, 302,063. In another embodiment, the thickness of the central portion between the upper curvature and the lower curvature is greater than the thickness of the face plate described in US Patents. A. Nos. 5.3 12.21 3 and 5,302,063. In another embodiment, the thickness of the central portion between the upper curvature and the lower curvature is better than the thickness of the face plate described in US Patents. Nos. 5.3 12.213 and 5, 302.063. It should be appreciated that in several embodiments the upper curvature and the lower curvature form a radius on the front face of the faceplate 100 to increase engagement with a tire.

Fig. 11 shows the various thickness dimensions of a specific embodiment of the faceplate 100. It should be appreciated that the present description is not limited to these exact dimensions.

In the illustrated embodiment, the front side of the improved faceplate 100 includes reinforced longitudinally extending and outwardly extending laterally extending outboard members or chains 150a, 150b, 150c, 150d, 152, 154, 156, and 158. longitudinally extending chains in combination with the upper and lower curvatures of the improved faceplate provide an improved engagement with and gripping of the tire. In the illustrated mode, each of the chains are semi-circular, although it would be appreciated that one or more of the chains may be of other appropriate shapes. It should also be appreciated that the chains 150a, 150b, 150c, and 150d separate respectively on the arms 104, 106, 108, and 110. The chains co-act to better engage the tire and to create a notch with the tire to reduce the probability of the vehicle rising or jumping in relation to the blockade. More specifically, the improved faceplate 100 with the upper curvature, lower curvature, and chains allows the tire to be further compressed into the improved faceplate and allows improved locking to better hold the vehicle of the vertical lift. It should be appreciated that the chains 150a, 152, 154, 156, and 158 are not taken into account in the dimensions shown in Fig. 11. r In the illustrated embodiment, as best seen in Figs. 5 and 6, the back side of the body 102 of the improved faceplate 100 respectively include grooves or grooves 162, 164, 166, and 168 and reinforced supports, rods or ribs 170, 172, 174, 176, and 178 that provide rigidity structural to the body 102. It should be appreciated that this construction, in addition to providing structural rigidity to the faceplate, provides relief or areas outside the core for manufacturing such as for the molding process.

In the illustrated embodiment of Figs. 4 through 13, the improved faceplate 100 includes a pair of separate non-hooked pins or legs 190 and 192 located near the back edge of the improved faceplate bottom and extending from the back side of the body 102 of the improved front plate 100. The non-hooked pins or legs 190 and 192 project from the body and are configured to engage a respective pair of a series of rectangular cavities in the front plate of the front support member of the base of the block as it is also discussed right away. The non-hooked bolts are configured to be inserted in a respective pair of a series of rectangular cavities in the front plate of the support member of the locking base without engaging the surfaces of the support member.

These bolts or free legs 190 and 192 are of a substantially increased thickness when compared to the hooks described in US Patents. Nos.5,312,213 and 5,302,063. The hooks in these prior art patents are approximately 0.79 X 1.27 cm (5/16 X ½ inch). In this illustrated embodiment, bolts 190 and 192 are each approximately 1.27 cm X 1.27 cm (½ inch X ½ inch). In this illustrated embodiment, the base and end of each side wall of each of the pins or legs 190 and 192 has a radius opposite the sharp edges of the hooks described in US Patents. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063. Fig. 11 illustrates one embodiment of the bolts and the radius of the bolt bases. It would be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to bolts each having bases or ends with such a radius.

These edges or legs 190 and 192 are made of the same strong material as the complete faceplate as discussed below. However it would be appreciated that the bolts or legs could be made of other suitable materials. In this mode, the combination of the removal of the hooks, the increased thickness of the bolts, the stronger material of the bolts, and the configuration of the bolts significantly improves the function of the faceplate.

It would be appreciated that in this embodiment, these pins or legs 190 and 191 do not include hooks or latching members such as the hooks described in US Patents. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063. The Patents of E.U.A. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063 expressly explain that the hooks provide an important function in the dynamics of the control of the vehicle transported during an impact. Specifically, the Patents of E.U.A. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063 explain that when the blockage is impacted by a vehicle, the vehicle tends to rise through frictional contact between the tire and the upper part of the faceplate, which causes a pressure on the faceplate to rotate, and that the hooks upwards keep the front plate hooked.

The removal of the faceplate hooks in certain embodiments, as taught by the present disclosure, provides the specific advantage of easier adjustment capacity and less failure or breakage of the hook. The removal of these hooks is directly contrary to the teachings of the U.S. Patents. Nos. 5, 3 12, 2 1 3 and 5, 302,063. However, it would be appreciated that as described further below, the present disclosure is not limited to non-engaged bolts.

It would also be appreciated that the illustrated embodiment of the improved faceplate of the present disclosure is a universal faceplate configured to be mounted on a left side lock or a right side lock. Specifically, as seen in Figs. 4 to 11, the front plate 100 includes: (a) openings 1 24 and 1 30 as described above each being configured to receive the upper portion of the U-shaped hinge pin (not shown); (b) hinge pin slots 134 and 1 40 which are each configured to receive the lower portion of a U-shaped hinge pin (not shown); and (c) roller pin holes 1 42, 144, 146, and 148 each configured to receive a roller pin (not shown) for securely engaging the respective portion of the hinge pin (not shown). In this way, it will be appreciated that the front plate of the present disclosure can receive the hinge pin on the right or left side. This allows a single faceplate to be used in right-side locks as well as in left-side locks. This facilitates the easy replacement of new or broken faceplates (including in field repairs) and reduces the number of improved faceplates that need to be maintained in inventory.

The improved faceplate 1 00 illustrated in Figs. 4 to 11 is configured in this manner to be mounted on the vehicle wheel lock such as the vehicle wheel lock illustrated schematically in a general manner in Figs. 12 and 13, and which is further illustrated and described in much greater detail in the U.S. Patents. Nos. 5, 3 12.21 3 and 5, 302.063 which are incorporated herein for reference at least for their teaching of blocking components. The improved vehicle wheel lock is generally indicated by the number 200. The improved lock 200 is configured to be attached to a wire grid 300 having parallel spaced steel wires crossed and welded to the steel wires. separated in parallel as is also illustrated in more detail in the US Patent. Nos. 5, 3 12.21 3 and 5, 302.063. The improved lock 200 is configured to one position and holds the improved faceplate 1 00 in different positions or heights taking into account the different sizes of vehicles and tires as illustrated somewhat in Figs. 1 2 and 1 3. The improved lock 200 is configured to be positioned adjacent the tire 320 of the wheel 322 of the vehicle such that the vehicle 330 is partially shown in Figs. 1 2 and 1 3. The improved lock 200 is configured to be attached to the wire grid 300 adjacent the tire 320 such that the improved front plate 1 00 engages the outer surface of the tread of the tire as it is best shown in Fig. 1 3.

The improved lock generally includes: (a) a base 202 having a plurality of bolts configured to fit into openings in the grill 300; (b) an assurance assembly 204 configured to removably secure the lock 200 to the grill 300; (c) a side fastener such as a blade-shaped member 206 located on the left or right side of the improved lock 200 and configured to hold the lateral displacement and lateral movement of the vehicle; (d) a series of clamp teeth or grille hooks 208 along the front portion of the base 202 configured to grip the grid 300; and (e) a load transmitter 2 1 0 rotatably attached to the rear end of the base 202. The base 202 includes a front support member 2 12 angled out from the wheel. The improved lock described herein also includes the improved faceplate 1 00 secured to the upper end of the load transmitter by a hinge pin (not shown) and spring biased inward by a spring torsion assembly (not shown). Specifically, the upper portion of the hinge pin extends through the openings 1 24, 126, 1 28, and 1 30 respectively in the arms 104, 1 06, 1 08, and 1 10.

The improved lock 200 is used by placing the improved lock 200 on the wire grill 300 adjacent the tire 320 and then engaging the wire harnesses to 2008 on the cross wires while the secured assembly 204 is in the non-locking position. insured The secured assembly is then moved in the secured position, such that the improved lock 200 is secured to the grill.

The improved faceplate 1 00 which is attached to the load transmitter can be placed in three different vertical positions and movably attached along the angled plane of the support member 21 2. The improved faceplate 100 when attached to the transmitter of charge is a spring biased inward by a spring torsional assembly as described in detail in US Pat. Us 5, 3 1 2.2 1 3 and 5, 302.063. The improved faceplate 1 00 can thus be placed adjacent to the tread of the tire of the wheel in one of the three different heights in relation to the diameter of the wheel. In the lower and intermediate positions, the improved lock keeps the front faceplate improved near the tire and the fender levers, body panel and vehicle fender moldings.

The improved front face 1 00 is substantially better adjusted to distribute the forces from the tire (and vehicle) over a larger surface area than the face plate described in US Patents. Nos. 5.3 12.21 3 and 5,302,063.

In one embodiment, the improved faceplate of the present disclosure is molded from a thermoset plastic material or liquid composed primarily of a plural liquid monomer mixture that can be molded by a jet injection molding process (RIM). English) . An example of such a product is produced by Metton America Corporation and sold under the METTON brand. The improved faceplate can alternatively be made from other suitable materials such as nylon, a glass-filled nylon, a dicyclopentadiene, an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, or a polycarbonate. It would further be appreciated that the improved faceplate could be made of any one or more suitable materials including other metals, plastics, ceramics and composite materials or combinations thereof.

As mentioned above, it should be appreciated that the current description is not limited to bolts that are not hooked. In alternative embodiments, the bolts include hooks or other members or latching configurations. For example, Figs. 1 4, 1 5, 1 6, and 1 7 generally show alternative face plates 500, 600, 700, and 800 with respectively, with alternative bolt configurations or bolts 590, 690, 790, and 890 respectively.

It should be appreciated that the current description in this manner is provided in several embodiments: a vehicle wheel lock for a vehicle in a grid including: (a) a base having a plurality of bolts configured to be fixed in the openings in the rej illa; (b) a pivotally transmitted load connected to a rear end of the base; (c) a plurality of front clamp teeth attached to a front end of the base; (d) a locking assembly configured to coerce with the front clamp tooth to secure the base to the pad; (e) a side gripper configured to hold the lateral displacement and lateral movement of the vehicle relative to the grid; and (f) a faceplate attached to the load transmitting by a hinge pin and roller pins. The faceplate includes: (i) a body having a front side and a back side, (ii) a plurality of spaced apart arms connected to and extended from the body, (iii) an upper portion of the body and the arms defining a curvature top on one side upper front of the face plate, the upper curvature defined by the upper portion of the rear walls of the body, the upper portion of the front walls of the body, the rear walls of the arms, the front walls of the arms, and the walls upper arms, (iv) a lower portion of the body defining a curvature of the om on the front side of the face plate, the curvature of the om defined by the om portion of the back walls of the body, the om portion from the front walls of the body, and the walls of the om of the body, (v) a plurality of chains that engage the tire that are reinforced that extend outwardly and longitudinally spaced apart laterally, and (vi) a pair of spaced apart bolts connected to and extended from the back side of the body om and configured to engage a respective pair of a series of rectangular cavities in a front face of the transfer member load.

It should be appreciated that the improved faceplate of the current description may be placed in a new lock or may be used to replace a faceplate in an existing lock such as that lock described in the US Patent. Nos. 5, 3 1 2,21 3, and 5, 302,063. More specifically, the improved faceplate can easily and quickly replace the existing faceplate in the lock described in the U.S. Patent. Nos. 5.3 12.2 1 3 and 5, 302.063 by: (a) removing the two roller pins that hold the U-shaped hinge pin, (b) removing the hinge pin, (c) removing the old faceplate, (d) place the improved faceplate in the old faceplate position, (e) reinsert the hinge pin, and (f) reassemble the two roll pins.

It should be appreciated that the improved faceplate in certain embodiments is configured to break a designed amount of pressure or force placed on the faceplate by a tire. This construction prevents damage to the vehicle's suspension that is difficult to detect. More specifically, in severe impact situations, if the blockage (or a portion of the blockage) does not break the impact by the tire, the impact can be absorbed by one or more of the suspension system components of the vehicle, which can cause damage to the vehicle. those components. Such damage can not be easily detected from the manual exterior inspection of the vehicle. In such cases, where detection does not occur, the vehicle may be sold in a damaged state and may lead to further problems with the buyers. In this way, in severe impact situations, the vehicle manufacturers want the blockage to give or break, which can cause damage to the exterior components of the vehicle (that is, bumpers, fenders, etc.). In such situations, such damage can be easily detected and vehicles can be fixed before the sale of the vehicle. Additionally, when a discharger observes damaged locks, the unloader will know that the vehicle must be carefully inspected for damage. If there is any damage, the costs for repairs related to the vehicles can be corrected. by the appropriate part according to transportation contracts. The construction described herein of the block also facilitates the easy and economical efficient reconstruction of such broken blocks.

A further alternative embodiment of the improved faceplate of the current description is shown in Figs. 1 8, 1 9, 20, 21, 22, 23 A, and 23 B.

Similar to the above embodiments, in this illustrated embodiment, this plate of each 1100 includes: (a) a body 1102 having a front side 1112 and a rear side 1114a; and (b) four spaced apart arms 1104, 1106, 1108, and 1110 integrally connected to and extended from the body 1102. The rear side of the body 1102 of the faceplate 1100 respectively includes slits or grooves 1162, 1164, 1166, and 1168 and supports , bars or reinforcement ribs 1170, 1172, 1174, 1176, and 1178 that provide structural rigidity to the body 1102. As with the embodiments described above, this configuration provides structural rigidity for the faceplate 1100 and provides support or areas outside the core for manufacture such as for the molding process.

As with the embodiments described above, this illustrated embodiment of the faceplate is universal in that it is configured to be mounted in a left hand lock or in a right hand lock. Specifically, as seen in Figs. 18, 19, 20, and 22, the faceplate 1100 includes: (a) openings 1124, 1126, 1128, and 1130 that are each configured to receive the upper portion of a U-shaped hinge pin (not shown) ); (b) hinge pin slots 1134 and 1140 each configured to receive the lower portion of the U-shaped hinge pin (not shown); and (c) roller pin holes 1142, 1144, 1146, and 1148 each configured to receive a roller pin (not shown) for securely engaging the respective portion of the hinge pin (not shown) . In this way, it should be appreciated that this faceplate 1100 can receive the hinge pin (not shown) on the right or left side. This allows this faceplate 1 1 00 to be used in locks on the right as well as on left hand locks. This facilitates the easy replacement of broken or new face plates (including in field repairs) and reduces the number of face plates that need to be kept in inventory.

The upper portion of the faceplate 1 1 00 and specifically the upper portion of the body 1 1 02 and the arms 1 1 04, 1 1 06, 1 1 08, and 1 1 1 0 define an upper curvature on the upper front side of the body. the front plate for hooking the biggest and most precise tire (as with the modalities described above). The upper curvature is defined by the upper portion of the back wall of the body, the upper portion of the front wall of the body, the rear walls of the arms, the front walls of the arms, and the upper walls of the arms. The bottom portion of the faceplate 1 1 00 and specifically the lower portion of the body 1 1 02 also define a curvature of the bottom on the front side of the faceplate 1 1 00 for greater and more precise engagement of the tire (as with the as described above). The curvature of the bottom is defined by the bottom portion of the back wall of the body, the bottom portion of the front wall of the body, and the bottom wall of the body. In this illustrated embodiment: (a) the upper curvature and the lower curvature are approximately the same or approximately mirror images of one another; (b) the thickness of the central portion between the upper curvature and the lower curvature is approximately the same as the thickness of the face plate described in the U.S. Patent. Nos. 5.3.1.221 3 and 5.302, 06; and (c) the upper curvature and the lower curvature form a radius on the front face of the front plate 1 1 00 for the enhanced engagement with atire.

Similar to the embodiments described above, in this illustrated embodiment, the front side of the faceplate 1100 includes longitudinally spaced outward and longitudinally spaced reinforcing members or chains that engage the tire 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, 1150d, 1152, 1154 , 1156, and 1158. These longitudinally extending chains in combination with the upper curvatures and the bottom of the faceplate 1100 provide enhanced engagement with and gripping of the tire. In this illustrated embodiment, each of the chains are semi-circular, although it should be appreciated that one or more of the chains may be other suitable shapes. It should also be appreciated that the chains 1150a, 1150b, 1150c, and 115 Od are spaced apart respectively on the arms 1104, 1106, 1108, and 1110. As described in relation to the above embodiments: (a) the chains co-acid for better engagement with the tire and to create a notch with the tire to reduce the likelihood of the vehicle getting up or jumping relative to the blockage; and (b) the front plate with the upper curvature, lower curvature, and chains allows the tire to be further compressed in the front plate and allows for improved locking with this front plate to better support the vertical lift vehicle.

In this embodiment, the faceplate 1100 (except for the latching pins as discussed below) is molded of a liquid thermofix plastic material primarily composed of a liquid monomer mixture of plural component that can be molded by an injection molding process. reaction (RIM, for its acronym in English).

An example of such a product is produced by Metton America Corporation and sold under the trademark METTON. This faceplate 1100 (except for the latching pins) can alternatively be made from other suitable materials such as nylon, a glass filled nylon, a Dicyclopentadiene, an Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, or a polycarbonate. It should be further appreciated that this faceplate 1100 (except for latching pins) can be made of any one or more suitable materials, including other metals, plastics, ceramics, and composite materials or combinations thereof.

In this illustrated embodiment, the bottom section of the body 1102 of the faceplate 1100 includes a pair of spaced apart spacer receiving apertures 1187 and 1189 configured to receive latching pins 1191 and 1193 respectively. The latching pins 1191 and 1193 are configured to extend from the rear side of the body 1102 of the faceplate 1100 as best shown in FIGS. 19, 22, 23A, .and 23B. The latching pins 1191 and 1193 project far from the rear side 1114 of the body and are configured to engage any of the three sets of rectangular cavities in the front face of the front support member of the locking base as discussed further below. These engaging pins 1191 and 1193 are made substantially stronger than the molding on the hooks described in the US Patent. Nos.5,312,213 and 5,302,063. These engaging pins 1191 and 1193 are made of a substantially strong material such as stainless steel. It should be noted that the hitch pins can be made of other materials suitably strong besides steel stainless. The latching pins 1 1 91 and 1 1 93 are of a substantially different configuration and function differently than the hooks described in those patents, and provide substantially better engagement with the front blocking support member as described further below. The addition of these latching pins significantly improves the function of the faceplate and the lock as further described below.

In this illustrated embodiment, the coupling pins 1 191 and 1 1 93 are identical, and in this way the latching pin 1 1 93 will be described in more detail below as an example of the latching pins. However, it should be appreciated that the latching pins do not have to be identical in accordance with the present invention. The latch pin 1 1 93, as best shown in Figs. 20, 2 1, 23 A, and 23 B, includes a mounting head 1400 and a hooking leg 1402 integrally connected to and extended from the mounting head 1400. The mounting head 1400 is configured to be positioned at the opening in the body 1 1 02 of the faceplate 1 100 (as best shown in Fig. 22) and to be secured by one or more fastening mechanisms or my attachment pads such as roller pins (such as pin 1403 in the Fig. 22). The mounting head 1 400 accordingly includes one or more pin receiving holes (such as port 1 401) configured to receive the joint members. It should be appreciated that the mounting head 1400 can be secured to the body in any suitable manner. It should also be appreciated that the mounting head can be configured differently to secure the connection in and to the body 1 1 02 of the front plate 1 1 00. The hook leg 1402 includes a connecting end 1404 attached to the mounting head 1400 and an opposite free end 1406. The latching leg 1402 further defines a latching slot 1408 on the upper surface of the latching leg 1402 between the connecting end 1404 and the opposite free end 1406; and more specifically includes a bottom engaging wall 1410, an inner engaging wall 1412, and an outer engaging wall 1414 defining the engaging groove 1408. These walls of the engaging groove 1408 are configured to better engage the fastener member. front support of the lock as further described below and as illustrated in Figs. 23A and 23B. It should be appreciated that after the latching pins are placed in the body of the face plate, suitable caps (not shown) can be placed in the front portions of the openings.

As with the above embodiments, the faceplate 1100 is configured to be mounted on a vehicle wheel lock such as the wheel lock of the vehicle generally partly schematically illustrated in Figs. 23A and 23B, and illustrated in addition and described in much greater detail in the US Patent Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063. In Figs. 23A and 23B, this blockage of the exemplary vehicle wheel is generally indicated by the numeral 1200. The lock 1200 is configured to be attached to a grid or a wire grating 300 having separate steel wires spaced apart in parallel. and soldiers to separate steel wires spaced in parallel as well as illustrated in more detail in the US Patent Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063. The lock 1200 is configured to position and maintain the faceplate 1100 in different positions or heights for the coriteum for the different sized vehicles and tires as illustrated somewhat in Figs. 23A and 23B. The lock 1200 is configured to be positioned adjacent a tire 320 of a wheel of a vehicle (not shown). The lock 1200 is configured to be attached to the wire grid 300 adjacent the tire 320 so that the front plate 1100 engages the outer surface of the tire tread 320.

The lock 1200 with this faceplate 1100 in this manner generally includes: (a) a base 1212 having a plurality of bolts (not shown) configured to be fixed in the openings in the grille; (b) a closure assembly (not shown) configured to removably lock the grid; (c) a lateral fastener (not shown) such as a blade-shaped member located on the right or left side of the improved lock and configured to hold the lateral displacement and lateral movement of the vehicle; (d) a series of clamp teeth or grid catches 1219 along the front portion of the base configured to grip the grid; and (e) a transfer load 1210 pivotally attached to the rear end of the base 1212. The base 1212 includes a front support member 1212a at an angle away from the wheel. This lock 1200 also includes the faceplate 1100 secured to the upper end of the load transmitter 1210 by a hinge pin (not shown) and spring biased internally by a torsion spring assembly (not shown). Specifically, the upper portion of the hinge pin (not shown) extends through openings 1124, 1126, 1128, and 1130 respectively on arms 1104, 1106, 1108, and 1110 as described above. As with the embodiments described above, this lock is used when positioning the lock on the wire grid or grid adjacent to the tire and then engaging the front grid hooks on the cross wires while the lock assembly is in a non-closed position. . The closure assembly then moves in the closed position, so that the lock is secured to the grid.

As illustrated in Figs. 23A and 23B, when the lock 1200 with the front plate 1100 is struck by a vehicle, the vehicle tends to rise through the frictional contact between the tire and the upper part of the faceplate 1100, which causes pressure on the faceplate to rotate upward and causes latch pins 1191 and 1193 to engage and close in front support member 1212a as shown in Fig.23B. More specifically, in the rest position shown in Fig. 23A, the latch pin is positioned in the cavity or hole 1213 defined by the front support member 1212a of the base 1212, but does not actively engage the portion of the support member. up front of the latching slot 1408. When a tire causes the faceplate 1100 to rotate, the latching pin 1191 moves upwardly and internally (ie, towards the tire) as shown in Fig. 23B to engage such portion of the front support member 1212a to prevent further rotation of the faceplate 1100. This provides a more secure engagement with the front support member 1212a and better general engagement with the tire 320, which in turn allows locking with this / front plate to withstand substantially greater impact forces of the tire without breaking and while still holding the vehicle.

It should be appreciated that the faceplate 1100 which is attached to the transmitting load 1210 can be positioned in three different vertical positions and movably retained along the angle plane of the front support member 1212a. The faceplate 1100, when attached to the transmitting load, is a spring biased internally by a torsion spring assembly (as described in detail in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063). The faceplate 1100 can in this way be positioned to abut the tread of the tire at one of three different heights relative to the diameter of the wheel where the latching pins are disposed in the respective set of cavities or holes, (1211, 1213, or 1215) in member 1212a. The faceplate 1100 in this manner is substantially better suited for distributing the forces of the tire (and vehicle) over a larger surface area than the faceplate described in US Pat. Nos. 5,312,213 and 5,302,063.

Another alternative embodiment of the improved faceplate of the current description is shown in Figs. 24, 25, and 26. Similar to the embodiments above, in this illustrated embodiment, this faceplate 2100 includes: (a) a body 2102 having a front side 2112 and a rear side 21 4a; and (b) four spaced apart arms 2104, 2106, 2108, and 2110 integrally connected to and extended from the body 2102. The rear side of the body 2102 of the faceplate 2100 respectively includes slits or slots 2162, 2164, 2166, and 2168 and supports reinforced, bars or ribs 2170, 2172, 2174, 2176, and 2178 that provide structural rigidity to the body 2102. As with the embodiments described above, this configuration provides structural rigidity for the faceplate 2100 and provides support or areas outside the core for fabrication such as for the molding process.

As with the embodiments described above, this illustrated embodiment of the faceplate is universal in that it is configured to be mounted in a left hand lock or in a right hand lock. The faceplate 2100 includes: (a) openings 2124, 2126, 2128, and 2130 which are each configured to receive the upper portion of a U-shaped hinge pin (not shown); (b) hinge pin slots 2134 and 2140 each configured to receive the lower portion of the U-shaped hinge pin (not shown); and (c) roller pin holes 2142, 2144, 2146, and 2148 each configured to receive a roller pin (not shown) for securely engaging the respective portion of the hinge pin (not shown) . In this way, it should be appreciated that this faceplate 2100 can receive the hinge pin (not shown) on the right or left side. This allows this 2100 faceplate to be used in right hand locks as well as in 'left hand locks'. This facilitates the easy replacement of new or broken face plates (included in field repairs) and reduces the number of face plates that need to be kept in inventory.

The upper portion of the front plate 2100 and specifically the upper portion of the body 2102 and the arms 2104, 2106, 2108, and 2110 define an upper curvature on the upper front side of the front plate for greater and more precise engagement of the tire (as with the modalities described above). The upper curvature is defined by the upper portion of the back wall of the body, the upper portion of the front wall of the body, the rear walls of the arms, the front walls of the arms, and the upper walls of the arms. The bottom portion of the faceplate 21 00 and specifically the lower portion of the body 21 02 also defines a curvature of the bottom on the front side of the faceplate 2 100 for engagement of the larger and more accurate tire (as with the embodiments described above ). The curvature of the bottom is defined by the bottom portion of the back wall of the body, the bottom portion of the front wall of the body, and the bottom wall of the body. In this illustrated embodiment: (a) the upper curvature and the lower curvature are approximately the same or approximately mirror images of one another; (b) the thickness of the central portion between the upper curvature and the lower curvature is approximately the same as the thickness of the plate of each described in the U.S. Patent. Nos. 5, 3 12.21 3 and 5, 302.06; and (c) the upper curvature and the lower curvature form a radius on the front face of the faceplate 2 1 00 for enhanced engagement with a tire.

Similar to the embodiments described above, in this illustrated embodiment, the front side of the faceplate 21 00 includes members or chains that engage the reinforced tire extending outwardly and longitudinally spaced apart laterally spaced 2 1 50a, 2 1 50b, 2 1 50c, 2 1 50d, 21 52, 21 54, 2 1 56, and 2 1 58. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the chain 2 1 58 extends along the full width of the faceplate 2 1 00. These chains that extend lengthwise in combination with the upper and bottom curvatures of the faceplate 21 00 provides enhanced engagement with and grip of the tire. In this illustrated embodiment, each of the chains are semi-circular, although it should be appreciated that one or more of the chains may be other suitable shapes. It should also be appreciated that the chains 2 1 50a, 2 1 50b, 21 50c, and 2 1 5 Od are spaced apart respectively on arms 21 04, 2106, 21 08, and 2 1 1 0. As described in connection with above embodiments: (a) the chains co-act to engage the tire better and to create a notch with the tire to reduce the likelihood of the vehicle leaping or jumping relative to the blockage; and (b) the front plate with the upper curvature, lower curvature, and the chains allow the tire to be further compressed in the front plate and allow improved locking with this front plate to better retain the vehicle from vertical evasion.

In this illustrated embodiment, the faceplate 2 1 00 is molded from a thermofix or liquid plastic material primarily composed of a liquid monomer mixture of plural component that can be molded by a reaction injection molding (RIM) process and the latching pins They are placed in the mold for the molding process. An example of such a product is produced by Metton America Corporation and sold under the METTON trademark. This faceplate 21 00 (except for the latching pins) can alternatively be made from other suitable materials such as nylon, a glass filled nylon, a Dicyclopentadiene, an Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, or a polycarbonate. It should also be noted that this faceplate 21 00 (except for latching pins) can be made of any one or more suitable materials, including other metals, plastics, ceramics and composite materials or combinations thereof.

In this illustrated embodiment, the pair of spaced apart spacer pins 21 9 1 and 2 1 93 are located at spaced apart positions at the bottom of the faceplate 21 00 and extend from the back side 21 14 of the body 2 102 of the plate front 2 1 00 as shown best in Figs. 25 and 26. The engagement pins 2 1 91 and 2 1 93 project far from the rear part of the body and are configured to engage a respective pair of a series of rectangular cavities in the front face of the front support member of the body. basis of the blockade as discussed above. These engaging pins 2 191 and 21 93 are configured to join the body when the body is formed or molded. In this illustrated embodiment, the mounting head 2400 of the latch pin is shown in a different configuration than the latch pins 1 1 91 and 1 1 93. As illustrated in translucent in FIG. 26, this head 2400 includes a transversely expanding securing member 2401 which assists in securing the molding to the latch pin 2 193 in the body of the faceplate 2 100. It should be appreciated that the shape of the mounting head can be any suitable form that will facilitate the safety of the molding of the hitch pin in the body. In this illustrated embodiment, these engaging pins 21 91 and 2 1 93 are made of a suitably strong material such as stainless steel. It should be appreciated that the hitch pins can be made of other suitably strong materials in addition to stainless steel. Except for how these pins 21 91 and 21 93 are molded into the body of the face plate, which functions identical to the latch pins 1 1 91 and 1 1 93 as described above.

It will be understood that the modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention, and it is understood that this application is to be limited only by the scope of the claims.

Claims (14)

1. CLAIMS 1 . A vehicle wheel lock for a vehicle in a grid, the vehicle wheel lock characterized in that it comprises: a base having a plurality of bolts configured to fit openings in the grill, the base including a front support member; a rotating load transmitter connected to a rear end of the base; a plurality of front clamping teeth connected to a front end of the base; a closing assembly configured to co-activate with the front clamping teeth to secure the base to the grid; a side gripper configured to hold lateral displacement and lateral change of the vehicle in relation to the grid; Y a front plate linked to the load transmitter by a hinge pin, the front plate includes: a body that has a front side and a back side, a plurality of spaced-apart arms connected to and extending from the body, an upper part of the body and the arms defining an upper curvature on an upper front side of the faceplate, a lower part of the body that defines a lower curvature on the front side of the faceplate, the body includes a plurality of attachment chains of reinforcing tire longitudinally extended and spaced out laterally spaced, and a plurality of spaced apart spacer pins mounted on and extending from the rear side of the body bottom and configured to be inserted into cavities in a front face of the front support member, each latch bolt includes a mounting head and a leg latch connected to and extending from the mounting head, the latching leg includes a connecting end linked to the mounting head and an opposite free end, the latching leg includes a lower latching wall, a latching wall internal, and an outer hook wall defining a hook slot between the connecting end and the opposite free end. 2. The vehicle wheel lock according to claim 1, characterized in that for each latching pin, the mounting head defines at least one pin receiving hole, each pin receiving hole configured to receive a binding pin. 3. The lock for vehicle wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that each latching pin is made of stainless steel. 4. The lock for a vehicle wheel according to claim 1, characterized in that each latching pin is molded in the body of the front plate. 5. The vehicle wheel lock according to claim 1, characterized in that it defines a plurality of openings configured to receive the upper part of a U-shaped hinge pin, and a plurality of hinge pin slots configured to receive a part bottom of the U-shaped hinge pin. 6. The vehicle wheel lock according to claim 5, characterized in that the plurality of openings extended through the arms of the front plate, and wherein the plurality of hinge pin slots are at opposite ends of the body of the plate frontal. 7. The vehicle wheel lock according to claim 5, characterized in that the arms include a plurality of longitudinally extended and outwardly extending reinforcing tire engaging chains. 8. The blocking plate for vehicle wheel for a vehicle wheel lock for a vehicle in a grid, the vehicle wheel lock includes (a) a base having a plurality of bolts configured to fit in the openings in the grid , (b) a rotating load transmitter connected to a rear end of the base, (c) a plurality of front fastening teeth attached to a front end of the base, (d) a closure assembly configured to co-activate with the front gripping teeth to secure the base to the grille; and (e) a lateral fastener configured to hold lateral displacement and lateral change of the vehicle relative to the grille, the locking front plate for vehicle wheel characterized because it includes: a body having a front side and a back side; a plurality of spaced-apart arms connected to and extending from the body; an upper body and arms part defining an upper curvature on an upper front side of the faceplate; a lower part of the body defining a lower curvature on the front side of the faceplate; the body includes a plurality of longitudinally extended and spaced-apart laterally spaced reinforcing tire engaging chains; Y a plurality of spaced apart spacer pins mounted on and extending from the rear side of the body bottom and configured to be inserted into cavities in a front face of the antero support member, each latch bolt includes a mounting head and a leg of latch connected to and extending from the mounting head, the latching leg includes a connecting end flanged to the mounting head and an opposite free end, the latching leg includes a lower latching wall, a latching wall, internal hook, and an outer hook wall defining a hook slot between the connecting end and the opposite free end. 9. The locking plate for the vehicle wheel according to claim 8, characterized in that for each latching pin, the mounting head defines at least one pin receiving hole, each pin receiving hole configured to receive a pin. of Union. 1 0. The locking plate for vehicle wheel according to claim 8, characterized in that each latching pin is made of stainless steel. eleven . The blocking plate for a vehicle wheel according to claim 8, characterized in that each latching pin is molded in the body of the front plate. 12. The locking plate for vehicle wheel according to claim 8, characterized in that it defines a plurality of openings configured to receive the upper part of a U-shaped hinge pin, and a plurality of hinge pin slots configured for receive a lower part of the U-shaped hinge pin. The locking plate for a vehicle wheel according to claim 12, characterized in that the plurality of openings extend through the arms, and wherein the plurality of hinge pin slots are at opposite ends of the body. of the front plate. 14. The front locking block for a vehicle wheel according to claim 12, characterized in that the arms include a plurality of longitudinally extended and outwardly extending reinforcing tire striker chains.