AU630350B2 - Anti-theft device - Google Patents

Description

630350 Form COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged.

"Complete Speclficatioft-Lodiped: MUceptU; Published: Priority ~~Related Art: Name of Applfcant:, DAVID G.

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT IE3VANS AND ASSOCIATES PTY.LTMIT!PD Address of Applicant, 78 PARRAMATTA ROAD, HOMEBUSE, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA Actual Inventor: GEOFFREY TWALTER EVANS Address for Service,, SMITH SllELSTM'%t BEADLE Suite 7, 20'7 Great N~orth R.,ad FIVE DOCK NSW 2046 Complete Specification for the Invention entitled: "ANTI-THEFT DEVICE" CE 07 7~ 5 0Is/ 0S/:F19 The following statement is a full description of this Invention, Including the best methoJ of performing It knownl to me:- U Complete arter provisLonal PI 8177 dated 5 iMay 1988 2 This invention relates to anti-theft devices of the kind whereby two components may be secured together by the device. The invention was devised primarily for use as a car anti-theft device, when the two components may be the steering wheel and a clutch or brake foot pedal, and is described primarily in relation to that application hereinafter, however it will be appreciated that devices according to the invention are applicable generally to any situation wherein relative separation or movement of two components (for example, a gate and gate post, the two leaves of a double swing door or a wheel and the frame of a parked motor cycle) is to be prevented.

SoA well known vehicle anti-theft device comprises two crooks, each having straight shanks of which one is telescopically slideable within the other, and a keyso" operable locking device to releasably secure the shanks against telescopic movement at any one of a number of positions within their range of travel. In use the hooked end of one crook is hooked over the rim of a vehicle's .:0O steering wheel, the hooked end of the other crook is hook-d around the shank of thb vehicle's clutch or brake pedal, the device is then shortened as much as possible, by S sliding one shank into the other, to prevent the hooked ends from being freely removable from the steering wheel and pedal, and then the device is locked in that shortened i condition.

While such prior known devices are effective against what may be termed casual thieves or joy riders, they are ineffective against so-called professional thieves who may use a lever-like implement and enough force to straighten out a crook sufficiently to allow the device to be removed without it being unlocked.

An object of bhe present invention is to remedy that deficiency of that prior known type of device by very simple means.

L I' The invention consists in an anti-theft device comprising a first crook comprising a first shank and a first prong parallel to the first shank, a second crook comprising a second shank and a second prong parallel to the second shank, one of said second shank or second prong telescoping with said first shank, an elongate keeper piece, one end of which is engageable with said first prong as an extension thereof and the other end of which then telescopes with one or other of said second shank or second prong, and lockable means to fix the crooks in any one of a plurality of positions within a predetermined range of positions, in which positions the elongate keeper piece extends from said first prong to one or other of said second shank or second prong, so that the two crooks and the elongate keeper pieoe constitute a closed loop.

In preferred embodiments the keeper piece is a tube and the shank of the first crook is tubular. In this event the second crook and the prong of the first crook may be made of solid rod and may slide within the tubular components. However the situation may be reversed and the terms such as telescope or telescopic are intended to cover any arrangement in which two parts may be connected for sliding movement to modify their combined length.

By way of example, two embodiments of the above described invention are described in more detail below with "reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle anti-theft device according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional plan view of the device of figure 1 takon on line 2-2 of that figure.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to figure 2 of another anti-theft device according to the invention.

7 I I i r~ Figure 5 is a view similar to figure 3 of the device of figure 4.

The device illustrated by figures 1, 2 and 3 includes a first crook 6, being the crook which would normally engage the brake or clutch pedal of the vehicle. It comprises a U-shaped steel rod, one arm of which constitutes a first prong 7, and the other arm of which extends into and is fixed, by plug welding at 9, to a tube, which thus constitutes a tubular shank 10 of the first crook 6.

The other or second crook 11 of this embodiment comprises a single length of steel rod formed into a Jshaped piece. The longer arm of the J constitutes the shank 12 of the crook 11 and the shorter arm of the J constitutes the prong 13 of the crook.

The shank 12 is waisted at closely spaced intervals along its length. It is a neat but sliding fit within the bore of the first shank A keeper tube 14 is sleeved upon the confronting .0 prongs 7 and 13 of the two crooks, The keeper tube 14 may be made from the same material as that of the shank 10 and is a neat but sliding fit upon the two prongs 7 and 13.

The keeper tube distinguishes the invention from the prior art and renders it difficult for a would-be thief to obtain purchase on the crook prongs if attempting to straighten the crooks by manual force.

A stop in the form of a plug 15 within the bore of the keeper tube 14 near one end thereof limits the extent to which the prong 7 of the first crook 6 may enter the corresponding end of the keeper tube 14.

t~ r i Two spaced apart guide blocks 16 and 17 may be provided. Each is pierced by the tubular Ihank 10 and the keeper tube 14. The shank 10 is fixi to the guide blocks 16 and 17, but the keeper tube 14 is freely slideable within the blocks.

Guide block '7 may accommodate a spring loaded ball detent 18 able to slide in an open ended bore in the guide block. The ball 18 obtrudes through a hole in the wall of the shank 10 of the first crook 6 into any one of the waisted zones of the shank 12 of the second crook 11 thereby to resiliently define a plurality of operating positions for the second crook 11 relative to the first crook 6.

ee The guide block 17 may also house key releasable '5 lockable means 19 whereby the crooks and keeper tubes may be fixed in any one of said operating positions or released for free sliding movement as desired.

Those lockable means 19 may comprise a pair of spring loaded latch bolts 20 and a manually operable plunger 21 which may be pressed to enter between the latch bolts and move them outwardly of the guide block 17. When so moved one latch bolt 20 may extend through a hole in the wall of the shank 10 of the first crook 6 into engagement with a waisted zone of the shank 12 of the second crook 11, and the other latch bolt 20 may engage a hole in the wall of the keeper tube 14. Thus both crooks and the keeper tube are held together as a single entity. The plunger 21 may be part of a conventional key released, push button lock 22. In that event the plunger 21 latches automatirally into the pressed in position until released by insertion and rotation of a key.

In use, assuming the lockable means are unlocked, the second crook 11 may be slid to the right, as seen in figure 2 to the position shown in that figure in broken 6 line. This permits the keeper tube 14 to be disengaged from the first prong 7 which may then be hooked around the vehicle's brake pedal (or other component to be secured).

It also enables the second prong 13 to be hooked around the steering wheel rim or the like. The keeper tube may be reengaged with the prong 7 and the second crook thereafter may be telescoped into the keeper tube and the first crook as far as possible. The crooks may then be re-locked.

The anti-theft device of figures 4 and 5 incorporates individual components the same as, or very similar to, those of the first described embodiment. Those components are not further described below but are given reference numerals in the drawings the same as those of the corresponding components in figures 1 to 3. This second .5 embodiment differs from the first primarily in that the second crook 11 is turned over so that its shank 12 slides in the keeper tube 14 and its prong 13 slides in the shank 10 of the first crook 6, in that the guide block 16 of the first embodiment is omitted, and in that the plunger 21 of its lockable means directly engages the waisted part of the shank 12 through a. hole in the keeper tube 14.

For preference all of the steel component, of both embodiments are case hardened and may bo c'omium plated.

The guide blocks may be die castings.

It will be appreciated that the details of the above described embodiments may be varied considerably at the choice of the designer without departing from the scope of the present invention. This applies especially to the lockable means which may be any conventional key operable or combination lock adapted to prevent sliding separation of the crooks, indeed those means may be a separable padlock with its shackle extending through appropriately positioned holes through the telescoping components or through lugs thereon.

Claims (4)

1. An anti-theft device comprising a first crook comprising a first shank and a first prong parallel to the first shank, a second crook comprising a second shank and a second prong parallel to the second shank, one of said second shank or second prong telescoping with said first shank, an elongate keeper piece, one end of which is engageable with said first prong as an extension thereof and the other end of which then telescopes with one or other of said second shank or second prong, and lockable means to fix the crooks in any one of a plurality of positions within a predetermined range of positions, in which positions the elongate keeper piece extends from said first prong to one or other of said second shank or second prong so that the two crooks and the elongate keeper piece constitute a closed loop.

2. An anti-theft device according to claim 1 wherein the said first shank bears one or more guide blocks through which said second shank, se(cond prong and guide piece extend to guide their telescopic movement.

3. An anti-theft device according to either claim 1 or o "'claim 2 wherein said keeper piece is a tube and wherein o said first prong enteGs one end thereof for engagement therewith. S*

4. An anti-theft device according to claim 3 wherein the 0. :25 extent to which said first prong may enter said tube is limited by a stop within the bore of the tube. I C 8 An anti-theft device substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1 to 3 or figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings. DATED this twenty-third day of July 1992 DAVID G. EVANS AND ASSOCIATES PTY. LIMITED Attorney: Robert G. Shelston Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia of CARTER SMITH BEADLE 0* 0* 0* 0 r~I pll 1 ~-14111r 1 ill iC;