EP0447477B1

EP0447477B1 - Apparatus for locking of cloths, bags, shoes, etc.

Info

Publication number: EP0447477B1
Application number: EP90900877A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Tauno Ilmari Pihlman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-12-12
Filing date: 1989-12-11
Publication date: 1994-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 2009-12-11
Also published as: WO1990007046A1; ATE109858T1; DE68917478T2; CA2004578A1; AU4665789A; EP0447477A1; KR910700391A; FI83803B; FI885741A; DE68917478D1; FI83803C; FI885741A0

Abstract

Coat and bag hanger or apparatus with lock in which cloths are locked between pressing parts (6, 7) and (8, 9) and bag is hanged through its handle in the hook (5). The hanger consists of moveable part (8, 9), which is moved close to stabile part before pressing and screw system, with which pressing parts are pressed against each other. Cloths are locked in the hanger with locking system, with which opening of pressing against each other of pressing parts can be prevented. Unlocking of locking system can be done with several alternative opening and closing methods, such as key system, hole or magnet cards or combination of characters.

Description

The present invention relates to the apparatus for locking of cloths , bags , shoes etc. for preventing stealing of them.
There is a need to store things like cloths, bags, suitcases for instance in shops, restaurants, movies or airports. Usually this is done in cloak room with someone watching things and charging for this service. Anyway in some cases there is no guarded place for things, but things should be left without watching and at the same time being sure that they will not be stolen.
Earlier is known different ways to lock clothes in separate coat hanger as presented in patent publication EP 0 226 648, in which the coat hanger is equipped with a chain. Other end of the chain is connected in the coat hanger. An other end of the chain is led through for instance sleeve of coat and is put around hook of the hanger, the hanger is put on the bar of rack and then the hook is closed around the bar so , that it is forming closed ring around the bar and steeling of the cloth is impossible.
In patent publication CH 470 570 is presented a coat hanger, which can be locked and which is collapsible , the hanger consists several locking functions. The coat hanger's folding arms can be thread through for instance sleeves of the coat so that during threading folding arms are turned and because of length of arms they can not be removed from sleeves of the cloth, thus while arms of the hanger are as locked in the open position the cloth can not be stolen. In the body of the hanger there is also a pressing part which can be locked. Pressing part is equipped with toothed holders, between which clothes can be pressed and locked in this holding position. Besides these functions the hanger is equipped with hanging hook, which can be locked.
In the patent publication DE 26 05 831 is presented a peg for clothes, which can be mounted on the wall and which peg is equipped with two one over another laying hooks of which the lower one can be locked. In the lower hook with ball point cloth or bag can be hung and after this in the upper hook jointed locking arm with cop head can be turned down to the locking position.
In the Finnish patent publication n:o 5393, August 1913 is shown a cloth rack, which is equipped with safety lock, which consists two latch B and C of which B has in its other end two parts. Latch C which is pressed against point b by spring is turned by spring after latch B is pushed in , point b is releasing latch C which is turned against point b2 and with aid of point b2 is returned to its earlier position and at the same time is preventing to push latch B in before latch C is turned with key to its original position.
As difficulties in separate locking construction presented in earlier patent publications EP 0 226 648 and CH 470 570 can be mentioned that a coat hanger is difficult to transport in public places, because hanger has to be carried with and everybody must carry their own ones, because as a loose object the hanger is easily stolen, if it is available for instance in restaurant's cloak room. Also hanger which can be locked is presented in patent publication CH 470 570 is such of its construction that cloth can be damaged because of toothed surfaces in pressing parts, for instance leather cloths are easily damaged in their surfaces. In patent publication DE 26 05 831 and in FI patent publication n:o 5393 presented racks for cloths have a difficulty in the construction that one can not prevent steeling of for instance leather jacket, because the jacket can be hung in these mentioned racks with hanging band and nowadays used bands are easy to cut and the cloth is remaining essentially whole even as stolen by cutting the hanging band. That's why such locking is not effective for preventing stealing.
US patent nr 880,232 comprises a combination of hat, coat and umbrella rack. All three locked objects have a fixing member of their own. The locking jaws have not any pressing system by which a certain pressing force can be achieved between jaw pairs. All three jaws or jaw pairs are locked simultaneously by one key-operated locking system.
The apparatus according to the present invention is providing a significant improvement in earlier mentioned difficulties. Characteristics of the present invention are presented in the patent claim 1.
As a major benefit of present invention can be mentioned that with device according to the present invention cloths, bags, shoes etc. can be locked without defecting them. The device according to the present invention can be stable mounted in the wall or it can be fixed in movable frame and this way the device itself can not be stolen. Also with the device can be achieved remarkable saving in salaries while there is no more need to watch coat racks and coat and bag hangers can be located freely apart from each other, thus crowd around cloak room in public happenings can be avoided. In shops valuable goods like boots can be provided with locking apparatus with electronic alarm.
In following the invention will be examined more closely referring to drawings enclosed in which

Fig 1 shows locking system for cloth and bag hanger.
Fig 2 shows locking-pressing-part as sectional view.
Fig 3 shows arrangement for limiting of torsional moment in handwheel.
Fig 4 shows a ring shaped cloth and bag hanger with locking system.
Fig 5 shows locking system with electronic alarm as fixed in a boot.

Fig 1 shows a cloth and bag hanger, part 1 of which is fixed in a frame through holes 2. Fixed part of the hanger consists part 4, slide 3, arm 5 and part 6 with friction surface 7. In this stabile frame part is with the slide 3 jointed an adjustable moving locking part 4,12, which can turn as mounted on pinion 4 in direction A-B in the slide 3. In the end of locking arm 12 is constructed a locking press, which consist of on the slide 10,11 moving locking part 9, which is moved by handwheel 13. Locking part 9 is covered with soft friction part 8 which is of same material as the friction part 7. The handwheel (13) can be locked in desired position with lock cylinder (14).
In fig 2 is shown a locking and pressing part of coat hanger, in which in the end of stable part (5) of the press is located an extra springy system of the soft friction part 7 against spring-like part 16. On the back surface of the friction part 7 is located a metal plate 15, against which a spring 16 is pressing. The spring 16, which is most advantageously made of rubber, can be resilient in addition to its own resiliency also distance d against the spring. It is advantageous to make surface of the friction part 7 a little bit convex against the cloth.
The part of press located in the lock's 14 side consists of rubber friction part 8, in it mounted metallic plate 18 in which a screw (17) has been firmly fastened, which causes while a nut part 19 is rotating, a movement for parts 10,9, 18,8 to press cloth between friction parts 7,8 or to release cloth. Guidance parts 10 and 11 are guiding movement of pressing part. The nut part 19 is rotated with the handwheel 13. If the lock cylinder's 14 pins are locked with a key out of the cylinder into the handwheel's 13 holes 21, the lock cylinder and with it jointed nut part (19) can be rotated by rotating the handwheel. Then by rotating the handwheel the pressing parts 9,6 with their friction parts are caused to close or open. The slide ring 20 is making the rotation of the nut part 19 easier.
When the cloth is pressed between friction parts and one wants to lock the hanger, the key is removed from the lock cylinder so that the pins 22 which came out of the cylinder are going back into the lock cylinder and rotation connection between the handwheel 13 and the lock cylinder is released. After this the handwheel is rotating freely and its rotating doesn't effect the pressing parts.
In fig 3 is shown in the handwheel integrated system for limiting torsional moment. The handwheel's outer circle is a ring shaped part 13, from which the rotation is led with aid of in the outer circle jointed spring to toothed inner wheel 25, rotation of which can be connected to lock cylinder 14 and in with it combined nut part, when the lock is locked with a key in locked position. The toothing of the inner wheel 25 is such way constructed that while the handwheel's outer circle is rotated too much in closing direction this causes the spring 26 to bend out of the tooth hole and transmission in closing direction is limited. By choosing the shape of teeth can be accomplished that larger torsion moment can be transmitted to opening direction of the press parts with the spring 26, than while rotating in closing direction, which direction is shown with an arrow a. The limiting system of torsional moment is covered with a covering ring 24.
In fig 4 is shown a ring shaped coat and bag hanger, the frame of which is formed af pipes 28,29 with an arc form which are such in their diameters and curvatures that they are forming as placed one into an other a slide system. Outer pipe 28 is jointed to a mounting part 27 with which the hanger is mounted in the wall or equal. Locking of hanged clothes are done with pressing parts which are fixed in the ends of pipes 29 and 28. Friction parts 7 and 8 are jointed on pressing parts 9 and 6 of which the part 6 is jointed to the pipe 28 with pinion 30 so that the pressing part (6) can turn around pinion 30. The pressing part 9 is moved by handwheel 13 and the guiding part 31 is keeping pressing part in right direction.
In fig 5 is shown a locking system with an electronic alarm 35 as fixed in boot 32. The electronic alarm device 35 is mounted in part 34 which is connecting the pressing part 6 and slide 33. Inside the boot 32 is an other pressing part 8,9 which is sliding as guided by parts 10 and 11. The boot 32 is pressed between pressing parts 6 and 8 by rotating handwheel 13 and locked between said pressing parts with the lock 14.
Especially should be observed that device according to the present invention can be fixed in transportable stand. Also in the example mentioned lock with key can be replaced by various locking systems such as magnet card, hole card or an other with transportable object opened lock system. Also locking and unlocking can be arranged to be done without key like object by using as lock a lock system, which is opened with identification or code system.

Claims

Apparatus for locking cloths between jaws (6,9), comprising arms (5,12;28,29), at least one (12,29) of which is movable alowing their mutual opening and closing, wherein mutual pressing of the jaws is carried out by means of a pressing system (13,17,19), characterized in that the pressing system is located in one (8,9) of the jaws, and closes the jaws (6,7,8,9) against each other, comprises a pressing limiting system (25,26) with a torsional moment as well as a pressing locking system (14,23).
Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the pressing jaws (6,9) comprises a combined resilient system with a spring (16).
Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a portable object is used as key for the locking system.
Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the apparatus is portable and comprises an electronic alarm device.