GB2258264A - Ring lock for bicycles - Google Patents

Abstract

A bicycle lock has an arcuate sliding locking axle (4), together with a coil spring to pull it, mounted in an arcuate lock case body (1) having a gap in its periphery, while on one side of the lock case body is fitted a locking means in its own separate housing (12) to actuate the locking action of the locking axle (4). This device makes it possible to first assemble the main case body (1) and the locking means in mutually separate processes, after which they are united together to make a ring lock, thereby facilitating its assembling work and improve productivity. <IMAGE>

Description

Ring Lock For Bicycles The present invention relates to a ring lock for bicycles which is so designed for fitting on the frame of a bicycle as to straddle its tyre.

The known locks of this kind such as, for example, the Utility Model Kokai Publication No. 41576 of 1989, are so structured that the main case body which is hollow and ring-shaped but open at its lower portion is formed by uniting an upper case mold and a lower case mold into one single body with their respective lower ends oppositely disposed to and distanced from each other to provide an opening therebetween, and said upper and lower case components are both provided with a casing part extending from one side which are united together to form the extended part of the main case body and accommodate a locking means in an open space formed between the upper and lower casing parts.

In manufacturing such known type of ring lock for bicycles, the process of assembling the main case body incorporated as an integral.part.the inclusion of of the lock means provided with a key-guiding part into the main case assembly because of the following structure: Protrudingly established on the fitting part of the lower case mold extending leftward are such projections as a support axis for a stopper member, the key-guiding part and an alert stopper member for allowing only a designated key to be inserted in the lock means. These projections are formed on the fitting part as its united parts.The stopper member carrying at its one end a cutout part to co-operate with the key-guiding part and at its other end a beaked or hooked part to engage in the locking part of the locking axle, as well as a springloaded pin to press the stopper member in a direction for engagement with said locking. part, are rigidly mounted on these projections. On the other hand, on the arcuate main body of this lower case mold are mounted the arcuate locking axle and a coil spring to pull it in an unlocking direction. With the above arrangement of these elements, an upper case mold is placed over them to cover, whereupon the overlapping portions of the upper and lower case molds extending inwardly from their arcuate edges are overlapped and then pierced in that state by a rivet pin.And then, the metal plate part of a band member for fixing the case body onto a bicycle is laid on the reverse side and simpler, thereby improving its productivity.

According to the present invention there is provided a ring lock for bicycles comprising a hollow ring-shaped main case body formed by uniting an upper case mold and a lower case mold into one body with their respective lower ends positioned opposite to each other to leave the lower part of the case body open, an arcuate locking axle mounted in the case body and so disposed as to slide from one end of the lower part of the case body into the other end thereof at the time of an unlocking operation, a coil spring also mounted inside the case body and so disposed as to press the locking axle toward its unlocking direction constantly, a locking means provided on one side of the case body and a stopper member housed in the locking means in such a manner as to stick out to engage in a lock-setting part provided on the side of the locking axle, wherein said locking means is solidly fitted inside a cover case which is made as a separate unit from said case body, said locking means together with said cover case being rigidly fixed to a fitting part formed on said lower case mold as its integral part and also having said stopper member stick out for engagement in said lock-setting part of said locking axle.

As mentioned above, the present device, providing such structure wherein the locking means is solidly set or fitted inside a separate cover case unit from the main case body and said locking means is, together with the cover case housing it, rigidly fixed to the fitting part formed integrally on said lower case mold, makes the work of assembling the locking means and the work of lapping over or combining the upper case mold and the lower case mold into the main case body housing both the locking axle and the coil spring two mutually separate processes, thereby rendering the respective manufacturing processes easier and improving their productivity.

According to the present device, the locking means housed in said cover case can be a key-type locking means designed to cause said stopper member to shift to an unlocking position by means of a key member, in which case the structure becomes of the overlapped part and fixed in that position by riveting the rivet pin.

As mentioned, in the case of such bicycle ring lock whose manufacture involves integrated and simultaneous work of assembling the main case body and incorporating the lock means therein, the assembling work makes it necessary to identify or determine the difference of a key-guiding cutout formed in the key-hole of the fitting portion of the lower case component of the main case body, select. an appropriate locking means and a key corresponding to the guiding part and then include or incorporate the locking means in the main case assembly.

Also, the manufacture of such bicycle ring lock involved an extremely complicated assembling work for the main case body, since its upper case mold or cover is placed over its lower case mold while carrying out simultaneously the work of holding the stopper member in position against the force of the spring-loaded pin at one end of the lower case mold and the work of holding the arcuate locking axle in a given position against the tractive force of the coil spring at its other end.

Accordingly, it has been desired to make the assembling work of this bicycle ring lock easier even simpler, making the manufacture much easier.

The locking means housed in said cover case may take the form of a push-button type means provided with a plurality of push buttons whose top ends project above the cover case, which type is so designed as to cause said stopper member to shift to its unlocking position by the pre-determined operation of the push buttons and the unlocking plate. This type of locking means has a novelty in appearance over any known type of ring lock for use on bicycles, thereby strongly appealing to the user.

The aforementioned key-type locking means may have a modified structure which comprises a combination of said cover case, a base plate solidly secured to said cover case by engaging its front and rear contact points securely with said cover case and so disposed as to leave an opening between it and the cover case for accommodating or housing the locking means, an alert or detective stopper member laid over said base plate in a manner so as to slide forward and backward thereon with its both sides guided by the base plate, a stopper member pin-hinged to the base plate and laid over the alert stopper member in such a manner as to swing laterally thereon and having a contact point at its one end engage in a key-insertion hole formed by and between the side wall of said base plate and the side edge of said alert stopper member, while having a beaked point at its other end stick out to be positioned for engagement in the lock-setter part of said locking axle and further having its mid-point engage one end of said alert stopper member in order to detect and stop any unauthorised unlocking, a spring-loaded pin member pivoted onto a support axis provided on said base plate and so disposed as to have its one end hook said alert stopper member and its other end hook said stopper member so as to press the stopper member constantly to stick out into the position of engagement in the lock-setting part of said locking axle, and a key member disposed to have its tip end engage the contact point of said stopper member inside the key-insertion slot after it was inserted in the key hole formed on the side of said cover case and then have its guide holes (which pierce through the front and back sides of the key member) engaged by the guide points formed ruggedly on the side edge of said stopper member.

This modified type has such advantages as making rampant or unauthorised unlocking difficult and also making the unlocking or opening action of bicycle lock easy by the use of a reversible type of key provided with the guide parts on both sides.

According to the present device, the aforementioned push-button type locking means may have a modified structure which comprises a combination of a cover case carrying push buttons and the same number of holes thereon, a base plate member rigidly secured to the cover case as to form a single body by having the raised and recessed parts provided at its front and rear edges securely engage the front and rear parts of said cover case and so disposed as to form a space between it and the cover case for accommodating the locking means therein, a re-set plate member disposed to have its front and rear upright parts h engage in the guide holes provided at the front and rear ends of the base plate member and laid underneath said base plate in such a manner as to slide back and forth thereon and also provided with parallel-arranged raised and recessed edges lengthwise, each said edge being of a size corresponding to the width of the set spring of each push button and furthermore having its re-set button stick out slightly towards the side of the front part of said cover case, a plurality of push buttons provided each with a recovery spring which is borne or supported by a spring bearing provided on the base plate member so as to cause the top end of each said spring to rise above the hole of said cover case, which spring being provided on the same side a guide part made up of raised and recessed edges and also on its other side a set spring as its integral unit whose lower end is hook-shaped so as to be able to engage or hook the raised and recessed edges of the re-set plate member, an unlocking plate member carrying a notched part at its side edge for engagement with the guide part formed on the side of the push button and so disposed as to slide forward and backward, which unlocking plate being further provided with a press-contact part at its one end opposite to the side of the front part of the cover case so as to actuate a stopper member to turn in the unlocking direction and at its other end with an unlocking push button which projects toward the side of the rear part of said cover case, the stopper member provided at its one end with an actuating part which engages the press-contact part of the unlocking plate and at. its other end with a hooked part which sticks out toward the position of engagement with the lock-setting part of the locking axle, said stopper member being swingably pivoted onto a knock pin which is secured to the under-side of the cover case perpendicularly and fitted rigidly to the fitting part of the lower case mold of said main case body together with the cover case and the locking means, a spring-loaded pin member mounted on the knock pin in such a manner as to press the stopper member constantly to stick out into the position of engagement in the lock-setting part of the locking axle, and a pressure spring disposed to force said re-set plate member towards the position of engaging or hooking the set spring of each push button.

This modified type structure serves to -flat- ten the push-button type locking means designed to be fixed, together with the cover case, onto the fitting part formed integrally on the lower case mold, making it easy to see and handle in actual use. Additionally, this locking means may be provided with the increased number of push buttons so as to make rampant or unauthorised unlocking more difficult.

According to the present device, the aforementioned locking means may have a further modified structure wherein the re-setting plate is provided with a protrusion at a position close to the side part of the locking axle, while said locking axle is provided on that side with a hook-contact point which is brought into contact with said protrusion at the time of reciprocating movement of the lock-setting part of said locking axle (that is, in the course of its reciprocating movement wherein the lock-setting part sliding in a locking direction together with the locking axle passes the position of the hooked point of the stopper member against the force of said spring-loaded pin and returns to its lock-setting position by the tractive force of said coil spring) so as to actuate the re-setting action of said re-setting plate, and said stopper member is further provided with a positioning part which holds the hooked point of the stopper member in its locking position by its engagement with the side part of the locking axle for a length corresponding to the length or distance of said reciprocating movement.

This modified structure has an advantage in that the protrusion which has passed the beaked contact point of the stopper member when the locking axle moves into a locking position will cause said hooked contact point to shift towards a re-setting direction by the action of returning to its lock-setting position and releasing the engagement of each push button by the re-setting plate, thereby permitting the re-setting action with automatic restoration.

Providing of the positioning part on said stopper member has an advantage in that since said positioning part is of the length corresponding to the length or distance of the reciprocating travel of said locking axle for the purpose of locking action and said part is held in contact with the side part of said axle for that length, the hooked point of the stopper member is retained in its position by said positioning part even.after the tip.of the locksetting part of the locking axle has passed it, thereby ensuring the engagement of the stopper member and the lock-setting part.

In addition, the present device may have another modified structure wherein said locking axle is formed in the shape of the letter U with its lower part left open and is provided with a buffer spring inside thereof, while the lower case mold of said main case body is provided with a projection to receive and support said buffer spring at the open part of the locking axle.

This modified structure has an advantage in that it can reduce the impact'noise generated at the time the locking axle is unlocked by the traction of the coil spring, by reason of the buffer effect that is produced by the contact or conflict of said buffer spring and said projection. It has the additional advantage of increasing the durability since the wear of said locking axle can be prevented.

The present device may have another modified structure wherein the upper and lower case molds composing said main case body are both provided with a set of right and left overlapping portions extending inwardly from.the.

arcuate inner eages thereof and a pair of upright parts formed on the overlapping portion of the upper case mold are disposed to pierce a pair of holes formed on the overlapping portion of the lower case mold, the tip ends of said upright parts further piercing a fitting band for fitting the ring lock onto a bicycle and riveted in that position, thereby uniting said upper and lower case molds and the fitting band together.

This modified structure can unite an upper case mold and a lower case mold together without using a knock pin and a rivet pin, thereby reducing the number of component parts and the number of manufacturing processes.

The present device may have still another modified structure wherein the upper and lower case molds composing said main case body are both provided with a set of right and left overlapping portions extending inwardly from the arcuate inner edges thereof, and onto the under-side of which is fixed a fitting band carrying a screw hole on both ends for fitting the ring lock onto a bicycle, said fitting band having one of its screw holes formed as a female screw hole with a shouldered twotier peripheral edge tapering towards the direction of screw turning.

In fitting this type of ring lock onto a bicycle, when a screw piercing the screw hole on one end of the fitting band wound on the fork of a bicycle is screwed into the female screw hole on its other end and then tightened between the female screw hole and the head of the screw, this modified structure has the advantage of making the screwing tighter, because the resistance to the tractive force of the screw is produced in the shouldered twotier female screw hole to give enough strength.

Some examples of the embodiment of the present device will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, as follows: Figure 1 represents an exploded perspective view of an embodiment 1 of the present device, Figure 2 represents an exploded perspective view, partly in an assembled state, of the embodiment 1, Figure 3 represents an exploded perspective view, partly in an assembled state, of an embodiment 2 of the present device, Figure 4 represents an exploded perspective view of the key locking means of the embodiment 1, Figure 5 represents an exploded perspective view of the push-button locking means of the embodiment 2, Figure 6 represents a front view, partly in section, of the push-button locking means of the embodiment 2, Figure 7 represents an enlarged cross-section view, partly cut out, of the push-button locking means of the embodiment 2, Figure 8 represents an exploded perspective view, partly in an assembled state, of the fitting band portion, Figure 9 represents a vertically sectioned view, partly cut out, of the main case body, showing its linear arrangement, and Figure 10 represents a plan view, partly in section, of the main case body, showing its linear arrangement.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a hollow ring-shaped case body formed by uniting together a lower case mold 2 having the shape of a shallow dish plate in cross section and an upper case mold 3 of the reverse U shape in cross section with their lower parts disposed opposite to each other so as to leave the lower part of the case body open. The numeral' 4 indicates an arcuate locking axle slidably accommodated in the case body 1 together with a coil spring 5 which is disposed to pull the locking axle 4 towards its unlocking position constantly, said locking axle 4 being disposed to slide from one end of the lower part of said case body 1 into the other end thereof at the time of a locking operation.The letter R indicates a locking means provided on the left side of the front part of said case body 1 and accommodating therein a stopper member 6 whose tip end resiliently projects outward so as to engage in a lock-setting part 7 which has been cut out on the side wall of said locking axle 4. The numeral 8 indicates a cover case, made as a separate unit from the case body 1, accommodating the locking means R as its integral part.

The numeral 9 indicates a knock pin piercing the cover case 8 and rigidly secures said case 8 and the locking means R onto a fitting part 10 formed on the lower case mold 2 at one side of the case body 1 as an integral or united body.

In the embodiment 1 shown in Figs.l, 2 and 4, said locking means R uses a key locking means Rl.

This key-type locking means R1 comprises, as in Fig.4, a base plate 12 accommodated inside the cover case 8, an alert stopper member 13, a stopper 6, a spring-loaded pin 14, a key member K which is inserted in a key hole (not shown in Fig.4) provided at the front side of the cover case 8 (i.e., on the right-hand side of the cover case 8 according to Fig.

4) and the abovesaid knock pin 9 which rigidly fixes said locking means R1 and cover case 8 to the fitting part 10 of the said lower case mold 2, said knock pin 9 working also as a support axis.

The base plate 12 is secured rigidly to the cover case 8 as if they formed one united body by having its recessed parts 11 and raised parts 11 securely engage in the front and rear edges of the cover case 8. Between said plate 12 and said cover case 8 is provided a space S to accommodate the locking means R1. The alert stopper member 13 is slideably laid over the base plate 12 so as to slide foward and backward on the plate 12 (i.e., from the right-hand side to the left-hand side according to Fig. 4) with its both sides guided by the contour of the base plate 12.

The stopper member 6 is pin-hinged onto the base plate 12 and laid over the alert stopper member 13 swingably so as to freely swing laterally thereon.

The stopper 6 carries at its one end a contact edge 17 which sticks out slightly into an insertion slot 16 for a key K formed by and between the side wall of the base plate 12 and the side edge of the alert stopper 13. Said stopper 6 also carries at its tip end a hooked part 18 which sticks out slightly into the locking cutout part 7 of the locking axle 4 at the point of their contact. In addition, the stopper 6 has its middle portion contact or engage one end of the alert stopper member 13. By such arrangement of the stopper 6 and the alert stopper 13, any unauthorised unlocking-can bç alerted or.detected and stopped. The spring-loaded pin 14 is disposed to engage a support axis 19 provided on the base plate 12.

The pin 14 has its one end hooked onto the aler stopper 13 and its other end hooked onto the stopper 6 so as to cause the stopper 6 constantly to stick out and hold itself in the position of engagement with .the:lock-setting part .7 of the locking axle 4.

And, the key K is inserted in the key hole and pushed in to cause the recessed point 20 of its tip end to engage the contact edge 17 of the stopper 6 inside the key insertion slot 16. When the key K is pushed in deeper against the force of the springloaded pin 14, the stopper 6 is caused to turn leftwise in relation to Fig. 4, whereupon the hooked part 18 is shifted to an unlocking position. The numeral 21 indicates a guide edge formed with recessed and raised parts on one side of the stopper 6, and the numeral 22 indicates guide holes penetrating the front and rear sides of the key K. The guide edge 21 engages in the guide holes 22 when said stopper member 6 is turned leftwise in relation to Fig. 4 to move into an unlocking position, thereby confirming that the key K is the right one.

The recessed tip end 20 and the guide holes 22 of the key K are both provided symmetrically in relation to the center line of the flat key body - that is - symmentrical as viewed from both sides of the key K, so that the key K may be used with its either side in a reversible manner.

The key-type locking means R1 constructed as above, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is laid over the fitting part 10 solidly formed on the side of the lower mold 2 of the case body 1 which consists of the upper mold 3 and the lower mold 2 which were manufactured separately but assembled together to form a single body, and then fixed rigidly onto the fitting part 10 by riveting down the knock pin 9 piercing through a pin hole 40 provided on the cover case 8. At the same time, the hooked part 18 at the tip of the stopper 6, extending sideways, is disposed to contact the side of the locking axle 4 at its open or unlocked position.An arcuate eaveslike edge 15 protruding from the arcuate side of the cover case 8 is disposed to engage in an arcuate cutout 23 provided on the upper mold 3 at its opposite location, thereby covering the joint of the cover case 8 and the case body 1.

In an embodiment example 2 shown in Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 7, said locking means R uses a push-button type of locking means R2.

This push-button type locking means R2 comprises, as shown in Fig. 5, the cover case 8, push buttons 24, a base plate 26, a re-set plate 34, an unlocking plate 44, a stopper member 6, a spring-loaded pin 14, a pressure spring 46, and a knock pin 9 which rigidly fixes the cover case 8 accommodating this locking means R2 therein onto the fitting part 10 of the lower mold 2 of the case 1, said pin working also as a support axis.

The cover case 8 is provided with eight push buttons 24 and the same number of holes 25 arranged in two rows. The base plate 26 is secured rigidly to the cover case 8 as if they formed one solid body by having its recessed and raised contact points 11,11 securely engage in the front and rear edges of the case 8 in such a manner as to form a space S between them to accommodate the locking means R2 therein.

The re-set plate 34 is laid underneath the base plate 26 in a manner so as to freely slide forward and backward and has a set of upright edges 28 at its front and rear ends engage in a set of guide holes 27 provided at the front and rear parts of the base plate 26. The re-set plate 34 is also provided with parallel-arranged raised edges 31 and recessed edges 32 length-wise, each having a size corresponding to the width of set springs 30 of the push buttons 24. A re-set button 33 is disposed to stick out slightly in the slide of the front part of the cover case 8.

Each of the push buttons 24 is provided with a recovery spring 36 which is borne and supported by a spring bearing 35 provided on the base plate 26, said push button having its top end 29 stick upward through the hole 25 of the cover case 8 and being provided in its internal side a guide part 37 composed of a recessed part 37' and a raised part 37". The push button 24 carries as its integral part a set spring 30 at its other side (external side), whose lower end is shaped in a hook form so disposed as to engage or hook the raised edge 38 and recessed edge 39 of the re-set plate 34. The push buttons 24 so composed are mounted inside the accommodation space S in a .vertical- ly movable manner.

The unlocking plate 44 carries a notched edge 41 at its both sides for engagement with the guide part 37 provided on the side of the push button 29, and is mounted laterally on the upper central part of the base plate 26 in a manner so as to slide forward and backward thereon. This unlocking plate 44 also carries at its on end a contact point 42 for engagement with the internal side of the front part of the cover case 8 to turn the stopper 6 into an unlockiing direction and is provided with the unlocking push-button 43 at its other end, which sticks out on the side of the rear end of the cover case 8. The stopper 6 carries at one end an operating part 45 for engagement with the contact part 42 of this unlocking plate 44 and has a hook part 18 at its other end stick out into a position for contact with'the lock-setting.part 7 of the locking axle 4.The stopper 6 is swingably pivoted onto the knock pin 9 which is provided perpendicularly on the underside of the cover case 8.

The spring-loaded pin 14 is fitted onto the knock pin 9 coaxially with the stopper 6 so as to press the stopper 6 constantly to stick out into a position for elastic engagement with the lock-setting part of the locking axle 4. The pressure spring 46 is interposed between the contact point 42 of the unlocking plate 44 and the upright edge 28 formed at one end of the re-set plate 34 in such a manner as to press the re-set plate 34 and constantly hold it in the position for engagement with the hook spring 30 of the push button 24.

The push-button type locking means R2 constructed as above is, as shown in Fig. 3 and as in the case of the abovementioned example 1 of the embodiment, laid over the fitting part 10 solidly formed on the side of the lower mold 2 of the case body 1 which consists of the upper mold 3 and the lower mold 2 which were manufactured separately and assembled together to form a single unit and, then, fixed rigidly onto said fitting part 10 by riveting down the knock pin 9 piercing through the pin hole 40 provided on the cover case 8. the hooked part 18 at the tip edge of the stopper 6, protruding therefrom sideways, is disposed to press-contact the side of the locking axle 4 which is in an unlocking position.An arcuate eaves-like edge 15 protruding from the arcuate edge of the cover case 8 is disposed to engage in the arcuate cutout 23 provided on the upper mold 3 at its opposite location.

Now, by way of explaining the locking and the unlocking of this push-button type locking means R2, as far as the locking operation is concerned, it can be done, as in the cases of the aforesaid embodiment example 1 and the conventional ring lock for bicycles, by turning the locking axle 4 in a locking direction (anticlock-wise as illustrated) and causing the lock-setting part 7 to hook the beaked point 18 of the stopper member 8.As for the unlocking operation, it comprises two steps, the first step of pushing down a plurality of appropriate push buttons to release the unlocking plate 44 which has been rendered unslideable by its engagement with the push buttons 24 and the second step of pressing the unlocking push button 43 to cause the unlocking plate 44 to move up against the force of the pressure spring 46 and turning the stopper member 6 in an anticlock-wise direction through the contact part 42 and the operating part 45 to disengage the beaked part 18 from the locksetting part 7.

To further illustrate, the push button 24 which was pushed down acts on the springy hook member 30 to bend in its downward movement and pass over the raised part 31 of the re-setting plate 34 to have the beaked point of said springy hook at its lower end hook onto the lower edge of said raised part 31, whereupon the movement of said push button stops. Each guiding part 37, composed of the recessed part 7' and the raised part 7", formed on the push button 24 is then caused to fit in or mesh with the rugged edge 41 of the unlocking plate 44 by the operation of the given push buttons, whereupon the unlocking plate 44 is released.

Also, when the re-setting button 33 of the re-setting plate 34 is pushed down, the re-setting plate 34 is caused to move so as to bring the recessed edge 39, instead of the raised edge 38, into engagement with the springy hook 30, whereupon all push buttons 24 return to the original position.

Said re-setting plate 34 carries the projection 47 on its one side close to the locking axle 4 (which side becoming the inner side of a lock), while the locking axle 4 carries the hook-contact point 48 disposed to engage this projection 47 at the end of its locking process. Also, the tip end of the stopper member 6 is extended lengthwise to form a narrow elongated positioning part 49.

Said projection 47 and hook-contact part 48 are brought into engagement with each other in the course of the reciprocating movement in which the tip end of the lock-setting part 7 of the locking axle 4 passing the hooked part 18 of the stopper member 6 at the end of its locking movement is pulled by said coil spring S and returned to its lock-setting position, after which they together travel back and forth within a short distance ( the distance corresponding to the width of the springy hook 30).

The setback of the projection 47 at the time of their forward travel actuates the re-setting action of the re-setting plate 34 to release the push button 24, whereupon the setback of the hook-contact part 48 actuates the restoration of the projection 47 by the force of the pressure spring 46. ( reference made to Fig.6) During said locking process, the positioning part 49 is held in contact with the side of the locking axle 4 and restrain the tip end of the stopper member 6 from entering the lock-setting part 7 deeply while the tip of the lock-setting part 7 returns to its locking position after passing the hooked point 18 of the stopper 6.

This push-button type locking means R2 as structured above and the aforesaid key-type locking means R1 are both formed in almost the same exterior shape, and as shown in Figs.l, 2 and 3, thy are structured such that they may be fitted selectively and interchangeably onto the fitting part 10 of the main case body 1 composed of the upper case mold 3 and the lower case mold 2 in the same shape.

Said locking axle 4 is, as shown in Fig.7, formed in the shape of the letter U with its lower part open and houses a coil-shaped buffer spring 51. A handle member 50 for use for locking operation, whose upper end projects upward, has its lower end stick out inside the locking axle 4 so as to hook on the buffer spring 51.

On the other hand, the lower case mold 2 of the main case body 1 is provided with.a protrusion 52 so as to receive this buffer spring 51 at the unlocking position of the locking axle 4. This arrangement serves to buffer the shock or impact generated when the locking axle returns to the original position by the tractive force of the coil spring 5, thereby restaining the generation of the impact noise and permitting quiet unlocking operation.

Also, said handle 50 for locking operation carries at its upper end, as shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 7, a knob member 56 which is supported by a hinge axis 53 and a push-up spring 54 and provided with a stopper member 55 of larger diameter at the underside of its front end, said knob member being so disposed as to swing forward and backward, while at the locking end of an arcuate groove 57 provided on the upper side of the locking axle 4 which accommodates said handle 50 is provided a large-diameter part 58 to accommodate said stopper member 55. By disposing the stopper member 55 carried at the front end of the knob member 56 which is acted upon by said push-up spring 54 intb said accommodation part 58, a safety measure is in effect whereby the locking action of the locking axle 4 is rendered inoperative unless the stopper member 55 is released therefrom.

Further, the rear side of the front part of this knob memeber 56 is formed in slope so that the locking operation wherein the locking axle 4 moves in left-turn or counterclockwise can be actuated by the operation -of pushing down the sloped side with a fingerstip.

The upper case mold 3 and the lower case mold 2 composing said main case body 1 are both provided with, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a set of right and left overlapping portions 59 and 60 extending inwardly from the arcuate inner edges thereof, and a pair of upright parts 61 formed on the overlapping portion 59 of the upper case mold 3 are disposed to pierce a pair of holes 62 provided on the overlapping portion 60 of the lower case mold 2. Also, as shown in Fig. 8, a fitting band 63 carrying a set of screw holes 64 and 65 at its both ends for fitting a ring lock onto a bicycle' is laid underneath the overlapped part, after which the tip end of said upright part 61 is riveted so as to unite this fitting band 63, the upper case mold 3 and the lower case mold 2 together to complete the main case body 1.

One of the female screw holes 65 on said fitting band 63 is, as also shown in Fig. 8, formed as a shouldered two-tier female screw hole 65 tapering off in the direction of screw tightening, making itself a special female screw 65 equipped with sufficient strength in spite of its being made of thin metal sheet.

According to the present device wherein, as explained above, a locking means is assembled and completed independently and then fixed onto the fitting part of the main case body which is a united body of the upper and lower case molds, it becomes possible to perform separately the work of assembling the main case body by uniting the upper and lower case molds into a single unit while accommodating or housing therein an arcuate locking axle and a tractive coil spring and the work of assembling a locking means by incorporating a stopper member and other components therein against the builtup force of a spring-loaded pin and other components in two different processes, thereby rendering the assembling work easier and also providing the practical effect of improving work efficiency over the manufacturing of the conventional ring lock for bicycles wherein all the assembling work had to be carried out in an integrated process.

Key to Symbols 1 - main case body 2 - lower case mold 3 - upper case mold 4 - locking axle 5 - coil spring 6 - stopper member 7 - lock-setting part R - locking means R1 - key-type locking R2 - push-button means locking means 8 - cover K - key member 9 - knock pin 10 - fitting part 11 - contact part 12 - base plate 13 - Alert stopper 14 - spring-loaded pin 15 - protruding edge 16 - key-insertion slot 17 - contact point 18 - hooked or beaked part 19 - support axis 20 - recessed part 21 - guide part 22 - guide hole 23 - cut-out 24 - push-button 25 - hole 26 - base plate 27 - guide hole S - accommodating space 28 - upright edge 29 - top end 30 - set spring 31 - raised edge 32 - recessed edge 33 - reset button 34 - reset plate 35 - spring bearing 36 - recovery spring 37 - guide part 37'- recessed part 37"- raised part 38 - raised edge 39 - recessed edge 40 - pin hole 41 - rugged part 42 - contact part 43 - unlocking push-button 44 - unlocking plate 45 - operating part 46 - pressure spring 47 - projection 48 - contact part 49 - positioning part 50 - handle 51 - buffer spring 52 - projection 53 - hinge axis 54 - push-up spring 55 - stopper 56 - knob 57 - arcuate groove 58 - inserting part 59 - overlapping part 60 - overlapping part 61 - upright part or edge 62 - penetrating hole 63 - fitting band 64 - screw hole 65 - female-screw hole

Claims (10)

1. Claims 1. A ring lock for bicycles comprising a hollow ring-shaped main case body formed by uniting an upper case mold and a lower case mold into one body with their respective lower ends positioned opposite to each other to leave the lower part of the case body open, an arcuate locking axle mounted in the case body and so disposed as to slide from one end of the lower part of the case body into the other end thereof at the time of an unlocking operation, a coil spring also mounted inside the case body and so disposed as to press the locking axle toward its unlocking direction constantly, a locking means provided on one side of the case body and a stopper member housed in the locking means in such a manner as to stick out to engage in a lock-setting part provided on the side of the locking axle, wherein said locking means is solidly fitted inside a cover case which is made as a separate unit from said case body, said locking means together with said cover case being rigidly fixed to a fitting part formed on said lower case mold as its integral part and also having said stopper member stick out for engagement in said lock-setting part of said locking axle.
2. 2. A ring lock for bicycles according to claim 1 wherein the structure of the locking means covered by said cover case is a key-type locking means in which said stopper member is caused to change its location into an unlocking position by turning a key member.
3. 3. A ring lock for bicycles according to claim 1 wherein the structure of the locking means covered by said cover case is a push-button type locking means in which the cover case is provided with a plurality of push buttons whose tops stick out therefrom and said stopper member is caused to change its location into an. unlocking position by the required operation of said push-butons and an unlocking plate.
4. 4. A ring lock for bicycles according to claim 2 wherein the structure of said key-type locking means comprises, in combination, said cover case, a base plate secured rigidly on to said cover case by means of contact points formed at the front and rear ends of said base plate in such a manner as to provide a space in-between said base plate and the cover case to accommodate the locking means, an alert stopper member laid over said base plate in a manner so as to freely slide forward and backward thereon with its both sides guided by said base plate, a stopper member pin-hinged on to the base plate and laid over the alert stopper member in a manner so as to freely swing sideways thereon, said stopper carrying at its one end a contact point which sticks out into a key insertion slot formed between the side wall of said base plate and the side edge of the alert stopper member and carrying at its other end a hooked point which sticks out into a position for engagement in a lock-setting part of the locking axle and also having its middle part engage one end of the alert stopper so as to guard against unauthorised unlocking, a spring-loaded pin having its support axis on the base plate and having its one end hook the alert stopper and also having its other end hook the stopper member so as to force the stopper constantly toward a position for engagement in lock-setting part of the locking axle, and a key member which is inserted in a key hole provided on the side of said cover case and has its tip end engage the contact point of the stopper inside said key insertion slot and further has its guide holes (piercing through the front and back sides of the key) engaged by a guide part formed by a rugged edge on the side of the stopper member.
5. 5. A ring lock for bicycles according to claim 3 wherein the structure of said push-button type locking means comprises, in combination, a cover case provided with push buttons and the same number of holes on its upper side, a base plate secured rigidly on to said cover case by means of raised and recessed contact points formed at the front and rear ends thereof in such a manner as to provide a space in-between said base plate and the cover case to accommodate the locking means, a reset plate having front and rear upright edges, engage in guide holes provided at the front and rear parts of the base plate and laid underneath the base plate in a manner so as to freely slide forward and backward, which reset plate being provided with parallel-arranged raised and recessed edges lengthwise, each having a size corresponding to the width of a set spring of the push button, and further provided with a reset button projecting into the front side of said cover case, a plurality of push buttons each of which being provided with a recovery spring which is borne and supported by a spring bearing provided on the base plate and having its top end stick out of the hole of said cover case, each of said push button being provided at its one side with a guide part made of a raised part and a recessed part and its other side with the set spring whose lower end is hook-shaped so as to engage or hook the raised edge and the recessed edge of the reset plate, an unlocking plate provided with a notched part at its edge for engagement with the guide part of the push button and mounted on the base plate in a manner so as to slide forward and backward thereon, said unlocking plate also carrying a contact point at its one end opposite to the front side of the cover case for turning the stopper in the direction of unlocking action and at its other end an unlocking push button whose head part sticks out from the rear end portion of said cover case, a stopper member carrying at its one end an operating point for engagement with the contact point of said unlocking plate and at its other end a hook part sticking out into a position for engagement in the lock-setting part of said locking axle, said stopper member being swingably pivoted on to a knock pin which is disposed perpendicularly on the under-side of the cover case so as to rigidly fix the cover case, together with the locking means, on to the fitting part of the lower case mold of the main case body, a spring-loaded pin fitted on to the knock pin so as to press the stopper member constantly toward a position for engagement in the lock-setting part of the locking axle, and a pressure spring interposed between the contact point of said unlocking plate and the upright edge at one end of the reset plate so as to press the reset plate toward a position for engagement with the hook spring of the push button.
6. 6. A ring lock for bicycles according to claim 4 wherein the reset plate is provided with a protrusion which sticks out close to one side of the locking axle, while said locking axle carries on that side a contact point which is brought into contact with said protrusion at the time of reciprocating action of the lock-setting part of the locking axle (that is, in the course of its reciprocating movement where the lock setting part sliding in a locking direction together with the locking axle returns to its lock-setting position by the pulling force of the coil spring after it passed the beaked hook point of said stopper member against the force of said spring-loaded pin to actuate the resetting action of the reset plate, and also the stopper member is provided with a positioning part which is held in contact with the side of the locking axle for a length corresponding to the length of said reciprocating movement so as to hold the lock-setting part of the stopper member in a locking position.
7. 7. A ring lock' for bicycles according to claim 1 wherein said locking axle is formed in the shape of the letter U with its lower part left open and is provided with a buffer spring in its inner side, while the lower case mold of said case body is provided with a projection disposed to receive the buffer spring at the unlocking position of said locking axle.
8. 8. A ring lock for bicycles according to claim 1 wherein the upper case mold and the lower case mold composing the main case body are provided with a set of right and left overlapping portions which extend inwardly from the arcuate inner side thereof and are disposed at corresponding positions to each other, said overlapping portion of the upper case being provided with a pair of upright parts which pierce a pair of holes provided on the overlapping portion of the lower case mold and whose tip ends further penetrate a fitting band for fitting the ring lock to a bicycle and riveted in that position so as to unite this fitting band, said upper case mold and lower case mold together to form one single unit.
9. 9. A ring lock for bicycles according to claim 1 wherein the upper case mold and the lower case mold composing the main case body are both provided with a set of overlapping portions and which are disposed at corresponding positions to each other and which project inwardly from the arcuate inner side thereof, and on to the under-side of these overlapping portions and is rigidly fixed a fitting band carrying screw holes at its both ends for fitting the ring lock to a bicycle, one of which screw holes on the fitting band being in the form of a female screw hole with a shouldered two-tier peripheral edge tapering towards the direction of the screw turning.
10. 10. The ring lock for bicycles substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.