GB2271612A

GB2271612A - Vehicle anti-theft fuel shut-off valve.

Info

Publication number: GB2271612A
Application number: GB9221412A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Edward Harrison
Original assignee: HARVIL Ltd
Current assignee: HARVIL Ltd
Priority date: 1992-10-13
Filing date: 1992-10-13
Publication date: 1994-04-20
Also published as: GB9221412D0

Abstract

The valve and its operating member are enclosed in a casing which is constructed/positioned so as to prevent operation of the valve by means other than manual input. The input may comprise a key, or a transducer arranged to apply operating forces to the output member in response to pneumatic, acoustic or hydraulic pressures, or infra-red or other electro-magnetic radiation. The casing may be located below a vehicle transmission tunnel (26, Fig. 1). The linkage between the input and the valve may take various forms (Figs. 2 to 8).

Description

IMMOBILISATION OF VEHICLES The present invention relates to security devices for immobilising vehicles of the kind which are propelled by internal combustion engines. Such vehicles may be road vehicles, boats or aeroplanes. Security devices are fitted to such vehicles to prevent unauthorised driving or removal of the vehicles.

Thefts of road vehicles, in particular, are increasing year by year. Not only is this inconvenient to their owners, but it represents a substantial financial loss to the economy of the country. Moreover, 'joy-riding' by youngsters in cars appropriated by them for that purpose often gives rise to damage to the appropriated vehicle and to the joy-riders, and sometimes results in the total destruction of the vehicle and to the loss of life of the joy-riders and of innocent by-standers.

It is known to fit a hidden, driver-operable electrical switch in the ignition and starter motor circuits of the vehicle engine, thereby to prevent the engine being started when that hidden switch has not been operated, even though the correct ignition key has been inserted and operated in the normal way in the ignition/starter switch of the vehicle. However, such hidden immobilising switches can be readily circumvented by means of a piece of electrical cable connected between appropriate electrical terminals either behind the dashboard or under the bonnet of the vehicle.

The present invention seeks to provide an alternative means for immobilising such a vehicle, which means is less easily defeated by thieves and joy-riders.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle immobilising device comprises: (a) a fuel valve arranged (i) for connection in a vehicle fuel line which conveys fuel from a reservoir tank to a vehicle engine and (ii) for operation between open and closed conditions respectively thereby to permit or block respectively the flow of fuel to said engine; and (b) a valve operating means having a mechanical output member coupled with said fuel valve and an input means responsive to non-electric stimulii and arranged to effect operation of said output member thereby to cause said output member to operate said valve between said open and closed positions in response to said stimulii received by said input means.

Preferably, a casing encloses the fuel valve and valve operating means, and is constructed in such a manner as to prevent operation of the fuel valve by means other than predetermined non-electric stimulii.

Preferably, said fuel valve includes biasing means for biasing the fuel valve to the closed position, and said valve operating means is arranged to overcome the biasing means when operating the fuel valve to said open position.

Said input means may comprise a manually-operable input member operatively coupled to said output member to effect or control movement thereof. In this case, said nonelectric stimulii comprise mechanical forces applied manually to said input member.

Alternatively, said input means may comprise a transducer arranged to apply mechanical operating forces to said output member in response to non-electric input signals received by the transducer. Said non-electric input signals may comprise, for example, pneumatic, acoustic or hydraulic pressures, or infra-red or other electromagnetic radiations such as are used, for example, in vehicle door-locking systems.

Said transducer may comprise an electric motor or other form of electrical actuator, an associated switch means, and switch control means responsive to predetermined nonelectric stimulii and operative to control said switch means thereby to effect operation of said motor in response to said stimulii.

In one embodiment of the present invention arranged for operation in response to mechanical input forces: (a) said fuel valve and valve operating means are enclosed in a casing; (b) said input means includes (i) a key-controlled moveable input member which projects through and is movably carried in said casing, said moveable input member being operatively coupled with said output member and fuel valve thereby to effect changes from one said condition of the fuel valve to the other condition, and having keyreleasable locking means for releasably locking said moveable input member in said casing and a key-receiving socket for receiving an associated key; and (ii) an associated key shaped for insertion in said key socket and operable therein to release said locking means and so release said moveable input member for movement relative to said casing thereby to enable operation of said output member and fuel valve to said open condition; and (c) said casing is constructed in such a manner as to prevent operation of the fuel valve by means other than said key and moveable member.

In one preferred arrangement, the fuel valve is arranged for connection in said fuel line at a position under the cabin floor, for example, in the transmission tunnel, so as to be relatively inaccessible to the persons wishing to drive the vehicle, and said casing is arranged to extend upwardly through the cabin floor into the cabin at a position adjacent the driver's seat, so as to present said key socket conveniently to a driver when seated in said driver's position in the vehicle.

Said output member of the valve operating means may be arranged for operation by a simple rotation of said key and said moveable input member in said casing, through a predetermined angle (e.g. as in a locking fuel cap).

Alternatively, said output member of the valve operating means may be arranged for operation by or in response to movement of said moveable input member axially of itself in said casing, on release of said locking means by rotation of said associated key. Preferably, said moveable input member is provided with spring-biasing means arranged to eject said moveable input member axially of itself thereby to cause it to project from said casing and simultaneously permit or cause said output member to operate said fuel valve to the valve open condition.

Said fuel valve is preferably provided with spring biasing means arranged to bias the valve to the valve closed condition, and said output member is arranged so as when enabled by movement of said moveable member to move in a valve opening direction and overcome said valve biasing means.

In another embodiment of the present invention, said casing forms part of the casing of a fuel delivery system (i.e. a carburettor, or injection system) which is mounted on or adjacent the vehicle engine and delivers fuel directly into the engine. In yet a further embodiment of the present invention, said casing forms part of the fuel reservoir tank of a vehicle, or of a fuel delivery pump which is arranged to feed fuel from said reservoir tank to said fuel delivery system of the vehicle.

The fuel valve may be of any convenient kind suitable for blocking and releasing the flow of fuel to the vehicle engine; furthermore, the said locking means may instead comprise a 'combination' type of locking means arranged for causing or controlling operation of the fuel valve when the correct combination of characters (letters and/or numbers) is used.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle fitted with an immobilising device according to the said first aspect of the present invention.

--- page 6 follows Other features of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the description that follows hereafter and of the claims appended at the end of the description.

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. In those drawings: Figure 1 shows in a central vertical section the outline of a vehicle and its prinicipal constituent components, which vehicle is fitted with an immobilising device according to the present invention; Figure 2, 3 and 4 show pictorially various different forms of immobilising device for use in the vehicle illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 5 shows an electric circuit diagram showing the circuits associated with the immobilising device illustrated in Figure 4; and Figures 6, 7 and 8 show in vertical sections three other forms of immobilising device according to the present invention.

Referring now to Figure 1, a four-seat car is illustrated in outline at reference 10. Shown within the car are the following conventional items of equipment: road wheels 12, steering column 14, engine 16, gearbox 18, carburettor 20, fuel line 22, fuel tank 24, transmission tunnel 26, front and rear seats 28,30, cabin floor 32, and windows 34.

The fuel line 22 is shown, in dotted form, running from the fuel tank 24, under the cabin floor 32 along the fore-andaft longitudinal space defined by the transmission tunnel 26, alongside the gearbox 18 to the carburettor (or injector device) 20.

Inserted in the fuel line 22 alongside the driver's seat 28 is a vehicle immobilising device (immobiliser) 36 according to the present invention. That device comprises a robust cylindrical casing 38 which is secured under the cabin floor in the transmission tunnel, and projects upwardly through the cabin floor alongside the driver's seat. In the lower part of the casing is mounted a fuel valve for shutting off the supply of fuel to the carburettor when required.

The fuel valve has an upwardly projecting operating spindle which carries at its upper end a bush which is rotatably carried in the upper portion of the casing. That bush is secured (in conventional manner) in the casing against vertical movement, and has key-releasable locking pawls which engage in the wall of the casing thereby to prevent rotation of the bush unless withdrawn. Those pawls are withdrawn by the insertion of a key into a key-slot formed in the bush, so that the key can then be rotated to rotate the bush, and thereby rotate the valve spindle to open the fuel valve. The valve preferably incorporates a biasing spring (not shown) arranged to rotate the valve spindle to the 'valve closed' position.

The casing, the bush and the key are made in a robust construction so as to resist mal-operation by those who have no authority to start the car. The casing is also made so that the fuel valve cannot be operated from under the cabin floor.

To start the car, it is necessary for the driver first to insert his immobilising key into the bush, and then rotate the bush thereby to rotate the valve spindle to the 'valve open' position, thus allowing fuel to flow through the fuel line to the carburettor. Thereafter, the car engine can be started in the conventional way by inserting the ignition key in the normal way in the conventional ignition/starter switch on the dashboard (or steering column).

When preparing to leave the car, the driver first turns off the ignition switch in the conventional manner, and then rotates the immobilising key in the opposite sense, thereby to return the fuel valve to the 'valve closed' position, thus isolating the carburettor from the fuel tank. The immobiliser key is then removed.

Merely inserting and turning the conventional ignition key in the ignition switch, or otherwise electrically shortcircuiting that switch, will not allow the engine to draw fuel from the fuel tank. It is necessary to insert and rotate the immobilising key to turn on the supply of fuel to the carburettor.

Since it is no easy task to circumvent the fuel valve, because of the robustness of its construction, its inaccessibility, and the messiness of handing liquid fuel, it is less likely that the car will be taken away by thieves or joy-riders.

Figure 3 shows in pictorial form an alternative form of immobilising device for use in place of that just described above with reference to Figure 2.

In this alternative device, the valve has a horizontally protruding operating spindle, which shaft carries a lever arranged for operation in a vertical plane between valve 'open' and 'closed' positions. That lever is biased to the valve closed position by a bias spring which exerts a downward pull on the lever. The free end of the lever is coupled through a link with a bush which is slidably carried in the upper wall of the casing, and which is biased upwardly by a bias spring. The bush is restrained against rotation, and is likewise provided with sideways projecting locking pawls arranged to engage in indents formed in the wall of the casing when the bush has been depressed to its lowermost position in the casing wall.

Those pawls can be withdrawn from the casing wall indents by insertion of an immobilising key in a key-receiving slot formed in the top of the bush, thereby to allow the bush to be raised by its bias spring (against the bias force of the valve biasing spring) to an uppermost position in which the valve operating lever lies in the 'valve open' position Thus, when preparing to leave the car, the driver withdraws the immobilising key from the bush, and then depresses the bush until the locking pawls engage in the indents in the casing wall and so hold the valve operating lever in the 'valve closed' position.

To start the car, it is necessary first to insert the immobilising key into its slot in the bush, thus causing the locking pawls to withdraw from engagement in their associated indents, and allowing the bush to be raised by its bias spring to the uppermost position in which the valve operating lever lies and is held in the 'valve open' position. Thereafter, the car can be started in conventional manner by inserting the ignition key in the ignition switch, and rotating it to the desired position.

The immobilising device of Figure 4 comprises in a robust casing a fuel valve having an operating spindle which carries a spring-biased, valve operating lever. That lever is coupled through a link to the output member of an electric motor-driven linear actuator. The upper part of the actuator includes, as shown in Figure 5, an electric circuit which feeds through a double-pole, solenoidoperated switch the electric driving motor of the actuator.

That switch is controlled by a transducer which is arranged to energise the switch in response to a non-electrical signal received from outside the casing. The transducer may derive any energisation necessary for its functioning from the electric supply provided for driving the actuator motor. The transducer may be arranged to respond to electro-magnetic radiations, such as infra-red radiations, such as are currently used for operating vehicle door locks.

Alternatively, the switch may be arranged for operation by means of a pressure capsule which is fed through a conduit from a driver-controlled source of pressure fluid (such as compressed air cr oil) disposed outside the casing.

Alternatively, the pressure capsule may comprise a capsule supplied with acoustic energy from a driver-controlled acoustic source disposed outside the casing.

In the device of Figure 6, the casing is shown projecting upwardly through the cabin floor. A fuel valve is carried in the lower part of the casing, and has an operating lever which is coupled through a link to the free end of a second rotatable lever. The valve operating lever is spring biased in a clockwise direction, so as to hold the valve in the 'valve closed' position. The second lever is carried at its other end for rotation in a bearing, and is spring biased in an anti-clockwise direction, so as to cause its free end to bear against the lower end of a bush which is slidably carried in the upper wall of the casing.

The slidable bush is shown raised to its uppermost position by the second lever, with its enlarged bottom end resting in contact with the lower end of a downwardly directed collar portion of the casing upper wall. In that condition, the second lever holds the valve operating lever in the 'valve open' position against the action of the valve biasing spring.

The slidable bush is provided (a) at its upper end with an integral cap into which a key-receiving slot has been made in conventional manner, (b) at its middle portion with keyreleasable locking pawls which are arranged to cooperate with indents formed in the wall of the adjoining collar portion of the casing, and (c) around its girth with a biasing spring which biases the bush to the uppermost position shown. An immobiliser key is provided for insertion into the key slot thereby to withdraw the locking pawls into the bush, so freeing them from engagement in the indents in the casing wall.

The upper wall of the casing has a well into which the cap can submerge on depression of the bush to its lowermost position, thereby to render the cap difficult to forceably lift upwards out of the well when the immobiliser key is not available.

To render the immobiliser effective to cut off the fuel supply to the car engine, the key is withdrawn from the bush, and the bush is depressed to its lowermost 'valve closed' position. The engine is thus isolated from its fuel supply, and even if it is momentarily started, using the fuel available in the fuel line between the carburettor and the immobiliser, the engine cannot remaining running for long. On insertion of the immobiliser key, the locking pawls are withdrawn from the indents in the casing wall, and the bush is forced upwardly to its uppermost 'valve open' position. The car can then be started in the conventional way with the normal ignition key.

In the valve shown in Figure 7, the immobiliser includes in its robust casing a fuel valve having a valve operating lever which is biased in a clockwise direction to the 'valve closed' position. The free end of that lever is coupled to a horizontal push rod which is carried for reciprocation in a slide bearing. The right hand end of the push rod carries a cam follower wheel, which is arranged to cooperate with a cam carried by the lower end of the slideable bush.As in the immobiliser of Figure 6, the bush is provided (a) at its upper end with an integral cap into which a key-receiving slot has been made in conventional manner, (b) at its middle portion with keyreleasable locking pawls which are arranged to cooperate with indents formed in the wall of the adjoining collar portion of the casing, and (c) around its girth with a biasing spring which biases the bush to the uppermost position shown. An immobiliser key is provided for insertion into the key slot thereby to withdraw the locking pawls into the bush, so freeing them from engagement in the indents in the casing wall.

The device functions in a manner generally similar to that of Figure 6. After withdrawal of the immobiliser key from the bush, depression of the slidable bush against the action of its biasing spring to its lowermost position permits the locking pawls to engage in the indents in the casing wall and so hold the bush in its lowermost position, with the valve held in its 'closed' position. The car engine cannot be started, or maintained running even if momentarily started, with the normal ignition key operated in the conventional ignition switch.

To render the ignition switch effective to start and maintain the engine running, the immobiliser key is first inserted in the slidable bush thereby to permit the bush to be raised to the uppermost 'valve open' position by its bias spring. The fuel valve is thereby brought to its 'valve open' position, and the engine can be started in conventional manner with the normal ignition key.

In the immobiliser shown in vertical cross section in Figure 8, the casing comprises upper and lower parts secured together at circumferential flanges by tamper-proof countersunk screws. The casing is secured to the underside of the cabin floor by tamper-proof countersunk screws engaging in the casing flanges. In the lower casing part, a fuel duct is connected at left and right hand ends with respective pipes constituting the fuel line. A vertically slidable valve spindle carries at its lower end a valve head which closely and sealingly engages when in its lowermost position in a cooperating part of the fuel duct, thereby to isolate the fuel tank from the carburettor.

The valve spindle is baised to its lowermost 'valve closed' position by a compression spring which is trapped between a disc carried by the valve spindle, and a fixed annular spring support which is screwed into the upper end of the lower casing part.

The upper casing part supports in its upper wall a vertically slidable bush which is provided with keyreleasable locking pawls which are arranged to cooperate with indents formed in a downwardly extending collar of the upper casing wall. The bush is also provided with a keyreceiving slot for receiving an immobiliser key. The bush has secured to it at its upper end a cap which is shown closely submerged in a well formed in the upper casing wall, thereby to render it difficult to forceably lift the bush to its uppermost 'valve open' position in the absence of the immobiliser key.

The upper end of the valve spindle carries a transverse male coupling member which may be in the form of disc.

That coupling member loosely engages in a female coupling member in the form of a cage. That cage comprises an upper disc carrying an array of circumferentially spaced, downwardly dependent claws which extend below and inwardly of the male coupling member. The cage is biased upwards by a compression spring which engages at its upper end with the disc forming the upper end of the cage, and at its lower end with the fixed annular spring support secured in the upper end of the lower casing part.

Insertion of the immobiliser key into its slot in the bush causes the locking pawls to withdraw from the cooperating indents formed in the casing wall, thereby permitting the cage biasing spring to lift the cage, and then after a short vertical travel to engage and lift the male coupling member and the associated valve spindle (against the action of the valve biasing spring) to an upper 'valve open' position.

To immobilise the car, the immobiliser key is withdrawn from the slidable bush, and the cap carried by the bush is then depressed so as to submerge the cap in the associated well and so lower the female coupling member to the lowermost position shown in Figure 8. In that position, the claws of the female coupling cage have disengaged from the male coupling member, thereby allowing the valve biasing spring to sealing engage the valve head in the fuel duct, and so isolate the carburettor from the fuel tank.

Whilst the embodiments described above are specifically intended for mounting under the cabin floor in the transmission tunnel, they may be modified in any suitable manner to adapt them for incorporation in the fuel line at some other convenient position. For example, such suitably modified immobilising devices may be mounted adjacent the fuel tank, in the fuel pump assembly, or in the carburettor assembly adjacent the engine. In such cases, for ease of control by the driver, the use of a fuel valve controlled by an input device responsive to infra-red or other electro-magnetic radiations (as in the device of Figure 4) would be more suitable, since the driver when seated in his driving position would then be able to operate a suitable hand held emitter of the appropriate radiation.

Whereas the above-described embodiments all show the use of an immobiliser key in association with the locking and unlocking of the immobiliser device, such key operation of the said locking means may be replaced, if desired, by a conventional 'combination' locking means for controlling the vertical movement of the slidable bush. In such a case, the vertically slidable bush is released for upward movement only by entering the correct combination of letters and/or numbers into the combination locking means.

Claims

1. A vehicle immobilising device comprising: (a) a fuel valve arranged (i) for connection in a vehicle fuel line which conveys fuel from a reservoir tank to a vehicle engine and (ii) for operation between open and closed conditions respectively thereby to permit or block respectively the flow of fuel to said engine; and (b) a valve operating means having a output member coupled with said fuel valve and a lockable input means responsive to pre-determined non-electric 'locking ' and 'unlocking' stimulii and arranged to effect or control operation of said output member, thereby to operate said valve between said open and closed positions, only in response to said locking and unlocking stimulii received by said input means.

2. A vehicle immobilising device according to claim 1, wherein said lockable input means is arranged to prevent operation of said output member to open the valve except in response to said non-electric unlocking stimuli.

3. A vehicle immobilising device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said fuel valve includes biasing means for biasing the fuel valve to the closed position, and said valve operating means is arranged to overcome the biasing means when causing operation of the fuel valve to said open position.

4. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein said input means comprises a manually-operable input member which is (a) is operatively coupled to said output member thereby to effect or control movement thereof, and (b) incorporates a locking means for preventing unauthorised operation of the input member without the use of an authorised key, which locking means is releasable only by the use of said key.

5. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein said input means comprises a transducer which is (a) reponsive to non-electric input signals received by the transducer, and (b) is operatively coupled to said output member thereby to effect or control movement thereof in response to said signals.

6. A vehicle immobilising device according to claim 5, wherein said transducer is responsive to non-electric input signals in the form of pneumatic, acoustic or hydraulic pressures.

7. A vehicle immobilising device according to claim 5, wherein said transducer is responsive to non-electric signals in the form of infra-red or other electro-magnetic radiations.

8. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 5 to 7, wherein said transducer comprises an electrical actuator operatively coupled to said output member, an associated switch means, and switch control means responsive to predetermined non-electric signals and operative to control said switch means thereby to effect operation of said actuator and said output member in response to said signals.

9. A vehicle immobilising device according to claim 8, wherein said electrical actuator comprises an electric motor.

10. A vehicle immobilising device according to any preceding claim, wherein said fuel valve and valve operating means are enclosed in a casing which is constructed in such a manner as to prevent operation of the fuel valve by means other than predetermined non-electric stimuli.

11. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 1 to 4, arranged for operation in response to non-electric stimuli comprising mechanical input forces, wherein (a) said fuel valve and valve operating means are enclosed in a casing; (b) said input means includes (i) a key-controlled moveable input member which projects through and is movably carried in said casing, said moveable input member being operatively coupled with said output member and fuel valve thereby to effect changes from one said condition of the fuel valve to the other condition, and having keyreleasable locking means for releasably locking said moveable input member in at least the valve closed condition in said casing and a key-receiving socket for receiving an associated key; and (ii) an associated key shaped for insert ion in said key socket and operable therein to release said locking means and so release said moveable input member for movement relative to said casing thereby to enable operation of said output member and fuel valve to said open condition; and (c) said casing is constructed in such a manner as to prevent operation of the fuel valve by means other said key.

12. A vehicle immobilising device according to claim 11, wherein the fuel valve is arranged for connection in said fuel line at a position under the cabin floor of a vehicle, so as to be relatively inaccessible to persons wishing to drive the vehicle, and said casing is arranged to extend upwardly through the cabin floor into the cabin at a position adjacent the driver's seat, so as to present said key socket at a position which is conveniently accessible to a driver when seated in said driver's position.

13. A vehicle immobilising device according to claim 12, wherein said fuel valve is arranged for mounting in the transmission tunnel of the vehicle.

14. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 11 to 13, wherein said output member of the valve operating means is arranged for operation by rotation of said key and said moveable input member in said casing through a predetermined angle.

15. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 11 to 13, wherein said output member of the valve operating means is arranged for operation by or in response to movement of said moveable input member axially of itself in said casing, on release of said locking means by said associated key.

16. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 11 to 15, wherein said moveable input member is provided with spring-biasing means arranged on operation of said key to eject said moveable input member axially of itself thereby to cause it to project from said casing and simultaneously permit or cause said output member to operate said fuel valve to the valve open condition.

17. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 11 to 16, wherein said key-releasable locking means comprises a 'combination' type locking means arranged for causing or controlling operation of the fuel valve when the correct combination of characters (letters and/or numbers) has been provided.

18 A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 10 to 17, wherein said casing forms part of a casing of a carburettor, an injection system or other fuel delivery system which is mounted on or adjacent the vehicle engine and delivers fuel directly into the engine.

19. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 10 to 17, wherein said casing forms part of a fuel reservoir tank of a vehicle.

20. A vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 10 to 17, wherein said casing forms part of a fuel delivery pump of a vehicle, which pump Is arranged to feed fuel from a fuel reservoir tank of the vehicle to a carburettor, an injection system or other fuel delivery system of the vehicle.

21. A vehicle immobilising device according to any preceding claim, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by any one of the following groups of associated figures of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, namely Figures 1 & 2, 1 & 3, 1 & 4, 1, 4 & 5, 1 & 6, 1 & 7, and 1 & 8.

22. A vehicle having fitted therein a vehicle immobilising device according to any preceding claim.

23. A vehicle having a vehicle immobilising device according to any one of the claims 1 to 20, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by any one of the following groups of associated figures of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, namely Figures 1 & 2, 1 & 3, 1 & 4, 1, 4 & 5, 1 & BR< 6, 1 & 7, and 1 & 8.

24. A vehicle immobilising device comprising any novel, inventive and useful combination of the various features that are disclosed in this specification and drawings, other than a combination specifically claimed in any one of the preceding claims.