GB2312920A

GB2312920A - Pedal locking device for vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2312920A
Application number: GB9709156A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Thomas Keith Brown
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-05-08
Filing date: 1997-05-07
Publication date: 1997-11-12
Anticipated expiration: 2017-05-07
Also published as: GB9709156D0; GB2312920B

Abstract

The invention discloses a security device comprising a first member and a second member which are movable relative to one another, the first member including a locking mechanism which is engageable by means on said second member when the first member is moved from an inoperative position to an operative position. The first member will be in the form of a shroud and the second member is in the form of an anchor member, the shroud carrying a column or housing in which is located a locking mechanism. The first and second members may be hingedly connected together so as to facilitate relative movement of said members from an inoperative position to an operative position.

Description

SECURITY DEVICES This invention relates to security devices and is concerned particularly, but not exclusively, with security devices for use on and in motor vehicles such as automobiles and commercial vehicles. The present invention is more particularly concerned with the operating pedal or operating pedals, i.e. the brake pedal and/or the clutch pedal, of the motor vehicle.

There have been many prior proposals for restricting or preventing the unauthorised use of motor vehicles, in particular automobiles, such as for example steering locks, gear change lever locks, pedal locks, and combinations of two or more of these have all been proposed. Prior proposed pedal locks, in particular, have often been difficult to install and/or operate and the cost of manufacture in some cases has been high. Most important of all, prior proposed pedal locks, whether alone or in combination with locking devices for other parts of the motor vehicle, have been ineffective in use.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved form of security device, particularly suitable for use with the brake pedal and/or the clutch pedal of a motor vehicle, which will obviate the above and other disadvantages of known prior proposals.

According to the present invention there is provided a security device comprising a first member and a second member, said first and second members being movable relative to each other, said first member including a locking mechanism which is engageable by means on said second member when said first member is moved from an inoperative position to an operative position such that said first and second members together partially envelop an item or items to be protected.

Preferably, said first member will be in the form of a shroud and said second member will be in the form of an anchor member. The shroud will preferably carry a column or housing within which is located the locking mechanism to secure said first and second members in the operative position, said locking mechanism being biassed to an operative position.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the anchor member will preferably include a cross-bar which is engageable by a latch member forming a part of said locking mechanism, and the anchor member will lie within the column or housing in the operative position of the device.

The anchor member may be carried by a base plate and may be secured to a surface in close proximity to an item or items to be protected.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first and second members may be hingedly secured together so as to facilitate relative movement of said members from an inoperative position to an operative position and vice versa, and the anchor member will preferably include a loop or eye which is engageable by the latch member of the locking mechanism.

The first member will preferably include a carrying and operating handle.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a security device in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the security device of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view of a locking mechanism forming part of the security device; Figure 4 is a front view on Figure 3; Figure 5 is a side view of the security device and shows the device in an inoperative position relative to an operating pedal of a motor vehicle, and also shows the locking mechanism of Figures 3 and 4; Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing the device in an operative position; Figure 7 is a rear view of the security device in an operative position; Figure 8 is a side view on Figure 7; Figure 9 is a plan view on Figure 7; Figure 10 is a side view of a security device in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10 and also shows a locking mechanism forming a part of the device; Figure 12 shows the device of Figures 10 and 11 in an inoperative position relative to an operating pedal of a motor vehicle; Figure 13 is a plan view showing the device in an operative position; Figure 14 is a rear view on Figure 13; and Figure 15 is a side view on Figure 13.

Referring to the drawings and firstly to Figures 1 and 2, the security device, indicated generally by reference numeral 2, comprises a first member in the form of a shroud 4 and a hollow column or housing 8 which extends in both directions from a top plate 6 of said shroud. Adapted to engage in the lower extremity of the column or housing 8 is a second member in the form of an anchor member 10 having a cross-bar lOA whose purpose will be explained hereinafter. The anchor member may be carried on a base plate, not shown. The shroud 4 carries an upstanding plate 14 to give strength to said column or housing 8, and the upper section of the column or housing incorporates a keyhole 12.

As will be seen from Figure 2, the rear of the shroud 4 which in essence is a generally rectangular box-like structure - is open, so that access may be had, at either side of the lower portion of the column or housing 8, to the interior of the shroud.

Housed within the column or housing 8 is a locking mechanism which is a cam lock mechanism and which, referring now to Figures 3 and 4, is indicated generally by reference numeral 16. The locking mechanism comprises a cam 20 which has an elongate slot 20A therein and which carries and from which depends a rod 22 whose lower end is connected to a latch member 24. The latch member 24 is mounted for pivotal movement on a shaft or spindle 26 and is biassed to an operative position by a torsion spring 28. The latch member 24 has a hook portion 30. The locking mechanism 16 is carried on a plate 32 and the shaft or spindle 26 and the torsion spring are mounted in a saddle 34 carried by or being an integral part of the plate 32.

The plate 32 carrying the locking mechanism is suitably located in and secured in the column or housing 8 and lies totally within the confines of said column or housing, as does the locking mechanism 16. Instead of the slot 20A being in the cam 20, it could be in the hook portion 30.

The first and second members, i.e. the shroud 4 and column or housing 8 and the anchor member 10, are composed of steel of suitable gauge, the various integers of the device being suitably welded or otherwise secured to each other.

Reference to Figures 5 and 6 will show the positioning of the various parts of the security device relative to the operating pedals - one is indicated by reference numeral 36 carried by an arm 40 - of a motor vehicle, not shown.

Figure 5 shows the device in an inoperative position, whilst Figure 6 shows the device in an operative position.

In Figure 5, it will be seen that the shroud 4 and anchor member 10 are separate and away from the pedal 36. As the shroud 4 is positioned over the pedals, the anchor member 10 enters the lower portion of the column or housing 8, and the spring-biassed latch member 24 contacts the crossbar l0A of the anchor member 10 so as to move said latch member temporarily to the unlatching position. During the movement of the latch member 24, the rod 22 slides upwardly in the slot 20A of cam 20. Continued insertion of the anchor member 10 causes the latch member to over-ride the cross-bar lOA and to return to its initial, latching, position - due to the presence of the torsion spring 28 such that the hook portion of the latch member engages the underside of the cross-bar. Simultaneously with this movement of the latch member, the rod 22 slides down the slot 20A in cam 20 to return to its initial position. Thus the device is secured in position such that the shroud and column or housing and the anchor member are connected together and the operating pedals are partially enveloped and housed within the shroud 4 as shown in Figure 6.

Such positions of the various integers are clearly shown in Figure 7 to 9 from which it can be seen that the said pedals - respectively the brake pedal 36 and the clutch pedal 34 carried by an arm 38 - are located within the shroud 4, the lower portion of the column or housing 8 lying between the said pedals 34 and 36.

To remove the device from the pedals 34 and 36, a key 18 is inserted into the key-hole 12 and turned so as to cause rotation of the cam 20 which, in turn, due to the presence of the rod 22, causes the latch member to pivot about the shaft or spindle 26 and to move to its unlatching position. Thus, the hook portion 30 of the latch member 24 disengages the cross-bar lOA of anchor member 10, so releasing the anchor member 10 from the column or housing 8. Thereafter, the device may be removed from the pedals 34 and 36 to facilitate their normal operation.

Although not shown in the drawings, provision may be made for the shroud 4 to be movable relative to the column or housing 8 and to be locatable at selected positions on the column or housing in order to allow for variations in the distances of pedals to floor in differing vehicles. In such a case, the shroud 4 would be provided with means to releasably engage the column or housing 8, such means being readily accessible in the inoperative position of the device but being concealed in the operative position of the device.

Referring now to Figures 10 and 11, the security device indicated generally by reference numeral 50 comprises a first member 52 and a second member 54, the members being permanently secured together, and being movable relative to one another by means of a hinge 56 such that the members may be secured together as will be hereinafter explained.

The member 52 is in the form of a shroud 58 which comprises a front plate 58A, a top plate 58B, side plates 58C, and spaced rear plates 58D (Figure 14). The shroud 58 extends at either side of a centrally-located column 60 which is attached to the shroud and which includes a keyhole 62 and a carrying and operating handle 64. Within the centrally-located column 60 - which as will be seen extends above and below the top plate 58B of the shroud is a cam locking mechanism comprising a cam 66 having an elongate slot 66A therein, a connecting rod 68, and a latch member 70 having a hook portion 70A. The latch member 70 is mounted on and pivotable about a pivot pin 72 which carries a torsion spring such that the latch member is biassed towards an operative, i.e. locking, position, as shown in Figure 11.

The member 54 comprises a plate 74 carried by a centrallylocated column 76 having a shoe 78, and the upper surface of the plate 74 carries a closed loop or eye 80 which is adapted to be engaged by the hook portion 70A of latch member 70.

The members 52 and 54 are composed of steel plate of a suitable gauge.

Figure 12 shows the security device 50 relative to the operating pedals - one is shown at 82 carried on an arm 84 - of a motor vehicle (not shown), but it will be appreciated that the device is not in an operative position as shown in Figure 12.

Figures 13 to 15 show the security device 50 in an operative position relative to the pedal 82 and a second pedal 86 carried on an arm 88. When the security device is moved from the inoperative position of Figure 12 in the direction. of arrow 90 -facil-tated by the hinge 56 - to the operative position as shown in Figures 13 to 15, the latch member 70 comes into contact with the loop or eye 80 on the plate 74, and due to the provision of the rod 68 and the slot 66A in the cam 66, the latch member is able to pivot anti-clockwise (in the drawings) so as to override the loop or eye 80. Then, due to the presence of the torsion spring on the pivot pin 72, the latch member pivots clockwise (in the drawings) towards its initial position such that the hook portion 70A of latch member 70 engages the loop or eye 80. Thus, the first and second members are secured together in an operative position.

When the first and second members are secured together as described above, the pedals 82 and 86 lie within and are partially enveloped by the shroud 58 with the column or housing 60 located between the said pedals. In this position, the pedals lie between the front and rear plates 58A and 58D, between the top plate 58B and the plate 74, and between the side plates 58C, the pedal arms 84 and 88 projecting through the gap between the inner extremities of the rear plates 58D. This is clearly shown in Figures 13 to 15.

The enclosure of the pedals 82 and 86 within the shroud 58, together with the fact that the shoe 78 of the column or housing 76 rests against the floor of the vehicle behind the pedals, ensures that the pedals cannot be depressed in an operating manner.

To remove the security device from the pedals, it is merely necessary to insert a key (not shown) into the keyhole 62 and rotate it to turn the cam 66 so as to cause rotation of the latch member 70 such that it disengages the loop or eye 80, whereafter the device may be removed.

Thus the invention provides a simple yet extremely effective security device which is easily and relatively inexpensively manufactured, which is easy to install and remove, and which is virtually impossible to remove and overcome once correctly positioned, without the use of the correct key.

The security devices in accordance with the invention provide effective security for a motor vehicle by shrouding and partially enclosing the operating pedals of the motor vehicle, so preventing their use and thus preventing unauthorised driving and removal of the vehicle.

Whilst the invention has been described in relation to a motor vehicle having two operating pedals, i.e. a clutch pedal a a brake pedal, it will be appreciated that the security devices in accordance with the invention are equally applicable to and usable with a motor vehicle having automatic gear transmission and/or only a single pedal, i.e. a brake pedal. In such instances, the security devices as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings could be applied to the single pedal, or alternatively the devices could be modified such that the shroud of the devices includes only one enveloping 'box' attached to the column or housing above described.

In addition to the above modifications, the security device of the present invention may incorporate an extension for, or may include a shroud for, an accelerator pedal of a vehicle.

Other possible modifications tQ adapt the security devices for use with a 'single operating pedal' motor vehicle will readily present themselves to those skilled in the art.

Finally, whilst the invention has been described with reference to a motor vehicle, it will be appreciated that security devices in accordance with the invention may be used in conjunction with other forms of transport, and indeed in other zircustances and instances where it is required to protect an item or items and prevent the said item(s) being used and/or removed.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A security device comprising a first member and a second member, said first and second members being movable relative to each other, said first member including a locking mechanism which is engageable by means on said second member when said first member is moved from an inoperative position to an operative position such that said first and second members together envelop an item or items to be protected.

2. A security device in accordance with Claim 1, wherein said first member is in the form of a shroud and said second member is in the form of an anchor member.

3. A security device i accordance with Claim 2, wherein said shroud carries or is connected to a hollow column or housing which extends above and below said shroud.

4. A security device in accordance with Claim 3, wherein said locking mechanism is housed within said column or housing, and includes a cam, a pivotable latch member, and a connecting rod which connects said pivotable latch member to said cam.

5. A security device in accordance with Claim 4, wherein said pivotable latch member is biassed to an operative position by spring means.

6. A security device in accordance with Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein said anchor member includes a cross-bar which is engageable by said latch member in an operative position of said latch member.-

7. A security device in accordance with any of Claims 3 to 6, wherein said anchor member is located within said column or housing in an operative position of the device.

8. A security device in accordance with any of Claims 2 to 7, wherein said anchor member is permanently secured to a surface in close proximity to the item or items to be protected.

9. A security device in accordance with any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein said first and second members are hingedly connected together so as to facilitate relative movement of said members from an inoperative position to an operative position and vice versa.

10. A security device in accordance with Claim 9, wherein said anchor member is carried on an upper surface of a bottom plate of said shroud and includes a closed loop or eye which is engageable by the pivotable latch member in the operative position of said latch member.

11. A security device in accordance with Claim 10, wherein said anchor member includes a spacer member on a lower side of said bottom plate.

12. A security device in accordance with any of Claims 9 to 11, wherein said device includes a carrying and operating handle on said column or housing.

13. A security device constructed and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A security device constructed and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 10 to 15 of the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A security device comprising a first member and a second member, said first and second members being movable relative to each other, said first member including a locking mechanism which is engageable by means on said second member when said first member is moved from an inoperative position to an operative position such that said first and second members together envelop an item or items to be protected, said first member being in the form of a shroud which carries or is connected to a hollow column or housing which houses said locking mechanism.

2. A security device in accordance with Claim 1, wherein said second member is in the form of an anchor member.

3. A security device in accordance with Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said column or housing extends above and below said shroud.

4. A security device in accordance with any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein said locking mechanism includes a cam, a pivotable latch member, and a connecting rod which connects said pivotable latch member to said cam.

6. A security device in accordance with Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein said anchor member includes a cross-bar which is engageable by said latch member in an operative position of said latch member.

7. A security device in accordance with any of Claims 2 to 6, wherein said anchor member is located within said column or housing in an operative position of the device.

8. A security device in accordance with any of Claims 2 to 7, wherein said anchor member is permanently secured to a surface in close proximity to -he item or items to be protected.

9. A security device in accordance with.any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein said first and second members are hingedly connected together so as to facilitate relative movement of said members from an inoperative position to an operative position and vice versa.