JP2024025012A - U-shaped lock - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a U-shaped lock that can be compacted when unlocked and can be easily carried.

SOLUTION: A U-shaped lock according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a U-shaped locking body; and a main body that can be locked by connecting both end portions of the locking body, wherein the locking body has a first portion including a first end portion on one side, a second portion including a second end portion on the other side, and a rotating portion that is disposed between the first portion and the second portion and is rotatable such that the first portion and the second portion are folded in an unlocked state, and the main body has a holding portion that holds at least one of the folded first portion and the second portion.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a U-lock.

A U-lock is known as one of the anti-theft locks for motorcycles. Since the U-lock has high strength, it may be able to improve the anti-theft effect, but because of its relatively large size, it may be difficult to carry.

A U-shaped lock is known that can be folded when unlocked for easy storage, carrying, etc. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-127322).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-127322

The U-lock of Patent Document 1 includes a U-shaped lock rod (locking body) and a lock body that is connected to one end of the locking body and is rotatable relative to the locking body. The locking body has a bendable hinge portion in the middle thereof. The U-shaped lock is said to be able to reduce its external dimensions by rotating the lock body and bending the locking body when unlocking.

There is a need among motorcycle users to easily use a U-lock, which has a relatively high security effect, even when they are out and about. For this reason, there is a need for a U-shaped lock that can be made more compact when unlocked.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a U-lock that can be made compact when unlocked and can be easily carried.

A U-shaped lock according to one aspect of the present invention made to solve the above problems includes a U-shaped locking body and a main body that can be locked by connecting both ends of the locking body, The locking body is disposed between a first part including a first end on one side, a second part including a second end on the other side, the first part and the second part, and is unlocked. a rotating part that is rotatable so that the first part and the second part are folded in the folded state, and the main body holds at least one of the folded first part and the second part; has a department.

The U-lock according to one aspect of the present invention can be made compact when unlocked, and can be easily carried.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a locked state of a U-lock according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a left side view of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the second portion of the U-lock shown in FIG. 1 is separated from the main body. FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the first part and the second part of the locking body in the U-lock shown in FIG. 1 are folded over. FIG. 6 is a top view of FIG. 5. 7 is a left side view of FIG. 5. FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the locking body of the unlocked U-lock of FIG. 1 is folded over and laid down on the main body. FIG. 9 is a top view of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the U-lock shown in FIG. 8 fixed to the frame of a two-wheeled vehicle. FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a locked state of a U-lock that is different from the U-lock shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the locking body of the unlocked U-lock of FIG. 11 is folded over and laid down on the main body.

A U-lock according to one aspect of the present invention includes a U-shaped locking body and a main body that can be locked by connecting both ends of the locking body, and the locking body is connected to one side of the locking body. a first part including a first end, a second part including a second end on the other side, and disposed between the first part and the second part, and the first part and the second part in an unlocked state. The main body has a holding part that holds at least one of the folded first part and the second part.

The U-lock includes a U-shaped locking body and a main body that can be locked by connecting both ends of the locking body. The locking body includes a first portion, a second portion, and a rotating portion that is rotatable so as to fold the first portion and the second portion. Therefore, the locking body can be made compact when unlocking. The main body holds at least one of the folded first portion and the second portion. In other words, in the U-lock, the main body holds the folded locking body, thereby making it possible to integrate the compact locking body and the main body. Therefore, the U-lock can be compact in size when unlocked, and can be easily carried.

The first portion may be connected to the main body so as to be able to rise and fall. By doing so, it is easy to make the U-lock compact.

It is preferable that the first part and the second part are folded over, the first part is laid down, and the holding part holds at least one of the laid down first part and the second part. By doing so, it is easier to make the U-lock compact.

It is preferable that the holding part has a first holding part that holds the first part and a second holding part that holds the second part. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the locking body from unintentionally separating from the holding portion.

It is preferable that the main body has a connection part in the first holding part that can be connected to the second end part. By doing so, the U-lock can be easily locked.

It is preferable that the cross section of the first portion and the cross section of the second portion be rectangular. By doing so, the U-lock can be made more compact when unlocked.

[Details of the mode for carrying out the invention]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings are schematic diagrams for explaining the present invention, and the shape, scale, etc. of each structure (each member) may differ from the actual structure.

<U-shaped lock>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, the U-lock 1 includes a U-shaped locking body 2 and a main body 3 that can be locked by connecting both ends of the locking body 2. The locking body 2 includes a first portion 22 including the first end 21 on one side, a second portion 24 including the second end 23 on the other side, and between the first portion 22 and the second portion 24. The main body 3 has a rotating part 25 that can be rotated so that the first part 22 and the second part 24 are folded in the arranged and unlocked state, and the main body 3 It has a holding part 31 that holds at least one of the second parts 24.

In the U-lock 1, a first portion 22 is connected to the main body 2 so as to be able to rise and fall. Specifically, the first end 21 of the first portion 22 is rotatably connected to the main body 2 so that the first portion 22 can rise and fall with respect to the main body 3.

[Locking body]
The first portion 22 of the locking body 2 includes a first end portion 21 connected to the main body 3, a first main straight portion 26 including the first end portion 21, and a first portion 22 that extends toward the second portion 24 side when the lock is locked. and a first extending portion 27 that extends in a bent manner from the first main straight portion 26 . A first convex portion 261 is formed near the first end portion 21 of the first main linear portion 26 so as to protrude in a direction opposite to the direction in which the first extending portion 27 extends.

The second portion 24 of the locking body 2 includes a second end portion 23 that is detachable from the main body 3, a second main straight portion 28 including the second end portion 23, and a second portion 24 that extends toward the first portion 22 when the lock is locked. A second extending portion 29 is bent and extends from the second main straight portion 28 . A second convex portion 281 is formed near the second end portion 23 of the second main linear portion 28 and protrudes in a direction opposite to the direction in which the second extending portion 29 extends.

The first part 22 and the second part 24 are substantially symmetrical with respect to the central axis including the rotation axis of the rotating part 25, except for the shapes of their respective ends (first end 21 and second end 23). is formed. In addition, hereinafter, the direction of the central axis will be referred to as the "vertical direction," the direction perpendicular to the central axis direction in front view will be referred to as the "left-right direction," and the direction orthogonal to the up-down direction and the left-right direction will be referred to as the "front-back direction." .

The rotating part 25 is arranged between the first part 22 and the second part 24. Specifically, the rotating portion 25 is disposed between the first extending portion 27 and the second extending portion 29, and connects the first portion 22 and the second portion 24. The rotating part 25 is not particularly limited, and for example, a known technique such as a hinge can be adopted.

At the time of locking, the first portion 22 and the second portion 24 are unfolded, and the second end portion 23 is connected to a connecting portion 34 of the main body 3, which will be described later. Specifically, the first portion 22 and the second portion 24 are unfolded at 180 degrees in the left-right direction, and the second end portion 23 is connected to the main body 3. When locked, the locking body 2 forms a substantially inverted U-shape with respect to the main body 4 when viewed from the front (see FIGS. 1 to 3).

When unlocking, the second end portion 23 is separated from the main body 3, and the first portion 22 and the second portion 24 are folded over. Specifically, the locking body 2 is folded over so that the front surface of the first portion 22 (the surface in FIG. 1) and the front surface of the second portion 24 face each other when locked. The locking body 2, which is folded up and erected with respect to the main body 4, forms a substantially inverted J-shape with respect to the main body 4 when viewed from the front (see FIGS. 4 to 7).

The cross section of the first portion 22 and the cross section of the second portion 24 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape. Specifically, the first portion 22 and the second portion 24 are each formed in a substantially rectangular cross section with a long side in the left-right direction and a short side in the front-rear direction. By doing so, the thickness of the folded locking body 2 (thickness including the thickness of the first portion 22 and the thickness of the second portion 24) can be reduced.

[Body]
The main body 3 locks the U-lock by connecting with both ends of the locking body 2. In the locked state, the main body 3 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body part 32 whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction, a holding part 31 that holds the folded first part 22 and second part 24, and a second part of the first part 22. It has a connecting part 33 connected to the one end part 21.

The holding part 31 and the connecting part 33 are arranged above the main body part 32 (on the side to which the locking body 2 is connected at the time of locking). The holding part 31 includes a first holding part 311 that holds the first part 22 and a second holding part 312 that holds the second part 24.

The connecting portion 33 includes a pair of plate-like portions 33a and 33b that are provided to sandwich the first end portion 21 of the locking body 4, and a connecting portion 331 that connects the first portion 22 so as to be able to rise and fall. The first portion 22 is connected to the main body 3 so as to undulate (swing) in the left-right direction. The connecting portion 331 is not particularly limited, and known techniques such as a rotatable rivet pin can be used.

The first holding portion 311 is a pair of plate-shaped portions that are provided so as to sandwich a part of the first portion 22, and the second holding portion 312 is provided so as to sandwich a part of the second portion 24. They are a pair of plate-shaped parts. In this embodiment, the first holding portion 311 and the second holding portion 312 have a common plate-like portion. That is, the holding portion 31 includes a rear side plate-like portion 31a disposed on the rear side of the main body 3 (back side in FIG. 1) and a front side plate-like portion disposed on the front side of the main body 3 (front side in FIG. 1). 31c, and an intermediate plate-like portion 31b disposed between the rear-side plate-like portion 31a and the front-side plate-like portion 31c, and the rear-side plate-like portion 31a and the intermediate plate-like portion 31b constitute the first holding portion 311. , the front side plate-like portion 31c and the intermediate plate-like portion 31b constitute the second holding portion 312.

The main body 3 has a connecting part 34 in the first holding part 311 which can be connected to the second end part 23 . Specifically, the connecting portion 34 is arranged below the first holding portion 311 of the main body portion 32. By connecting the second end 23 of the second portion 24 to the connecting portion 34 while inserting the second end 23 of the second portion 24 into the first holding portion 311, the main body 4 and the second portion 24 are connected, and the U Character lock 1 becomes lockable. That is, by inserting the second end portion 23 between the rear side plate-like portion 31a and the intermediate plate-like portion 31b and connecting it to the connecting portion 34 provided below, the U-lock 1 can be locked. Become.

The main body 3 has a locking part 35 for making the second end 23 connected to the connecting part 34 impossible to separate. Locking portion 35 includes four dial keys 35a. Each dial key 35a is numbered from 0 to 9, and any number can be selected by rotating it. The user of the U-lock 1 can attach and detach the second end 23 from the main body 3 by rotating each of the four dial keys 35a and selecting a preset four-digit number. That is, the user can unlock the U-lock 1 by selecting the four-digit number, connect the second end 23 to the main body 3, and select a number other than the four-digit number. By selecting a number, the U-lock 1 can be locked.

The main body 3 is provided with a thin portion 36. The thin portion 36 is a relief so that the second end portion 23 of the folded locking body 2 does not come into contact with the main body 3.

A through hole 37 is formed in the main body 3. Specifically, a through hole 37 that penetrates in the front-rear direction is formed above the approximate center of the main body portion 32 .

When unlocking, the locking body 2 is folded over and laid down against the main body 3 so that the first part 22 is inserted into the first holding part 311 and the second part 24 is inserted into the second holding part 312. . By doing so, the U-lock 1 in the released state can be folded compactly (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

As shown in FIG. 10, the U-lock 1 in the folded state can be easily fixed to the frame F of a two-wheeled vehicle by inserting a string member S such as a belt (band) into the through hole 37. .

The height (vertical distance) from the lower edge of the main body 32 to the upper edge of the holding part 31, the height from the lower edge of the main body 32 to the upper edge of the connecting part 33, the bottom of the main body 32 in the folded state It is preferable that the height from the edge to the upper edge of the first protrusion 261 and the height from the lower edge of the main body part 32 to the upper edge of the second protrusion 281 in the folded state are the same. By making these heights the same, the U-lock 1 in the folded state can be stably fixed to the frame F.

<Advantages>
The U-lock 1 can be made compact because the locking body 2 can be folded up and laid down against the main body 3 when unlocking, and can be easily stored and carried.

[Other embodiments]
The above embodiments do not limit the configuration of the present invention. Therefore, in the above embodiment, it is possible to omit, replace, or add components of each part of the above embodiment based on the description of this specification and common general technical knowledge, and all of these are interpreted as falling within the scope of the present invention. Should.

The shape of the cross section of the locking body is not limited to a substantially rectangular shape as long as it can be folded compactly.

The number of dial keys in the locking part is not limited to four. Further, the locking portion does not need to be a dial key, and may be one that can be unlocked with a key.

The first portion of the locking body does not need to be connected to the main body, and the locking body and the main body may be configured to be separable.

The holding portion may hold either the first portion or the second portion.

Furthermore, the holding portion does not need to have an intermediate plate-like portion. That is, the holding portion may be configured with a rear plate-like portion and a front-side plate-like portion, and these two plate-like portions may hold the first portion and the second portion at the same time.

The holding portion is provided with a convex portion on its inner surface (the surface on which at least one of the first portion and the second portion of the locking body is inserted) to prevent the locking body from unintentionally coming off. You can.

Alternatively, a protrusion may be provided on at least one of the first portion and the second portion of the locking body to prevent the locking body from unintentionally coming off. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, for example, a substantially conical protruding portion 241 is provided on the front surface of the second portion 24, and a substantially conical protruding portion 241 is provided on the front surface of the second portion 24 of the intermediate plate-shaped portion 31b. A recessed portion 31b ₁ (or a through hole) that fits into the protruding portion 241 is formed on the surface. When the folded locking body 2 is folded into the main body 3, the protruding portion 241 fits into the recessed portion _31b1 , thereby preventing the locking body 2 from unintentionally coming off.

As described above, the U-lock according to one aspect of the present invention can be made compact when unlocked, and is therefore suitably used to prevent theft of vehicles such as bicycles and motorcycles.

1 U-shaped lock 2 Locking body 21 First end 22 First part 23 Second end 24 Second part 241 Projecting part 25 Rotating part 26 First main straight part 261 First convex part 27 First extending part 28 Second main linear part 281 Second convex part 29 Second extending part 3 Main body 31 Holding part 31a Rear side plate-like part 31b Intermediate plate-like part 31b ₁ concave part 31c Front side plate-like part 311 First holding part 312 Second holding part 32 Main body part 33 Connecting part 331 Connecting part 33a, 33b Plate-like part 34 Connecting part 35 Locking part 35a Dial key 36 Thin part 37 Through hole F Two-wheeled vehicle frame S String-like member

Claims (6)

A U-shaped lock comprising a U-shaped locking body and a main body that can be locked by connecting both ends of the locking body,
The locking body is disposed between a first part including a first end on one side, a second part including a second end on the other side, the first part and the second part, and is unlocked. a rotating part that is rotatable so that the first part and the second part are folded over each other in a state where the first part and the second part are folded;
A U-shaped lock in which the main body has a holding part that holds at least one of the folded first part and the second part. The U-lock according to claim 1, wherein the first portion is movably connected to the main body. 3. The U-lock according to claim 2, wherein the first part and the second part are folded to lay down the first part, and the holding part holds at least one of the laid down first part and the second part. The U-lock according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the holding part has a first holding part that holds the first part and a second holding part that holds the second part. 5. The U-lock according to claim 4, wherein the body has a connecting portion in the first holding portion connectable with the second end. The U-lock according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a cross section of the first portion and a cross section of the second portion are rectangular.

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