US1392568A - Alarm - Google Patents

Description

J. HORN, F. H.YMAY AND J. MEILNER. ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2s. 192|.

1,392,568. Patented oen 4,` 1921.

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1,392,568, Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

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.Ly HORN, F. H. MAY AND J. MEILNER.

ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. I92I.

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JOSEPH HORN, OF WEST ORANGE, FERDINAND E. MAY, OF MONTCLAIR, AND'JOSEF MEILNER, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

ALARM.

Patented oet. 4, 192,1.

Application led February 26, 1921. Serial No. 448,274.

tended to prevent the theft or illegitimate 1 use of automobiles and other motor-driven vehicles and'has for its object the provision of a novel alarm of this type which is simple in construction, efficient in operation and which cannot readily be rendered inopera- 'tive by unauthorized persons and whereby an attempted theft or unauthorized use is audibly announced and thereby frustrated. Other more specific objects will appear from the description hereinafter andthe features of novelty'will be vpointed out in the appended claims.l f l In the accompanying drawings, which show an example of our invention without defining its limits, Figure 1 is an elevation illustrating the alarm in Operative connection with a cylinder of an internal combustion engine; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view; Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectionl on the line 4-'4 of Fig. 2; Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive are detail views illustrating parts of the locking mechanism; Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic, sectional view illustrating another arrangement of the invention; and Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 12V-12 of Fig. 11.

1n its illustrated form, the alarm comprises a base 10 having an externally screw# threaded neck 11 whereby connection with the head 12 of a cylinder 13 of an internal combustion engine is effected, the location Of therv device on said cylinder Vbeing preferably` in close proximity to the spark plug14 or otheriignition device thereof. .The base 10 is formed with outwardly diverging passages 15 which communicate with an axial passage 16 in the base and terminate at their exit ends in an annular' recess 17 of relatively reduced width formed in the face of said base, as shown in Fig. 4, the axial passage 16 in turn leading to the interior 18 of the neck 11 whereby communication with the combustion chamber 19 of the cylinder 13 is provided. A sounding cup 2O of suitable material and construction is fitted between oppositely kdisposed supports 21 fixed yupon or comprising integral parts of the base 10 and is secured in position in registry withv the annular recess 17 in any suitable manner as by means of screws 22. In order that the sounding cup 21 may be adapted to the different degrees of compression found in the various types .of motors in common use, it' is preferred to 4provide for the adjustment of said cup in axial directions toward and away from said recess 17; this adjustment may beV effected in any convenient manner as., for instance, by proslots 23 for the accommodation of the screw or screws 22 as shown in Fig. 2` Y The supports 21 carry a disk. 21aupon which a housing 24 of the required dimensions and form is mounted for the accommodation and inclosure of a lock which is pref-l erably of the combination type andv in its illustrated form comprises a dial 25 rotatable upon the housing 24 and in surface engagement therewith, said dial having suitable designations 26 produced thereon in the customary manner and adapted for coperation with a suitable designation 27 upon the housing contiguous vto the periphery of said dial, in the manipulation of thelock. yThe dial 25 may alsobc provided with4 a preferably lknurled head or knob 28 to facilitate the rotation thereof and in addition, is

formed with a sleeve 29extending axially Y.

against separationfrom the housing 24 -without interfering with the rotative movements In addition to the elements so far de-V scribed, the illustrated locking mechanism comprises an operating disk 32 which is xed upon the sleeve 29 to rotate therewith within the housing 24 and a pair of lockdisks 33 and 34 rotatably mounted upon said sleeve within the housing and upon opposite sides of the operating disk 32 in surface engagement with the opposite faces thereof as shown in Fig. 2. The operating` disk 32 is provided on one surface with a stud 35 adapted for coperation with a series of apertures 36 formed 4in the lock-disk 33 and With a stud 35a arranged to travel in an annular groove 37 of the lock-disk 34 and torcoper'ate with a projectionl 38 in said groove, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. The lock- disks 33 and 34 are provided with peripheral notches or recesses 39 and 40 respectively, arranged to be brought into registry with each other in the manipulation of the lock and to receive thelatch 41 of a bolt 42 slidably mountedV by means of screws 21b upon the disk 21a within the heusing 24; suitable openings 43 and 44 are provided in the latter to permitv the necessary movements and operation of the combined latch 41 and bolt 42. The bolt 42 includes an opening 42a, the periphery of which, at least at one point, comprises a locking mem ber 42?, preferably formed with opposite cam surfaces, as shown in Fig. 2. In the illustrated example, the lock` includes further a lever 45 pivoted at 46 upon the casing 18 and carrying a counter-weight 47Whereby the leveris maintained in engagement with the bolt 42 and the latter is alwaysI automatically moved into its locking on operative positionv at the proper time; the support 21 is formed with a slot 48 in which the i lever 45 is mounted, as shown in Fig. 2.

The alarm in addition includes means Y whereby it maybe rendered inoperative by an authorized person o1" set in an operative adjustment to ,frustrate an attempted theft or an unauthorized use of the vehicle in which the alarm is installed, said means be- 'n0 securely locked against tampering in ither position vby the locking means previously described. In the illustrated example, this means comprises a stem 49 slidable in the base 10 and including an enlargement 50 slidable in an axial bore 51 of the Vsleeve 29'as shownin Fig. 2, said stem caring in the disk 2ln and carries a double cam 53 arranged to coperate with the cam surfaces of the locking member 42b to shift the bolt 42 and more particularly the locking member 42b-thereof transversely to permit an authorized adjustment 'of the stem 49 and with it the valve 52; thel double cam 53 and locking member 42b coperate also to lock the valve 52 in either of its positions when the bolt 42 and latch 41 occupy an operative position.

In order to prevent tampering with the operative parts of the alarm, it is preferred to include a main cover 54 which sets'over and incloses the housing 24, the supports 2l and their correlated parts,and which includes a recessed base 55 arranged to fit over and receive the base 10; unauthorized removal of said cover l54` isl also prevented by the lock previously described, the bolt 42 of Y which includes a lug 42C which enters an annular groove 54FL located at the proper point upon said. cover 54. Thelatter, as shown, may be constructed in the form of a cage provided with a plurality of ribs, 56 located at spaced lintervals throughout said coverV 54 and formingbetween them a-plurality of, apertures 57 through which the sound waves set up by the action of the combustion or other gasesupon the sounding cup 21 freely pass without being mul'lled .to any appreciable'degree; the arrangement of ribs 56 and apertures 57 is such that access through the latter tothe alarm for the purpose oftampering therewith or for any other reasonv is impossible. v

For the purpose ofv reducing to a Vminimum the possibility l"of having thev alarm* rendered inoperative orl deficient for its intended purpose, a 4device may be included therein which coperates withV the ignition device whereby the charge isV ignited, toY prevent removal Aof Isaid device from thecylinder; for instance, as shown, Vthe cover. base 55 may be constructed with-an auxiliary cover' 59 forming an"l integral part thereof or otherwise permanently connected therewith and'ariianged to set overthe spark plug 14 near which the alarm is located. The auxiliary cover 59,vwhen in operative position, by reason of'itsV construction, prevents removal of said spark plug 14 which, if accomplished, would'provide an escape opening for the combustiongases `or other fluid and a consequent reduction in the pres-- sure exerted upon the sounding cup 21 whereby the sounding of the alarm might be weakened to such an extent as to become inefficient for its intended purposes. s

n In describing the!v operation of the alarm, itwill be assumed that it is installed upon one of thecylinders 13 of an engine which constitutes the motive power'oflan `automobile, the' cylinders being upright' and the alarm projecting upwardly from the head 12 of said one cylinder. 13, for instance, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will, of course, be .understood that thisk is only an example chosen for the purposes of illustration and description and that the limits of the invention are not delined thereby. vIn the normal, inoperative condition of the alarm, the stem 49 occupies a raised position in which it is held by means of the locking"`member 42b of the bolt 42, which projects beneath the double. cam 53, the valvev 52, in this case, closing the end o-f the passage 16 and thereby cuttingoff the communication between the combustion chamber 20 and the'alarm. The bolt 42, with its locking member 42h,

is held in the described position by the action of the lever 45 under 'the influence of the counter-weight 47 and is locked against -movement in an unlocking direction because one or both of the disk notches 39 and 40 are out of registry with the latch 41, the

peripheries of said disks v,acting as stops toV prevent inward `movement of said latch, as will be readilyapparent.

When it is desired yto set the alarm in an operative position, the lock-dial 25 yis rotated first in one direction through the medium of the'knob 28 until a 4predetermined designation 26 registers with the'designation 27 and then in the opposite vdirection until a second predetermined designation 26 on the dial 25 registers with the designation 27 on the housing 24. This actuation Vofthe dial brings about an adjustment of the lockdisks 33 and 34through thev mediumof the operating disk 32, in which'the notches or recesses 39 and 40 are brought into registry with each other and .with the latch 43. In other words, a movement of the dial 25 to the. right will, because fof the connection 'between the operating, disky 32 and vlockdisk 33 through the medium ofthe stud 35 and one of the apertures 36, carry the disk 33 along. This movement is continued until the predetermined designation 26 is in registry with the designation 27 which brings the notch 39 of the disk 33 into registry withv the latch 43, it being understood that the'described actuation `is relatively to the lockdisk 34 which remains approximately stationary, the stud 35a traveling in the annular groove 37. After the disk 33 has been set, a movement of the dial 25 to the left will Vfinally cause vthe stud 35a of the operating ,in lregistry with lthe designation 27 which brings the notch 40 into registry with the notch39 and with the' latch 43. The combination may be changed by rsimply setting the stud in different apertures 36 of the lock-disk'33. jThe stem 49 may` now be pushed downwardly rto Ymove ,the valve 52' locking member 42b and the latter being thus moved out of the path of said double cam; the lug 42C partakes of this movement of the bolt and is consequently withdrawn from the groove 54 of the cover 54 whereby the latter may be unlocked for removal at any time. The described movement of the bolt is possible because of the fact that the registering notches 39 and 40 of the disks 33 and 34'provide the space necessary to permit the latch 43 to partake of the movement in question. In other words, the obstruction interposed by the peripheriesof the disks to an inward movement of the latch 43 is removed by the previously described manipulation of the lock. As soon as the downward movement of the stem 49 is sufficient to bring the double cam 53 beyond the member 42", the bolt 42 is shifted to the right in a -return movement, under they influence of theI lever 45 and the counter-weight 47 and thus brings the locking member 42b above the double cam 53 and coincidentally moves the latch 41 out of the notches 39 and 40. By suitably manipulating the dial 25 in a predetermined manner at this stage, the disks 33 and 34 may be actuated to shift one. or both of the notches 39 'and 40 out of registry with the latch 41 and thus lock the same against any material movement in an inward direction. As a result, it is impossible for anyonefunfamiliar with the combina- 1 tion of the lock yto release the stem 49 so that 11. the passage 16 and channels 15 andout of the annular recess 17 in a circular stream whichracts vupon the sounding cup 21 and operates the alarm, for instance. in a vsuc cession of blasts, the frequency of which depends upon the speed at which the engine is being run. It is therefore impossible to drive the automobile in which the alarm is installed, without giving notice thereof, so that apprehension of the thief or of an unauthorized user of the vehicle becomes a foregone conclusion.

To bring the alarm dition, the dial is again manipulated to release the locking mechanism, and to permit the stem 49 to be raised whereby the valve `52 is caused to close the passage 19 and the .locking member 42b is moved beneath the to an inoperative con- A double cam 53 to fix the stem and valve in their raised positions. Another manipulation of the dial 25 again locks the mechanism the alarm itself and to reduce to the utmost simplicity the operation-of adjusting the alarm, an arrangement such as is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. .ll may be utili'zed1 ln this case, the dial 25 is either. provided With bevel-toothedv periphery or With a bevel gear 25a which meshes with a cooperating bevel gear mounted, for instance, upon a stub shaft 6l journaled in a bracket bearing 62 carried by or forming an integral part of a ring clamp 63 which is clamped upon a suitable part of the cover 54 as shown in Fig. 1l. A sleeve 64 is slidably mounted upon the shaft 61 and is slidably connected therewith, for instance, by means of a pin 65 and a slot 66 which serve also Vto couple the sleeve 64 to the shaft 61 and consequently to the gear 60. The sleeve 64 further carries a disk 67 and is flexibly connected with a shaft 6,8 by

means of a universal joint 69 of any con-V venient type, said shaft-68 in turn projecting through and being slidably and'rotatably mounted upon the instrument-board 70 of the vehicle in Whichthe alarm is installed. At its free end, which is on that side of the instrument-board facing the driver of the vehicle, the shaft 68 may carry pointer 7lV arranged for cooperation with a dial 25b which may be a duplicate of the dial 25 in so far as designations 26a are concerned, and may be provided also with an operating head or knob 72. The arrangement being described may further include a bell-crank lever 73 pivoted at 74A upon a lug carried by the ring clamp 63 and having its one end forked at 75 for connection with the head 49a of the stem 49 and its other end pivotally connected at 76 with one end of a lever 77 whichl is itself slidably mounted by means of a pin 78 and lslot 78a upon the bracket bearing 62 of the ring clamp 63. The other' end of the lever 77 is forked at 79 for connection with the periphery of the disk-67 which is of suitable form to permit rotation of said disk relatively to said forked end 79. f

In practice, a rotation of the pointer 71 relatively to the dial 25b by means of the knob `72 will rotate the shaft 68 and sleeve 64, motionbeing transmitted through the medium of the universal joint 69 and being communicated by means of the pin 65 and slot 66 to the shaft 6l and to the bevel gear 60 which in turn actuatesthe coperating gear 25, The movements of the latterwill thus be' Vduplic'atesofthe pointer 71 and consequently will actuate the dial 25 in the same4 way as previously described and thus operate the locking mechanism in the same Way as hereinbefore set forth; after the'locking mechanism has been Vmanipulated in the predetermined manner, a pull' is exerted upon the head or knob 72 whichis transmitted, by

ymeans of the shaft 68, Vto the sleevef64 and causes the'latter to move lengthwise of the shaft 6l., the disk 67 partaking of said movement of the sleeve 64. The described linear actuation of the disk 67 causes the lever 77 to slide in thefbracket bearing 72 within the Y limits ofthe slot 7 6n and rocks the bell-crank lever 7 3 which accordingly exerts a pull or aV push upon the head 49a, according to' the direction of operation, and thereby shifts the rod 49 to open or closeV the valve 52 in ex actly the same way and-for the same reasons as hereinbefore described. .f

The knob 72 being located within easy device 1s arranged `to produce analarm in the nature ofa whistling sound, whichl is very penetrating and of distinctive charac ter` and which mayreadily be distinguished from all custom-aryand'usualtranic signals, even under the most crowdedjtra'iiic conditions and is thus certain to quickly attract the attention of police oiiicers and others. The discovery fof the offender and his apprehension! is therefore practically certain as it is impossible to-silence the alarm, once it is in its operative adjustment, without first actuating the locking mechanismand correlated parts or by stopping the motor. a The locking mechanism, in its illustrated forni, is entirely without springs and other delicate parts'likely to lbecome injured-by ther high temperature of the combustion gases or other eifects'thereof, or by expansion and contraction due to rapid changes' in ternperature conditions infthe vicinity of the alarm. As a` matter of fact, the locking excessive heat 'by that part ofthe interior of the casing which is between the housing and the sounding cup and which constitutes an air-chamber. Y

By adjusting the sounding cuptoward and away-from the annular recess i7, the

vmechanism is protectedfrom the effects of erated therein.

Various changes in the form shown and described may be made withinthe scope of the claims without departing spirit of` our invention.:

We claim:

l. An alarm'of the kind described comprising a support having an inlet for an actuating fluid, a valve controlling the same, a sounding device carried by said support and arranged to bei` actuated by said fluid, a housing mounted upon said support and locking means within said housing whereby said valve is locked against tampering in either its open or its closed position and means mounted exteriorly upon said housing for actuating said locking means.

2. An alarm of the kind described comprising a support having an inlet for an actuating fluid, a valve controlling the same, a sounding device carried by said support and arranged to be actuated by said fluid and adjustable toward and away from said inlet, a housing mounted on said support, locking disks within said housing whereby said valve is locked in either its open or its closed position, an operating disk within said housing f'or operating said locking disks, dial mechanism mounted exteriorly upon said housing for actuating said operating disk, and a cover fitted over said housing and support to inclose ythe same. Y

3. An alarm of the kindfdescribed comprising a support, a base connected with said support and having an annular outlet leading to the interior of said support, an inlet and diverging channels communicating with said inlet and with said outlet, a housing mounted on said support, a sounding device on said support, a valve controlfrom the i ling said inlet, a slidable stem carrying said valve and arranged to open and close the same, and locking mechanism within said housing cooperating with saidstem to lock said valve in an adjusted position.

4:. An alarm of the kind described comprising a support, a base connected with said support and having an annular outlet, an inlet and diverging channels communicating with said inlet and with said annular outlet, a housing mounted on said support, a sounding device on said support and adjustable toward and away from said outlet, a valve controlling said inlet, a slidable stem carrying said valve and arranged to open and close the same, a double cam mounted on said stem, a bolt in said housing cooperating with said double cam to lock said stem against movement and thereby fix said valve in an adjusted position, a weighted lever whereby said bolt is maintained in and returned to its locking position, locking mechanism within said housing, a latch carried by said' bolt and cooperating with said lockingfmechanism to lock the bolt against movement, means, located exteriorly. of the housing, mechanism and an apertured cover fitted over said support, base and housing to inclos'e thesame. l I

5. VThe Vcombination with the cylinderV of an internal combustion engine vand an ignition device connected therewith, of an alarm connected with said cylinder and operated by gaseous fluid therefrom, means for selectively controlling thel connection be,- tween said cylinder andthe alarm locking mechanism whereby said means is locked in an adjusted position and connected'devices whereby said alarm is protected against tamvfor manipulating said lockingy pering and said igniting device is locked* j against removal from the cylinder.

6. The combination with the vcylinder of an internal combustion engine and an igniting device connected therewith, of anv alarm mounted upon said cylinder and operated by gaseous fiuid therefrom, means for selectively controlling the connection between said cylinder and the alarm, locking mechanism whereby said means is locked in an adjusted position, an apertured cover fitted over said alarm and inclosing the same and an auxiliary device permanently connected with said apertured cover and cooperating with said igniting device to pregent removal of the latter from said cylinc er.

7. The combination with the cylinder of an internal combustion engine and a Spark `plug carried thereby, of an alarm mounted upon said cylinder and operated by gaseous fiuid therefrom, a valve controlling the connection between said -cylinder and the alarm, means for operatingV said valve to open or close said connection, a combination lock cooperating with said operating means to lock said valve in an adjusted position, a main .and mechanism including an actuating device located at a distance from said alarm and adapted to actuate said locking means and to also operate said controlling means.

9. In a motor-driven vehicle including an instrument board and a driving motor, the

combination of analarm connected with said motor to indicate unauthorized operation thereof and' including Vslidable means for controlling said alarm, vand rotatable locking means for locking said slidable means in van adjusted position, and mechanism extending to said instrument board and operatively connected with said controllingl and locking*y means, said mechanism being capableof both sliding and rotative movements` to corre- 10 spondingly actuate said slidable means and locking means respectively. Y

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our hands.

JOSEPH HORN.l [La] FERDINANDH. MAY. [La] JOSEF MEILNER. [La]

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