US1430472A - Lock for automobiles - Google Patents

Description

F. STAGGS AND M. REYNOLDS. LOCK FUR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION EILED mmza, i920- 1,4:30',472. v Patented Sept. 26, 1922.

Aim/way.

F. STAGGS AND M. REYNOLDS.

LOOK FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED mu.23,1920.

Patented Sept. 26, 1922.

- 2 SHYEETSSHEEI 2. 2% a4 /4 3 29 47 Patented Sept. 26, 1922.

FRED STAGGS AND MARION REYNOLDS, OF SHAMROCK,

TEXAS.

LOCK FOR AUTOMOBILES,

Application filed January 23, 1920. Serial No. 353,630.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that we, FRED STAGGS and MARION REYNOLDS, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of Shamrock, in the county of Wheeler and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to looks for automobiles and while it is primarly for use in looking the steering rod or shaft of a Ford car, the principle of the invention and the structural features thereof may be made applicable to cars of other types.

against movement, the

The invention is illustrated in connection with a known housing for the planetary gearing of a Ford car, the said lock being attached to the internal gear case below the steering wheel.

The object of this invention is to provide novel means for locking thesteering gear locking device is of the permutation type, requiring manipula, tion of members to bring them into certain relaton to one another beforethe bolt can be operated to release the steering shaft.

A still further object of this inventionis to provide novel means which guard against manipulating the partsby socalled. feeling the action of the bolt with relation to the locking mechanism.

A still further object of this invention 1s to produce a lock ofthencharacter indicated which can be readily attached to cars now in use and which can also be installed on new cars.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed." I

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawingsforming partof this specification wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which f 1 Figure l is a top plan view of thelo'clrcas ing with the steering shaft in section;

Figure 2 is a viewvin elevation of the said lock casing and parts associated therewith;

Figure 3 is adetailed sectional viewlof the lock;

Figure 4 is a sectionalview on the line 44 of Figureg; and.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bolt. Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the invention in a preferred form the refer.- ence numeral 10 is applied to the gear case for the planetary gears of afFordautomoe bilel, such gear case or housing having at ts upper portionexternal screw threads, and

in applying our invention the usual cover for such gear case is discarded as we substitute therefor-a cover and base plate 11, that has a flange 12 Which is provided with internal threads and external indicia. The .permutaT tion lock mechanism is inclosed between the base plateand a cover plate 13, such plates being connected and spaced apart so as to be separated, the distance between the plates being about thesame as the thickness ofa notched collarthat is rigidly attached to the stub-shaft 15 to the upper end of which the steering wheel is attachedwhich shaft also carries within the gear casing a pinion that is engaged by planetary pinions of the Ford steering wheel assembly.

The'face plate" 13 has an aperture 14 to receive the stub or short shaft 15 the lower end of whichiengages with the steering post and thebase plate 11 also has an aperture 16 to receive said shaft, the said shaft being rotatable'therein. The face plate 13 is securedto the base plate by screws 17 and the said screws also hold a segment or slotted ring18 rigid with the two plates. The said ring orseg'm ent 18 has between its endsva space or opening 19 in which a bolt 20 is slidable radially. The bolt has a stud 21 projecting through a slot 22 of the face plate and the saidstud is connected to a lever 23 .which is pivoted on a stud 24 on the face plate and the said lever has a handle 25' by which the lever is oscillated to project and retract the bolt as will presently appear.

a The faceplate has a dial 26 on it with relation to which an index or pointer 27 is movable and the said pointer is mounted on the stud 28 of the disk 29, the said disk-29 having a, peripheral notch or recess 30 forming a seat for the bolt when the parts are set to unlock or release the steering shaft, and the said index or pointer also constitutes the means by which the diskis rotated.

A collar 31 is secured on the short or stub shaft 15 by a fastening such as av screw 32 and the collar therefore rotates with the shaft and has peripheral recesses 33 forming seats for the bolt, which bolt enters one of after,

the seats when the steering shaft is locked.

In addition to the disk 29, which latter prevents the movement of the bolt unless the notch 30 of the disk can be entered by the bolt, we provide two additional rings 34 and 35, which are slidable one on the other between the two plates. The rings are rotatable about the segment 18 and the ring 34: has a lug 36 on it, whereas the ring 35 carries a lug 37, the said lugs being on the periphery of the rings. The rings 34c and 35 may be termed the permutation rings. in that each has a notch 38 in its inner edge which is adapted to aline with the other and with the seat or recess of the disk 29 and this registry of the recesses must occur before the bolt can be moved to unlock the steering shaft.

It will be noted that the permutation rings 34: and 35, each have in addition to spaces or notches 38 for the reception of the outer end of the bolt 20 when in line therewith, are also provided with lugs 36 and 37 that project from their outer edges, the lugs being positioned to be engaged by the ends or shoulders of the segmental recesses in the rings 39 and 40, provided with combined handles and indicators 47 and 4:8, by which the rings 'are'manipulated to position the notches in the rings 34; and 35 in line with the notch in the disk 29. The three bolt receiving recesses have to be alined before the bolt can be moved to release the steering wheel.

As a means for operating the permutation rings, a ring 39 and a ring 40 are located between the base plate and the face plate and these rings are rotatable to some extent independently of the permutation rings. This is accomplished by having the inner edges of the rings 39 and 40 recessed or cut, so that they may move independently of the lugs 36 and 37, but the cut away portions form shoulders ell and 42 on one ring and shoulders as and 4 1 on the other ring. The shoulders 11 and 12 will engage one of the lugs to move the disk, whereas the shoulders 4-3 and M: will engage the other lug to move its disk, and the relation of parts is such that when the shoulders engage the lugs and move the disks, the ma nipulation may continue until the notches or recesses in the inner edges of the rings 34 and 35 aline to receive the bolt. Therethe rings 39 and may be moved independently of the rings 31 and so that one may not be able to know the combination which effected the release of the locking mechanism.

Externally of the flange of the base plate, there are graduations 15 for one ring and graduations 4.6 for the other ring. Combined handles and indicators 47 and 18 are attached to the rings 39 and 40 respectively and it may be determined in advance what graduations these pointers or indicators must cover to effect the release of the bolt, but after the parts have been set to release the locking bolt, the indicators may, as stated, be moved interdependently of the disk of the rings 34 and 35 so that unauthorized persons may not be able to know the combination which effected the release of the locking belt. I

In operation, it will be observed that if the operator desired to release the locking bolt, he would move the indicators 17 and 18 to some predetermined number, so that the recess in the rings 34 and 35 would aline and then move the indicator 27 to a predetermined number so that the notch in the disk or wheel 29 would aline with the notches of the rings and thereafter the locking bolt may be withdrawn by manipulating the handle of the lever 23. To lock the devices again, the bolt 20 would be forced into one of the recesses 33 of the collar 31 and the permutation rings would be moved out of alinement with each other and the disk 29 would like wise be rotated so that all of the parts would require resetting before the locking bolt could again be removed from the notch of the collar 31.

V The inner edges of the rings 34 and 35 have recesses with beveledsurfac'es as shown at 19 which are intended to be engaged by the V-shaped nose of the locking bolt, so that if the locking bolt is moved outwardly in an attempt'to feel the recesses in the permutation rings, said rings cannot be further rotated owing to the fact that the locking bolt will engage the shoulders of the recesses in the edges of the rings.

The hereinbefore described locking device for the steering posts and the steering wheel of automobiles is placed on the market as an improved article of manufacture, and as such it includes a short or stub shaft which is provided at its upper end with means for attaching thereto the steering wheel, this short or stub shaft 15 has fixedly attached thereto a collar provided with peripheral notches or recesses, the thickness of the collar being substantially equal to the distance between the underside of the face plate and the upper surface of the cover plate for the internal gear case within which is housed an intermediate portion of the stub shaft having a drive pinion, with which meshes planetary pinions such pinions or reduction gears meshing with the teeth in the internal gear case.

The base plate 11 and the face plate 13 are each provided with marks and numerals or letters, the rings 39 and 40 each have pointers which also serve as means for turning the rings, so that shoulders formed by removing a portion on the inner side of the rings may engage with lugs to move the two permutation disks to position the internal notches thereof in alinement with the spaces between the segments, which are fix; edly attached to the cover and face plates, by bolts as hereinbefore set forth The upper or face plate has therethrough an aperture for the-passage of a stud attachedto or formed on a notched or recessed disk 29 and to the stud is attached a pointer which may be moved by hand to turn the disk and place its notch in register with the bolt or to hold the bolt in positive engagement With the notched collar on the shaft 15. It will be noted that the pointer not only serves its purpose as an indicator but as a knob used to turn the notched disk so that the bolt may be shot when the several notches in the permutation disks are in register, and when the bolt controlling notches of the several members are in register with the bolt the lever is moved to project or retract the bolt. The lever which is connected to the bolt has at its free end a knob and opposite or beneath the same a projection to engage restraining recesses in the face plate. 1

In the device described movement of one of the permutation disks or of the notched disk 29 will lock the bolt after it has been shot to lock the steering rod of the automobile and movement of either one of the permutation rings will hold the bolt in retracted position.

Either one or more of the permutation rings or the spacing segment may have a serrated edge or margin that conforms to the outer end of the bolt, for the purpose of providing an unbroken surface when the bolt has been shot to locking position which will render it diflicult to set the permutation disks by touch and sound or the feel in manipulating the disks when the bolt has been shot to locking position.

We claim:

1. In a permutation lock, a member adapted to be attached to a steering shaft of an automobile and having notches therein, a member stationary with relation to the first-mentioned member, a bolt slidable with relation to the-members and held against rotary movement by the second-mentioned member and adapted to enter the recesses in the first-mentioned member, permutation rings rotatable about the second-mentioned member and having recesses adapted to aline to provide a clearance for the bolt, rings embracing the first-mentioned rings, means for communicating motion of the secondmentioned rings to the first-mentioned rings, manipulated. devices on the second-mentioned rings whereby they are moved, and indicators for denoting the degree of movement of the said rings.

2. In combination with a permutation locking device for the steering Wheel assemblage of motor vehicles which have a housing for planetary gears and a'shaft that is engaged thereby, of a cover for the housing which serves as a base plate for the permutation lock, anotched disk which is fixedly attached to the shaft, a face plate, a spacingsegment attached to the'base plate and to the face plate, permutation disks each having an internal recess, rings for en gagement with the permutation disks the rings having means for manually moving the same, a recessed disk carried by the face plate and provided with manually operated means for moving the disk, a bolt located between the ends of the spacing segment, and means attached to the face plate for sliding the bolt.

3. In a permutation look, a notched collar, means for securing the collar to a steering shaft of an automobile, a ring stationary with relation to the collar and embracing the same, a bolt engaging the ring and adapted to enter a notch of the collar, rings rotatable about the first-mentioned ring and each having a notch adapted to aline With the notch of the other ring to provide a clearance for the movement of the bolt to release the collar, the said rings having recesses in their inner edges forming shoulders adapted to be engaged by the bolt to hold the rings against movement under certain conditions, and means for rotating the rings when free of the bolt.

4. In a permutation look, a notched collar adapted to be secured to a steering shaft of an automobile, a ring embracing the said collar, means for securing the rings stationary with relation to the collar, a locking bolt slidably engaging the ring and adapted to enter the notches of the collar, permutation rings surrounding the first-mentioned ring and each having a notch, the notches being adapted to register to create a clearance for the bolt, means for rotating the rings, a disk having a notch adapted to aline with the notches of the rings, means for rotatably mounting the disk in operative relation to the rings, an indicator for controlling the disk, rings rotatably mounted about the firstmentioned rings, means for communicating the motion of the outer rings to the inner rings, means for permitting independent movement of the outer rings with respect to the inner rings for a predetermined degree, indicators on the said outer rings, and graduated scales with relation to which the indicators are movable.

5. A permutation lock for the shaft of a steering wheel comprising a base plate hav ing marginal indicia, a face plate having marginal indicia, a spacing segment, a notched collar attached to a shaft and positioned within the spacing segment, a shaft that engages the steering rod and to which -the steering wheel is attached, a bolt which is associated With means attached to the face plate whereby said bolt may be moved to and from the notched collar by manual actuation of such means. permutation disks which surround the spacing segment said disks having bolt receiving recesses and peripherally extending lugs, rings having shoulders for engagement with the lugs, and pointers which serve as means for manually 10 moving the rings.

FRED STAGGS. MARION REYNOLDS

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