US1436966A - Automobile lock - Google Patents

Description

F. E. LARGE.

AUTOMOBILE LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, I922.

1,436,966., fl fi NOV. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

II I\ IIIIIIIIIIIII III-I F. E. LARGE. AUTOMOBILE LOCK. APPLICATION man JUNE 8, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Hi! I 5} ll Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

whom the combination is known.

Patented Nov. 22%,

FREDERICK E. LARGE. O33 SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

AUTOMOBILE LOCK.

Application filed June 8,

I! '0 all to ham it may concern:

lie it known that I, FREDERICK E. LARGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Unondaga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful In'iprovements in Automobile Locks, of which the following is a speci.

fication.

This invention relates to improvements in automobile locks, and has for its object to provide novel, simple and effective means for preventing theft or the unauthorized use of motor vehicles. provide an independent throttle valve, which is disposed in the main gaspassage between the carburetor and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, by means of which the explosive gas necessary forstarting and operating the engine may be entirely shut off, while the vehicle is left standing on the street or in a garage. A further object is to provide a novel mechanism which is supported by the independent valve, with which is associated a 'dial having numbered graduations, and a pointer, which may be swung around the dial and into registry with certain of the numbers, for selectively moving and setting certain parts of said. mechanism, for effecting the unlocking and opening of said valve, and for allowing the explosive gas to pass from the carltiureter to the cylinders for operating the engine. A further object is to provide novel means for secretly selecting and arranging the combination of numbers on the dial, and

for correspondingly positioning the parts of said mechanism so that the valve may be opened or closed at will by the person to And a further object is to provide novel means for preventing unauthorized persons from ascertaining and working the secret combination.

I attain these objects by the means set Forth in the detailed description which follows, and as illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in whichifiigure 1. is a side view of an internal combustion engine, to which my in'iprovement applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the locking valve and related parts, the valve being in the closed position. Fig.

A further object is to 1922. Serial No. 566,841.

. 3 is a similar view showing the locking valve open. Fig. 4 is a front side elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is an enlarged central vertical longitudinal section taken on line 55 of Fig. 2. F ig. 6 is a central vertical crosssection taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is respectively an end and aside view .of the split ring which encloses the tumblers. Fig. 8 is respectively a top plan and an edge view of the (butterfly) locking valve. Fig. 9 is respectively an edge and a face view of one of the end tumblers. Fig. 10 is respectively an edge and opposite face viewsof the central tumbler. Fig. 11 is respectively a face and an edge view of the opposite end tumbler. Fig. 12 is an enlarged face view of the combination dial, which is located on the dash. Fig. 13 is an enlarged view of the tumbler and valve shaft. Fig. 14: is a face view of the blank dial. Fig. 15 is respectively a top face, a side, a rear face, and a. rear end view of the locking member. And Fig. 16 is a detail view showingthe latter member in the position for unlocking the valve.

In the drawings, 2 represents the cylinders of an internal combustion engine, and 2 the intake manifold, the latter having a down leg 2, which terminates in a horizontal flange 2 2 represents the carbureterhaving an upwardly facing flange 2 which parallels, and is spaced from the flange 2 and 52- is a fragment of the dash of the vehicle, which supports certain of the operating parts of the locking mechanism.

My improved locking mechanism consists of the following parts: 3 is a body which preferably conforms in size and shape to the flanges 2 2 and the said body is preferably disposed between and registers with the said flanges, as best seen in Fig. 1. The

body 3 has a relatively large central open .ing 3, which registers with the usual corresponding circular gas passages, of the carbureter, and the down leg 2 'of the manifold. The body 3 is also provided near its ends with perforations 3?, which receive, bolts 3 that secure the body 3 and the flanges 2 2 in place, as shown in Fig. 1. The body 3 is bored out transversely, as at 39, to receive a shafts, which extends diametrically across the central opening 3, one end 4 of the Cir said shaft being journalled in a socket 3 of the body 3, while the opposite end 4 projects some distance beyond the front edge of the said body. 5 represents a butterfly throttle valve, which consists of a flat disk which. is pivotally disposed in and controls the opening 3' of the body 3, the said valve being loosely mounted on the shaft 4, which passes through a bored-out cylindrical portion 5, that extends diametrically across the disk The disk 5 rotates with the shaft 4 at certain times, for controlling the outflow of the gas from the carbureter to the engine 2, to the extent shown bycomparing Flgs. 2, 3 and 4.

The opening of the valve 5 1s controlled directly by a number of tumblers 6, 7 and 8, which are mounted on the shaft 2 and concentrically with the barrel 5 of the disk 5, the said barrel being cut away, as at 5 to receive the tumblers and also a split holding ring 9, which closely encircles and conceals the three tumblers, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6. The middle or driving tumbler 7 is preferably rigidly attachedto and is rotated by the shaft 4, by means of a set screw 7, which engages a fiat portion .4" of said shaft. The outer tumblers 6 and 8 like the disk 5 are loosely mounted on the shaft 4, and the tumblers are rotatable in opposite directions by the tumbler 7, by means of radial teeth 7 and7 the latter being pitched in opposite directions (See Fig. 10), and engage corresponding radial shoulders 6 and 8" of the other tumblers. The shoulders 68 which face in opposite directions, are formed by the free ends of circular springs, that are rigidly mounted onthe facing sides of the tumblers 6 and 8. These shoulders are preferably arranged to flex towards the tumblers 6 and 8, for allowing the teeth 7 and 7 topass idly over said shoulders when the tumbler 7 is rotated in the non-driving directions. By this construction and arrangement, the turning of the shaft 4 in the clock-wise direction rotates the tumbler 6, without disturbing the tumbler 8, and when tumbler 7 is rotated in the opposite direction it rotates the tumbler 8. without moving the tumbler 6. The split ring 9 exerts enough tension to frictionally hold the tumblers 6 and 8 against accidental rotation, when the tumbler 7 is being rotated in the non-driving directions. The tumblers are all provided with similar peripheral notches, as 6 ,7,'8, which are adapted to be brought into alignment, by the forward and backward turning of the shaft 4 and the tumbler 7, for effecting the opening and closing of the disk-valve 5,

thereby preventing or permitting the operation of the engine. The locking of the disk 5 is-effected by a reciprocatablelocking -member 10. which is slidahle in a self-retaining guide-groove 10' which formed in the top face of the disk 5. F or this purpose the opposite margins 10 of the said groove are under-cut, to receive the correspondingly beveled lateral edges of the member l0, as best seen in Figs. 8 and 1.3. The groove 10 is disposed at right angles to the shaft 4 and the axis of the tumblers carried by said shaft, and said locking member is normally controlled by a spring 11 (see Fig. 2), which exerts its tension for holding all of the tumblers stationary, when the notches 6 7 and 8 are brought into alignment, as shown in Fig. 16, and when the locking member enters the said aligning notches, the disk 5 may be rotated, by turning the shaft 4 in the right direction, for opening the port or passage 3 in the body for allowing the explosive gas to flow from the carbureter towards the engine cylinders 2. The disk valve 5 is held in the locked and closed position, shown in Figs. 2. 4. 5 and-6, by a latch 12, which is carried by the locl ing member 10. This latch is loosely disposed in a recess 10 which is formed in the bottom face of the said member, and said latch is provided with a reduced portion 12, which projects beyond the outer end of the member lO and also beyond the adjacent peripheral margin of the disk 5, where said reduced portion is received in a socket 3 of the body 3, which prevents thetilting or 12 is normally under the control of a spring 12, which exerts its tension for holding the point 12 in the socketif, as long as the member 10 is held away from the notches 6, 7 and 8, as shown in Fig. 5. When however, the said notches'are broughtinto alignment. (see Fig. l6),by the opposite rotary movements of the shaft 4 and the tumbler 7, the spring 11 moves the locking member 10 towards the tumblers. and this releases the latch 12 from the socket 23, for allowing the disk 5 to be swung to the open position, shown in Figs. 3 and 4. As long as one or more of the tumblers 6, 7 or 8 are so positioned that their peripheral notches are out of registry with the inner end of the locking member 10, the said latch will.

Fig. The inner end of the locking n1ember 10 is slightly beveled or round. so that when the shaft 4 is rotated while the said member is seated in the aligning notches of the tumblers (see Fig. 16), the said locking member 10 may be forced outwardly and into the locking position, shown in Figs. 2 and 5. By this construction and arrangement after the owner has operated the vehicle for a time, and desires to stow .itawa in a ara e or Jarkit on thestreet t: b 9 a be in engagement with the socket 5 (see he may effect the locking of the vehicle against theft or unauthorized use, simply by rotating the shaft a sufficiently to throw one or more of the tumblers 6, 7 or 8 into the released position, as shown in Fig. 5, which will permit the closing of the valve 5. After this is done, the valve cannot be again opened except by rotating the shaft 4 forwardly and backwardly in accordance with a secret combination of numbers or positions, for bringing the peripheral notches of the tumblers again in alignment for releasing the latch 12, as described. The shaft and the tumblers 6, 7 and 8 are operated by the following mechanism 13 represents a bevel gear, which is rigidly mounted on the outer or free end of the shaft l. This gear meshes with and is driven by a similar gear 13, which is mounted on one end of a rod 14;. The opposite end of the rod 1 1 extends rearwardly and passes through the dash 2 and through a dial 15, which is carried by the dash (see Figs. 1 and 12). The dial 15 is provided with reg ularly spaced radial graduations 15, and certain evenly spaced graduations are given index numerals, which in the present show ingrun from L12. A pointer 15 is mounted on the outer end of the shaft 14: and sweeps the dial in a well-known manner. Beyond the pointer the rod lat is fitted with a hand-knob 15*, by which the driver of the vehicle may manipulate the pointer and shafts 1e and 4, for rotating the tumblers 6, 7 and 8 in the proper directions for either unlocking or locking the valve 5, as described. 16 represents what will be referred to as the blank dial, which is mounted on shaft 1 between the gear 13 and the body (see Figs, 1, 2 and 4t), and 16 represents a pointer carried by the shaft 4;, and is arranged to sweep the dial 16. The pointer 16 is supported by a sleeve 16, which. is ad justably held in place by a set-screw 16 lVhen my locking mechanism is installed on a. vehicle, the owner selects and arranges his own combination, by which the locking and unlocking of the valve 5 may be effected. To accomplish this, he manipulates the shaft +lin different directions, for ascertaining the proper movements and positions of the three tumblers, for unlocking and opening the valve 5. To do this he first turns the shaft 1: clockwise until the tooth 7 of tumbler 7 engages shoulder 6 of tumbler (l, and he continues rotating said shaft until the peripheral notch 6 registers with the locking member 10. He then makes a mark. as at 9 (see Fig. 14) with a lead pencil or other readily efl'aceable substance, on the blank dial. 1h for indicating the first position of the combination. He next rotates shaft 1in the opposite direction, without disturbing the tumbler 6, until the tooth 7 engages the shoulder 8 of the tumbler 8, and continues the said rotation until the notch 8 of the tumbler 8 is brought opposite the locking member 10, after which he marks the blank dial 16, as at 3, to indicate the second position of the combination. He then turns the shaft 4 in the clock-wise direction again until the notch 7 of the driving tumbler '7 is brought into alignment with the notches of the other tumblers, and he finally marks the blank dial, as at 12. This lastmarking indicates that the valve 5 may then be opened (see Figs. 3 and 16). At the end of this last operation of the shaft 4, the locking member .10 forced, into the aligning notches by the spring 11, which. withdraws the latch 12 from the socket 8. After these preliminary steps for arranging the secret combination have been taken, as described, the owner of the vehicle takes hold of the knob 15 at the dial 15, and turns the several shafts until the pointer 16 registers with the first temporary marking (9) of the blank dial 16. He then looks at the dial 15 and notes the position of the pointer 15 (which may or may not correspond with the marking 9 of the blank dial, owing to the adjustment of the pointer 16), which for example, points to the graduation numbered 9. He next turns the. knob 15 in the reverse direction, until the pointer 16 points to the second marking on the blank dial, and he again notes that the hand 15 points to the graduation 3 on the dial 15. He then turns the knob 15 in the opposite direction until the pointer 16 comes to the third marking on the blank dial, and he finally notes that the hand 1.5 points to the graduation numbered 12 on dial 15. He charges his memory or writes down the secret combination, which for example, corresponds to the numeral 9-3-1r2 on the dial 15. The foregoing describes how the secret combination, after it is once established, may be worked by the manipulation of the pointer 15 on the dial 15. i hen the pointer 15 has been swung around. to the last post tion, as 12, the notches 6 7 and 8 of the three tumblers are brought into alignment and the locking member 10 is moved into said notches by the spring 11 for releasing the latch 12 from the SOCnZQlJ 3. This re leases the valve 5, but it is still closed. In order to open the valve 5 it is necessary for the operator to continue the last described movement of the pointer 15" in. the same d i rection, past the number 12 on. the dial 15, until it comes to a stop. This additional movement of the pointer 15, swings the valve 5 and related parts, from the closed position shown in Fig. 2, to the open position shown in Fig. 3, and the engine may then be started. When he has completed the selection of his secret combination at the dial 15, as explained, the owner of the veon the dial 153, after which he shouliil loosen set screw i6", and swing and reset the pointer lb car equipped with my locking device wishes to change the combination, he may do so by repeating the foregoing preliminary steps. For example, to select a new combination, the pointer it" should first be loosened and reset, described, and then the several tumblers should be rotated in the order named, until their peripheral notches align and register with the locking number 10. New temporary marking should be made on the dial 16, and afterwards the new numbers on the dial 15 should be noted as described. Tn this way a great many different combinations may be selected, and the evidence of each selection may be entirely destroyed, by simply erasing the markings on the dial l6, and then resetting the pointer 1.6.

lVhat I claim, is

1. The combination with an internal combustion engine including a carbureter connected with the engine cylinders by a common gas passage, of a rockable valve pivoted in said passage, a member carried by,

said valve for locking the valve in the closed position, a mechanism carried by said valve for normally holding said member in the locking position, a shaft supporting said valve and said mechanism, means for operae ing said mechanism for releasing said memher, and means for operatively connecting said sha't with said valve for opening and closing the valve.

2. The combination with the carburetor and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, of a butterfly valve interposed between said carburetor and said manifold and controlling the flow of explosive gas between said parts, a reciprocatable member carried by said valve adapted to lock the valve in the closed position, a shaft for pivotally supporting said val'x' e, means operable by said ,haft for reciprocating said locking member, and means operable by said shaft and cooperating with said locking member for opening and closing said valve.

Z15. The combination with a carburetor and an intake manifold, said parts being connected by common. gas passage, of a disk valve disposed in said passage'and controlling the flow of gas from the carburetor to said manifold, a reciprocatable member for locking said valve in the closed position, a shaft for pivotally supporting said valve, means for holding said member in the lock-- ing position for preventing the opening of ieaeee said valve, a spring for moving said menr her a *ay from the locking position, and means for operatively connecting said mem her with said shaft for effecting the opening and closing of said valve.

4;. The combination with a carburetor and an intake manifold, said parts being connected by a common gas passage,,of a valve disposed in said gas passage and controlling the-flow of gas therethrough, a reciprocatable member for locking said valve in the closed position, a shaft for pivotally supporting said valve, tumblers carried by said shaft and adapted to move said mom-- ber towards the locking position, tension means for moving said member away from the locking position, and means for interlocking said member with said tumblers for effecting the opening of said valve.

5. The combination with the carbureter and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, of a disk valve interposed between the carbureter and said manifold and controlling the flow of explosive gas between said parts, a reciprocatable member carried by said valve adapted to lock the valve in the closed position, a spring exerting its tension for moving said memher away from the looking position, a shaft for pivotally supporting said valve, means operable by said shaft for holding said member in the locking position against the tension of said spring, and means for operatively connecting said member with said shaft for effecting the opening of the valve.

6. The combination with the carburetor and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, of a butterfly valve pivotally disposed in the gas passage extending between the carburetor and the manifold, a member carried by said valve adapted to lock the valve in the closed position, a shaft for supporting said valve, a plurality of tumblers carried by said shaft and having peripheral notches, one of said tumblers being movable with said shaft and adapted when rotated in opposite directions to rotate the other tumbler for bringing said notches into alignment, means for moving said member into engagement with the notches for effecting the releasing of said valve, and means for opening and closing said valve while said member is engaging said notches.

7 The combination with the czn'btu'eter and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, of a valve disposed in the gas passage that connects said parts, a shaft supporting and operating said valve, tumblers mounted on said shaft and supported by said valve, one of said tumblers being rigid tosaid shaft, and a locking member carried by said valve and movable towards and away from said: tumblers-adapted to engage said tumblers for releasing said valve and for allowing said shaft to rotate said valve. i

8. The combination with a carbureter and an intake manifold, of a locking device interposed between said parts, a valve carried by said device and rotatable for opening and closing the gas passage extending between the carburetor and said manifold, a shaft for supporting said valve, a plurality of tumblers carried by said valve and operable by said shaft, a locking mem ber carried by said valve and movable to wards and away from said tumblers, a latch ,arried by said member adapted to hold said valve in the closed position when said member is held extended by said. tumblers, means for rotating said tumblers for effecting the interlocking of said'member with the tumblers for releasing said latch, and means for swinging said valve around the axis of said shaft while said latch is released.

9. The combination with the carbureter and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, of a valve disposed in the gas passage leading from the carburetor to the manifold, a shaft for supporting said valve, a plurality of tumblers carried by said shaft adapted to operatively connect said shaft with said valve, said tumblers having peripheral notches, a locking member normally in frictional engagement with said tumblers, means for rotating said tumblers for bringing said notches into align ment and into registry with said locking member, means for moving said locking member into said notches, and means for opening and closing said valve while said member engages said notches.

10. The combination with the carbureter and the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine said parts being connected by a common gas passage, of a butterfly valve disposed in said passage, a shaft for pivotally supporting said valve, a plurality of tumblers having peripheral notches carried by said shaft and disposed in an opening in said valve, one of said tumblers being rigid to said shaft and adapted to rotate the other tumblers for bringing the said notches into alignment, and a reciprocatable member carried by said valve adapted when moved away from said tumblers to lock said valve in the closed position and when moved towards said tumblers to engage said aligning notches for unlocking said valve.

11. The combination with a carbureter and an intake manifold said parts being connected by a common gas passage, of a butterfly valve controlling the flow of gas through said passage having a barrel, a shaft for supporting said valve, gears for operating said shaft, trunblers mounted on said shaft within said barrel, said tumblers havsaid locking member withsaid notches for operatively connecting said shaft with said valve,

12. in a combination lock for motor vehicles, the combination with the carbureter and the intake manifold, said parts being connected by a common gas passage, of a butterfly valve disposed in said passage, means, carried by said valve for locking the same in the closed position, tumblers having peripheral sockets disposed in the line of the rotatable axis of said valve, a shaft journalled in the line of said axis and support ing said valve and said tumblers, one of said tumblers being rigid to said shaft, means for rocking said shaft in opposite directions for bringing said sockets into registery with said locking means for effecting the release of said valve, a graduated dial, a pointer arranged to sweep said dial, said pointer operatively connected with said shaft adapted when moved in opposite directions into registery with certain graduations to effect the aligning of said sockets and the opening of said valve.

13. In combination lock for motor vehielse, the combination with the carburetor and the intake manifold said parts being connected by a common gas passage, a valve disposed in said passage, tumblers carried by said valve having peripheral sockets, a shaft for pivotally supporting said valve and certain of said tumblers, one of said tumblers being '1. 'gid to said shaft, a reciprocatable locking member carried by said valve and movable towards and away from said tumblers adapted to be held in the locking position when the sockets of said tumblers are out of alignment, means for efiecting the alignment of said sockets, means for moving said locking member into engagement with the aligning sockets for operatively connecting said valve with said shaft, and means for shifting said tumblers out of alignment for preventing the opening of the valve.

let. In a l ck for automobiles, the combination with the carbureter and the intake manifold, said parts being connected by a common fuel passage, of a butterfly valve equipped with a combination mechanism comprising a shaft upon. which said valve journalled, a plurality of tumblers mounted on said shaft within the margins of the valve, one of said tumblers being rigid on said shaft and ada ted to rotate the other tumblers when .J'aid shaft is rocked in opposite directions, said tumblers having similar soeketsa looking member movable on said valve towards and away from said tumblers adapted to beheld by said tumblers in the locking position said locking member adapted to be forced away from the locking position towards said tumblers when said soeketsare brought into alignment, a dial

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