US1498906A - Automobile lock and housing therefor - Google Patents

Description

J une 24, 1924.

VV F.53ERJHL AUTOMOILE Loox AND HOUSING THEREFGR v 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 31

AUTMUBILE LOCK AND HOUSING THEREFOH Filed Aug.

Patented June 24, 1924.

nutren STATES VILLAM F. BET-TELL, OF FORDYCE, ARKANSAS.

AUTOMOBILE LOCK AND HOUSING THEREFOR.

implication filed August 31, 1923. Serial No. 660.378.

Be ii'. known that l'l'inrnm F. Berici.. ot Fordyce. in the county ot Dallas and State ot .firliansus a citizen ot the United States. have invented certain new and usetul linproveun'nts in Automobile l'ioclis and Housings Vliet-olor. ot which the Following is a specilicution.

rthis inrention relates to ignition switch locks ot the type disclosed in an application tiled by ine Noveniher l, 199i', Serial No. 598.347. ln my said application l showed and descrihed a mechanism in which a permutation loch controlled the admission ot a circuit-closiin;1 licy so that it the key were withdrawn and the combination upset the motor wouid he stopped4 and could not he started until. the combination had heen properly operated to permit the reinsertion of the key. This mechanism was elticient and generally satisfactory loutl it. sometimes happened that, the operator would forget to break the combination after withdrawing the key so that any one could push in the key and start the motor.

The primary object of my present inrention. therefore. is` to provide a locking mechanism in which. while the insertion of the key will close the ignition circuit., the Withdrawal of the key will not. hreak the, circuit and stop the motor hut, the motor will continue to run until the combination of the lock is hrolen, To again start. the motor7 the. key must he pushed in and this cannot he done until the lock has heen set hy one knowing` the comhiinition.

Another object. of the invention is to provide a novel, compact and ei'iicient means tor securing the lock within a container or asing. Other objects will incidentally appca r in the course of the tollowingg description.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. in whichM Fig. l is a side elevation oi a casing housing my present improvements. :i portion ot the instrument hoard being slui'wn in scction,

Fig. 2 an end elevation.

Fig. f5 is a longitudinal section shtnving` the circuit closed,

Fig. 3 is a View similarto Fig'. Il. showing; the switch open.

4 is a plan View of the loch casing with the container in horizontal section.

Figs. and 6. are transverse sections, showing. the active and released positions of the face vviews ot a double eccentric forming` part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 7.

Figs. l1 to 18 are elevations o1" the t uinblers.

In the drawings. the reference numeral l indicates a portion of the instrument board o't` an automobile to which is secured the open end ot a container or housing 2, a head 3' fitting snugly in the end of the container. The coil t is secured in the container in any convenient or preferred manner, and the container is provided with an outlet 5 for the circuit wires 6.'

Upon the end of the wall of the head 3 is secured a lock case 7, the inner or forward end of said case consisting,r of a. plate 8 of S0 vulcanite. fiber or other non-eonducti1gma terial. Spaced terminal posts 9 :11e s *cured in and extend through the plate 8 and7 at the forward side of the plate.laro equipped with terminal clips l() in which the circuit wires are engaged. At the rear side of the plate 8, within the lock case, the posts 9 carry contacts or switch inemhers 1t which are in the torni of oycn'hangfinpr resilient tips adapted to he engaged by a circuitelosing so switch meinher l2 as.will presently more Yfully appeal'. At the center of the plate 8 secured a hearing sleeve lf3 in which is rotatahly tittcd a spindle 14 which extends through the lock case. the head 3, and the instrument board, and is provided at its rear tree, end with a millcd'linob 15. A dial 16 secured or produced upon the instrument. hoard concentric with they spindle and a pointer or index linger 1.7 is secured upon lthe spindle to play orer and cooperate with the. dial.

A master tumbler 18 has its huh 19 secured npon the spindle with the ends of the' huh abutting the sleeve. 13 und the rear end 105 wall of the lock case, and a series of openings 20 is formed through the tumbler concentric with the hub, a head stud 2l being engaged in one. of said openings determinate aecordin f to the coinhinationselected for 11o the loch. A springpressed dog or click J2 is mounted upon the rear end Wall or plate partly in longitudinal section showing o.)

Ai a

. infronty of the foren'ios't tiiiiiblerlaud a` of the Alock case in position to engage the openings 2t)s as they successively aline with the dog whenthe tumbler is rotated. The dog aids in holding the tumbler at rest, and the oi'ierator may follow the corn'ibination by countingthe clicking sounds ot' the dog en` gaging thel openings as well as by watching they digits`A or other characters upon the dial 1G. Other tuinblers 23, 24'. 25, are rotatably titted upon the sleeve 13 and each tumbler provided with a circular series of openings 27 to receive studs 28 like the stud 2l, the master tumbler` however, having a stud head upon its front. tace only while the other tumblers have stud heads upon both faces.' Spacing washers 29 are litted upon the bearing sleeve between the several t'iumblers and spring 30 is coiled around the sleeve between the. Joren'iost washer and the plate 8, the

tunnblers being thus maintained in such relati(iii-,t.liat the stud heads may easily engage when the combinatioii 1s operated and the ltuiiiblers may yield slightly to avoid jam- 4 ming when an attempt. is lmade to push inl the. key or switch before the combination is set. A stop pin or lug 31 projects from the plate 8 intot'lie path of the stud head 32 on the front face of the innermost tumbler 25 to arrest the nioveinent of thc 'tumbler ,at the proper point when the. combination is to be broken or worked, and each tumbler is provided with an opening 33 which is at the same radial distance' from the bearing sleeve as the opening'- 31 through the plate 8. lVhen the combination has been properly set the lopening 34 and the openings 33 will be in alinement and the circuit key or pin may be inserted. W hen the combination is broken, tlicopenings will be out of aline nient. and aline-ment thereof to permit insertion o' the key or pin cannot be effected unless/the combination be known.

'lhe key or pin is slidably itted through a sleeve 36 'which has threaded engagement within a tliiiiible 37 which is secured iii thc instrument board and tlief end Ofthe lock case.` lnward movement of the pin is lini- 'ited by impact .of a tlangopr shoulder 3S thereon with the end of the sleeve 36 and outward -nioveineiit is limited by the head 39 impinging against the inner end of the sleeve. The said headA is tapered so that it :to provide' a positive guide and support for the headv 39. The. switch plate or circuitclosingniember 12 is ablock orplate of vulcaniteforber bearing against the plate 8 andslidably held thereto by thespring 3i) 'bearing' againsta washer L11 tilted upon the ysleeve 13 in contact vwith the switch plate.

The switch plate isL constructed with acen- At the lower end of they/switch plate is sex cured a wear or striker plate 44. having a horizontal flange 15j-along its upper edge and provided at its lower edge with a central depending tongueittl which is inclined toward the plate 8 and. in the lower posi'- tion of the switch plate, projects into thev bore ot' the busliingvaanld in tlie path ot' the circuit-closing key'ior pin 35. vWhen the switch plate is in its raised position. tlie flange 45 crosses the orbit of the. stud head 32 on the tumbler Q5 .so/that. it the tumbler be rotated, said stud he/ad will Ybe caused to ride on said flange and thereby' eifectdown ward movement of the switch plate.

.'\ssurning Vthe motor -to be at rest. the pin or key 35 willhave been drawn out, the combination broken. and the switch plate lowered. lVlien thel motor is to be started. the spindle 14 is manipulated in accordancewvith the'combin'ation for which the tiirnblers have been arranged so thatI the openings 33 will be brought into alinen'ient. whereupon the pin 35 is pushed in so that the head 39 enters the opening 34. As the head 39 enters the opening 34,v it will impinge against the,inclined tongue -tG and` consequently, exert a lifting force upon the switch plate which will raise the llatter and carry the contact plate 43 under and into close frictional engagement with the vlips 11 to close the circuit which will permit the motor'toI Operate. 7When the motor is to be stopped. the pin 35 is first drawn Vout to the full extent or" its movement but this act, does not break the circuit inasmuch as the frictional engagement between the switch plate and the adltlfi jacent parts` is sufficient to hold it in its raised posit-ion. To lower the switch plate. thespindle 14 must be manipulated so that thetuinbler Q5 will lic rotated and the stud 32`eaused'to ride upon the flange 45. as above stated. .This action breaks the conibination. and the piu cannot then be' again pushed in until atteithe tunililers have been properly set by one knowing the conibination.

At"diamerically opposite points ot the.

`head or closure '3 l secure.v by'hinges fr?. the

locking arms or levers t8 which extend lon# gitudinallji' ot the closure and project through the/open end -olf' the same.

are -adapted to engage .behind -a rib-or flange pn the housing or container whereq' Y At the vtree, ends oit these arms lare lugs 49 which,

by to lock the closure in place. It will be noted that the arms are entirely within the pntainer so that tampering therewith is `5yi1n alinement with the opening 34 in the kp ate 8. This hub {i3-has an angular bore o4 and carries oppositely extending eccen- `trics 55, one of which is provided with a lateral pin orl lug! 56 adapted to play in a slot 57 in the plate .51 concentric with the hub and limit the movement of the hub and theeccentrics by engaging the ends of` the slot. Each eccentric lits within a circular opening provided therefor in the shorter arm of an angle lever 58, the levers being held upon 'the eccentrics by the plates 51 and 52, and the longer arms of the levers extending in opposite directions and terminating in T-heads 49 which have their stems engaged in longitudinal slots 60 in the locking arms 48. It will be readily understood that if the longer radii of the eccentrics be turned in one direction, the angle levers will swing the arms 48 so as to carry the lugs 49 into engagement with the rib 50, while vif said radii be turned in the opposite direction the lugs will be withdrawn to permit removal of the closure. To effect movement of the angle levers, I provide the key 61 which has an angular end 62 adapted to engage in the angular bore 54 of the hub 53. To permit the use -of the key 61 the sleeve er ferrule 36 is withdrawn from the thimble 37 after which the key 61 is inserted, as shown in Fig. 7.

aving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1s:- l. In apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a circuit-closer, an element insertible te close the circuit-closer and withdrawable without opening the same, and means to permit or prevent the insertion of said element,lsaid means acting to open the circuit-closer when set to prevent the insertion of said element.

2. In apparatus for' the purpose set forth,

, the combination of spaced electric contacts, a switch plate arranged to engage said contacts and close a circuit through the same, means for moving the switch plate to active position only, and means to permit or prevent the application of the firstmentioned means, said last-mentioned means moving the switch plate to inactive position when being set to prevent application of the first-mentioned means.

3. In apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of an electric switch, a key for closing the switch, and a permutation mechanism to permit or prevent the insel'- tion of the key, said mechanism including an' element operable to open the switch when the key is withdrawn.

4. In apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of spaced electrical contacts, a slidably mounted switch plate adapted to engage and close a circuit through the contacts, a key adapted to raise the switch plate into circuit-closing' position, means for frictionally holding the switch plate in raised position, and means to lower the switch plate, said means being operable to prevent er permit the insertion of the key.

5. In apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of spaced electrical contacts, a slidably mounted switch plate adapted to engage and close a circuit through the con` tacts, a key adapted to raise the switch plate into circuit-closing position, means for frictionally holding,r the switch plate in raised position. and a permutation mechanism to prevent or permit the insertion of the'key, said means including a tumbler arranged to lower the switch plate when 'the keyyis withdrawn.

6. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of spaced contacts, a switch plate mounted below said, contacts for vertical sliding` movement, a key insertible below the switch plate to raise the same into engagement with the spaced contacts, and a permutation mechanism t'o prevent or permit the insertion of the key and includin'gr a tumbler arranged adjacent the switch plate and adapted to lower the same when the key is withdrawn.

7. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of spaced electrical contacts, a vertically slidable switch plate adapted at its upper end to engao'e said contacts and close a circuit therethrough, a flange extending across the switch plate below its upper end, an inclined tongue depending from the lower end of the .switch plate` a key movable against said tongue. whereby lo raise the switch plate into engagement with the spaced contacts, and a tumbler adapted in one position to permit operation of the key and in another position to pre Yont use of the key, said tumbler being provided with a stud to ride on said ilange and lower .the switch plate as the tumbler moves into position to prevent use of the key.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

WILLIAl/I I4". BEI/'ILL

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