US1825390A

US1825390A - Locking handwheels

Info

Publication number: US1825390A
Application number: US755185A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harvey D Geyer
Original assignee: Inland Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Inland Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1924-12-11
Filing date: 1924-12-11
Publication date: 1931-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 1948-09-29

Description

Sept. 29, 1931. H, D, GEYER 1,825,390

LOCKING HANDWHEELS Filed Dec. 11l 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 u hb3 if? I l 3 g f5 I Sept. 29, 1931. H. D. GEYER ,1,825,390

`LOCKING HANDWHEELS Filed Dec. l1, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ay.. J. @7. 4

Patented Sept. 29, 1931 ,UNITED STATES 1 lfrei1ir OFFICE HARVEY n. GEYER, or DAYTON, OHIO, AssIGNOR To THE INLAND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, on DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION or nnLAwAnn LOOKING HANDWHEELs Application led ADecember 11, 1924. Serial Noi. 755,185.

Thisv invention relates; to locking handwheels and is especially adapted for steering wheels 'for motor vehicles to prevent unauthorized use thereof.

' 5 This invention embodies a number of improvements over the locking wheel disclosed v in application, Serial No. 755,182, by Harvey D. Geyer and Alva W. Scott, filed December 11, 1924.

An object of this invention, is to provide a positive safety means for preventing theraccidental` displacement of the locking bolt from its driving Vposition in the Vevent ofv breakage ofthe spring which ordinarily holds :i6 the bolt in driving position, or fromother possible causes. y A more specific object is to provide such a safety means on the lock itself by only a slight change in the structure thereof, where- H by additional mechanism and consequent complication is avoided and a very eective safety means is provided.

Further objects and advantages of the pres ent invent-ion will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown. Y

In the drawings: i

Fig. ,lis a vertical section on linel-l of Fig. 2 showingl the invention embodied in a loose locking steering wheel for automobiles.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-8 of Figs. 1 and 2, but shows the look barrel and bolt shaft in elevation.` e

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the lock showing the barrel in its non-rotary or safety position that occurs when the bolt is in driving position as shown in Fig. 2."

Figs. 6 and 7 are similar to Figs. 4 and 5 but show the barrel in the position where it can be rotated by means of the lock key;

Fig. 8 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow 8 of Fig. 6. l.

Fig. 9 is a detail ofthe fixed plate which cooperates with the rotary barrel to form a stop means therefor.

In the drawings similar reference characf ters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

. The invention'has been illustrated as embodied in a loose locking steering wheel for automotive vehicles.l The central portion of the metal spider of the VVhandwheel is shown at 11 and the automobile steering'shaft with which itV is' associated at l2.v The'steering shaft 12 has an upper tapered end l'and a threaded portion 14 at its topmost end. A socketed journal head 15'fits snugly down over the tapered end '13 and'is suitably keyed thereto bythe key 16. Around nut 2O is screwed down upon the threaded end 14 which thus firmly anchors the head 15 against axial removal from shaft 12.

VrA hardened steel shell member 25 is ournaled upon the head A15 and nut 2O by means of the upperball'bearing 21 and the lower ball bearing22, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. Y This shell member 25 is provided with a bottom cover plate-26 which has threaded engagement therewith as shown at 27, which threaded engagement permits the proper adjustmentof the ball bearings 21 and 22 at any time, as will bereadilyl understood from the drawings.

The head 15 is provided with one-or more lateral recesses 28' (three being shown in Fig. 2.) to receive a locking bolt 3() for locking the shell 25 fixed to said head 15 or to permit relative lrotation therebetween. The bolt 30 (preferably made of three layers of stamped sheet steel as shownl in Fig. 2) is rigidly fixed upon the bolt pin 3l, the ends of which pin 31 serve as journals for mount ing the bolt in the' protective shell 25 so that it may be swung to various positions in the bolt chamber 32 aswill presently be described (see Fig. 1).

A key controlledbarrel lock 35 is mounted at one end of pin 31 and the rotatable barrel 36 of said lock is held in drivingengage;

' vment with pin 31 by the flat lug 37, extending in Fig. 3. This cut away metal is replaced by a hardened steel bushing 40 which is pressed into place and held retained in its proper position by the driven pin 42 whose outer end lies flush with the bottom of shell 25 and hence cannot be removed by a thief after once being driven in place. The stationary bushing of lock 5 is permanently held in place in the steel bushing 40 by a small driven pin 43 as clearly shown in Fig. 2. It will be clear from Figs. 1 and V2 that the bushing 40 must have an arcuate portion 44 cut out of one side thereo'l2 in order to clear the head 15, and a second and deeper arcuate portion 45 cut out in order to clear the bottom cover plate 26 and so permit its assembly upon the shell 25.

A coil spring 46 surrounds pin 31 and has one end secured to said pin while the opposite end is held stationary by means of the fixed pin 48. This coil spring 46 urges bolt 30 to rotate in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 1) into recess 28 and thus fix the steering wheel in driving position upon shaft 12 as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2.

The barrel lock will now be described.

The rotatable barrel 36 ot the lock is held against rotation by the ordinary lock tumblers 100 when key 49 is withdrawn. When the key 49 is inserted therein (as shown in Figs. 6 and 7) the barrel 36 ma-y be rotated by means ot the key, all as is well known in the art. This invention however provides for a sliding movement of the barrel 36 whereby a positive stop is provided at a predetermined position of said barrel even though the key remains inserted. For this purpose a liat plate 101 having a straight edge 102 is fixed to the stationary bushing 35 of the lock as clearly shown in Fig. 8. The projecting driving head 103 of the rotary barrel 36 is provided with a flange 104 which overlies the straight edge 102 of plate 101 and thus prevents the outward sliding movement of barrel 36 except in one position of said barrel 36. When in this certain position a small flat 105 on flange 104 registers with the straight edge 102 as clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8. and it is obvious from the drawings that the barrel 36 may now slide outward a short distance until the lug 106 engages the top of plate 101 as clearly shown in Fig. 5. IVhen the barrel 36 is in its out position, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the

cooperating llats

102 and 105 will positively prevent any rotation of said barrel. In order that they barrel 36 may be turned by the key 49 it is necessary that the barrel 36 be pressed by the key 49 to its in position, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. whereupon the barrel 36 may be rotated in either direction by the key 49 since the iange 104 will then lie above the plate 101 and the

flats

102 and 105 consequently do not engage. In the application of this improved form of barrel lock with the mechanism which is to be operated thereby a yieldable means is arranged to urge the barrel 36 to its out or safety position. With such an arrangement it is obvious that as soon as the '

lats

102 and 105 register when the key 49 is turned the barrel 36 will automatically snap into its out or safety position.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the barrel 36 is continuously urged to its out position by the small coil spring 107 contained in the central recess in the bolt sbai't 31 (see Fig. 2). Preferably a small plunger 10S having a shank extending within the coil spring 107 is provided to give a good bearing contact between the spring 107 and the end of the flat driving lug 37. In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the lock bolt 30 is shown in driving position, that is, the steering wheel is fixed upon the shaft 12. When bolt 30 is in this position the

flats

105 and 102 are in register and hence the barrel 36 is urged by the small coil spring 107 to its out position as clearly shown. The Hats 105 and 102 will now positively prevent the bolt 30 irom being jarred out o'l engagement with the recess 28 in the event of the vbreakage of the main coil spring 46 and thus the bolt 30 is positively held in safe driving position, the key 49 remaining in the lock.

In order to render the wheel loose or inoperative the operator irst'presses the key inwardly until the barrel 36 slides to the position shown in Figs. 6 and 7 against the urge of the small spring 107 and then swings the bolt 30 about 180 degrees to the position 30', (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) by means of key 49 and then withdraws the key from the lock. The lock tumblers 100 will then engage with the barrel 36 in the ordinary manner and hold the bolt 30 in its inoperative position and thus prevent any unauthorized use of the machine. In order to again render the wheel operative the key 49 is inserted in the lock to release the tumblers 100 whereupon main spring 46 will swing bolt 30 against thehea'd 15. The wheel is then rotated until one of the recesses 28 registers with the bolt 30 whereupon bolt 30 will snap into the recess 28, after which the lock barrel 36 is automatically pressed out to safety position by the small spring 107.

The method of assembling the parts of the wheel lock mechanism together and attaching it to the steering shaft will now be described. The protective shell 25 is inverted and the ball bearing 21 and nut 20 inserted therein, the bolt 30 being in the position 30. The socketed head is next dropped in against the nut and the bolt 30 swung into one of the recesses 28. The bottom cover plate 26 and the ball bearing 22 are then inserted and the cover plate 26 is screwed into the shell until the proper adjustment of both ball bearings 21 and 22 is obtained. A

small set screw 53 accessible from the outside may be provided for holding the exact adjustment of cover plate 26. Now when the bolt 30 is again swung to its inoperative position 30 it will be impossible to unscrew the cover plate 26 more than half a revolution at most, since one or more lugs 5() (two being shown in Fig. 1) are provided-upon the inner surface of cover plate 26, which lugs will strike the heel of bolt 30 as clearly shown by the dotted lines 30 in Fig. 1. It is thus obvious that a thief cannot remove cover plate 26 and disassemble the wheel when bolt 30 is in inoperative position.

The steering wheel spider 11 is preferably att-ached to the protective shell 25 after the above described assembly has been made. The metal spider 11 is rigidlysecured to the shell 25 by the two screw bolts 54 and thus the spider 11 and shell 25 become in effect a single structure.

The assembled wheel is attached to the steering shaft 12 as follows. The assembled wheel is placed over the tapered end of shaft 12 with a lrey 16 in its proper position the top thread of the threaded, portion 14 abutting the bottom thread of nut 20. Y This round nut 20 has its lower outer edge cut awayin order to clear the path of bolt 30 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. A short lug 60 rigid with nut 20- projects into this cut-away annular groove G1 lying between nut 2O and head 15. When bolt 30 is rotated countercloclrwise 90 degrecs from the full line position of Fig. 1 to the position 30, the toe 62 of bolt 3() will lie in the annular groove 61 and therefore will engage the lug 60 if the wheel is revolved relative to the nut 20. The wheel may now be turned loosely about head 15 since the bolt 3() is entirely out of engagement with head 15 and thus the bolt 30'will act as a wrench to screw nut 20 down upon the threaded portion 14 of shaft 12 until head 15 is Vpressed home upon the tapered portion 13. This intermediate position 30 of bolt- 30 Vmay be termed the assembly position of the bolt since it is used only in assembling or disassembling the wheel and shaft. Obviously the wheel may be removed from the shaft only by one in possession of the key since otherwiseI the bolt cannot be turned to its assembly position 30".

The horn button and horn switch mechanism 74 shown in the drawings form no part of the invention claimed in this appli cation and hence are not described in detail herein. It is obvious however that the presence or absence of this horn switch mechanism does not affect the method of operation or of assembly of the lock mechanism as described hereinabove.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

*What is claim-ed is as follows Incombination, va lockingbolt, al lock fon-actuating said bola-said lock comprising .a fixed `bushing .and a rotary barrel therein,

Voperable by a key. said barrel being recipro cat-ablewithin said bushing to a non-rotatable or safety position when the bolt is in al predetermined position. and means for automatically'movin-g saidbarrel to said safety position, whereby a positive stop is provided for preventing the accidental displacement of said bolt from said predetermined position.

2. In combination, a lockingbolt, a lock having a rotary barrel and a fixed bushing, a driving connection between said barrel and bolt whereby said bolt is actuated, said barrel being reciprocatable within said bushing to a non-rotary position when at a predetermined rotary setting whereby` said bolt vis held against actuation when in said predetermined setting.

3. In combination, a locking bolt, a lock having a rotary barrel and a fixed bushing, a driving connection between said barrel and bolt wherebysaid bolt is actuated, said barrel being reciprocatable within said bushing to a' non-rotary position whereby'said bolt is held against actuation when in a predetermined position, and means for automatically reciprocating said barrel to its non-rotary posi` tion when said bolt is moved to said predetermined position.

4. A tumbler lock having a rotary barrel and a fixed bushing therefor;l said barrel having a driving head projecting from the inner end of said bushing, means associated with said driving head for permitting al slight longitudinal movement o-f said barrel when at a predetermined rotary setting and for preventing rotary mov-ement of said barrel after tle longitudinal movement thereof has taken p ace.

5. In combination, a tumbler lock having a rotary barrel and a fixed bushing therefor, a member having driving connection Vwith said barrel whereby said member is rotated to a plurality of positions, said 'barrel being reciprocatable within said bushing to a nonrotary position when said member is in a. predetermined position, whereby said member is positively held against accidental movement when in said predetermined position.

6. A tumbler lock having a rotary barrel and a xed bushing therefor, said barrel being position within said bushing at a predetermined rotary setting thereof, and safety means for positively preventing rotary movement of said barrel when in said axially extended position.

7 A tumbler lock having a rotary barrel and a relatively fixed bushing therefor, a plurality of divided tumblers arranged in normally opposed recesses in said barrel and capable of an axial extension from its normal Leesaoo bushingrespectively for normally holding said barrel locked to said bushing, said barrel being also capable of an axial movement from its normal position Within said bushing When 5 said tumbler divisions are in alignment by :L suitable key, and springmeans for urging said barrel into an axially moved position Wherent said normally opposed tumbler recesses are not opposed.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature.

HARVEY D. GE YER.