US3826114A

US3826114A - Locking device

Info

Publication number: US3826114A
Authority: US
Inventors: G Emerson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-12-01
Filing date: 1972-12-01
Publication date: 1974-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 1991-07-30

Abstract

A locking device comprising a stock provided at one end with a fixed hook having an open side, a bolt slidingly mounted on the stock for movement across the open side of the hook and a pair of jaws mounted on the bolt which are separable when the bolt is withdrawn from the open side of the hook and are movable into engagement by movement of the bolt to a position across the open side of the hook, in which position the ends of the jaws connected to the bolt are concealed within the stock, and a lock for holding the bolt in this latter position.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Emerson [4 July 30, 1974 1 LOCKING DEVICE Prima Examiner-Robert L. Wolfe 7 1 2 P. E 71 M 6] nvemor g i figg i 021 lgrlborough Attorney, Agent, or Firm-RobertT. Gammons 22 Filed: Dec. 1 1972 1211 A l N 31125 6 [57] ABSTRACT PP A locking device comprising a stock provided at one end with a fixed hook having an open side, a bolt slid- [52] US. Cl. 70/14 ingly nted on the sto k for movement across the [51] Int. Cl. E05b 73/00 en ide of the hook and a pair of jaws mounted on Field of

Search

16, 18, the bolt which are separable when the bolt is with- 227, 238 drawn from the open side of the hook and are movable into engagement by movement of the bolt to a References Clted position across the open side of the hook, in which po- UNITED STATES PATENTS sition the ends of the jaws connected to the bolt are 598,203 2/1898 Johnson 70/14 concealed Within the Stock and a lock for holding the 1,364,539 1/1921 Baker 70/18 x bolt in this latter Positionl,399,782 l2/l92l Mann 43/59 1,443,009 1/1923 Davis 70/226 11 Clams 3 Drawmg Flgures PAIENIEDJULSOISH saw 2 or 2 FIGS FIG?

LOCKING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Locking devices especially constructed with jaws which may be placed about the frame of a bicycle, motor bike or a part of a vehicle and jaws adapted to be engaged with the post of a parking meter or some other fixed post with means for closing and opening the jaws and forlocking the jaws in closed position are shown in such U.S. Pats. 1,343,870, 1,477,777 and 1,443,009. A lock embodying a stock having an open hook at one end and a bar slidingly mounted therein provided with jaw such that movement of the bar in one direction closes the open hook and engages the jaw with an opening in the stock and in the opposite direction opens the hook and disengages the jaw from the stock is disclosed in a pulication entitled Everything Automotive, Warshawsky & Co., Metropolitan Catalog No. 48, page 74, 1970 under the title Stop Car Theft with a Gear Shift Lever and Steering Wheel Lock and in an advertisement of Kokusan Kinzoku Kogyo Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, manufacturer of the lock. This invention has for its purpose an improved locking device for the aforesaid purposes which is of simpler and less expensive construction and especially designed to resist unauthorized removal.

SUMMARY As herein illustrated, the locking device comprises a stock containing an opening at one end, a hook at the other end having an open side, a bolt slidingly mounted in the stock for movement from a position in which one end is disposed across the open side of the hook and the other end withdrawn into the opening to a position in which the one end is withdrawn from the open side of the hook and the other end extends from the opening in the stock, a pair of jaws mounted at one end to the other end of the bolt movable relative to each other when the one end of the bolt is withdrawn from the open side of the hook and the other end extended, said jaws being movable into engagement with each other by movement of the bolt into the position in which the one end is disposed across the open side of the hook and the other end withdrawn into said opening at the one end of the stock, and means on the stock interengageable with the bolt when the latter is in said position across the open side of the hook to lock the bolt in said position with the jaws interengaged. The hook has a bill at its distal end which contains an opening with which the end of the bolt is adapted to be interengaged when disposed across the open side thereof to prevent inserting an implement therebetween to force the bolt away from the hook. One of the jaws is fixed and the other is pivoted and there is a spring biasing the pivoted jaw away from the fixed jaw so that when the bolt is extended the movable jaw will automatically separate from the fixed jaw. The ends of the jaws attached to the bolt are drawn into the opening at the one end of the stock when the one end of the bolt is disposed across the open side of the hook and hence are inaccessible. There is a pin on the bolt, a latch pivotally mounted on the stock for engagement with the pin when the bolt is in a position crossing the open side of the jaw and the lock means is operable to hold the latch engaged with the pin. The jaws have at their distal ends interengageable overlapping portions which prevent placing an implement therebetween to force them open.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the locking device in one form in its locking position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the device in its unlocked position;

FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side view of an alternative form of the locking device in its locking position;

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 showing the locking device in its unlocked position;

FIG. 7 is a top view of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings the locking device comprises a stock 10, at one end of which there is a hook 12 having an open side 14 and bill 12a at its distal end. A bolt 16 is slidably mounted in the stock for movement of one end 18 across the open side of the hook and

jaws

20 and 22 mounted on the other end of the bolt which are interengaged when the one end of the bolt is disposed across the open side of the hook.

The stock 10 in one form is comprised of sheet metal bent up to form a substantially rectangular structure having spaced parallel side walls 24-24 and top and

bottom walls

26 and 28. The hook 12 is formed of integral portions of the side walls 24-24 and the top wall 26. The structure thus formed has a substantially rectangular passage Iengthwise thereof and the bolt 18 is mounted interiorly thereof on the bottom wall below a keeper plate 30 secured to the side walls in spaced parallelrelation to the bottom wall. The hook 12 has at its distal end a bill 12a comprised of portions of the side walls 24-24 between which the end of the bolt may be thrust beneath a lug 34 fastened to the end wall of the bill. The end of the bill contains a slot 36 and the bolt has on it a pin 38 adapted, when the bolt is thrust into the bill, to become interengaged with the slot.

The opposite end of the bolt has fastened to it a post 40 for supporting the jaws at that end. The proximal end 42 of the jaw 22 is welded or otherwise fastened to the post and the proximal end 44 of theother jaw 20 is pivotally mounted on the post by means of a pin 46. A spring 48 connected to the proximal end 44 of the jaw and a pin 50 on the post biases the jaw 20 to an open position when unconstrained. The distal ends of the jaws have

offset portions

52, 54 which are adapted to have overlapping engagement when the jaws are brought into engagement.

As thus constructed with the bolt withdrawn from across the open side of the hook 12 and with the

jaws

20 and 22 separated from each other the hook 12 may be engaged with a part X which may be the post of a parking meter or some other fixed structure whereupon the

open jaws

20 and 22 may be placed about a part Y comprising part of the vehicle. The bolt is then moved longitudinally within the stock to dispose the part 18 of i to use an implement to force the bolt out of engagement with the hook.

The bolt has on it a pin 52 and a latch 54 is pivotally mounted within the stock in a position such as to be engaged with the pin 52 when the bolt is moved to the closed position. A lock assembly 56 is mounted in the stock above the latch which is operable, by movement of the plunger 58, to engage the latch with the pin. Retraction of the plunger 58 from the latch frees the latter which is spring-biased upwardly so that the bolt may be moved to its open position.

A modified form of the locking device is shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 inclusive, wherein the stock 10 is a solid block of metal of rectangular cross-section having the hook 12 formed integral with one end and containing at its opposite end an opening 60 and longitudinally thereof at the lower side a passage 62 of rectangular shape, one end of which opens into the opening 60. The bolt 16 is slidably disposed in the longitudinal passage 62 and the post 40 on the bolt is designed to be contained within the opening 60 when the bolt is moved to a position across the open side 14 of the hook. The bill 12a at the distal end of the hook 12 contains an opening 64 for receiving the end of the bolt and the stock has recesses 66 and 68 at its top and bottom sides for interengageably receiving

shoulders

70 and 72 on the

jaws

20 and 22 when the post and ends of the jaws mounted thereon are drawn into the opening 60. As illustrated in FIG. 6 the jaw 22 is integral with the post 40 and the jaw 20 is pivotally mounted thereon by means of a pin 46. The bolt contains an opening 74 and there is a lock assembly 56 mounted in a passage 78 formed in the stock which has a plunger 58 adapted to be moved into engagement with the opening 74 when the bolt is moved to its closed position to hold the bolt in said position. A pin 80 fixed in the stock and engaged with the slot 82 in the bolt guides the bolt.

The locking device shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 is used in the same fashion as that shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

It is within the scope of the invention to place either end of the locking device around a fixed post and the other about the object to be secured.

As herein illustrated, the locking device in the one form is comprised of sheet metal and in the other is machined from a block of metal. However, it is within the scope of the invention to make the locking device of any material suitable to the particular use for which the locking device is to be employed. Additionally, the locking assembly 56 can be key operated, combination operated or otherwise operated.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A locking device comprising a stock containing an opening at one end, a hook at the other end having an open side, a bolt slidingly mounted on the stock for movement from a position in which one end is disposed across the open side of the hook and the other end withdrawn into the opening at the one end, to a position-in which the one end is withdrawn from the open side of the hook and the other end extends from the opening at the one end of the stock, a pair of jaws mounted at one end-to the other end of the bolt movable relative to each other when the one end of the bolt is witherawn from the open side of the hook and the other end extended, said jaws being movable into engagement with each other by movement of the bolt to the position in which the one end is disposed across the open side of the hook and the other end withdrawn into said opening at the one end of the stock, and means in the stock interengageable with the bolt when the latter is in said position across the open side of the hook to lock the bolt in said position with the jaws interengaged.

2. A lock according to claim 1, wherein the hook has a bill at its distal end containing an opening with which the end of the bolt is adapted to be interengaged when disposed across the open side of the hook.

3. A lock according to claim 2, wherein said opening is disposed at the inner side of the bill so that the end of the bolt is inaccessible when engaged therewith.

4. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein one of the jaws is fixed to the bolt and the other is pivotally mounted thereon.

5. A locking device according to claim 4, wherein the pivotally mounted jaw is spring-biased away from the fixed jaw.

6. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein a post is mounted on the other end of the bolt, one jaw is rigidly fixed thereto and the other jaw is pivotally mounted thereon, and wherein when the one end of the bolt is drawn into the opening at the one end of the stock the fixed and pivoted ends of the jaws are situated within said opening and the post closes the opening.

7. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein thereis a pin on the bolt, a latch pivotally mounted on the stock for engagement with the pin when the bolt is in the position across the open side of the hook and the jaws withdrawn into the opening at the one end of the stock, and there is a lock operable to depress and hold said latch engaged with said pin.

8. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein the stock contains lengthwise thereof a longitudinally extending passage in which the bolt is slidingly disposed.

9. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein the stock comprises a solid block with one end of which the hook is integral, said block containing at its other end said opening, and a passage longitudinally thereof in which the bolt is slidably mounted.

10. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein the jaws have at their distal ends interengageable overlapping portions.

11. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein the stock is comprised of sheet metal formed to provide spaced parallel side walls and top and bottom walls, and wherein the hook is integrally formed from the side walls and the top wall.

Claims

1. A locking device comprising a stock containing an opening at one end, a hook at the other end having an open side, a bolt slidingly mounted on the stock for movement from a position in which one end is disposed across the open side of the hook and the other end withdrawn into the opening at the one end, to a position in which the one end is withdrawn from the open side of the hook and the other end extends from the opening at the one end of the stock, a pair of jaws mounted at one end to the other end of the bolt movable relative to each other when the one end of the bolt is witherawn from the open side of the hook and the other end extended, said jaws being movable into engagement with each other by movement of the bolt to the position in which the one end is disposed across the open side of the hook and the other end withdrawn into said opening at the one end of the stock, and means in the stock interengageable with the bolt when the latter is in said position across the open side of the hook to lock the bolt in said position with the jaws interengaged.

7. A locking device according to claim 1, wherein there is a pin on the bolt, a latch pivotally mounted on the stock for engagement with the pin when the bolt is in the position across the open side of the hook and the jaws withdrawn into the opening at the one end of the stock, and there is a lock operable to depress and hold said latch engaged with said pin.