US597891A - Electrically-actuated lock for bicycle-racks - Google Patents

Description

Patented Jan. 25,1898.

F. V. WALSTROM 8a J. ERICKSONIA ELECTRICALLY ACTUATED LOCK PCR BICYCLE RACKS.

(No Model.)

UNITED .STATES PATENT FRANK V. YVALSTROM AND JOHN ERICKSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELEcTRicALLY-ACTUATED Lock Foa BICYCLE-RACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,891, dated January 25, 1898. Apprenti ma November 9, 189e. sean Nq. 611,434.. (No maar To allV whomzlt may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK V. W'ALSTROM and JOHN ERICKSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Actuated Locks for Bicycle-Racks, of which the following is a speciiication.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple, economical, and efficient lock arranged to be unlocked by electrically-actuated mechanism and sound an alarm; and the invention consists in the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I represents a diagrammatic View of the mechanism, and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the lock with a portion of the case broken away.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well known that a bicycle may be taken out of a rack when a duplicate key is used or the lock broken, so that the person checking the wheelis responsible therefor, unless the original key or check was returned and used for such purpose. To avoid this objection and provide a simple, economical, and efficient electrically-actuated lock-one that will give warnin g when it has been opened,brokeu or a wheel removed therefrom--is the principal object of our invention.

In constructing a lock in accordance with our improvements we make a case A of the desired size and shape to hold and contain the operative parts. To the front portion of this case we pivot a locking-strap B of the desired shape and size adapted to pass around the wheel-rim and tire or any other portion of the wheel for locking the same in place. The free end of the locking-strap is provided with a notch h, arranged to be engaged by a pivoted locking-latch C, which is held in normal disengagement by means of a spring c'. In order to release this latch when desired, we provide a set of electroniagnetsA e, having an armature d arranged within the magnetic held, so as to contact the arm c2 of the locking-latch and hold it in engagement with the locking-strap when current is furnished the magnets. When the iiow of current is stopped inthe magnets by the breaking of the electric circuit or otherwise,the armature' lever drops or is swung back by means of the tensionfspring d3, thereby releasing the locking-latch and allowing the locking-strap to be withdrawn.

Tomake and break the electric circuit and denergize the electromagnet, we provide a contact-spring E, arranged to contact a point E', both of which are arranged in the electric circuit with the locking-magnet, one of such parts being connected with the magnet and the other with the source of electric energy, hereinafter described. A push-button G is arranged adjacent to the contact-spring, so

that the spring may be pushed in and the cir- This push-button may be locuit broken. cated at any desired point. For instance, if the rack is in an outbuilding or outside the push-button may be in the house where the person who checks the wheels has his ohice or station.

It is desirable when the lock is opened or broken that a signal should be given to the party in charge of the checking unless a preliminary precaution has been complied with. In order to accomplish this result, we provide the locking-strap with an insulated wire h, bent back on itself, as shown in the drawings, so that its free ends may contact two iiexible strips g, insulated from each other, one of such strips being connected with an electromagnet or relay I on an auxiliary circuit and the other with the battery. If the lockingi strap is swung open, the free ends of the wire 7e, which is inserted in such strap, are swung away from contact-strip g and the circuit broken. This main or what might be'termed a normally-closed electric circuit controls the action of the relay, which in turn, controls an alarm, so that the breaking of the n0r mally-closed circuit momentarily deuergizes a magnet I and allows its armature-lever K to drop and contact a metal piece fm, thus closing the auxiliary circuit, in which is included the bell I-I, so that current iiows from the battery S, through wire Z, contact-points E E' to armature K, through piece fm and wire 2 to bell II, and back by wire 3 to battery.

If it be desired to alloysT the unlocking of the rack and withdrawing of the bicycle Without ringing the bell, a check n may be used and inserted through a suitable perforation in the wall, so as to pass between the arn1a-L IOO ture-lever of the auxiliary circuit and the spring-piece m and prevent the leverpfrom making circuit or break the circuit if it has been closed,

The operationof the parts is as follows: When the Wheel is placed in the rack and the locking-strap swung around into locking position, the latch C engages with the strap and locks it in position. The main electric circuit is thereby closed by the free ends of the Wire h contacting the brushes or contactstrips g.- Current flows from the batteries S and energizes the magnets e. The lock being now in position, the party obtains the check N for the lock that he has used, so that it cannot be broken or opened Without sounding an' alarm to the checkman. Vhen the party owning the Wheel is desirous of obtaining` his Wheel, he delivers the check to the checkman, who inserts it'in proper position and presses the button G, which action releases the Wheel. As outlined before, if the locking-strap be broken or opened before the check is placed in position the main circuit, which comprises wires 4 and 3, batteries S, Wire l, contact* points E E, wire 5, magnet e, and Wire 6, is broken, When the magnet I is denergized, so that its armature-lever drops to contact the piece m and close the auxiliary or bell circuit. In this Way current flowing from the batteries through Wire l, contact-points E E', armaturelever K, point M, and Wire 2 rings the bell H and passes back by Wire 3 to battery. The insertion of the check, however, will stop the ringing of the bell by breaking the bell-circuit.

While we` have described our invention with more or less minuteness as regards details and as being embodied in certain precise forms, We do not desire to be limited thereto unduly any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary, We contemplate all proper changes in form, construction, and arrangement, and the omission of immaterial parts and substitution of equivalen-ts, as circumstances may suggest or render expedient. y

IVe Claiml. In a lock of the class described, a combination of a locking mechanism, an alarm mechanism, a,relay arranged to control the alarm mechanism, and a normally-closed electric circuit arranged to control the relay, substantially as described.

2. In a lock of the class described, the combination of a lock arranged to be operated by electrically-actuated mechanism and break the electric circuit when the lock is open, an electromagnet on the main circuit arranged to open and close an auxiliary circuit, an auxiliary circuit arranged to be opened by the denergizing of au electromagnet when the main circuit is broken and sound a signal, a signal upon such auxiliary circuit, and means for keeping the armature of the electromagnet in Contact with the magnet and the auxiliary circuit open when desirable to keep such circuit open, substantially as described.

3. In a lock of the class described, the combination of a locll: provided Witli'a lockingstrap, latch mechanism for holding the strap in its locked position, electromagneto mechanism for holding thelatch and strap in engagement, an electric circuit embracing a source of electricity, the electromagnets and the locking-strap for energizing the magnets, means for opening and closing such circuit to energize or denergize the magnets and lock or permit the unlocking of the mechanism, an auxiliary electric circuit including a signal and source of electricity, an electromagnet interposed between the main circuit and the auxiliary circuit so arranged that when the main circuit is broken the magnet is denergized and the auxiliary circuit closed to sound an alarm or signal, substantially as described.

4. In a lock of the class described, the coinbination of a lock provided Withk a lockingstrap, a latch in the lock adapted to hold the strap in its locked position, electromagneto mechanism arranged to hold the latch mechanism in lookin g engagement when the magnets are energized and release the same when the magnets are denergized, and a normallyclosed electric circuit including the lockingstrap, magnets and source of electricity so arranged that when the lock is open the main circuitv is broken, means as a push-button located on such circuit for breaking the circuit denergizing the magnet and permit the releasing of the latch, and a relay arranged to be controlled by the normally-closed circuit and When such circuit is broken or the locking-strap unlocked to sound a signal, and a signal on such auxiliary circuit, substantially as described.

FRANK V. VVALSTROM. JOHN ERICKSON.

Witnesses:

THOMAS F. SHERIDAN, THOMAS B. MCGREGOR.

IOC)

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