WO1987006897A1

WO1987006897A1 - Anti-theft device

Info

Publication number: WO1987006897A1
Application number: PCT/AU1987/000136
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jack Claude Robinson
Original assignee: Jack Claude Robinson
Priority date: 1986-05-13
Filing date: 1987-05-13
Publication date: 1987-11-19

Abstract

Anti-theft or theft-deterring device (10) which finds particular application in the prevention or deterring of the theft of a motor-vehicle, particularly a motor-vehicle fitted with an automatic transmission having a console (1) or similar provided with a recessed slot (2) comprising an elongate body portion (12) designed to be received within the elongate slot (2) to prevent sideways movement of the device (10) in use, a stem (14) angularly inclined to the body portion (12) to align in use with the gear change lever (6) of the automatic transmission to prevent rearwards movement of the lever (6), the stem (14) being provided at one end with an enlarged head portion (16) which cooperatively engages with the knob (8) of the gear change lever (6) to prevent movement of the gear change lever and removal of the device from the slot and a transverse arm portion (18) located intermediate the head (16) and body (12), the arm (18) being associated with a suitable locking means (20) for locking the device (10) to the gear change lever (6), said device being so constructed that when the locking means (20) is in a locked condition the arm (18) is locked to the lever (6) to prevent movement of the device (10) or the lever (6) thereby preventing unauthorised use of the motorvehicle.

Description

ANTI-THEFT DEVICE

The present invention relates to an anti-theft device or to a device for deterring or preventing the theft of an article, particularly a motor vehicle. In particular the present invention relates to a locking device for locking the transmission of a motor vehicle in an inoperative condition thereby preventing the vehicle from being driven. More particularly the present invention relates to a mechanical anti-theft or theft-deterring' locking device for cooperatively engaging with the gear shift lever of an automatic transmission to lock the transmission in 'park' thereby preventing unauthorised use of the vehicle. Although the present invention will be described with particular reference to an anti-theft locking device for use with the automatic transmission of a motor vehicle, it is to be noted that the present invention is not so restricted by being limited to motor vehicles but is more extensive in scope including other applications where it is desired to prevent unauthorised use of machinery generally and to arrangements of the device other than that specifically described.

The theft of motor vehicles on a world wide basis continues to be a major problem in many countries, particularly in industrialised countries, due to the increasing desirability of owning a motor vehicle and to the increasingly high cost of motor vehicle ownership. In many instances people resort to obtaining or using motor vehicles illegally or without the consent of the owners through theft of the motor vehicle. Even fitting the vehicle with alarms or other anti-theft devices has not been entirely satisfactory since many of these devices can be easily overridden or disabled. In the case of electrically operated motor vehicle

_* alarms some thieves merely ignore the sounding of the alarm when stealing and driving off in the motor vehicle. Furthermore, those alarms based on the electrical system of the vehicle can be more easily .disabled than purely mechanical devices. Some mechanical devices can be easily overcome through the use of force to either damage the vehicle and/or the device or to deform the device sufficiently to remove it or otherwise operate the vehicle. Thus, in the past there have been some circumstances in which many of the presently available anti-theft devices for motor vehicles have not been successful. Therefore it is an aim of the present invention to provide an anti-theft device or theft-deterring device which when attached to the vehicle will prevent, reduce or hinder the theft of the motor vehicle in some circumstances by locking the gear change mechanism of the transmission provided in the motor vehicle into an inoperative position.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a device for preventing or deterring unauthorised use of a machine, such as for example a motor vehicle, by locking a movable portion of the machine in a first position which renders the machine inoperable, said device comprising a substantially elongate body portion for engaging with a complementary shaped immovable portion of the machine to locate the device and to facilitate prevention of its removal in use, and a stem portion angularly inclined to 5. the body portion and alignable with the movable portion in us, said stem portion being provided with an enlarged head portion and a substantially transverse arm portion, said enlarged head portion for engaging against a part of the movable portion to restrain the movable portion in the first position in use thereby facilitating prevention of removal of the device from the machine in use whilst restraining the movable portion in the first position, and said arm portion being associated with and cooperatively interacting with releasable locking means to releasably secure said device to said movable portion in use 5- such that when the locking means is in a locked condition the stem portion is lockingly aligned with the movable portion thereby preventing movement of the movable portion thus preventing unauthorised use of the machine.

According to another aspect of the present invention 0 there is provided a device for preventing or deterring unauthorised use of a machine, such as for example a motor vehicle, said device comprising a substantially elongate body portion forming one end of the device for engaging with a complementary shaped immovable portion of the machine in use and a stem portion angularly inclined to the body portion for alignedly engaging with a movable portion of the machine to prevent movement of the movable portion in use, said movable portion being movable between a first position which renders the machine inoperable and a second position which allows the machine to operate, said stem portion being provided with an enlarged head portion for bearing against the movable portion of the appliance when in the first position to prevent removal of the device from the machine in use and a substantially transverse arm portion extending outwardly from the stem to 5 cooperatively engage with a releasably securable locking means to prevent removal of the device when the locking means is in a locked condition in use, such that when the device is secured in position in use the device locks the movable portion of the machine in the first position thereby preventing unauthorized use of the appliance.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an anti-theft locking device for locking the transmission of a motor vehicle in an inoperable position in use, said device comprising an elongate body portion receivable in a slot or well of the transmission housing inside the cabin of a motor vehicle such that the lengthwise extending axis of the elongate body portion is aligned with a lengthwise extending groove of the housing or similar and a stem portion angularly inclined to the body portion having an enlarged head portion which engages against the enlarged portion of the activating lever of the transmission in use a substantially transverse an arm portion provided with a locking means to releasably secure the device to the lever in use for preventing withdrawal of the device from the motor vehicle in use, such that when the locking means is in a locked condition the device is securely locked in position with the actuating lever in the inoperative position thereby preventing use of the motor vehicle.

Typically, the machine is a motor vehicle, preferably having an automatic transmission. More typically, the automatic transmission has a floor mounted gear shift lever or gear change lever, housed in a console or housing with a recessed groove, channel or the like. The gear change lever is typically the movable portion of the machine. Typically, the console or housing is the unmovable portion of the machine. Typically, the housing or console has a recessed groove or channel into which the device of the present invention is received in use. Typically the elongate body portion of the device is received in the elongate groove so that there is little or no side to side movement of the device possible. The groove may be substantially flat in a horizontal plane or oblique plane or it may be curved, arcuate or similar out of the horizontal-plane. The profile of the elongate body corresponds to the profile of the groove, channel or the like of the console, thus the elongate body portion may be flat or it may be curved.

The body portion may have a width corresponding to 5. the width of the stem portion or the body portion may be wider or. thinner than the body portion. The body portion may be provided with a spacer means provided to locate the body portion securely in the recessed groove.

Typically, the enlarged head portion may be 0 arcuately bent around the stem portion to extend on either side so that the extreme free ends are spaced apart from, but ahead of the stem portion. The enlarged head portion may be smoothly bent to be continuously curved or may be bent in steps or may be bent in a combination thereof. 5 Typically, the enlarged head portion may be separate from the arm portion or both portions may be integral with the arm portion. If the enlarged head is integral with arm portion the head and arm are spaced apart from each other. If the head and arm portions are integral there is provided a 0 reduced thickness back portion therebetween.

Typically, the head portion may be semi-circular, U-shaped, or any other shape to bear against the knob of the gear change lever. The head portion may be solid or may be arranged to be transversely elongate. _ Typically, the arm portion is a cross-member extending on both sides of the stem. Typically, the arm portion is integral with the stem portion and the remainder of the device. Alternatively the arm portion may be a separate part connected to the stem by suitable fastening means or may 0 be two separate parts attached to the stem at a common point to extend on either side of the stem.

Typically the arm portion is substantially "U-shaped" in which the feet of the "U" extend around the stem, typically located in front of the stem and are spaced apart from each other by the web of the "U". Typically, the arm portion is provided with one or more apertures for'cooperatively engaging with the locking means to secure the device in position. Typically, one foot is thicker than the other foot. Typically, the locking means comprises a first part, such as for example a barrel of a lock and a second part, such as for example a locking bar or pin. Typically, the locking means is key operated between a first position which retains the pin or locking bar to the arm portion and a second position which permits removal of the pin from the arm thereby allowing the device to be withdrawn from the gear change lever and enabling the vehicle to be operated. Typically, the thicker foot portion is provided with the barrel or cylinder lock. The locking means may be integral with the device or may be separate, being completely removable from the motor vehicle and device when not in use.

The present invention will now be described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; » Figure la is a perspective view of one form of the anti-theft device of the present invention shown in situ in the groove of the housing consol of an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle shown in schematic form;

Figure lb is a side elevation view of the embodiment of Figure la also shown in situ in schematic form;

Figure 2a is a perspective view of another form of the anti-theft device of the present invention shown in its in use position but with the console omitted;

Figure 2b is a side elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 2a shown in situ in schematic form;

Figure 2c is a rear end view of the embodiment of Figure 2a;

Figure 3a is a side elevation view of another form of the anti-theft device of the present invention; Figure 3b is a front elevation view of the device of

Figure 3a; Figure 3c is a top plan view of the device of Figure

3a 7

Figure 3d is a top perspective view of the device of Figures 3a in situ; Figure 4a is a perspective view of another form of the device of the present invention;

Figure 4b is a perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 4a shown in situ in a schematic form but without the key of the locking means; Figure 4c is a horizontal cross-section taken along the line 4 to 4 of Figure 4b additionally including the key of the locking means;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the present invention.

In the cabin of the motor vehicle, there is located the mechanism for changing gears. In the case of a motor vehicle provided with an automatic transmission having a floor mounted gear change mechanism there is provided a housing generally denoted as 1 covering the automatic transmission (not shown) , with the gear shift or change lever 6 extending upwardly from the housing 1. Normally, the housing has a central portion 2 which is recessed compared to the remaining level of the two side portions 4 as shown schematically in the drawings. The recessed groove or well of the centrail portion 2 is provided with a movable cover (not shown) having an aperture through which the gear shift lever 6 extends. A gear knob 8 optionally provided with a central button 5 or similar means for allowing the safe movement of the lever 6 is mounted on the top of the gear change lever 6 to permit movement of • the lever in use. One particular form of the gear knob is a transversely mounted rod in the form of a T-bar 8. However, the present invention will find utility with any form of gear knob irrespective of its precise shape and is not limited to a T-bar shift as shown. In use the device of the present invention is received in well 2'to restrain the rearward movement of lever 6 thereby rendering the motor vehicle inoperable as will be described in more detail later. 5- One form of the anti-theft device of the present invention, generally denoted as 10, as shown in Figures la and lb comprises a substantially elongate body 12 and a stem 14 inclined at an angle to the body potion. The width of the body portion and the stem portion is about the same and thus

10 body 12 and stem 14 can be made as a single piece and bent to suit. The angle of inclination of the body 12 to stem 14 is selected in accordance with the requirements of the particular vehicle that it is intended to use the device in conjunction with. The angle of inclination of stem 14 to body 12 can vary

15 from being about 90° to a more acute angle. An enlarged head 16 is located at the distal end of stem 14 and a transversely extending arm 18 is connected to stem 14 at a location intermediate the head 16 and the junction of the body 12 and stem 14. The enlarged head 16 is shaped so as to engage

20 against the underside of the gear knob 8 or T-bar to prevent _k upwards movement of the device when it is in its locked condition (which will be described in more detail below) . The transverse arm 18 is centrally connected to the stem such that the distal ends of the arm extend out from the stem on either

25 side so as to be capable of retaining a locking means, such as a padlock 20, in position in use. The body 12 and stem 14 may be manufactured as a single piece or it may be two or more pieces joined together. Additionally, or alternatively, the device comprising the major elements of the body 12, stem 14,

30 head 16, and arm 18 may be made as a single piece such as for example as a casting or stamping or from two or more pieces connected together by suitable means. Additionally, the locking means may be separate or integral with the device. In use of the automatic transmission, the control

35 button 5 of the gear knob is depressed which allows movement of the change lever 6 so that the lever is capable of movement along the lengthwise extending axis of the well or groove. Normally the position rendering the motor vehicle inoperative is known as 'Park* ^*(*P*) and is located at one extreme end of the range of movements of the gear change lever. Typically, the 'Park* position is located at the extreme forward end of the housing. It is to be noted that reference to "front", "forward", "ahead" refers to the normal in use position of the device.

When it is desired to lever the motor vehicle unattended, the automatic transmission is put into 'park* by movement of the gear change lever to this position. The elongate body 12 of the locking device of the present invention is inserted into the well 2 with its distal end at or. close to being against the extreme rear end of the well and its: stem 14 aligned against the the gear change lever 6 with ^" its- enlarged head 16 snugly fitted against the underside of the; gear shift knob 8. A locking means such as the movable bow 22 of padlock 20 or other suitable_.locking means such as a locking pin is placed around the stem 14 and gear change lever 6 intermediate the arm and the transmission housi-ng and locked. Thus, the locking device securely hqlds the stem 14 and gear changer lever 6 in position thereby preventing movement of the lever and preventing removal of the device from the housing. Since the motor vehicle is locked in ^•Park', the motor vehicle is rendered inoperative even if the ; otor is started such as by hot wiring or the like thus preventing unauthorised use.

Another form of the locking device of the present invention is shown in Figures 2a, 2b and 2c and will now be described using like numerals to define features corresponding to the same features of the device as shown in the e bodiment of Figure 1 where applicable.

The anti-theft device 10 has an elongate body 12 inclined at an angle to stem 14. An enlarged plate 15 having the function of the combined head 16 and arm 18 is connected to the stem 14 or integrally formed with the body 12. A rolled over upper portion 17 comprising a pair of shoulders 19 is located at the top of the plate 15 to bear against the

undersurface of the 'T-bar' shift in use. The spaced apart shoulders 19 are located at the top of the upper portion 17 to define a slot or cut-out 21 therebetween. Slot 21 is designed to receive gear change lever 6 therein in use so that the 5 plate 15 aligns against lever 6 to prevent its rearward movement in use. The bow 22 of padlock 20 is received around the combined lever 6 and stem 14 intermediate the join of stem 14 to body 12 and the lower edge 22 of plate 15 in use to prevent removal of the device 10 away from the transmission,

10 thereby preventing rearward movement of the lever and thus rendering the motor vehicle inoperative.

A further modification to the device 10 of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 3a to 3d where it is shown the head 16 is formed as a three part arrangement in

15 the form of deformed "U" in which the sides of the "U" each are angularly inclined to extend at an angle from the web of the "U" so as to define a large opening within which the gear change lever 6 is received. In this position the upper edges of the sides of head 16 engage against the underside of the

20 gear knob to restrain the gear lever from rearwards movement while preventing sideways movement of the device in use.

A further embodiment is illustrated in Figures 4a -to 4c in which the arms 18 of device 10 are provided with an integral locking means rather than a separate padlock. Arm 18

25 is in the form of a "U-shaped" member having unequal feet 24, 25. Foot 24 is thinner than foot 25 and extends directly outwardly from stem 14. Aperture 26 is located in the foot 24 at its distal end. Foot 25 which is thicker than foot 24 and which extends outwardly from stem 14 to a greater extent is

30 provided with a locking arrangement 27 and an aperture 28. Apertures 26, 28 are aligned with each other so that locking pin 29 may be received through both apertures in use.

Locking arrangement 27, in one form, comprises barrel lock 30 having a key slot 31 and a locking tab 32. Key

35 33 is received in key slot 31 to change the locking arrangement from a locked condition in which pin 29 is securely retained on the device within aligned apertures 26, 28 and an unlocked condition in which pin 29 is withdrawn from aperture 26. Pin 29 is retained in the locked condition by tab 32 engaging in groove 34 defined between shoulders 35, 36 located along the length of pin 29 thus preventing withdrawal of pin 29 from the apertures 26, 28. It is to be noted that in some embodiments aperture 26 is not a bore extending entirely through the thickness of foot 24 but is a blind hole whereas aperture 28 is a bore extending entirely through foot 25. Pin 29 is optionally provided with a retaining collar (not shown) located at or. towards its free end which engages against the inner surface of foot 25 around the edge of aperture 28 to prevent pin 29 from being withdrawn entirely from the device through aperture 28.,^'. The locking arrangement may be of any suitable type such as a barrel lock having a conventional key slot operated by a key having corresponding cut-outs or may be a twin key arrangement or other suitable security lock system. A preferred locking arrangement comprises a circular slot defining an annular barrel arrangement provided with,a locating tab or similar into which a hollow cylindrical key with a corresponding tab is inserted to operate the lock.

The described arrangement has been advanced by way^' of explanation and many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which includes every novel feature and/or novel combination of features hereindisclosed.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the Invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications which fall within its spirit and scope.

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A device for preventing unauthorised use of a machine, such as for example a motor vehicle, by locking a movable part of the machine in a first position which renders the machine inoperable, said device being characterized in that the device comprises a substantially elongate body portion located at the tail end of the device for cooperatively engaging with a complementary shaped immovable part of the machine to securely locate the device in use and a stem portion angularly inclined to the body portion for aligning with the movable portion of the machine in use, said stem portion being provided with an enlarged head portion and a substantially transverse arm portion, said head portion for engaging against a part of the movable portion of the machine to restrain the movable portion in the first position in use and said arm portion cooperatively interacting with releasable locking means for releasably securing said device to said movable portion such that said locking means when in a locked condition securely locates said device to prevent movement of the movable portion from the first position thereby preventing unauthorised use of the machine.

2. A device according to claim 1 characterised in that the movable portion is the gear change lever of the transmission of a motor-vehicle, perfe ably of an automatic transmission.

3. A device according to any preceding claim characterised in that the locating means is a padlock assembly arranged such that the bow of the padlock engages the stem and the gear change lever to lock the automatic transmission in an inoperable position.

4. A device according to any preceding claim characterised in that the locking means is integrally provided on the transverse arm and comprises a removable pin interconnecting two side portions of the arm means said pin being movable between a locked position in which it is retained around the gear change lever and an unlocked position.

5." A device according to any preceding claim characterised in that the immovable portion of the machine is the housing of a console of the automatic transmission having a recessed groove arranged such that the elongate body portion is received within the lengthwise extending groove in use.

6. A device according to any preceding claim characterised in that the enlarged head portion comprises a substantially deformed U-shaped or particular head bar extending outwardly and forwardly of the stem portion so as to partially surround the gear change lever in use immediately below the gear change knob.

7. A device according to any preceding claim characterised in that the head portion and the transverse head portion are separate from each other located at spaced apart locations along the stem portion, said arm portion being located intermediate the body portion and the head portion or alternately the head and arm portions are integral and arranged such that the head portion engages the gear change knob and the arm portion is located adjacent the body portion.

8. A device according to any preceding claim characterised in that the arm portion has a first portion arranged substantially perpendicul to the axis of the stem portion and extends colinearly from the stem portion on either side and optionally a second portion arranged substantially perpendicularly to the first portion to extend beyond the stem portion and gear change lever so as to partially enclose the gear change lever.

9. A devicje according to any preceding claim characterised in that the elongate body portion is flat or is curved correspondingly to the curved portion of the console having the automatic transmission and is optionally provided with locating means for locating the body portion in the recessed groove to prevent excessive side play.

10. A device according to any preceding claim characterised in that the inoperable position is located at one extreme end of the range of possible positions, preferably the position known as "Park" and denoted by "P" which is located at the extreme forward end of the recessed groove.

11. A device for preventing or deterring unauthorised use of a motor vehicle characterised in that the device comprises, a substantially enlongate body portion forming one end. σf the device for engaging with a complementary shaped immovable portion of the motor vehicle in use and a stem portion angularly inclined to the body portion for aligning with the gear change lever of the vehicle to prevent movement of the gear change lever portion towards the stem portion, said gear change lever being movable between a first position which renders the machine inoperable and a second position allowing the machine to operate, said stem portion being provided with an enlarged head portion for engaging with the gear change lever knob to prevent removal of the device from the vehicle and a substantially transverse arm portion extending outwardly from the stem to cooperatively engage with a releasable securing means to lock the device to the gear change lever to prevent removal of the device when the locking means is in a locked condition in use, said device being so arranged that when the device is securely to the gear change lever in use the device retains the gear change lever in the first position thereby preventing unauthorised use of the vehicle.

12. An anti-theft device for locking the automatic transmission of a motor-vehicle in "Park" characterised in that the device comprises an elongate body portion receivable in a recessed slot of the console of the automatic transmission inside the motor-vehicle such that the lengthwise extending axis of the elongate body portion is aligned with the lengthwise extending axis of the recessed groove and a stem portion angularly inclined to the body portion having an enlarged head portion which engages the knob of the gear change lever to retain the device in the recessed slot in use and a substantially transverse arm portion located on the stem intermediate the head portion and the body portion, said arm portion being provided with a locking means to releasably secure the device to the lever for preventing withdrawal of the device from the motor-vehicle, such that the locking means is in a locked condition the device is securely locked in position with the gear change lever in "Park" thereby preventing withdrawal of the device and preventing unauthorised use of the vehicle.

13. An anti-theft or theft-deterring device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanyng drawings.