Locks – Portable – Clamps
Patent
1997-06-02
1999-01-26
Boucher, Darnell M.
Locks
Portable
Clamps
70226, 188 32, E05B 7300
Patent
active
058626883
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a locking device which is especially suitable for clamping onto a wheel in accordance with the in claims.
A locking device of this kind is highly suitable for locking around a wheel. It can thus be used as a theft-proof device as it will not be possible to drive a car with a locking device of this kind mounted on one of the wheels. It is also suitable as a so-called "wheel clamp" used by traffic wardens to prevent an incorrectly parked car from being moved until the parking charge has been paid.
A device of this kind is known from U.S. Pat. No. 1,819,813, which teaches a locking device consisting of two halves, wherein one of the halves is moveable in relation to the other by turning a threaded bolt. To turn the bolt, which is enclosed in a housing, there is provided a hexagonal head which is in engagement with one end of the bolt. The hexagonal head is displaceable in the longitudinal direction into the housing, so that when it is in its innermost position it is not accessible from outside for turning the bolt. The hexagonal head is lockable in this position.
This device is extremely troublesome to manipulate. To adjust the gap between the grip claws, one must turn the threaded bolt, which thus screws the grip claws towards or away from one another. To do this, one must use a suitable tool designed to engage with the hexagonal head. Putting the locking device on and taking it off the wheel therefore takes an unnecessarily long time. This may lead to the locking device being left in the car instead of being used.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,508,547 makes known a locking device for the same purpose, which consists of two halves hinged to one another.
This device is suitable for one wheel dimension only, as the space between the two halves in the locked position is fixed. It is true that the device is easier to use than the aforementioned device, but one has to be extremely painstaking when putting the device on so as to ensure that it is in the right position. Moreover, both this and the aforementioned locking device require two-handed manipulation.
The object of the present invention is to provide a locking device, preferably for mounting on a wheel, which is far easier to manipulate than the previously known locking devices, and which can be used for any wheel dimension within a very large range.
This is achieved by the features which are disclosed below. By means of the device according to the invention, the grip claws can be pulled apart from one another by hand when the device is not locked. This can be done in a very simple manner in that one of the grip claws is placed behind the wheel and the other claw is pulled out and placed on the other side of the wheel. The device is now placed about the edge of the wheel, and the grip claws can subsequently be thrust together, preferably by means of a tension spring. The locking device is then locked in this position. The locking position can be adjusted almost steplessly, which means that the locking device is able to cover all wheel dimensions within the minimum space between the grip claws and the maximum lockable space.
The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates the locking device mounted on a car wheel;
FIG. 2 is a plane view of the locking device, with a first embodiment of the internal details of the locking system indicated;
FIG. 3 is an end view of the locking device according to
FIG. 2, also here with the internal details indicated;
FIG. 4 shows the locking device seen from the opposite side to that illustrated in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 illustrates a second embodiment of the locking system;
FIG. 6 is a plane view of the locking system according to FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7A is a left-hand end view of the outer member 7 of the locking system of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7B is a front view of the outer member 7 of FIG. 7A partially broken away, and in partial cross-section.
FIG. 7C is a left-hand end view of the inner member 8 of the locking system of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7D is a front
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