Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Of burglary or unauthorized use
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-08
2001-05-22
Wu, Daniel J. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Of burglary or unauthorized use
C340S427000, C340S432000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236307
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to locks which can be attached to vehicles such as motorcycles. More specifically, it relates to locks that incorporate an alarm system.
2. Related Art
In the prior art, locking devices have been attached to wheels of motorcycles and the like to prevent theft, including locks that were equipped with an alarm which would sound when the lock was moved.
FIG. 6
is a simplified diagram of a conventional lock equipped with such an alarm. As is shown in the figure, when closed, the lock forms a U-shaped ring, and when it is installed around a vehicle wheel (not shown), the lock immobilizes the vehicle. After the vehicle has been parked, the approximately U-shaped shackle or bar
31
is attached through the inside of the wheel and then the left and right ends of the bar are inserted into a locking member body
32
located outside of the wheel. This locking member
32
is equipped with a sensor, alarm, and electronic parts to control them located inside a housing member
33
. When the alarm is set, if the sensor detects any vibration, tilt or other motion of the lock, an alarm is sounded to deter theft.
However, such locks of the prior art attach or include the alarm to or with the lock itself, and breaking the lock may destroy the alarm, or, the alarm can be covered with cloth to mute its volume and thereby reduce its ability to deter theft.
Further, since the alarm must emit sound as a warning, it is not possible to provide a completely sealed, waterproof structure. Accordingly, moisture can enter the locking device and may deteriorate the lock or produce operational failure.
In addition, because the alarm requires relatively high electric power to operate and since there is limited space available inside the lock for housing the power source such as batteries or the like for the alarm and sensor, there are limitations on the length of time the alarm can operate and upon the sound level it can generate.
Furthermore, since a housing member has to be attached to the lock to house the alarm, the size of the lock is thereby increased considerably.
The present invention was developed to address the above described issues in the prior art, and it has as its objective the provision of an alarm system for locks which will sound the alarm even if the lock is broken, which imposes no restrictions upon the alarm's time of operation or sound level, and which does not increase the size of the lock.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the foregoing objectives, this invention provides an alarm system for locks that may be attached to motor vehicle wheels and that comprise on the lock side, a lock motion detection sensor and a transmitter to transmit the results of the sensor's detection located inside the lock, and, on the vehicle side, a receiver to receive the detection signals sent by the transmitter, an alarm that emits a warning sound, and an operation control unit which sounds the alarm based upon the output from the aforesaid receiver, and further wherein the control unit and alarm are powered by the vehicle battery.
The alarm of this configuration is installed within a vehicle fairing enclosure, so it is difficult to observe from the vehicle exterior, making it less subject to being broken. Also, this configuration makes it possible to prevent the alarm being covered with cloth or the like to diminish its sound output. These measures enhance the prevention of vehicle theft. Also, because the alarm is not attached to the lock itself, the lock can be made to be more compact to facilitate its use, and its waterproofing can be enhanced.
Further, since the control unit and alarm use power from the vehicle's battery, they are assured of an adequate supply of power from that battery, so that almost no restrictions are imposed on the duration of sounding the alarm or on its volume.
Further, in preferred embodiments, the power source and the switch for the alarm transmitter are installed inside the lock, and the power source is turned ON and OFF when the lock key is locked and unlocked, while the power supply for the control unit is turned ON and OFF by turning the ignition key in the main ignition switch of the vehicle.
With such a design, the mere attaching of the lock to the parked vehicle powers the alarm to eliminate the possibility of forgetting to turn on the alarm and eliminating the bothersome task of setting the alarm after attaching the lock. Further, when the vehicle is transported with the lock installed, the main ignition switch can be turned ON during such transport to prevent sounding a false alarm even if the vehicle is subject to vibrations during transportation.
In preferred embodiments, a specific time delay is incorporated between the time the main switch of the vehicle is turned OFF and the time when the control device becomes operational, and between the time when the sensor detects motion and when the alarm is sounded.
Thus, if the lock is attached during the delay period that is incorporated between turning OFF of the main switch of the vehicle and the operation of the control unit, even if the sensor detects motion from the attachment of the lock, the alarm will not sound. Further, the delay between the detection of motion and the sounding of the alarm allows the lock to be removed without the alarm being operated, even if the sensor detects motion. Further, if the main switch is left ON before the lock is removed, no alarm will sound. These means allow the owner of the vehicle to attach the lock and remove it without sounding the alarm.
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patent: 3879721 (1975-04-01), Yereance
patent: 4641124 (1987-02-01), Davis
patent: 4811578 (1989-03-01), Masoncup et al.
patent: 5124565 (1992-06-01), Yoshida et al.
patent: 5330029 (1994-07-01), Yoshimura et al.
patent: 5408212 (1995-04-01), Meyers et al.
patent: 5534847 (1996-07-01), McGregor
patent: 5539378 (1996-07-01), Chang
patent: 6028507 (2000-02-01), Banks et al.
patent: 6060982 (2000-05-01), Hotrop
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Kabushiki Kaisha Aiaishi
Tang Son
Wu Daniel J.
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