1998-04-07
1999-12-21
Gall, Lloyd A.
Locks
Portable
70 18, 70 58, 70233, E05B 7300
Patent
active
060033479
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to the problem of locking theft attractive objects, such as bicycles, skiing equipment, golf equipment, boats/boat motors, etc., when said objects are placed outdoors or in common rooms, and relates particularly to a method and to a lock system for locking such objects.
BACKGROUND ART
The general background of the invention is the fact that the theft of theft attractive property of the aforesaid kind is steadily increasing. The theft of bicycles represents the worst problem in most aspects, and the following description will therefore concentrate on just this problem. It will be understood, however, that the problem is fundamental to the theft of skiing equipment and golf equipment, and so on.
The bicycle has become an increasingly popular alternative mode of transportation in keeping with people's awareness of the need to protect the environment and also in keeping with the physical exercise that cycling affords. This has led to the sale of more bicycles and more well equipped bicycles at much higher prices than was earlier the case. Consequently, bicycles are often stolen with the purpose of selling the bicycles for cash either within the country where the theft took place or abroad. Persons who perpetrate such thefts are more or less organized bodies. In earlier times a bicycle was often stolen as a means of transportation, i.e. "borrowed" late at night on weekends in order to travel home from a public house, night club or some like establishment and were later recovered to a greater extent than at the present time, sometimes in a relatively undamaged state.
This change in the nature of bicycle thefts has resulted in greater demands on the security of bicycle locking devices, wherein present day bicycle locks shall not only prevent the immediate use of a bicycle but shall also prevent the bicycle from being carried away, or at least make it difficult to carry away. As beforementioned, present day bicycles are so expensive as to render the purchase of a bicycle of certain designs a large and noticeable investment to the purchaser and also to render the bicycle worthy of the best protection possible.
With regard to Swedish circumstances, an insured bicycle carries a self-risk against theft of at least SEK 1000 and in order to give time for the bicycle to be found and recovered there is a minimum waiting period of one month before the insured person is recompensed for his/her loss. The theft of a bicycle is therefore very burdensome to the owner, particularly when the owner is dependent daily on the bicycle, for instance to travel to and from his place of employment. In order to file a valid claim against bicycle insurance, it is, of course, necessary to prove that the bicycle was locked at the time of the theft. In addition to requiring the bicycle to be locked with a fixed built-in lock, which is a general requirement, some insurance companies also require the bicycle to be locked firmly to some other object, for instance in a bicycle rack, to a post or to some form of building structure, or that the bicycle is secured with at least one additional lock that includes a wire strop, or a stirrup-like lock.
A number of different types of bicycle locks are available commercially, of which some can be readily forced in a relatively short time while others are more stable and so constructed as to resist an attempt to force the lock for at least so many minutes as to deter a presumptive thief from stealing a bicycle that is secured with such a lock. Most lock alternatives available to cyclists at the present time are reasonably priced.
In recent years, different site-bound locking systems have been developed where the cyclist is able to firmly lock his/her bicycle, often without charge. These systems presumably have a deterring effect on the majority of thieves.
When seen against this background, it is surprising that the theft of bicycles increases steadily, despite the number of bicycle lock alternatives now available to the person wishing to keep his/her bi
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Gall Lloyd A.
Jade Las-Montage AB
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