GB2503011A

GB2503011A - Locking device with retractable securing member

Info

Publication number: GB2503011A
Application number: GB201210541A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Guy Miller; Alexander Miller; Drew Miller; Sean Miller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-06-14
Filing date: 2012-06-14
Publication date: 2013-12-18
Anticipated expiration: 2032-06-14
Also published as: GB2503011B; GB201210541D0

Abstract

A retractable locking device comprising a rotatable shaft 24 with tension spring, a securing element 40, e.g. a chain, cable or wire, coilable about the shaft and a locking element 28 releasably secured to the shaft 24 to attach the securing element to the shaft 24. The securing element 40 coils about the shaft 24 and is biased into a retracted position by the tension spring. A lock 21 may be located within the shaft 24 to lock the locking element in position. The head 25 of the shaft 24 may have an aperture for receiving the locking member 28, and the head of the shaft 25 may be chamfered to prevent wrenches etc. getting purchase. Spacers 50 may be provided between housing plates 20a 20b to guide the securing member. Preferably, the locking device is a bike or bicycle lock.

Description

Retractable Locking Device

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a retractable locking device and in particular but not exclusively to a retractable locking device for a bicycle.

Background of the Invention

Bicycle theft is a long-standing and serious problem for bicycle owners and the need for an effective theft deterrent means that many different types of antitheft devices involving locking mechanisms have been developed.

One of the most popular bicycle locks is a flexible cable looped at each end and secured with a padlock. The cable is usually threaded around part of the bicycle frame, or in some cases through one of the wheels, and then the cable is placed around a bicycle rack, lamp-post or other fixed object. The cable is secured with the padlock through the end iops on the cable, which may alternatively have an integral padlocking mechanism at one end of the cable that locks to another end of the cable or sometimes a separate padlock is positioned through end loops on the cable.

Moreover, in traditional locking systems, the cables and locks must be stored apart from the bicycle, in a saddlebag or backpack for example, or wound around the bicycle frame. In either case, the cable and lock must be unpacked or unwound or both to lock the bicycle. Self-coiling cables that coil in on themselves present added difficulties in that it is often a struggle to unwind the cable from the frame, align the cable for threading through the frame and front wheel, around a bike rack and then lock the cable in place. Additionally, cable locks stored wound around the bicycle frame are generally not considered aesthetically pleasing.

Other locks that may be used are preformed D locks that are again either separate from the cyde or they may be clamped to part of the cycle frame. The D lock is removed from the frame when locking up the cycle and like the cable locks is secured around the cycle and a secure object such as a post. Again such locks being on display can be tampered with and even cut so allowing a thief to remove the cycle.

Retracting cycle locks have been developed such as a lock discussed in US2O1O154492 where there are male and female locking elements that cooperate to lock a retractable coil on the hub or rim of a cycle. However this device needs cooperation between the two ends of the locking members and it is possible to force the two apart which makes the cycle still vulnerable to theft.

The current invention seeks to overcome the problems associated with the prior art by providing a rotatable element that can recoil a locking chain or cable and which itself is lockable.

Summary of the Invention

According to the invention there is provided a retractable locking device, including a rotatable shaft associated with a tension spring attached to a securing element that is coilable about the rotataNe shaft, said securing element being extendible and retractable back on the rotatable shaft, characterised in that there is a locking element that can be releasable secured to the rotatable shaft to secure the securing element to the rotatable shaft.

Preferably the rotatable shaft extends between first and second housing plates that are positioned at first and second ends of the rotatable shaft.

It is envisaged that the rotatable shaft is arranged to house a lock barrel and one or both of the housing plates has an aperture to allow access to the lock barrel.

In a preferred arrangement at least one of the housing plates houses the tension spring.

Preferably the rotatable shaft includes a head which sits adjacent an outer face of a housing plate.

It is preferred that the securing element is attached to a retaining member on the rotatable shaft which can be mated with the rotatable shaft by way of an aperture in a housing plate.

Preferably the rotatable shafi has an attachment member that releasably secures the locldng shaft to the tension spring.

It is envisaged that the head of the rotatable shaft has an aperture for receiving the locking member that can releasably secure the locking member to the rotatable shaft.

In a preferred arrangement a first end of the securing element is attached to the rotatable shaft and a second end of the securing element is attached to the locking member.

Preferably the locking member is includes elongate member arranged be located in the aperture in the rotatable shaft which in turn is arranged to mate with the lock barrel in the rotatable shaft of the retractable locking device.

It is preferred that the head of the rotatable shaft is chamfered such that when the locking member is oeated in the head of the rotataffle shaft the chamfer extends towards the locking member.

It is envisaged that there are spacers around the periphery of the housing plates which assist in feeding the securing element onto the rotatable shaft.

Preferably the retractable locking device includes a mounting plate for securing said retractable locking device to an object to be secured.

It is preferred that the retractable locking device is a device for locking a bicycle.

Brief Description of the Figures

An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to and as illustrated hi the accompanying figures by way of example only, in which: Figure 1: shows a general view of a retractable locking device which in this case is for securing a cycle to a support; Figure 2; shows a more detailed exploded view of the integers making up the retractable locking device as shown in Figure 1; Figure 3: shows a cross sectional view of the elements of a retractable locking device according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 4: shows an exploded view of the retractable locking device of Figure 3, with more detail of the ball bearing and cam.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention As shown in Figure 1, a wheel lock, which is generally shown as 1 of the figures can be positioned on a cycle A so that the cyde can be secured to a support B such as a lamp post.

The wheel lock includes a housing 20 formed of two spaced apart discs which are at either end of a rotatable shaft (not shown) around which a securing element 40 may be coiled. The securing element that is shown is a chain but any other type of coilable securing element may be used, such as an elongate wire. There are spacers 50 between the discs that form the housing and these spacers are positioned in a circular array around the rotatable shaft so that when the securing &ernent 40 is coiled around the shaft it is fairly evenly spaced around the rotatable shaft, The securing dement 40 can be locked on the rotatable shaft by a locking &ement which is generally shown as 60 which in this embodiment shown is on an outer face of the housing 20.

In Figure 2, the wheel lock is shown in more detail and includes two housing plates 20a and 20b which are separated by spacers 50. Either end of a rotatable shaft 24 which is lockable (described in more detail below) and which can be located in a respective aperture 22a, 22b in the central area of each housing plate 20a and 20b in such a manner to allow the housing plates to rotate with the shaft 24. One end of the rotataNe shaft 24 includes a circlip groove that controls the axial position of the housing plates relative to the shaft 24. Although the housings are shown as being circular, they may be other shapes.

Housing 20a houses a constant tension spring (not shown) and the spnng is secured within the housing by a retaining plate 23.

The locking element (shown generally as 60 in Figure 1) is foirned of the rotatable shaft 24 which has a head 25 which is chamfered or beveled with the widest part of the head being in proximity to the shaft 24. The rotatable shaft has an attachment member 24a to which one end of the securing element 40 is attached. The head 25 of the rotatable shaft has an aperture 26 for receiving a ball bearing 27. There is a locking member 28 which has a first end which is an elongate member 28b that can be located in all aperture 29 in the head of the rotatable shaft. The locking member can be a key or pin. The second end of the locking element has a holding element 28a to which a second end of the securing member can be secured so that when the locking member is secured to the rotatable shall that acts as a locking element, the securing element 40 is locked on the rotatable shaft. The securing element can be retracted into the retractable locking device under the action of the tension spring so that the securing element such as a chain or wire coil is safely housed in the device so that it cannot be tampered with. The chamfering on the head of the locking element prevents a thief being able to easily remove the locking member such as a key or pin because the chamfer makes it difficult to purchase a device such as a spanner on the device or if it is attacked with a hammer the full force of hammer blows would be deflected by the chamfer, The loclc ban-el, cam and ball bearing are all housed within the rotatable shaft 24 and the key or pin 28 can be locked into the rotatable shall.

Figure 3 shows a cross sectional view of the retractable loclcing device. The circlip groove 22c locates an end of the rotatable shaft 24. A lock ban-el 21 is located within rotatable shaft 24 and is held in position by a spring loaded pin 22d on the lock barrel inside the rotatable shaft. The pin is spring loaded such that once the lock barrel is in the rotatable shaft, it cannot be removed. The lock barrel 21 extends into an aperture in the head 25 extending from the rotatable shaft. Inside the head 25 there is a cam 25a with machined hats such that when the lock barrel 21 rotates through 180 degrees the ball bearing 27 is pushed by the flat against the elongate member 28b of the locking member 28 when the locking member is inserted in the aperture 29 of the head 25 and this holds the locking member 28 in position. The ball bearing 27 is sits in the hole 26 which extends in the head 25 of the locking element. The aperture 29 has a crowned edge after cross drilling which allows the ball bearing to protrude into the cross drilling without it falling out of position.

Figure 4 shows the locking arrangement in more detail relative to the housing. The external circlip groove 22C locates and restrains the housing 20b from axial movement on the rotatable shaft 24, The lock barrel 21. cam 25a and ball bearing 27 are located within the shaft 24. The lock barrel is prevented from being removed once assembled from the rotating shaft through an external sprung loaded feature on the lock barrel locating into an internal groove within the shaft 24. The lock barrel is rotated within the shaft by the user by placing a key towards the end of the lock balTel which is in proximity to circlip 22c. The rotation of the key has the effect of rotating the cam 25a within the shall 24, and as the cain rotates it prevents the ball bearing 27 from axial movement within the hole 26 that is perpendicular to the axis of the lock barrel. This causes the ball bearing 27 to move towards a recess within the elongate member 28b that is part of the locking member and this secures locking member 28 to the rotatable shaft 24 by pushing the two towards one another and jamming the ball bearing between them.

It is to be understood that the above embodiments have been provided only by way of exemplification of this invention and that further modifications and improvements thereto, as would be apparent to persons skifled in the relevant art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the present invention described. Furthermore where individual embodiments are discussed, the invention is intended to cover combinations of those embodiments as well,

Claims

Claims 1. A retractable locking device, including a rotatable shaft (24) associated with a tension spring attached to a securing element (40) that is coilable about the rotatable shaft, said securing element (40) being extendible from and retractable back on the rotatable shaft. eharacterised in that there is a locking element (28) that can be releasable secured to the rotatable shaft to secure the securing element to the rotatable shaft.
2. A retractable locking device according to claim 1. wherein the rotatable shaft (24) extends between first and second housing plates (20a,20b) attached to first and second ends of the rotatable shaft (24).
3. A retractable locking device according to claim I or claim 2, wherein the rotatable shaft (24) houses a lock barrel (21) and one or both of the housing plates (20a,20b) has an aperture to allow access to the ock barrel,
4. A retractable locking device according any preceding claim wherein at least one of the housing plates houses the tension spring.
5. A retractaHe locking device according any preceding claim wherein the rotatable shaft (24) incindes a head (25) which sits adjacent an outer face of a housing plate.
6. A retractable locking device according any preceding claim wherein the securing element (40) is attached to a retaining member (24a) on the rotatable shaft (24) which can be mated with the rotatable shaft by way of an aperture in a housing plate.
7. A retractable locking device according any preceding claim wherein the rotatable shaft (24) has an attachment member that releasably secures the locking shalt to the tension spring.
8. A retractable locking device according any of claims 5 to 7 wherein the head (25) of the rotatable shaft has an aperture (29) for receiving the locking member (28) that can releasably secure the locking member to the rotatable shaft.
9. A retractable locking device according any of claims 5 to 8, wherein a first end of the securing element (40) is attached to the rotatable shaft (24) and a second end of the securing element is attached to the locking member (28).
10. A retractable locking device according to any of claims 8 or 9, wherein the locking member (28) is includes elongate member (28b) arranged be located in the aperture (29) in the rotatable shaft which in turn is arranged to mate with the lock barrel (21) in the rotatable shaft of the retractable locking device.
11. A retractable locking device according to any of claims 5 to 10, wherein the head (25) of the rotatable shaft (24) is chamfered such that when the locking member is located in the head of the rotatable shaft the chamfer extends towards the locking member (28).
12. A retractable locking device according to claim 2, wherein there are spacers (50) around the periphery of the housing plates (20a.20b)which assist in feeding the securing element (40) onto the rotatable shaft (24).
1 3. A retractable locking device according to any preceding claim including a mounting plate (70) for securing said retractable locking device to an object to be secured.
14. A retractable locking device according to any preceding claim wherein the retractable locking device is a device for locking a bicycle.
15. A retractable locking device as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.