Card for a pledge lock

The invention relates to a pledge lock for shopping trolleys and luggage trolleys, to be releasably attached to one another, the lock having a casing 1 attached to the first trolley and formed with an opening 1b for a pledge and an opening 1a for a coupling member, which is attached to the second trolley and kept locked by a closure bolt until the pledge has been inserted, the pledge being a card which during insertion moves a control member 3 which moves the closure bolt 4 out of the locking and into the unlocked position, the card having at least a first zone which can be bent out of the plane of the card in relation to the remaining, second card zone by a lock projection 14 extending into the card insertion path, said first zone when in the bent-out state impinging directly or via an intermediate member against a stop 3d of the control member, in order to move the control member.

SPECIFICATION 
Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to a card for a pledge lock for shopping trolleys or 
luggage trolleys to be releasably attached to one another. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
A card for a pledge lock is disclosed in German Patent document, which was 
previously applied for and was a later. An important aspect thereof is 
that the lock does not accept just any card, but the coupling member can 
be unlocked only by certain cards. 
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the invention so to improve a pledge lock of the kind 
specified that the coupling member can be unlocked due to the particular 
shape or design of the simply constructed card. 
This problem is solved according to the invention by the feature that the 
card surface and/or the card edge has at least one widened portion, more 
particularly a projection, and/or at least one reduced portion, more 
particularly a recess, via which the lock can be actuated and/or the card 
can be checked. 
Due to the widened portion and/or reduced portion in a particular small or 
large zone of the card, the lock can be actuated only by a card designed 
in this manner. On the one hand, the deformed or undeformed zone can 
unlock the coupling member directly or via intermediate members. On the 
other hand it can also be done by the insertion of only a correctly 
constructed card into the lock, such insertability first making unlocking 
possible. At the same time the lock and card are very simply constructed 
and have small outside dimensions. Moreover, other results are high 
functional efficiency and security and simple handling.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION 
As seen in FIGS. 1B and 1C a pledge lock 20 has a casing whose side wall is 
formed with a slot 23 into which a card 1 carrying a magnetic strip 27 can 
be inserted as a pledge. In addition to the slot 23 for the card 1, a 
further slot 24 can be provided via which a coin can alternatively be 
inserted as a pledge. 
The insertion of a suitable card 1 moves a control member which unlocks a 
closure bolt which releases a coupling member 22 off an adjacent shopping 
trolley 26. As soon therefore as the card 1 has been inserted into the 
lock 20 of the first trolley 26, the coupling member 22 of the adjacent 
trolley 26 is released and the trolley 26 can be removed. The lock 20 is 
attached as described in copending application Ser. No. 08/254,294 to a 
crosspiece 25 bridging uprights 21 and can also be attached either to the 
handle of the shopping trolley 26, to a handle strut, or to the trolley 
basket. 
A pledge lock (not shown) has a casing whose side wall is formed with a 
slot into which a card 1 can be inserted as a pledge. In addition to the 
slot for the card, a further slot can be provided via which a coin can 
alternatively be inserted as a pledge. 
The insertion of a suitable card moves a control member which unlocks a 
closure bolt, which releases a coupling member of an adjacent shopping 
trolley. As soon, therefore, as the card has been inserted into the lock 
of the first trolley, the coupling member of the adjacent trolley is 
released, and the trolley can be removed. The precise construction and 
function of the lock is disclosed as an embodiment in German Patent 
document 43 18 627 (see copending application Ser. No. 08/254,294). The 
lock is attached either to the handle of a shopping trolley, to a handle 
strut or to the trolley basket. 
The various embodiments of the card disclosed hereinafter optionally 
perform two different functions. 
In a first embodiment the card is so shaped that it can be inserted or 
inserted deeply enough into the slot only if the car is correctly 
constructed, the lock of the coupling member being released by insertion 
or sufficiently deep insertion into the lock. 
In a second application, the special construction of the card is not 
intended to impede its insertion. On the contrary, even a wrong card can 
be completely inserted. However, the wrong card does not release the 
locking--i.e., the lock is released, and therefore the coupling member can 
be unlocked, only by the card having the correct design with the special 
correct card construction, for example, with a projection disposed at the 
correct place on the card. 
All the card constructions or designs disclosed hereinafter can always 
perform either the one function or the other. Moreover, care must be taken 
that a card inserted into the lock is firmly retained therein after the 
unlocking of the coupling member. Additional constructions, for example, 
operations in the card, can be provided for this purpose. In many cases 
even the special type of construction of the card is enough to ensure that 
the card is firmly retained by means 30 (FIG. 1B) in the lock, until a 
coupling member of a second trolley is again inserted in the lock. 
The various card constructions will be disclosed individually hereinafter; 
two or more kinds of construction can also be provided on a single card: 
The card 1a (FIG. 1) has a thickness S which is thinner or thicker than an 
ordinary credit or telephone card, the card thickness being scanned in the 
lock and only a card of the correct thickness being accepted by the lock. 
In the case of a thinner card than usual, this can be done merely by 
constructing the slot in the lock so thin that cards of ordinary thickness 
cannot be inserted. In the case of a card substantially thicker than the 
known cards, the scanning or checking can be done by the card due to its 
thickness merely actuating a pin or pusher or lever extending into its 
path, while a thinner card does not reach this member to be moved. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 a card 1b has a smaller length L 
than usual, so that only this short card can be inserted by its outer side 
deeply enough into the lock to actuate a lever disposed adjacent the lock 
slot. Alternatively, however, the card can also be substantially longer 
than the usual card, so that only such a long card can enter the lock 
deeply enough to actuate the triggering mechanism. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 the card 1c is narrower than usual, 
the slot also having a corresponding width, so that only a very narrow 
card can be inserted. Alternatively, the card can be substantially wider 
and reach the triggering mechanism solely due to its greater width, a 
detent being preferably provided on both sides of the lock introduction 
shaft. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 the front edge 2d of the card 1d 
has a chamfer 7d which bears against a matching member in the introduction 
shaft, so that only a card having such a chamfer can be inserted deeply 
enough into the lock, the front, unchamfered edge 2d releasing the lock 
only with such a deep insertion. 
A similar construction is also shown by the card 1e illustrated in FIG. 5. 
In this case the card has a rounded portion 7e whose radius is larger than 
customary rounded portions, the card again being insertable sufficiently 
deeply into the lock introduction shaft only if the matching member 
corresponding to the rounded portion bears thereagainst, so that the card 
can be deeply enough inserted. 
The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 has an oblique longitudinal edge 4f; 
again, the card 1f can be inserted deeply enough into the lock only if 
this oblique edge is present. In contrast, any card not having t his 
oblique edge will become jammed after being inserted by a few centimeters. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 the front edge 5g of the card 1g 
has a profiling with widened portions or projections 6g and reduced 
portions or recesses 7g, so that this front profiling of contour or front 
edge of the card must fit a matching member in the lock which is 
accordingly shaped oppositely. As a result, only a card having this 
special contour can be fitted far enough in to the lock, which can be 
released only as a result of this sufficiently deep insertion of the card. 
The embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 11 also operate in the same 
manner. The card 1h shown in FIG. 8 has punched-out portions or marginal 
perforations 7h which open in the outward direction and extend into 
matching members or projections in the lock. The card 1i shown in FIG. 9 
operates conversely. The front side has raised portions 6i which extend 
into corresponding recesses at the end of an introduction shaft in the 
lock. As was also the case with the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, in 
all the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 to 11 a large number of alternative 
shapes can be created, as with a key bit. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10 the recesses or projections 7j are 
provided on the longitudinal side of a card 1j. Correspondingly, the lock 
has at least on one side of the introduction shaft a scanning pin, 
scanning lever or other scanning instrument which extends into one or more 
recesses, the coupling member being released only when this takes place. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11 the recesses 7k of the card 1k 
are not semi-circular, but rectangular. 
The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12 has a longitudinal edge which forms a 
rough side contour 8l. Inside the lock the side contour runs down a wheel 
or drum or cylinder, so that when the card 1l is inserted the friction 
roller is rotated, thereby making unbolting possible. 
Instead of such a rough contour, however, the longitudinal side 9o of the 
card 1o can also have a kind of toothing 6o, 7o, as shown in FIG. 15. The 
toothing moves a toothed wheel inside the lock for unlocking purposes. 
In a similar way, at least one side face of the card 1p can also have a 
roughening, for example, in the form of an embossed inscription 8p, as 
shown in FIG. 16. This inscription also can cause a friction roller in the 
lock to rotate, to produce unlocking. 
The embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 13, 14 and 17 to 20 show recesses in 
the form of openings 11 or depressions 11 of different shapes, number and 
size. However, they share the feature that, similarly to what was 
disclosed hereinbefore, they serve for scanning, either to release the 
lock or to confirm the correctness of the card, so that only a correct 
card can be inserted far enough to produce release. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13 only one opening 10m and in that 
illustrated in FIG. 14 only one depression 11n is provided of the 
respective cards 1m and 1n. The card 1q illustrated in FIG. 17 has a 
number of depressions in a row; the card 1r shown in FIG. 18 has a number 
of depressions 11r in a row; and in the card 1s and 1t illustrated in 
FIGS. 19 and 20 the apertures 10s and depressions 11t are elongate in 
shape. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 21 and 21A the card 1u has at its 
longitudinal sides a cross-sectional contour 16u which can be either 
half-round or quarter-round and which fits positively in a correspondingly 
shaped scanning contour on the longitudinal side of the introduction 
shaft. Only a card correctly shaped at the side edges can therefore be 
inserted in the lock to release the lock. 
One side face of the card 1v shown in FIG. 22 has a bead-shaped raised 
portion 17v which has a curvature and presses against the trigger member 
via said curvature, to unlock the coupling member. 
The card also has a magnetic strip by which items of information can be 
stored via a read/write apparatus and/or called up, the apparatus being 
preferably disposed at the check-out or entrance/exit of a shop. The 
magnetic strip gives the card further functions; more particularly it can 
enable items of information concerning the customer, the trolley and/or 
the goods to be obtained. 
The card can have an electronic chip and/or an integrated circuit.