AUXILIARY LOCKING AND PROTECTION ARRANGEMENT

Abstract: An auxiliary locking and protection arrangement for ignition lock assemblies (4) and the like, the original lock (2) of the machine serving for switching on and off, in which arrangement the original lock and its possible connection (3) with the actuating device, also to be protected, is covered by an anti-burglary guard (1) in areas other than the area of the keyhole (6). The arrangement comprises an auxiliary lock (5) which fits in front of a hole (7) in the anti-burglary guard (1) in the area of the keyhole (6) of the original lock (2) and can be locked to the anti-burglary guard (1) so that it is freely rotatable in this locking position.

Description: Auxiliary locking and protection arrangement The invention relates to an auxiliary locking and protection arrangement for ignition lock assemblies and the like, the original lock of the device serving for on-off switching, in which arrangement the original lock and its possible connection with the actuating device, also to be protected, is covered by an anti-burglary guard in areas other than the keyhole area. It is possible to break into an automobile, and also to bypass the ignition lock of the automobile, relatively rapidly, thus making unauthorized use of the automobile possible. For various financial and technical reasons, automobile manufacturers are not interested in equipping automobiles originally with suffi¬ ciently burglar-proof locking and protection arrangements. Therefore, many auxiliary locking and protection arrangements have been developed for preventing automobile burglary and especially for preventing the unauthorized use of an automo¬ bile. What most of these arrangements have in common is that these auxiliary devices are relatively large in size and their use is cumbersome, and therefore they will, with time, be left unused. These problems of use, and also of installation, are increased by the fact that automobiles differ greatly in their interior construction and dimensions, and thus it is difficult to manufacture auxiliary devices which fit all automobiles. Auxiliary devices largely manufactured for specific models are also relatively expensive. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an auxiliary locking and protection arrangement which is suitable for protecting the mechanical ignition locks especially in automobiles but also in other equipment. An object of the in¬ vention is protection of this type, which prevents both the making of contact, on the electric side of the ignition lock, which makes operation possible, and the breaking of the igni- tion lock itself so as to establish electric contact in the manner referred to. It is thus a further object of the inven¬ tion to protect any wiring between the ignition lock and the actual actuating device in an effective manner which is com¬ patible and integral with the rest of the protection. A furthe object of the invention is an auxiliary and protection arrange ment of this type, which can be fitted afterwards in automo¬ biles of different brands and models, or in other similar equipment, with minimal individual adjustments. The above disadvantages can be eliminated and the objects de¬ fined above can be achieved by the use of an auxiliary locking and protection arrangement which is characterized in what is stated in the characterizing clause of Claim 1. The most important advantage of the invention is that the de¬ vice according to it is easy to install afterwards in all auto mobiles or in equipment containing ignition locks or the like, and it not only protects the entire lock but also any connec¬ tion of this lock with the actuating device crucial in terms o the operation of the equipment. It is a second advantage of th invention that those parts of the guard which are to be handle during use are sufficiently small and light so that their han¬ dling will not be a problem. It is a third advantage of the invention that the use of the device is easy and simple. The invention is described below in greater detail, with ref¬ erence to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 depicts diagrammatically a longitudinal section of on arrangement according to the invention, the auxiliary lock drawn with a solid line in the locking position and with a dashed line in the open position and detached. Figure 2 depicts another embodiment, according to the inven¬ tion, of that portion of the anti-burglary guard which faces away from the auxiliary lock, in the same representation as in Figure 1. Figure 3 depicts a cross section, through A-A in Figure 1, of certain parts of the auxiliary lock. Figures 4A and 4B depict the principle of another attaching arrangement of the auxiliary lock, in the same representation with solid and dashed lines as in Figure 1, and from the front side of the lock from direction B. Figures 5A and B depict a third attaching arrangement of the auxiliary lock, in the same representation with solid and dashed lines as in Figure 1, and from the front side of the lock from direction B. Figure 6 depicts a third embodiment of that portion of the anti-burglary guard which faces away from the auxiliary lock, in the same representation as in Figure 1. In all of the figures depicting the various embodiments, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts. Figure 1 shows an ignition lock assembly 4, which comprises the original lock 2 of the apparatus and the electric connection 3 from this lock 2 to the actuating device, not shown in the fig¬ ures, indispensable for the operation of the equipment and also to be protected. This original lock 2 serves to switch the equipment on and off and may structurally be of any type known per se, and therefore it is not discussed here in greater de¬ tail. In this case, both the lock and the electric connection 3 are protected with an anti-burglary guard 1 all over except in the area of the keyhole 6. Reference is made above to electric connection 3, but it is clear that this connection may also be a mechanical or optical or corresponding connection which re- lays to the actuating device itself the change produced by the switching on or off of the ignition lock. This anti-burglary guard 1 is usually a sufficiently strong metal casing in the area of the lock 2 itself, and in the area of the electric connection 3 there is either a massive rigid protective guard or, advantageously, a resilient protective guard described below. According to the invention, the arrangement comprises an auxil¬ iary lock which fits in the opening 7 in the anti-burglary guard 1 in the area of the keyhole 6 of the original lock 2, into which keyhole the original key, not depicted, is inserted in direction T. The auxiliary lock 5 is made up of a lock chamber 9, which may be of any type suitable for the purpose, and of an anti-burglary mantle 10 encasing the lock chamber. In this case, there projects from the lock chamber a locking pro¬ jection 11, which extends to the outside of the mantle 10 and, when not in the locking position, fits, in the manner described above, in the opening 7 in the anti-burglary guard. When the locking projection 11 of the auxiliary lock 5 is turned to the locking position by means a key, not depicted in the figure, inserted into the keyhole 20 of the auxiliary lock, for example spreading parts 13 project from it and slidably engage the inside surfaces of the opening 7 in the anti-burglary guard. Thereupon the auxiliary lock 5 is locked in the opening of the anti-burglary guard in the area of the keyhole 6 of the origi¬ nal lock in such a manner that the auxiliary lock with its lock chamber is freely rotatable relative to the anti-burglary guard 1, or at least relative to its exterior part 8, but cannot ne withdrawn from it without appropriate opening of the lock cham¬ ber 9 by means of its key, not depicted. By special arrange¬ ments, which are not discussed in the present patent applica¬ tion, the auxiliary lock 5 with its anti-burglary mantle 10 can be also made as a construction considerably difficult to break. By this arrangement the ignition lock assembly can be made difficult to break, especially considering that a person break- ing into an automobile normally has very lightweight burglary tools which are not suitable for procedures which require con¬ siderable force. Sturdy tools are usually not available in ordinary cases of burglary, and thus the construction accordin to the invention provides excellent protection. One embodiment by which the construction defined above can be implemented in greater detail has in the anti-burglary guard 1 a surface portion 12 which is inside the guard surrounding the opening 7 and projects in the direction of the radius of the opening, i.e. an inside flange surface around the opening 7. A the auxiliary lock 5 has in its locking projection 11 spreadin parts 13 which, in the locking position of the auxiliary lock, project in the direction of the radius of the opening 7 to an area wider than the diameter D of the opening 7 and are sub¬ stantially smooth on the side facing the surface portion 12, they bear slidably on the projecting surface portion 12. There by the said rotatability can be implemented. Since these spreading parts 13 have been designed so that, in the open position of the auxiliary lock, they are within a diameter smaller or narrower than the diameter D of the opening 7, the auxiliary lock 5 can be removed from the area of the keyhole 6 of the original lock 2 or, respectively, be inserted in place. The spreading parts 13 of the auxiliary lock can be brought into this open position, or the locking position, for example by turning the key in the lock chamber 9. It is clear that the auxiliary lock 5 and the anti-burglary mantle 10 described above can be interconnected by a reverse mechanism, i.e. there projecting from the lock chamber of the auxiliary lock an annular locking projection or there being on the periphery of the auxiliary lock locking projections which engage the mantle 10 on its outside. In this case, for example, the spreading parts move inward from the outside for locking, and then back for detachment. In this case, thus, the auxiliar lock constitutes the female component of the arrangement and the mantle 10 the male component, whereas in the arrangement first described the auxiliary lock is the male component and the mantle the female component. The difficulty of breaking into the lock chamber 9 of the aux¬ iliary lock 5 in the area of its keyhole 20 can be effected, for example, by means of an end 19 rotatable relative to the anti-burglary mantle 10 of che auxiliary lock and che difficul ty of breaking the auxiliary lock loose from the exterior part 8 of the anti-burglary guard 1 is, according to the invention, effected by means of the rotatability of the mantle 10 of the auxiliary lock relative to the exterior part 8 of the anti- burglary guard. In accordance with the invention, also the connection of the original lock 2 with a possible actuating device is protected by means of a construction which respec¬ tively includes parts or portions rotatable relative to one another. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the connection 3 is protected by a portion 14 which comprises a continuous outer conduit 21 and, inside it, parts 15a, such as relatively short successive conduit parts, rotatable relative to the outer con¬ duit and to one another. In this case, an attempt to saw through the portion 14 only causes some inner rotatable part 15a to rotate, thus rendering difficult the cutting through of the portion 14 which faces away from the auxiliary lock, espe¬ cially without damaging the electric connection 3. Figure 2 shows another embodiment for effecting the same function, and in it the portion 14 which faces away from the auxiliary lock is made up of rotatable portions 15b, which each have at one end an inwardly pointing edge 22 and at the other end an out¬ wardly pointing edge 23, -the diameter of the small area 24 adjacent to the outwardly pointing edge approximately cor¬ responds to the diameter of the inwardly pointing edge 22, in which case the wider, outwardly pointing edge 23 cannot come out from the inside of the inwardly pointing edge 22 but allow the portions 15b to rotate. There are such portions 15b in succession to form a protective conduit for the connection 3. When the rotatable parts 15a or portions 15b in the portions, described above, facing away from the auxiliary lock, are of a sufficiently hard material, breaking this portion is very dif¬ ficult. A third embodiment of the protective portion 14 for th connection 3 is depicted in Figure 6. It also has an exterior conduit 21, but the mantle surfaces of the rotatable parts 15C are in the main convex spherical surfaces 27 and to a small extent concave spherical surfaces 28 which mate with the conve spherical surfaces. Such surfaces are placed in a row, in whic case the convex spherical surfaces 27 can tilt in the recesses formed by the concave spherical surfaces 28. Their functioning in a burglary situation is as above. The protective portion 14 becomes relatively resilient if its exterior conduit is made, for example, of resilient steel armored tubing. The spreading parts 13 described above may be made up of parts 16a and 16b which are sectoral or segmental as seen in the cross-sectional direction of the locking projection 11 and the peripheral surface 25 of which in general corresponds in shape to the shape of the opening 7 in the anti-burglary guard, at least when these parts 16a, b are in the open position, in which they fit through the opening 7. To produce the locking position, these segmental parts 16a, b have curved surfaces 17 eccentric relative to the axis L of the locking projection, an at the same time the turnable tumbler construction includes guide surfaces 18, such as pins, which are against these said curved surfaces. Figure 3 shows two segmental parts 16a, b and in these the curved surfaces shaped as grooves. These segmenta parts have been arranged to be substantially non-rotatable. In addition, the tumbler assembly includes a rotatable turning part 26 and in it pins 18 parallel to the axis of the locking projection, the pins being in the grooves 17 which constitute the said curved surfaces. In the case illustrated by Figure 3, these parts 16a, b and 26 are depicted in the open position of the spreading parts. When the rotatable part 26 is turned counter-clockwise, the pins 18 move in the grooves 17 and forc the segmental parts 16a and 16b further apart, whereupon the peripheral surface 25 expands and shifts to the locking posi¬ tion, in which its diameter is greater than the diameter D of the opening 7. At this time the spreading parts are in the locking position. Since the appropriate surfaces of the parts 16a, b and/or 26 discussed here are smooth, as is the surface portion 12 around the opening 7 of the anti-burglary guard, they can slide against each other, enabling the operation ac¬ cording to the invention, described above. It is clear that th spreading parts can be brought from the locking position to th open position as an operation reverse to the operation de¬ scribed above. Figures 4A, 4B show one more attachment of the auxiliary lock to the exterior part 8 of the burglary guard. The auxiliary lock construction includes a freely rotatable mantle 10 and inside it a non-rotatable frame 29, which is attached to the exterior part 8 by means of a T-pin 30 parallel to the direc¬ tion of insertion of the key, not depicted, of the original lock 2. Thus the auxiliary lock can be turned in front of the ignition lock 2 and away from it in the direction of the arrow PI. Since the auxiliary lock locks the mantle 10, 29 to the exterior part 8 at, for example, the edge opposite in relation to the pin 30, breaking the auxiliary lock is very difficult. It is clear that it is possible to use, instead of the pin 30, a pin transverse to the direction of the insertion of the key, substantially aside from the plane of the keyhole 6, in which case the auxiliary lock will tilt outward and away from in front of the keyhole 6. This embodiment is not shown in the figures, but, for example, the depicted locking projection 11 can be used in connection with it. A further attachment of the auxiliary lock 5 to the exterior part 8 of the anti-burglary guard is shown in Figures 5A, 5B. In this the auxiliary lock 5 with its keyhole 20 tilts around an axis 33 which is located, for example, in the plane or in the vicinity of the keyhole 6 of the original lock, the auxil¬ iary lock being fixed to a curved slide part 31, which slides, for example, m a groove 32 in a spherical mantle 10 to the area of the keyhole 6 and to the side therefrom, in the direc¬ tion of arrow P2. A few embodiments of the construction according to the inven¬ tion have been discussed above, bur it is to be understood tha the operations described can also be achieved by using con¬ structions different in their detail but within the scope of the invention.

Claims: Claims 1. An auxiliary locking and protection arrangement for ig¬ nition lock assemblies (4) and the like, the original lock (2) of the equipment serving for on-off switching, the arrangement comprising an auxiliary lock (5) to be placed in front of the original lock, characterized in that in the arrangement the original lock (2) and a possible connection (3) of the lock with the actuating device also co be protected is covered, in areas other than the keyhole (6) area, with an anti-burglary guard (1), and that the auxiliary lock (5) is designed to fit in front of the hole (7) in the anti-burglary guard (1) in the area of the keyhole (6) of the original lock (2) and can be locked to the anti-burglary guard (1) so that it will rotate freely in this locking position, at least in relation to the exterior part (8) of the anti-burglary guard. 2. An arrangement according to Claim 1, characterized in that the auxiliary lock (5) comprises a lock chamber (9) and a anti-burglary mantle (10) encasing it, both of which can be either completely detached from the exterior part of the anti- burglary guard in the open position of the auxiliary lock (5), or alternatively, can in the open position be turned, around a axis (30; 33) parallel or transverse to the direction (T) of the insertion of the key fitting in the keyhole (6) of the original lock, to a position aside from in front of the keyhol (6) of the original lock. 3. An arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the anti-burglary guard (1) the structure surround¬ ing the said opening (7) includes a surface portion (12) pro¬ jecting in the direction of the inner radius of the guard, and that the auxiliary lock (5) comprises a locking projection (11 engaging this opening and, in it, spreading parts (13) which i the locking position of the auxiliary lock bear slidably on th projecting surface portion (12) to produce the said rotatabil- ity, and are in the open position within a diameter less than the diameter (D) of the opening. 4. An arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the exterior part of the anti-burglary guard has ex¬ terior grooves or the like, which the locking members of the auxiliary lock engage, surrounding them. 5. An arrangement according to Claim 1, characterized in that the anti-burglary guard (1) has, in its portion (14) fac¬ ing away from the auxiliary lock (5), parts (15a; 15c) or por¬ tions (15b) rotatable relative to each other and to the ex¬ terior part of the anti-burglary guard. 6. An arrangement according to Claim 5, characterized in that the said rotatable parts (15a; 15c) or portions (15b) facing away from the auxiliary lock (5) constitute a protective conduit leading from the exterior part (8) of the anti-burglary guard of the actual lock (2) to the actuating device to be protected. 7. An arrangement according to Claim 3, characterized in that the spreading parts (13) are made up of sectoral or seg¬ mental parts (16a, b) transverse to the locking projection (11), the parts having curved surfaces (17) eccentric relative to the axis (L) of the locking projection, and that the turn- able tumbler assembly of the locking projection (11) has guide surfaces (18) which, by turning against the said curved sur¬ faces, move the spreading parts outward to the locking position and, respectively, inward to the open position.

Inventors: HAARNIO HEIKKI TAPANI, HAARNIO, HEIKKI, TAPANI
Applicants: HAARNIO HEIKKI TAPANI, HAARNIO, HEIKKI, TAPANI
Application year: 1993
Main classification: B60R25
IPC codes: B60R25, E05B17