Abstract:
A steering wheel lock having a triple hook, a bar receiving mechanism, a lock box, a bar fixable to the lock box, and a lock is disclosed. The triple hook, via its lock box attaches to the steering wheel of a vehicle and is secured with the lock, which is attached with the bar. The length of the bar is adjusted within the lock box to provide a tight and secure fit customized to the particular dimensions of the steering wheel. A blinking LED alerts a passerby that the lock is engaged. A second embodiment covers the center of the steering wheel to prevent airbag theft and secure opposite sides of the steering wheel.

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 12/221,347 filed Aug. 2, 2008 now abandoned to Eduardo D&#39;Angelo. This application further claims priority of U.S. Provisional application number 60/965,976 filed Aug. 23, 2007 to Eduardo D&#39;Angelo for Universal Steering Wheel Lock, U.S. Provisional application No. 61/011,609 filed Jan. 18, 2008 to Eduardo D&#39;Angelo for Universal Steering Wheel Lock, U.S. Provisional application No. 61/134,801 filed Jul. 14, 2008 to Eduardo D&#39;Angelo for Universal Steering Wheel Lock, and U.S. Provisional application No. 61/201,049 filed Dec. 6, 2008 to Eduardo D&#39;Angelo for Universal Steering Wheel Lock. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Introduction 
     Cars are expensive, but certain factors limit their appeal to thieves. For example, a big lock on the steering wheel makes stealing difficult requiring significant time and effort. Also, a thief can see the big lock, and move to another less challenging car to steal. Finally, motors might be somewhat distinctive, bearing serial numbers or other indicia. Consequently, thieves have found a more favorable risk to reward ratio in just stealing the parts of the motor. 
     Most car steering wheels have three sections: a horn at the center of the wheel, a circular wheel section, where a driver grips and steers the car, and at least one arm joining the center to the circular wheel section. 
     If the steering wheel can be fixed in place, and its unauthorized movement restricted, then the car cannot be removed. 
     2. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a lock for securing the steering wheel of a motor vehicle to prevent the movement of the wheel, thereby preventing unauthorized operation of the vehicle. 
     3. Description of the Prior Art 
     Motor vehicle security devices are disclosed in U.S. Patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,133, to Passantino teaches a steering wheel and brake-locking device for road vehicles. Passantino&#39;s lock is installed between the brake and the steering wheel. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,753 to Matlock teaches a vehicular anti-theft steering wheel lock. Matlock&#39;s lock primarily surrounds and immobilizes vehicle steering wheels with a rigid circular pan that surmounts the steering wheel and overlies the steering column. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,458 to Heh teaches a lock that hooks on to a steering wheel, and the vehicles brake. Here again, the brake serves as an anchor preventing the movement of the steering wheel via a rigid member. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,127 to Johnson is a patent directed toward an automobile steering lock. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to prevent the unauthorized operation of a motor vehicle. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a lock that will prevent the movement of the steering wheel of a vehicle. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a lock that can draw attention by continuously flashing an LED. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a lock that will sound the vehicles horn if one attempts to remove the lock without a key. 
     A further objective is to provide a lock that allows one-time fine adjustment to provide a customized, tight fit for a unique steering wheel. 
     Yet another objective is to provide a lock that prevents the theft of airbags from the driver&#39;s steering column. 
     These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by providing a steering wheel lock having a triple hook, a bar, and a lock. The triple hook abuts the steering wheel, and the bar fixes the lock to the triple hook and the steering wheel. 
     Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       The present invention will be better understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings with which are given by way of illustration only. 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of the lock of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the lock of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a view from the vehicle window showing the triple hook and lock box of the present invention attached to a steering wheel. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the lock box of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a view of the stopper and stopper knob of presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a view of a bar for the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a view of a lock box, stopper and a portion of the bar for the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a lock box with the stopper and bar inserted for the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a view of a lock for the presently claimed invention showing internal cavities. 
         FIG. 9  is another view of a lock for the presently claimed invention showing additional cavities. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of a lock for the presently claimed invention showing a key lock mechanism. 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of a lock with a bar inserted for the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 12  is a close-up, cross-sectional view of a lock for the presently claimed invention showing the interaction between the lock and a bar. 
         FIG. 13  is a view of an unlocked lock for the presently claimed invention illustrating the wiring schematic for an LED warning system. 
         FIG. 14  is a view of a locked lock for the presently claimed invention illustrating the wiring schematic for an LED warning system. 
         FIG. 15  is a view of the presently claimed invention attached, and unlocked. 
         FIG. 16  is a view of the presently claimed invention attached, and locked. 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view. of the presently claimed invention installed on a steering wheel. 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional view of the lock for the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a view of a second, alternative embodiment of the presently claimed invention with the bar attached to the lock box and in-line with the triple hook. 
         FIG. 20  is a view of an adjustment screw with a truncated area of the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 21  is a view of an adjustment screw with a rectangular bar of the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 22  is a view of the second embodiment of the presently claimed invention from the side. 
         FIG. 23  is an environmental view of the second embodiment of the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 24  is a view of a third, alternative embodiment of the lock of the present invention showing it attached to a steering wheel of a vehicle. 
         FIG. 25  is a view showing the special bar and lock of the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 26  is a perspective view of the square metal bar structure, showing the key and the lock mechanism, of the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 27  is a perspective view of the square metal bar structure, showing the battery cavity. of the third embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 28  is a cross-sectional view of the square metal bar structure of the third embodiment of the present invention 
         FIG. 29  is a cross-sectional view of the truncated bar engaging the lock of the third embodiment of the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 30  is a cross-sectional, close-up view of the truncated bar engaging the lock of the third embodiment of the presently claimed invention. 
         FIG. 31  is a view of an unlocked lock for the third embodiment of the presently claimed invention illustrating the wiring schematic for an LED warning system. 
         FIG. 32  is a view of a locked lock for the presently claimed invention illustrating the wiring schematic for an LED warning system. 
         FIG. 33  is another view of the third, alternative embodiment of the lock of the present invention. 
         FIG. 34  is an environmental view of a third, alternative embodiment of the lock of the present invention installed in a motor vehicle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A Universal Steering Wheel Lock of the presently claimed invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1A  and designated generally by reference numeral  10 . With reference now to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 1A , the steering wheel lock has three basic components: a triple hook  12 , a bar  14  and a lock  16 .  FIG. 1B  shows an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the truncated area of the bar remains in contact with the lock and the lock box, but the remaining portion of the bar attaches to the lock box and is aligned with the bended bar  28  of the triple hook, as explained below. 
     The Universal Steering Wheel Lock locks the steering wheel  18  of a vehicle. A conventional steering wheel  18  is formed by the circular wheel section  20  and at least one arm  22  attached at the end to the circular wheel section  20  and to the center of the steering wheel at the other end. 
     The triple hook  12  has first and second U-shape hooks  24 ,  26  and a bended bar  28 . The U-shaped hooks  24 ,  26  wrap around the wheel section of the steering wheel  20 . The bended bar  28  attaches between the first and second U-shaped hooks  24 ,  26 , and abuts the horn  100 . 
     The shape of the bended bar  28  is shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . The U-shaped hooks  24 ,  26  respectively have first and second ends  30 ,  32 . This shape allows hooking up the circular wheel section  20  with the first and second ends  30 ,  32  and the U-shaped hooks  24 ,  26 . The bended bar  28  assures a tight fit with the arm  22 . The first and second ends  30 ,  32  belong to first and second U-shaped hooks  24 ,  26  and follow the arc shape of the circular wheel section  20 . 
     The triple hook  12  includes a bar receiving mechanism  39  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 . The bar receiving mechanism  39  features a lock box  42  attached to first and second ends  30 ,  32  of first and second U-shaped hooks  24 ,  26  and to the bended bar  28 . As illustrated in  FIG. 15 , the bar receiving mechanism  39  is positioned approximately 70 degrees in reference with the side of the bended bar  28  directly opposite the steering wheel  18  to compensate the inclination of the steering wheel  18  in a vehicle. 
     The lock box  42  has a bar cavity  44 , a stopper cavity  46  and a stopper knob cavity  47  as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . As seen in  FIG. 7 . the bar cavity  44  has an internal threaded orifice  48  abutting the bar cavity along its longitudinal axis.  FIG. 4  shows a stopper  54  having a stopper knob  55  perpendicular at one end of the stopper  54 . The stopper  54  and stopper knob  55  having, such size and dimension to substantially fill the stopper cavity  46  and a stopper knob cavity  47 . 
     The triple hook  12  is normally made of metal mainly hardened steel covered with a rubber finish to avoid any damage to the steering wheel  18 . 
     There is a bar  14  as illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5 . The bar  14  has at one end a screw shape  52  with a thread to be screw up in the bar cavity  44  gradually until the desire position, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
     The stopper  54  is inserted in the stopper cavity  46  to prevent the rotational moving of bar  14  inserted in the bar cavity  44  when has reached the desire position. This function will be described in detail later. 
     The stopper  54  has a small knob  55  as illustrated in  FIG. 4  to allow manual removal of the stopper  54  from the stopper cavity  46 . This knob  55  is inserted in the stopper knob cavity  47  when the bar  14  is locked in the desire position as illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . 
     The bar  14  is illustrated in detail in  FIG. 5 . The end of bar  14  has a screw shape  52  already described. The other end of bar  14  has a rubber grip  56  to cover the bar  14  avoiding any damages in the dashboard  98  and front window  102  of the vehicle, as illustrated in  FIG. 17 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show the bar  14  has at the bottom different teeth creating a sequence of shallow ridges  58  used in the locking mechanism of  FIGS. 13 and 14 . The bar  14  has a truncated area  60  in the left side of the bar  14  located in the sequence of shallow ridges  58  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The bar  14  has first and second marks  62 ,  64 . Both of them will be explained later. 
     The lock  16  is illustrated in  FIGS. 8 ,  9  and  10 . The lock  16  features a lock housing  61  having a key lock mechanism  63 , a truncated hole  66 , a case  70  and an indicator recess  76  as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . The truncated hole  66  has a spherical bearing  68  and an opening  67  as illustrated in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 10 . The truncated hole  66  allows to pass the bar  14 . 
     The lock  16  has a curved impression  69  to accommodate the circular wheel section  20  of the steering wheel and a dimple  65  to accommodate the arm  22 . 
     The case  70  is designed to hold the batteries  71 . The case  70  has a lid  72  able to slide when it is moved using the groove  74 , allowing removing the batteries  71  from the case  70  as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
     The indicator recess  76  comprises a rotary switch  78 , a switch circuit  80  and a LED  82 . The indicator recess  76  has a lid  81  and a screw  83  to close the indicator recess  76 . 
     The interaction between the bar  14  and the lock  16  is illustrated in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . The bar  14  is inserted in the lock  16  through the truncated hole  66 . 
     The lock  16  has a spring cavity  84 . The spring cavity  84  accommodates a spring  86  and a spherical bearing  68 . The spring cavity  84  has a set of flanges  88 ,  90  to avoid the exit of the spherical bearing  68  from the spring cavity  84 . 
     The key lock mechanism  63  has a prolongation bar  92  as illustrated in  FIGS. 13 and 14 . The prolongation bar  92  comprises a prolongation bar recess  94 . The opening  67  allows to interact the prolongation bar  92  belong to the lock mechanism  63  with the sequence of shallow ridges  58  of the bar  14 . The prolongation bar recess  94  allows the bar  14  to slide through the truncated hole  66  when the prolongation bar recess  94  is in the position illustrated in  FIG. 13 . In this illustration the bar  14  is unlocked. 
     The prolongation bar  92  has a rotary switch cavity  96  at the end with a half moon shape to insert the half moon bar belongs to the rotary switch  78 . 
     The rotary switch  78  has first and second switch contacts  75 ,  77  as illustrated in  FIGS. 13 and 14 . 
     The switch contacts  75 ,  77  will be open in normal position and closed when the rotary switch  78  has rotated 180 degrees clockwise. 
     The batteries  71  have first and second battery contacts  85 ,  87 . The first contact  85  is always connected to a switch circuit  80  to an input  89 . The second contact  87  of the battery  71  is connected to the second switch contact  77  of the rotary switch  78 . The first switch contact  75  of the rotary switch  78  is connected to the second input  91  of the switch circuit  80 . 
     When the bar  14  is unlocked, the switch contacts  75 ,  77  of the rotary  78  switch are opened. In this situation no current flows from the batteries to the switch circuit  80  and the LED  82  is off as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . 
     When the key  59  of the lock mechanism  63  is turned 180 degrees the prolongation bar  92  is present in one of the sequence of shallow ridges  58  of bar  14  through the opening  67 . The prolongation bar recess  94  is in the opposite of a ridge of the sequence of shallow ridges  58  belong to the bar  14 . In this case the prolongation bar  92  of lock mechanism  63  will lock the bar  14 . At the same time when the key has been turned 180 degrees clockwise the rotary switch  78  has rotated 180 degrees too, closing the first and second switch contacts  75 ,  77  allowing to flux the current from the batteries  71  to the switch circuit  80  and the LED  82  starting to flash as illustrated ill  FIG. 14 . 
     The prolongation bar  92  of the lock mechanism  63  is located in the lock  16  a distance from the spherical bearing  68  exactly the distance between the sequence of shallow ridges  58  of the bar  14  as illustrated in  FIG. 12 . The function of the spherical bearing  68  is to stop the bar  14  in the right position allowing to rotate the key  59  of the lock mechanism  63 . 
     The Universal Steering Wheel Lock has two adjustments to lock the steering wheel of a vehicle. The locking mechanism  39  operates as a fine adjustment and the lock  16  operates as a gross adjustment and final lock. 
     The adjustment for locking the steering wheel using the lock  16  and the bar  14  goes from one ridge of the sequence of shallow ridges  58  to an adjacent ridge of the sequence of shallow ridges  58  in the bar  14  as illustrated in  FIG. 12 . 
     The other locking mechanism  39  illustrated in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  adjusts the Universal Steering Wheel lock with more precision because every time the bar  14  screwing up a whole turn one thread of the screw shape  52  will advance inside the locking mechanism  39 . This advance is at least five (5) times smaller than the steps between the sequence of shallow ridges  58  of the bar  14 . 
     The procedure for the adjustment of the Universal Steering Wheel Lock to the steering wheel of a vehicle is described as follows. The Universal Steering Wheel Lock  10  is inserted in the steering wheel  18  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 15 . The lock  16  is moved to the steering wheel  18  as illustrated in  FIG. 16 . If the lock  16  is in position to lock, allowing turning the key  59 , but it doesn&#39;t adjust firmly the steering wheel  18  then the user starts to screw up the bar  14  between the first and second marks  62 ,  64  of the bar  14  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The distance the first and second marks  62 ,  64  matches the distance between the ridges of the sequence of shallow ridges  58 . 
     Once the lock  16  is moved back again to the steering wheel  18  and gets the position able to lock firmly against the steering wheel  18  then the lock  16  is moving back momentarily allowing one to insert the stopper  54  in the stopper cavity  46  locking the bar  14 . 
     The final lock is reached when moving back the lock  16  against the steering wheel  18  and turning the key  59  180 degrees clockwise. The Universal Steering Lock is locked in the steering wheel  18  of a vehicle. 
     When is locked the space between the front side of locking mechanism  39  and the lock  16  is smaller than the length of the stopper  54  making unable to remove the stopper  54 . This procedure is made only one time to adapt the Universal Steering Wheel to a specific steering wheel of a vehicle. The next time the user wants to lock the steering wheel only will be necessary to move the lock  16  against the steering wheel  18  and turn the key  59  180 degrees clockwise. In this moment the Universal Steering Wheel Lock has locked the steering wheel  18  of a vehicle and the LED  82  starts flashing. 
     The bar  14  of the Universal Steering Wheel Lock firmly attached to the steering wheel  18  obstructs the rotation of the steering wheel  18  when the bar  14  starts to touch the dashboard  98  of the vehicle, as illustrated in  FIG. 17 . 
     The U shape of the bar  28  will be on the top of the horn  100  of the steering wheel provoking a horn sound when someone other than car&#39;s owner tries to remove the lock as illustrated in  FIGS. 17 and 23 .  FIG. 17  illustrates the Universal Steering Wheel installed in the steering wheel  18  of a vehicle. 
     A version of the Universal Steering Wheel Lock is shown in the  FIGS. 18 ,  19  and  20 . In this embodiment, the bar  14  has been cut keeping only the small section with the truncated area  60  and the sequence of shallow ridges  58  for locking purposes, as illustrated in  FIG. 18 . The bar  14  is now attached firmly on the top of locking mechanism  39  as illustrated in  FIG. 19 . The lock  16  is touching the arm  22  avoiding the movement of the Steering Wheel Lock  10 . 
     If the lock  16  does not reach the arm  22  of the steering wheel when is locked, the lock  16  has a threaded adjustment hole  110  and special shape  116  as illustrated in  FIGS. 8 ,  9  and  12 . 
     An adjustment screw  112  with a truncated area  120  is illustrated in  FIG. 20 . The adjustment screw  112  has a bended T head  114 . When the adjustment screw  112  rotates in the threaded adjustment hole  110 , the T head  114  will be closer to the arm  22 . In this moment the lock  16  is moved back to allow inserting the rectangular bar  118  illustrated in  FIG. 21  in the rectangular shape  116  avoiding rotation of the adjustment screw  112  inside the lock  16 . This procedure is made only one time to adjust the Universal Steering Wheel Lock to specific arm shape of the steering wheel. 
     For now on the next time to lock the steering wheel only will be necessary to move the lock  16  against the steering wheel  18  and turn the key  59  180 degrees. 
     The function of the adjustment screw  112  is illustrated in  FIG. 22  avoiding any rotation of the steering wheel lock through the cylindrical part of the steering wheel. In this version the bar  14  of the Universal Steering Wheel Lock will obstruct the rotation of the steering wheel  18  when the bar  14  starts to touch the front window of the car  102 , the roof of the car, the glass of the driver s door  99  or the driver&#39;s door of the car  104 , as illustrated in  FIG. 23 . 
     Yet another embodiment of the Steering Wheel Lock of this invention is illustrated in  FIG. 24  and designated generally by reference numeral  210 . With reference now to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 24  and  FIG. 25  the Steering Wheel Lock  210  is seen to comprise three basic components, namely: a major hook-bar unit  212 , a minor hook-bar unit  214  and a lock  216 . Each of these components will be discussed in detail below. 
     The Steering Wheel Lock  210  is used to lock the steering wheel  218  of a vehicle. The steering wheel  218  is formed by a cylindrical section  220  and at least a first arm  222  and a second arm  224  attached at the end to the cylindrical section  220  and to the center of the steering wheel  218  at the other end. The center of the steering wheel  218  has an airbag  225 . The steering wheel lock  210  protects the airbag  225  from theft. 
     The major hook-bar unit  212  has first and second major U shape hooks  226 .  228 . The major U shape hooks  226 ,  228  are hooking up the upper and lower part of the cylindrical section of the steering wheel  220  next to the arm  222 . Both major hooks  226 ,  228  attach to a major bended bar  230  at the beginning of the U shape of the major bended bar  230 . The major bended bar  230  has first and second prolongation sections  231 ,  233  to protect the air bag  225 . The prolongation sections  231 ,  233  of the major bended bar  230  run parallel in the middle of the length allowing the Steering Wheel Lock to be handle by a user. The ends of the major bended bar  230  attach to the lock  216  as illustrated in  FIG. 25 . At the opposite side of the major bended bar  230  is a major bar  232  to prevent turning of the steering wheel  218  when the presently claimed invention is attached to the steering wheel. The final sections of prolongations  231 ,  233  bend outward from each other to cover more area of the airbag  225 . 
     The major bar  232  has at the end furthest from the lock  216  a grip  234 . The grip  234  is typically made of soft rubber. 
     The minor hook-bar unit  214  has first and second minor U shape hooks  236 ,  238 . The minor U shape hooks  236 ,  238 , hook the upper and lower parts of the cylindrical section of the steering wheel  220  next to the arm  224 . The minor hooks  236 ,  238  attach to a minor bended bar  240 . At the middle of the minor bended bar  240  is the minor bar  242 . 
     The minor bar  242  has at the top a sequtenlce of notches creating a sequence of ridges  244  used in the locking mechanism and a truncated area  246  in the right side of the minor bar  242  as illustrated in  FIG. 25 . The minor bar  242  has a single distal notch  248  used for storage position purposes. 
     The lock  216  is illustrated in  FIG. 26 ,  FIG. 27  and  FIG. 28 . The lock  216  has a semi square metal bar structure  250 . The metal structure  250  has a key  252 , a lock mechanism  254 , a truncated hole  256 , and a battery cavity  258  as illustrated in  FIG. 26 ,  FIG. 27  and  FIG. 28 . The truncated hole  256  has a spherical bearing  259  and an opening  260  as illustrated in  FIG. 26  and  FIG. 28 . The trencated hole  256  allows passage of the minor bar  242 . 
     The battery cavity  258  is designed to hold the batteries  262  and other components. The battery cavity  258  has a lid  264  able to slide wheii it is moved using a grip groove  266 , allowing removing the batteries  262  from the battery cavity  258  as illustrated in  FIG. 27  and  FIG. 28 . 
     Further the battery cavity  258  has a rotary switch  268 , a switch circuit  270  and a LED  272 , as illustrated in  FIG. 31  and  FIG. 32 . The switch circuit  270  can be integrated inside the LED  272  creating a flashing LED. The inter-action between the minor bar  242  and the lock  216  is illustrated in  FIG. 29  and  FIG. 30 . The minor bar  242  inserts into the lock  216  through the truncated hole  256 . 
     The lock  216  has a spring cavity  274 . The sprint cavity  274  accommodates the spring  276  and the spherical bearing  259 . The spring cavity  274  has flanges  278 ,  280  to prevent the spherical bearing  259  from leaving the spring cavity  274 . 
     The key lock mechanism  254  has a prolongation bar  294  as illustrated in  FIG. 28 ,  FIG. 31  and  FIG. 32 . The prolongation bar  294  has a prolongation bar recess  296 . The opening  260  allows interaction with the prolongation bar  294  of the lock mechanism  254  with the ridges  244  of the minor bar  242 . 
     The prolongation bar recess  296  allows the minor bar  242  to slide through the truncated hole  256  when the prolongation bar recess  296  is in the position illustrated in  FIG. 31 . In this case the minor bar  242  is unlocked. 
     The prolongation bar  294  has a rotary switch cavity  298  at the end with a half moon shape to insert the half moon bar of the rotary switch  268 . 
     The rotary switch  268  has first and second switch contacts  282 ,  284  as illustrated in  FIG. 31  and  FIG. 32 . 
     The switch contacts  282 ,  284  will be open in normal position and closed when the rotary switch  268  has rotated 180 degrees clockwise. 
     The batteries  262  have first and second battery contacts  286 ,  288 . The first battery contact  286  is always connected to the switch circuit  270  via a first input  290 . The second battery contact  288  of the battery  262  connects to the second switch contact  284  of the rotary switch  268 . The first switch contact  282  of the rotary switch  268  connects to the second input  292  of the switch circuit  270 . 
     When the minor bar  242  is unlocked, the first and second switch contacts  282 ,  284  of the rotary switch  268  are opened. In this situation no current flow from the batteries  262  to the switch circuit  270  and the LED  272  is off as illustrated in  FIG. 31 . 
     When the key  252  of the lock mechanism  254  turns 180 degrees the prolongation bar  294  is present between the ridges  244  of the minor bar  242  through the opening  260 . The prolongation bar recess  296  is in the opposite side of the ridges  244  of the minor bar  242 . In this case, the prolongation bar  294  of lock mechanism  254  locks the minor bar  242 . At the same time when the key  252  turns 180 degrees clockwise the rotary switch  268  rotates 180 degrees too. closing the switch contacts  282 , 284  allowing to flux the current from the batteries  262  to the switch circuit  270  and the LED  272  starts flashing as illustrated in  FIG. 32 . 
     The prolongation bar  294  of the lock mechanism  254  is in the lock  216  a distance from the spherical bearing  259  exactly the distance between two ridges  244  of the special bar  242  as illustrated in  FIG. 30 . The spherical bearing  259  stops the minor bar  242  in a position allowing rotation of the key  252  of the lock mechanism  254 . 
     The Steering Wheel Lock in  FIG. 33  shows the second major hook  228 , and the second minor hook  238 . The hooks  228 ,  238  lave an open U shape, thereby allowing them to wrap around different diameters of the cylindrical section  220  of the steering wheel  218 . The hooks  226 ,  236  are generally the same shape.  FIG. 33  also shows that all U shape hooks  226 ,  228 ,  236 , and  238  might accommodate steering wheels of varied diameters. Further, the positioning of all U shape hooks  226 ,  228 ,  236 , and  238  are inclined with respect to the horizontal line, allowing easier steering wheel lock installation. 
     The procedure for the adjustment of the steering wheel lock  210  to the steering wheel of a vehicle is described below. 
     The steering wheel lock  210  is inserted in the steering wheel  218  as illustrated in  FIG. 24  and  FIG. 34 . 
     The minor hook-bar unit  214  is inserted in the lock  216  and moves in the opposite direction of the major hook-bar unit  212  until the steering wheel lock is tight. 
     The spherical bearing  259  in conjunction with the spring  276  allows the key  252  to be turned 180 degrees clockwise, thereby selecting the locking position. 
     In this position, the steering wheel lock has locked the steering wheel  218  of the vehicle and the LED  272  starts flashing. 
     In the locked position the lid  264  of the batteries  262  cannot be removed because once the steering wheel lock is placed oil the steering wheel, the lid abuts the steering wheel. 
     The major bar  232  of the steering wheel lock  210  firmly attaches to the cylindrical section  220  will obstruct the rotation of the steering wheel  218  when the major bar  232  starts to touch different sections of the vehicle like the front glass  300 , the glass of the driver&#39;s door  302 , the roof, the driver&#39;s door  304  and any other part of the structure of the vehicle making impossible to steal the vehicle as illustrated in  FIG. 34 . 
     The minor bar  242 , the lock  216  and major U shape bar  230  with prolongation sections  231 ,  233  all of them attached will avoid stealing the airbag, too. 
       FIG. 34  illustrates the Steering Wheel Lock  210  installed in the steering wheel  218  of a vehicle. 
     The Universal Steering Wheel Lock is normally made of metal mainly hardened steel and covered some areas of finished chrome and colored rubber coating for preservation. Fluorescent paints can be used for better visualization and label logo of the product.