Abstract:
A lock includes a housing, a cable, a restrictor, and a lock unit. One end of the cable is fixed to the housing while the other end is detachably connected to the housing so as to selectively form an adjustable loop with the housing. The restrictor is rotatably disposed on the housing to selectively wedge together with the cable. The lock unit is disposed on the housing and can be selectively moved among a first position, a second position, and a third position. When the lock unit is moved toward the first position, the restrictor moves together with the lock unit to detach from the cable so as to allow the other end of the cable to disassemble from the housing. When the lock unit is moved to the second position, the restrictor restricts the cable to move toward a specific direction so as to shrink the adjustable loop. When the lock unit is moved to the third position, the restrictor wedges together with the cable, so that the length of the adjustable loop is fixed and not adjustable.

Description:
This application claims priority based on the Chinese Patent Application No. 200910166477.6, filed on Aug. 19, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a lock; particularly, the present invention relates to a lock which secures objects through adjusting a cable. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     With the expansion in usage and the progress in manufacturing techniques, the forms and manufacturing methods of locks have changed, corresponding to the demands of the development of human civilization. Recently, because moveable apparatuses such as vehicles are commonly used, locks have been developed for purposes such as burglarproofing or securing moveable apparatus. 
     As to vehicles such as bicycles, motorcycles, or other kinds of moveable apparatuses, they are generally fixed to fixed or immoveable objects such as pillars. Consequently, a lock with better flexibility is required to connect and secure the vehicle and pillar together more conveniently. As a result, a lock with a cable is developed. The cable of a cable lock can be curved or wound around a pillar according to demands, or extended/shortened by requirement so as to fix the vehicle to the pillar conveniently and firmly. 
     However, in current designs, the design of this kind of cable lock has disadvantages such as lacking in rigidness or being complex in structure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an objective of the present invention to provide a lock so as to avoid the above-mentioned problems, so that the lock has a simpler and firmer structure. 
     The lock of the present invention includes a housing, a cable, a restrictor, and a lock unit. One end of the cable is fixed to the housing while the other end is detachably connected to the housing so as to selectively form an adjustable loop with the housing. The restrictor is rotatably disposed on the housing to selectively wedge together with the cable. The lock unit is disposed on the housing and can be selectively moved among a first position, a second position, and a third position. When the lock unit is moved to the first position, the restrictor moves together with the lock unit to leave the cable so as to allow the other end of the cable to detach from the housing. When the lock unit is moved to the second position, the restrictor restricts the cable to move toward a specific direction, so as to shrink the adjustable loop. When the lock unit is moved to the third position, the restrictor wedges with the cable, so that the length of the adjustable loop is fixed and not adjustable. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a schematic view of the exterior of an embodiment of the lock of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is a schematic view of an embodiment of using the cable lock of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2A  is a schematic view of the first embodiment of the lock of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2B  is an exploded view of the restrictor of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 2C  is a schematic view of the fixing clip of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 2D  is a schematic view of the lock unit of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A ; 
         FIG. 3A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A  in the first position; 
         FIG. 3B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 3A  from another angle; 
         FIG. 4A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A  in the second position; 
         FIG. 4B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 4A  from another angle; 
         FIG. 5A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A  in the third position; 
         FIG. 5B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 5A  from another angle; 
         FIG. 6A  is a schematic view of the second embodiment of the lock of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6B  is a schematic view of the restrictor of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A ; 
         FIG. 6C  is an exploded view of the lock unit of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A ; 
         FIG. 7A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A  in the first position; 
         FIG. 7B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 7A  from another angle; 
         FIG. 8A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A  in the second position; 
         FIG. 8B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 8A  from another angle; and 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A  in the third position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention provides a lock, especially an adjustable cable lock. In a preferred embodiment, the lock of the present invention utilizes an adjustable cable to secure various kinds of moveable apparatuses such as bicycles, motorcycles or other vehicles to fixed, immoveable objects such as pillars. 
       FIG. 1A  is a schematic view of the exterior of an embodiment of the lock of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1A , the lock includes a housing  10  and a cable  20 . In this embodiment, the housing  10  has an oblate shape. However, in other embodiments, the housing can have a different shape. The cable  20  is a flexible long narrow strip of which one end is fixed to the housing  10  while the other end which is a free end  21  can be connected to the housing  10  or disassembled therefrom.  FIG. 1B  is a schematic view of an embodiment of using the cable lock of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1B , an object  100  can be secured to a pillar  200  through connecting the free end  21  of the cable  20  to the housing  10  so that the housing  10  and the cable  20  form a loop to enclose the object  100  and the pillar  200  therein. However, in other embodiments, the lock can be used in other ways. In a preferred embodiment, the housing  10  can be made of firm materials such as plastic or metal while the cable  20  can be made of flexible materials such as plastic, metal, or both. 
       FIG. 2A  is a schematic view of the first embodiment of the lock of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 2A , the lock includes a housing  10 , a cable  20 , a restrictor  30 , a fixing clip  40 , and a lock unit  50 . In this embodiment, the housing  10  is hollow and has an oblate shape while the restrictor  30 , the fixing clip  40 , and the lock unit  50  are all disposed therein. However, in other embodiments, the housing can have a different shape while the restrictor, the fixing clip, and the lock unit are not necessary to be disposed therein (e.g., exposing a portion or the entirety of the restrictor, the fixing clip, and the lock unit). Furthermore, the housing  10  can have at least a positioning portion  11  for defining the position of the free end  21  of the cable  20  on the housing  10 . In this embodiment, the positioning portion  11  can be a ring with a through hole and the two positioning portions  11  are respectively disposed on the opposite sides of the housing  10 . The free end  21  of the cable  20  is connected and fixed to the housing  10  through the through hole of the positioning portion  11 , so that the housing  10  and the cable  20  jointly form a loop. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2A , the restrictor  30  is disposed beside the cable  20 .  FIG. 2B  is an exploded view of the restrictor of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A . As shown in  FIG. 2B , the restrictor  30  includes a body  31 , a restricting portion  32 , a wedging portion  33 , a bolt  34 , and a torsional spring  35 . In this embodiment, the body  31  has an axial hole  311 . The body  31  connects to the housing  10  by inserting the bolt  34  into the axial hole  311 , and the body  31  can rotate around the bolt  34 . However, in other embodiments, the bolt can be formed as a portion of the housing. The restricting portion  32  and the wedging portion  33  are respectively disposed on the upper end and lower end of the body  31 . An angle is formed between the restricting portion  32  and the projection of the wedging portion  33  on a same virtual plane perpendicular to the axial hole, and the angle is smaller than 180 degrees. One end of the restrictor  32  has a sawtoothed portion  321  with sawteeth formed along the direction of D. The wedging portion  33  is a protruding arm corresponding to the lock unit  50 . The torsional spring  35  is disposed on the body  31  to urge the restrictor  30  to rotate toward the cable  20 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2A , the fixing clip  40  is disposed between the two positioning portions  11 . The fixing clip  40  and the lock unit  50  face each other.  FIG. 2C  is a schematic view of the fixing clip of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A . As shown in  FIG. 2C , the fixing clip  40  includes clamping slices  41 , a bolt  42 , and springs  43 . One side of the clamping slice  41  includes a lip portion  411  while the other side connects to the other of the clamping slices  41  through the bolt  42  so that the two clamping slices  41  are disposed corresponding to each other. Springs  43  are disposed between the two lip portions  411  to provide a force to prop apart the two clamping slices  41  so as to form a channel  44  which the cable  20  connected to the housing  10  can pass therethrough. An opening  45  is located beside the channel  44  so that the channel  44  has an open ring-shaped cross-section. However, in other embodiments, different structures can be utilized to form the channel and the opening. For instance, the channel can be formed by curving monolithic flexible materials such as metal or plastic. Furthermore, the cross-section can be U-shaped or other shapes. 
       FIG. 2D  is a schematic view of the lock unit of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A . As shown in  FIG. 2D , the lock unit  50  includes a lock body  51  and a discoidal body  52 . The lock body  51  has a lockhole  511  for a key to insert therein so as to enable the lock body  51  to move among a first position, a second position, and a third position. The discoidal body  52  connects to the lock body  51  and rotates around the rotation center A with the movement of the lock body  51 . The discoidal body  52  has an unlocking portion  521 , a releasing portion  522 , and a clamping portion  523 . The unlocking portion  521  is an arc-shaped portion of the rim of the discoidal body  52 . The distance between the unlocking portion  521  and the rotation center A is larger than the distance between the releasing portion  522  and the rotation center A, i.e., the radial distance of the unlocking portion  521  with respect to the rotation center A is larger than the radial distance of the releasing portion  522  with respect to the rotation center A. The clamping portion  523  is disposed on the rim of the discoidal body  52 , so that the distance between the clamping portion  523  and the rotation center A is larger than the distance between the releasing portion  522  and the rotation center A and the distance between the unlocking portion  521  and the rotation center A. That is, the clamping portion  523  is the one that has the largest radial distance with respect to the rotation center A among the unlocking portion  521 , the releasing portion  522 , and the clamping portion  523 . The clamping portion  523  protrudes perpendicularly from the discoidal body  52  and has a clamping channel  5231  formed on one side, so that the width of the clamping channel  5231  gradually shrinks from its opening to its interior. 
       FIG. 3A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A  in the first position;  FIG. 3B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 3A  from another angle. As shown in  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B , when the lock body  51  is moved toward the first position, the unlocking portion  521  of the discoidal body  52  contacts the restrictor  30  and gradually enables the restrictor  30  to leave the cable  20  by rotating with the discoidal body  52 , i.e., the rim portion of the discoidal body  52 , which has a larger radial distance, is utilized to contact the wedging portion  33  so as to enable the restrictor  32  to leave the cable  20  accordingly, so that the free end  21  of the cable  20  can be detached from the housing  10 . 
       FIG. 4A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A  in the second position;  FIG. 4B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 4A  from another angle. As shown in  FIG. 4A  and  FIG. 4B , when the lock body  51  is moved to the second position, the releasing portion  522  of the discoidal body  52  faces the restrictor  30  and keeps a distance G 1  therebetween to allow the restrictor  30  to move toward the cable  20 . In the preferred embodiment, the rotating direction of the discoidal body  52  is the same as that of the restrictor  30  (e.g., both clockwise or counter-clockwise), and the torsional spring  35  of the restrictor  30  urges the restrictor  30  to rotate toward the cable  20 . However, in other embodiments, the rotating direction of the discoidal body can be different from that of the restrictor, and other methods can be employed to cause the restrictor to rotate toward the cable. Since the sawtoothed portion  321  contacts the cable  20  while the sawtoothed portion  321  of the restrictor  30  has sawteeth formed toward direction D, the cable  20  can only move along the sawteeth formation trend D to shrink the loop formed by the housing  10  and the cable  20 . 
       FIG. 5A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 2A  in the third position;  FIG. 5B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 5A  from another angle. As shown in  FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B , when the lock body  51  is moved from the second position toward the third position, the clamping portion  523  of the discoidal body  52  moves toward the fixing clip  40  correspondingly to enable the clamping channel  5231  to accommodate the lip portion  411  of the fixing clip  40 . Since the width of the clamping channel  5231  gradually shrinks from its opening to its interior, the open ring-shaped cross-section of the channel  44  gradually closes with the increasing depth of the fixing clip  40  in the clamping channel  5231 . Consequently, when the lock unit  51  is moved toward the third position, the clamping portion  523  gradually pushes the fixing clip  40  as the discoidal body  52  rotates, so that the open ring-shaped cross-section of the channel  44  deforms to restrict the movement of the cable  20  in the channel  44 , and then the length of the loop formed by the housing  10  and the cable  20  is fixed and not adjustable. 
       FIG. 6A  is a schematic view of the second embodiment of the lock of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 6A , the lock of the present invention includes a housing  10 , a cable  20 , a restrictor  30 , and a lock unit  50 . In this embodiment, the housing  10  is hollow and has an oblate shape while the restrictor  30  and the lock unit  50  are both disposed therein. However, in other embodiments, the housing can have a different shape while the restrictor and the lock unit are not necessary disposed therein (e.g., exposing a portion or entirety of the restrictor and the lock unit). Furthermore, the housing  10  can have at least a positioning portion  11  for defining the position of the free end  21  of the cable  20  on the housing  10 . In this embodiment, the positioning portion  11  is a ring with a through hole and the two positioning portions  11  are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the housing  10 . The free end  21  of the cable  20  is connected and fixed to the housing  10  through the through hole of the positioning portion  11 , so that the housing  10  and the cable  20  jointly form a loop. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6A , the restrictor  30  is disposed beside the cable  20 .  FIG. 6B  is a schematic view of the restrictor of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A . As shown in  FIG. 6B , the restrictor  30  includes a body  31 , a restricting portion  32  a wedging portion  33 , a bolt  34 , a torsional spring  35 , and a protruding portion  36 . In this embodiment, the body  31  has an axial hole  311 . The body  31  connects to the housing  10  by inserting the bolt  34  into the axial hole  311 , and the body  31  can rotate around the bolt  34 . However, in other embodiments, the bolt can be formed as a portion of the housing. In this embodiment, the restricting portion  32  and the wedging portion  33  are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the body  31 . An angle is formed between the restricting portion  32  and the wedging portion  33 , i.e., the restricting portion  32  and the wedging portion  33  are not parallel to each other. The restrictor  32  has a sawtoothed portion  321  formed on the surface of the restricting portion  32 , with the sawtoothed portion  321  having sawteeth toward the direction of D. The torsional spring  35  is disposed on the body  31  to urge the restrictor  30  to rotate toward the cable  20 . The protruding portion  36  is a protrusion formed on one side of the body  31 . 
       FIG. 6C  is an exploded view of the lock unit of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A . As shown in  FIG. 6C , the lock unit  50  includes a lock body  51  and a discoidal body  52 . The lock body  51  has a lockhole  511  for a key to insert therein so as to enable the lock body  51  to move among a first position, a second position, and a third position. The discoidal body  52  connects to the lock body  51  and rotates around the rotation center A with the movement of the lock body  51 . The discoidal body  52  has a protruding arm  524  and a pressing portion  525 . The protruding arm  524  horizontally protrudes from the rim of the discoidal body  52  to form a chute  5241  between the protruding arm  524  and the rim of the discoidal body  52  while the pressing portion  525  vertically protrudes from the rim of the discoidal body  52 . In this embodiment, the pressing portion  525  forms an arc-shaped protruding wall. 
       FIG. 7A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A  in the first position;  FIG. 7B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 7A  from another angle. As shown in  FIG. 7A  and  FIG. 7B , when the lock body  51  is moved toward the first position, the protruding portion  36  wedges in the chute  5241  and slides along the chute  5241  to enable the restrictor  30  to gradually leave the cable  20  through rotating with the discoidal body  52 , so that the free end  21  of the cable  20  can be disassembled from the housing  10 . 
       FIG. 8A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A  in the second position;  FIG. 8B  is a schematic view of the lock shown in  FIG. 8A  from another angle. As shown in  FIG. 8A  and  FIG. 8B , when the lock body  51  is moved toward the second position, the protruding portion  36  slides along and then leaves the chute  5241 , so that the discoidal body  52  releases the restrictor  30  to allow the restrictor  30  to rotate. In the preferred embodiment, the rotating direction of the discoidal body  52  is the same as that of the restrictor  30  (e.g., both clockwise or counter-clockwise), and the torsional spring  35  of the restrictor  30  urges the restrictor  30  to rotate toward the cable  20 . However, in other embodiments, the rotating direction of the discoidal body can be different from that of the restrictor, and other methods can be employed to cause the restrictor to rotate toward the cable. Since the sawtoothed portion  321  contacts the cable  20  while the sawtoothed portion  321  of the restrictor  30  has sawteeth moving toward the direction D, the cable  20  can only move along the sawteeth toward the direction D to shrink the loop formed by the housing  10  and the cable  20 . Furthermore, a distance G 2  is maintained between the restrictor  30  and the discoidal body  52  so that when the cable  20  is moved toward the direction D, the restrictor  30  swings toward the direction of the discoidal body  52  with the movement of the cable  20 , and consequently the movement of the cable  20  toward the direction D will not be obstructed. 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the lock shown in  FIG. 6A  in the third position. As shown in  FIG. 9 , when the lock unit  51  is moved toward the third position, the pressing portion  525  pushes the restrictor  30  toward the direction of the cable  20  to enable the restrictor  30  to restrict the movement of the cable  20 , so that the length of the loop formed by the housing  10  and the cable  20  is fixed and not adjustable. 
     Although the present invention has been described through the above-mentioned related embodiments, the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples for practicing the present invention. What needs to be indicated is that the disclosed embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. On the contrary, modifications with the essence and scope of the claims and their equivalent dispositions are all contained within the scope of the present invention.