Patent GB-1296973-A (GB)
IPC: B60R25/021
Filed: 1969-04-19
Abstract: 1296973 Anti-theft devices LOWE & FLETCHER Ltd 20 Nov 1969 [2 Nov 1968 19 April 1969] 20093/69 and 42858/69 Divided out of 1296972 Heading B7J [Also in Division E2] A locking device comprising a lock body 10, a key-operated cylinder lock mechanism, including a key-receiving member 27 (commonly and hereinafter referred to as a barrel); and a bolt member 17 movable by the key-operated lock mechanism relatively to the body between a locking position and a releasing position, in the former of which positions it is, when the device is in use, adapted to co-operate with a movable member which is required to be locked against movement and in the latter of which positions it is released from said member to allow same to move, and a retaining element 21 movable relatively to the body transversely of a path along which the bolt member is movable, the retaining element being movable between an active position and an inactive position, in the former of which it is effective to retain the bolt member in its releasing position, and in the latter of which it permits movement of the bolt member to its looking position, wherein the barrel of the cylinder lock mechnanism is rotatable relatively to the lock body to move the bolt member from its locking position to its releasing position when the barrel is in an outer axial position only relative to the body, the barrel is movable axially relatively to the body to an inner position, the barrel is adapted to operate the retaining element to effect movement of the latter from its active position to its inactive position, and when the retaining element is in its active position the barrel can operate to effect said movement only when the barrel is in its inner axial position. In a first construction, Fig. 2, the bolt member is slidably mounted in a guideway in the body so that it moves transversely to the axis of the barrel. The bolt member is spring loaded towards its locking position by means of a coiled compression spring 19 which is trapped between a bottom of a socket 20 and the bolt member 17 and a rotatable spindle 35. The spindle 35 is attached to an extension 30 of the barrel and it carries a collar 31 and between the collar and the extension 30 of the barrel is a coupling plate 42 which has a non-circular aperture by means of which it engages a non-circular portion of the spindle so that the coupling plate rotates with the spindle. The inner end portion of the spindle engages an actuating element 38 so that rotation of the spindle rotates the actuating element; the element including a cam 40 which underlies and co-operates with the ledge 41 of the bolt member 17. The cam 40 when the spindle is rotated retracts the bolt member from its locking position. The body has a cavity 13 for receiving a switch which controls the ignition and starter circuits of the vehicle the switch being coupled to the actuating element 38. The retaining element 21, Fig. 2, is mounted in the lock body and is movable parallel to the axis of the barrel between its active position and its inactive position; in the active position it enters a groove 22, Fig. 3, formed in the bolt member to hold the bolt member in the releasing position. The retaining element is urged to its active position by compression spring 23. The barrel has four rotational positions, a locking position in which the bolt member is engaged with a steering column shaft and in which the ignition is off and three further positions in which the bolt member is in its releasing position; the first of these is an ignition-off position, the second an ignition-on position and the third a starting position from which, when the key is released, the barrel is returned to the ignition-on position by a spring incorporated in the switch means. The key can be inserted and withdrawn from the barrel in the locking position since the barrel is contained in a housing provided with diametrically opposite grooves 28 which can accommodate the end portions of plate tumblers of the lock mechanism during entry and withdrawal of the key; from the locking position the barrel can be rotated by the key to the ignitionoff position, this causes the cam 40 to bear against the ledge 41 and raise the bolt member to the releasing position and in the ignition-off position the shape of the cam is such that the spring 19 cannot move the cam to return the bolt member to the locking position. When the bolt member reaches the releasing position the retaining element 21 is moved by its spring 23 so that its forward end portion enters the groove 22 in the bolt member to hold it in the releasing position; continued rotation of the key in the clockwise direction causes the barrel to reach the ignition on position and further rotation causes it to reach the starting position. When the barrel is rotated by the key in the anticlockwise direction from the ignition on position to the ignition-off position a shoulder 7 of the coupling plate abuts an under face of the retaining element 21 and stops further rotation of the barrel. The barrel must now be pushed in the inward axial direction by the key and this moves the coupling plate 42 axially inwardly where it becomes aligned with a slot 23b formed in the retaining element; the barrel can then be rotated a further 15 degrees from the ignition-off position the rotation being limited by a projection 48, Fig. 8, on the barrel abutting a boundary of one of the grooves 28; the key and barrel must now be moved axially outwardly and the collar 31 on the spindle 35 also moves the coupling plate axially outwardly, the coupling plate carrying the retaining element 21 with it since it is disposed in the slot in the coupling plate; this movement releases the bolt member 17 and, provided the cam 40 allows it, it can then move to its locking position. The forward movement of the barrel withdraws the projection 48 from the groove 28 so that the barrel can then be rotated to the locking position. The coupling plate remains engaged with the retaining element 21 and releases the retaining element when the ignition-off position is reached during clockwise rotation. A garage position can be provided between the ignition-off and locking positions The spring 19 instead of being trapped between the bottom of the socket in the bolt member and the spindle 35 as shown can be disposed between the socket in the bolt member and the face 16 of the body; with the spring in this position the retaining element can be positioned before the lock mechanism is assembled to hold the bolt member in the releasing position so that a unit which includes the lock mechanism spindle 35 collar 31, coupling plate 42 and the spring 23 can be assembled to the body subsequently. The barrel can be spring loaded to the forward position if desired. In a second construction, Fig. 9, the body 10a of the cylinder lock mechanism and the bolt member 17a are similar to those of the first construction; the barrel 27a of the lock mechanism is biased to a forward outward axial position by a coiled compression spring 32 which is disposed between a flange of the barrel and a shoulder of the housing 26a an integral extension 30a of the barrel is provided with a peg 33 which cooperates with a guideway formed in the housing to prevent axial movement of the barrel from its forward position when the barrel is in an ignition-on position, but the barrel is free to move axially in both the ignition-off and locking positions. The retaining element 36 is mounted on the bolt member for movement in a direction transverse to the axis of rotation of the barrel and in the active position to which it is urged by a spring 23a, Fig. 12, its end portion is disposed above the end of a spline 37 provided by the body so holding the bolt member in its releasing position, a coupling plate 34 is provided for moving the retaining element from its active to its inactive position; this is mounted on a spindle 35a adjacent the rear end of the barrel extension 30a and it is fast with a spindle for both rotational and axial movements: the coupling plate 34 has a tooth element 43 which is engageable with a projection 44 of the retaining element 36. When the key is inserted into the lock mechanism in the locking position and the barrel is rotated from the locking position clockwise to an ignition-off position, an actuating element 38a connected to the spindle is rotated so that a cam 40a moves the bolt member 17a from its locking position to its releasing position; the retaining element 36 is then moved by its spring to its active position above the spline to hold the bolt in the releasing position and the barrel can then be rotated to the ignition-on position and to the starting position without releasing the bolt member. When the key is rotated in the anticlockwise direction from the ignition-on position to the ignition-off position, the cam 40a engages a stop element provided by the bolt member 17a which prevents further rotation of the barrel in the anticlockwise direction until the bolt member has moved from its releasing position; the barrel must then be moved axially inwardly of the body which engages the tooth element 43 of the coupling plate with the projection 44 of the retaining element 36; the barrel is then rotated in the clockwise direction to move the retaining element to its inactive position whereupon the bolt member moves from its releasing position towards its locking position; this carries the stop element clear of the cam 40a so that the barrel can now be rotated in the anti-clockwise direction to the locking position in which the key can be withdrawn.