Abstract:
A burglarproof lock for a computer which blocks the connecting port so that an unauthorized person cannot connect another connector with the connecting port to steal data. The burglarproof lock includes a housing having a connecting section and defining a cavity in which a lock apparatus is mounted. A clutch is disposed in the cavity for controlling unlocking/locking of the lock apparatus. The clutch includes a tool mounted on a lock core of the lock apparatus, a valve body controlled by the tool to be movable or unmovable and a complex bolt having an axially movable and rotatable adjustment press button and a bolt member rotatable along with the adjustment press button.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is related to a burglarproof lock for preventing a portable computer from being stolen. The burglarproof lock can be locked on a connecting port of the computer so that an unauthorized person cannot connect other connector with the connecting port to thieve information. 
     Nowadays, portable computers are widely used in various fields such as personal data processing, information link and transmission, etc. Such portable computers are apt to be thieved by unauthorized persons. Therefore, many burglarproof locks for the portable computers have been developed for preventing the portable computers from being stolen. For example, Taiwanese Patent No. 87220494 discloses a numeral lock including a locking bolt which can be inserted in a hole or slot of an article. Taiwanese Patent No. 89202220 discloses a lock apparatus which can be directly pressed to lock an article. Taiwanese Patent No. 88220085 discloses a computer lock. Taiwanese Patent No. 87205390 discloses a lock for portable computer. Taiwanese Patent No. 89201937 discloses a burglarproof lock for a computer. Taiwanese Patent No. 88221916 discloses a numeral lock including a steel cord which can be passed through a connector of an article to lock the article. Taiwanese Patent No. 89220918 discloses a structure which can be directly latched and locked with an article. In the above Patents, a locking bolt or hook is reciprocally movably extended into a hole or slot of the portable computer to lock the computer so as to prevent the computer from being stolen. 
     All the above Patents are transfigured from ordinary steel cord lock. One end of the steel cord can be extended into a hole or slot of the housing of the portable computer. The other end of the steel cord is conducted to be fixed on another article such as a computer desk. 
     In fact, the portable computer can be otherwise locked. For example, the burglarproof lock can be locked with any other section instead of the hole or slot of the housing of the computer. In addition, it is possible that when a user temporarily leaves the portable computer, an unauthorized person may plug another connector into the connecting port of the computer to thieve confidential data. Therefore, in the case that the burglarproof lock can be locked with the connecting port of the portable computer, not only the computer is prevented from being stolen, but also an unauthorized person cannot plug another connector into the connecting port of the computer to thieve confidential data. This issue is not disclosed in any of the above Patents. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a burglarproof lock for a computer or the likes. A connecting port of the computer or the likes can be connected with or inserted in the burglarproof lock which blocks the connecting port so that an unauthorized person cannot connect other connector with the connecting port to thieve data. The burglarproof lock includes a housing having a connecting section and defining a cavity in which a lock apparatus is mounted. A clutch is disposed in the cavity fr controlling unlocking/locking state of the lock apparatus. The clutch includes a tool mounted on a lock core of the lock apparatus, a valve body controlled by the tool to be movable or unmovable and a complex bolt having an axially movable and rotatable adjustment press button and a bolt member rotatable along with the adjustment press button. The bolt member is connectable and lockable with the connecting port of the computer or the likes or disconnectable and unlockable from the connecting port. 
     The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings wherein: 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective assembled view of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the operation of the present invention and the position of the clutch in the cavity of the housing in a locked state, in which the phantom line shows that the present invention is locked with a computer or the likes to block the connecting port; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the operation of the present invention, in which the adjustment press buttons of the clutches protrude from the housing and the steel cord can push the tool; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the operation of the present invention and the position of the clutch in the cavity of the housing in an unlocked state, in which the phantom line shows the connecting port of a computer or the likes; 
     FIG. 6 shows the use of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the valve body of the clutch of the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a view according to FIG. 7, showing that the valve body is confined between the tool and the annular recess of the adjustment press button; 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional view of still another embodiment of the valve body of the clutch of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 10 is a view according to FIG. 9, showing that the valve body is confined between the tool and the annular recess of the adjustment press button. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The burglarproof lock of the present invention includes a housing  10  defining a cavity  11 . One end of the housing  10  is formed with a connecting section  12  in which a connecting port of a computer or the like can be inserted. The connecting section  12  has a profile adapted to the connecting port (with trapezoid cross-section, circular cross-section or otherwise shaped cross-section), whereby the connecting section  12  can block the connecting port. (This will be further described hereinafter.) The cavity  11  of the housing  10  can be substantially divided into a first chamber  111  in the middle and two second chambers  112  adjacent to the first chamber  111  on two sides thereof. A numeral lock  20  is mounted in the first chamber  111 . The numeral lock  20  is a conventional lock including multiple numeral wheels  21  each having a notch  211  and a lock core  22  fitted in the numeral wheels  21 . According to the set numeral positions of the numeral wheels  21 , when the notches  211  of the numeral wheels  21  are aligned with each other, the lock core  22  can be axially moved. (This pertains to prior art and will not be further described hereafter.) In a modified embodiment, the numeral lock can be replaced with a key-operable lock. 
     A head end  221  of the lock core  22  is provided with a tool  30  and a spring  23  normally pushing the tool  30  outward. A steel cord  31  is connected with outer face of the tool  30  and extends out of the housing  10 . The lock core  22 , spring  23 , tool  30  and steel cord  31  are drivingly connected. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the present invention further includes two clutches  40  disposed on two sides of the outer face of the tool  30 . Each clutch  40  has a valve body  41  which can be a ball. The valve body  41  is confined by the tool  30  within a region  113  of the first chamber  111 . In order to smoothen the movement of the valve bodies  41 , the tool  30  has two slopes  32  facing the valve bodies  41 . When the tool  30  pushes the valve bodies  41 , the valve bodies  41  can move along the slopes  32  opposite to each other. 
     Two complex bolts  42  are mounted in the second chambers  112 . Each complex bolt  42  includes an adjustment press button  43  which can be axially moved within the second chamber  112  and rotated. The adjustment press button  43  is a substantially cylindrical body including an adjustment section  433  and a neck section  431  having an annular recess  432 . When the adjustment press button  43  is pressed into the cavity  11  of the housing, the valve body  41  is permitted to get into the annular recess  432  to form a locked state. (This will be further described hereafter.) The adjustment press button  43  is formed with a socket  44  in which a bolt member  45  can be moved relative to the adjustment press button  43  with at least the head end  451  of the bolt member  45  constantly detained in the socket  44 . In a preferred embodiment, the socket  44  has a polygonal cross-section and at least the head end  451  of the bolt member  45  is a column with polygonal cross-section adapted to the socket  44 . Accordingly, when the adjustment press button  43  is rotated, the bolt member  45  will be rotated along with the adjustment press button  43 . 
     A spring  46  is mounted on the bolt member  45  and confined between an enlarged section  452  of the bolt member  45  and the adjustment press button  43 . The spring  46  constantly exerts a force onto the adjustment press button  43  to move out of the housing  10 . In a preferred embodiment, the rear end of the bolt member  45  is formed with a threaded section  47  which protrudes from the housing  10 . When the adjustment press button  43  is rotated, the threaded section  47  is screwed into or unscrewed out of the thread hole z on each side of the connecting port y of a computer or the likes x (as shown in FIG. 3 or  4 ). 
     The second chamber  112  of the cavity  11  is formed with a lower shoulder section  114 ′ and an upper shoulder section  114  for restricting the adjustment press button  43  and the bolt member  45  within the second chamber  112 . Accordingly, when axially moved or rotated, the adjustment press button  43  and the bolt member  45  of the clutch  40  are prevented from detaching out of the cavity  11  of the housing. 
     FIG. 3 shows that the present invention is in a locked state. In this state, the valve body  41  is confined between the slope  32  of the tool  30  and the annular recess  432  of the adjustment press button  43 . At this time, the adjustment press button  43  cannot be moved and the spring  46  is compressed to conserve energy. When every numeral wheels  21  are turned to the set numbers and the notches  211  of the numeral wheels  21  are aligned with each other, the lock core  22  can be freely axially moved. Under such circumstance, a user can push the steel cord  31  to the interior of the housing  10  as shown in FIG.  4 . At this time, the tool  30  and the lock core  22  are displaced upward as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 to compress the spring  23  as shown in FIG.  5 . Accordingly, the valve body  41  is released from the pressing force of the tool  30  and becomes movable. At this time, the spring  46  discharges the conserved energy to force the adjustment press button  43  to axially move along the second chamber  112  toward outer side of the housing  10  and protrude from the second chamber  112 . At least the adjustment section  433  is exposed to outer side of the housing  10  as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 5 shows that a user can align the connecting section  12  of the housing  10  with the connecting port y of a computer or the likes x and insert the connecting port y into the connecting section  12 . Then the adjustment section  433  is turned to make the adjustment press button  43  drive and rotate the bolt member  45 . At this time, the threaded section  47  of the bolt member  45  is screwed into the thread hole z on each side of the connecting port y. The adjustment section  433  can be pressed into the second chamber  112  of the housing. At this time, the valve body  41  again gets into the annular recess  432  and is confined by the tool  30  as shown in FIG.  3 . Accordingly, the burglarproof lock blocks the connecting port y of the computer or the likes x so that an unauthorized person cannot connect other connector with the connecting port y. Only when every numeral wheels  21  are turned to the set numbers, the valve body  41  is released from the restriction of the tool  30  of the clutch  40 . 
     FIG. 6 shows that the other end of the steel cord  31  is fixable on other articles such as a computer desk. The computer or the likes x are locked by the steel cord  31  and the burglarproof lock. Therefore, an authorized person cannot thieve the computer or the likes x. 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of the valve body  48  of the clutch  40  of the present invention. The valve body  48  has a spring  481  which constantly biases the valve body  48  toward the complex bolt  42 . The valve body  48  further has a projecting section  482 . When the adjustment press button  43  is pressed into the cavity  11  of the housing, the spring  481  exerts a force onto the valve body  48  to make the projecting section  482  get into the annular recess  432  of the adjustment press button  43 . At this time, the adjustment press button  43  is kept in the cavity  11  without moving. FIG. 8 shows that the valve body  48  is confined between the tool  33  and the annular recess  432  of the adjustment press button  43 . 
     FIGS. 9 and 10 show still another embodiment of the valve body  49  of the clutch  40  of the present invention. The valve body  49  has a spring  491  which is compressed to exert a force onto the valve body  49 , making the valve body  49  move toward the complex bolt  42  on each side. The valve body  48  further has a projecting section  492 . When the adjustment press button  43  is pressed into the cavity  11  of the housings the spring  491  exerts a force onto the valve body  49  to make the projecting section  492  get into the annular recess  432  of the adjustment press button  43 . At this time, the adjustment press button  43  is kept in the cavity  11  without moving. FIG. 10 shows that the valve body  49  is confined between the tool  34  and the annular recess  432  of the adjustment press button  43 . The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, not intended to limit the scope thereof. Many modifications of the above embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.