Improvements in and relating to the Application of "Letter Locks" and like Apparatus to Coin Freed Automatic Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 4th May, 1898-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Application of "Letter Locks"
and like Apparatus to Coin Freed Automatic Machines.
I, EUGEN VON REIBNITZ FREIHERR, of 21, Händelstrasse, in the City of Berlin,
in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In apparatus and devices which serve for attaching vehicles of all kinds for
the purpose of storing and securing against theft, the lock or the retaining bolt
has heretofore been released by means of a coin in such a manner that on inser-
tion of said coin the holder or strap is released, whereupon after attaching the
article, the strap is pushed back into its original position. By this means it is
caught and held fast by the retaining bolt. Its release is then effected by means
of a key which is jammed fast in the position of rest, and which can be drawn
out when the securing device is in the released state.
The arrangement with a key has the disadvantage that the said key can be very
easily imitated by unauthorised persons so that it is possible for the attached
article to be removed and carried away by said unauthorised persons.
The object of the present invention is for the purpose of obviating this dis-
advantage in the securing apparatus, and it relates to the arrangement of adjust-
able locking bolts of the well known "letter lock" type in which the release of
the strap can only take place by the adjustment of a determined number or of a
selected word known to the user alone.
This securing apparatus is shewn by way of example in the accompanying
drawing.
The strap is attached movably to the securing apparatus a. It penetrates
with its free end into the interior of the casing where it is held fast by means
of a suitable arrangement of bolt or the like. The release of the retaining or
locking action can only be effected by the insertion of a coin. The locking bolt
is connected with letter locks "
the knobs c of which project from the casing
and are provided with numbers or letters to which there corresponds a special
form of ward or bolt. The locks can be set relatively to each other only when
the letters or numbers of the knobs c shew a determined number or a determined
word. Only after this word has been set, can the locking bolt be closed and
opened by means of the crank & which may also be replaced by a key. The
person who wishes to use the apparatus releases by the insertion of a coin the
locking of the crank d, turns back the strap 6 so as to embrace the bicycle wheel
or the like by afterwards slamming the strap to. After this the knobs of the
letter locks are set to a determined word and the crank d (previously released
by the insertion of the coin) is rotated, so as to cause bolts corresponding with
the letters to engage with the strap b. The knobs are then rotated at will to
alter the word or number. For the purpose of releasing the vehicle the knobs
are set again to the determined word or number and the crank is rotated in the
opposite direction whereupon a releasing takes place of the bolts that are engaged
D
0-77

page_text: with the strap. The construction of these "letter locks" may be carried out for
the present purpose in any desired, manner, or one of the known usual construc-
tions may be chosen.. The device for fastening up the bicycles or the like may
also be constructed in any desired manner, namely, in the form of a strap, band,
clip, or other suitable shape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
•
"
1. A securing apparatus for fastening up vehicles of all kinds, so constructed
and constituted that letter locks" of all kinds which are set to letters or numbers
are arranged on said apparatus in such a manner that after setting a definite
number or a definite word the bolts corresponding to these letters are caused to
engage with the strap, and can only be released by setting the locks to this word,
whilst the throwing into action of the whole apparatus is possible after the inser-
tion of a coin.
Dated this 4th day of May 1898.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham.
Agents.