Patent ID: 7302817

Claim:
An apparatus for use with a vehicle for restricting activation of a starting system of an engine and for use with a portable device that transmits a first ID code, the apparatus comprising: an operating means for manually starting and stopping the engine and including a manually operatable knob and a shaft coupled to the knob and integrally rotating with the knob, the knob having a plurality of operation positions including a LOCK position in which the operating means is locked, the shaft monolithically including a first stopper, which prohibits movement of the knob from the LOCK position to a position other than the LOCK position, and a second stopper, which prohibits movement of the knob to the LOCK position from a position other than the LOCK position; an actuator for engaging the first stopper only when the actuator is inactivated; an intervening member arranged between the actuator and the second stopper and moving in cooperation with the actuator to engage with and disengage from the second stopper; a switching means for switching activation and inactivation of the actuator; a cooperative member, which moves toward and away from the switching means in cooperation with the operation of the operating means to switch activation and inactivation of the actuator; and a control means connected to the actuator to control the actuator, wherein the control means controls the actuator to disengage the actuator from the first stopper for enabling manual operation of the operating means for starting the engine when the control means detects a situation in which the knob is in the LOCK position and a first ID code received from the portable device matches a predetermined second ID code of the control means, and wherein the control means controls the actuator to disengage the intervening member from the second stopper for enabling manual operation of the operating means from a position other than the LOCK position to the LOCK position only when the control means detects a situation in which the knob is in a position other than the LOCK position, the actuator is being activated by the switching means, and a vehicle with which the apparatus is used is not moving.