Patent Application
20080314094
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cable lock that has a steel cable fastened to a latch head which is latchable to a locking means and a release means to allow the steel cable to be retracted before being latched by a locking means so that the steel cable can wind around a targeted locking article snugly to facilitate operation of the cable lock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cable locks have many advantages such as light and portable and easy to store, thus are widely used for theft-prevention for various types of goods such as bicycles, displaying commodities, notebook computers and the like. A great deal of developments also have been invested on cable locks. Reference can be found in Taiwan patent publication Nos. 568150, 568158, 261189, 451997, 517768, M246413, M255441, M259041, M282013, M284737 and M284925. They mostly have a cable head to provide theft-prevention effect for various types of goods, and generally have some practical value. However, they still have drawbacks. A conventional cable lock, referring to
In view of the aforesaid problems, the present invention aims to provide an improved cable lock that can adjust the length of the steel cable to fit a targeted locking article. The steel cable has a latch head which can be inserted into a locking means. Before locking of the locking means the steel cable can still be retracted to make the steel cable to wind around the targeted locking article more snugly. Operation of the cable lock is more convenient. The invention mainly includes a shell which houses a winding means, a release means and a locking means. By means of these elements the steel cable can be adjusted to make operation simpler and easier.
The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The shell 1 includes a upper shell 11 and a lower shell 12 that are fastened together. It has a first housing chamber 121, a second housing chamber 122 and a third housing chamber 123. The shell 1 further has a spring holding strut 1211 and a plurality of anchor struts 1221 and 1222. At the upper side of the shell 1 there are a steel cable release orifice 124 and a latch orifice 125. The latch orifice 125 holds an elastic element A. The shell 1 also has a first push hole 126 and a second push hole 127 at two sides. Beneath the first push hole 126 there are a plurality of number display openings 128.
The winding means 2 is held in the first housing chamber 121, and has a winding wheel 21 to wind a steel cable 22 that is coupled with a spring 23. The spring 23 has one end fastened to the spring holding strut 1211. The steel cable 22 has a distal end fastened to a latch head 221 which is extended outside the shell 1. The steel cable can be pulled out through the steel cable release orifice 124 to drive the winding wheel 21 and turn the spring 23 to generate power to automatically retract the steel cable 22.
The release means 3 is located in the second housing chamber 122, and includes:
a first control bar 31 which has a first depressing portion 311 at one end and an aperture 312 to be threaded through by the steel cable 22 and another end pushed by an elastic element B in normal conditions so that the first depressing portion 311 is extended outside the shell 1 through the second push hole 127 in the normal conditions that is depressible by users. The first control bar 31 is extended downwards to form a second end 314 which has a distal end forming a hook notch 2141 and a hook 3142. The first control bar 31 further is extended rearwards to form a third end 313 which has a distal end forming a slant surface 3131;
a first release bar 32 which has a latch hole 321 to couple with the anchor strut 1221 in the second housing chamber 122 and is located at one side of the hook notch 3141. The first release bar 32 has a long stem 322 which has a distal end pressing the steel cable 22 and a jutting detent wall 323 at one side and a short stem 324 at another side located transversely in the hook notch 3141 of the first control bar 31;
a second release bar 33 which is corresponding to the first release bar 32 and has a latch hole 331 to couple with another anchor strut 1222 in the second housing chamber 122, and is located at one side of the hook notch 3141. The second release bar 32 has a long stem 332 which has a distal end pressing the steel cable 22 and a jutting detent wall 333 at one side, and a short stem 334 at another side located transversely in the hook notch 3141 of the first control bar 31; and
a torsional element 34 which has two ends forming respectively a helical hole 341 and 342 to couple with the anchor struts 1221 and 1222, and have two tail ends 3411 and 3421 to press respectively the detent walls 323 and 333 to push the long stems 322 and 332 of the first and second release bars 32 and 33 outwards to press the steel cable 22 in the normal conditions.
The locking means 4 is located in the third housing chamber 123, and includes:
a combination lock 41 which is a standard element and has at least a plurality of dial wheels 411 and a latch bolt 412. The dial wheels 411 have one side corresponding to the number display openings 128 to facilitate user dialing operation; and
a second control bar 42 which has a second depressing portion 421 at one end extending outside through the first push hole 126 to be depressed by users, and another end forming a hook 423 and a holding opening 422. The hook 423 is latchable with a neck 2211 formed on the latch head 221 and is pushed by the elastic element B so that the second depressing portion 421 is extended outside the shell 1 in the normal conditions. The second control bar 42 also has the bottom forming a jutting diagonal angle 424.
By means of the elements set fort above, referring to
Referring to
Refer to
In short, when the invention is in use and the latch head of the steel cable has been latched, the steel cable can still be retracted to form a fitted winding on the targeted locking article. Operation is simple and easy. It provides a significant improvement over the conventional techniques.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
