Patent Application
20210238891
As its name indicates, the invention refers to a safety device comprising a flexible body capable of bending into a loop and anchorage systems, customarily used to safeguard bicycles or other light vehicles, which closes on itself, comprising an element which allows the simple configuration of such a device at the will of the user through a procedure which is also claimed. The device is configurable in terms of the location of the anchorage points, and in terms of the connection of different devices in the form of branches. Another advantage is that no matter how many anchorage points or branches there are, their locking or unlocking is governed by a single lock, all without reducing the safety and robustness of the set.
It is for this reason that this device and the procedure that is also claimed are very versatile, being able to be applied in many different sectors, including security against theft, securing loads in transport, or securing people for example in vehicles, etc.
It belongs to the safety devices technical area.
To avoid the risk of theft, it is common to use security elements, usually chains closed by a padlock, which immobilise an object or tie it to another fixed object preventing its movement or theft.
This is very common in the field of light vehicles such as bicycles or mopeds, and is also common in many other fields such as displays, for example of jewellery, door closures, exterior security blinds, terrace furniture or building elements among others.
Other sectors that also use anchors are those related to personal safety, amusement park rides or transport vehicles, where it is also often necessary to fix loads to avoid their displacement.
The use of chains of links with a padlock is very widespread because of the versatility of being able to anchor the padlock in any link of the chain by tightening the tie to a greater or lesser extent.
However, due to their link configuration, chains are relatively easy to break and, moreover, they do not allow a series of anchors arranged at a distance from each other to be unlocked from a single lock.
To improve safety, other types of devices appeared, colloquially known as pythons, with articulated tubular bodies based on the combination of the tensile strength of a metallic cable with the additional resistance provided by a metallic shield, as shown in the Spanish utility model ES296085.
These devices, although they surpassed conventional chains in terms of resistance, were not very versatile as they did not allow the object to be tightened to a greater or lesser extent because the length was predetermined and also the location of the anchors, male and female, at opposite ends of the tubular body.
Depending on the uses, it is interesting to be able to tie two or more separate objects with a single device, forming two loops, e.g., the two wheels of a bicycle or a wheel and the frame, etc.
Patent U.S. Pat. No. 9,243,428 refers to a safety device that incorporates a ring at one end, another free ring that runs through the tubular body and incorporates a lock, and a lock at the free end of the tubular body such that the end comprising the ring can form a loop by passing the opposite end through the ring while the end comprising a lock will form a loop when anchored to the free ring lock. This system, although versatile, has weak points such as the rings that make it unsafe. On the other hand, it does not allow the formation of branches in a simple way, and so its use is limited.
Patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,298 refers to a multiple lock to which several branches can be anchored. These branches cannot have other branches, but rather their functionality is limited to generating a loop thanks to an existing ring or loop at one of its ends and through which the filiform element passes. Its versatility is limited because it does not support more configurations other than the embodiment of the said loop, and all the branches must come together in a central lock with a limited number of anchors.
Patent ES2329322 indicates a safety device that brings together two tubular bodies connectible to each other where one is intended to immobilise a vehicle while the other, attached to the previous one, supports being attached to a fixed element. The patent does not include any option other than that to configure the device by joining both in order to fulfil said function.
The object of utility model ES1055796U is a safety device formed by a series of tubular rings with a male base and a female base in such a way that the male base of one is inserted into the female base of the following one as a ball-and-socket joint allowing a certain bending of the set. This register also indicates the incorporation of a shell that surrounds each of these tubular elements. This device does not support being configured, as its length and the places of the anchors are predetermined. On the other hand the rings that constitute it differ in essential elements from the rings of the invention object of the present patent.
The object of utility model ES1107206U is a safety device made up of different tubes of two different sizes in which the smallest can hide within the largest, the whole set being crossed by a tensioning cable that allows the device to extend and, subsequently, forces its retraction. The technical solution of this device does not allow the free configuration of the anchorage points.
None of the indicated files allows the free configuration of the anchorage points nor the union of several branches, each one of them joined to the main one in a different point, all this with a maximum resistance and security and involving unlocking and locking governed from a single point.
In order to overcome the problems and limitations described, the applicant is proposing the present invention, the object of which is a safety device that is configurable through the action of a series of elements that it comprises, and that allow a procedure to be carried out for its configuration.
The device can be configured both in terms of its structure, joining branches, and the choice of location of anchorage points, all in a simple way and governed by a single lock, in such a way that the single lock can lock or unlock the entire structure, including possible branches.
The safety device is of the articulated tubular type, suitable for grasping one or more objects by immobilising them or attaching them to a fixed element to prevent their movement or subtraction.
The device comprises at least one main branch which in turn comprises:
An articulated tubular body comprising a series of related rings.
We will call each one of the segments a ring, preferably cylindrical, of which the tubular body is comprised. These rings have a male base and a female base and are arranged, crossed by the cable, in such a way that the male base of one matches with the female base of the next, and so on.
We will call the filiform body that unifies the rings, crossing them by their interior part, a cable. This cable is resistant to traction and has adequate dimensions and roughness so that the rings can, if necessary, slide over it.
We will call the extension cable suitable to be occupied by the rings and anchorage clamp(s) the cable available, which will have both a maximum available extension position and a minimum available extension position.
We will call the element capable of increasing or reducing the available cable extension and fixing its position the steering lock. In a possible embodiment, the steering lock comprises a casing and a piston which move relative to each other, and a latch which fixes the available cable position by fixing the relative position of casing and piston.
The variations of the available cable extension can occur, in the case of the reduction, because the piston stretches the cable by hiding part of it inside the casing without reducing the available cable extension or because the piston slides over the cable occupying part of the available cable extension. The effect achieved is to have a greater or lesser extension of cable available for the rings and the anchorage clamp(s).
We will call any means, whether physical, mechanical, electrical, magnetic or any other type capable of fixing the extension cable available, a latch. In a possible execution the fixation of the available cable extension will be provided by retaining the relative movement between the casing and the piston fixing the position of one in relation to the other.
We will call the latch that includes a security filter such as a light bulb with key, a code, a password or any other system or device that guarantees that only the user can manipulate it the internal latch.
We will call the element that comprises two opposing bodies that by default tend to join the anchorage clamp. The geometry of both bodies is adequate to grasp the cable between them, with this anchorage clamp being perpendicular to the cable and between two contiguous elements. The anchorage clamp comprises a male side and a female side in such a way that the female side of the anchorage clamp is faced with the male element of one of the contiguous elements and the male side of the anchorage clamp is faced with the female element of the other contiguous element. By joining the two opposing bodies comprising the anchorage clamp, a suitable mouth is formed to catch a bolt. The anchorage clamp can be relocated to the desired location on its branch.
We will call the element adjacent to the clamp by any of its sides, which can be either a ring, another clamp or a lock, and which interacts with it by blocking or unblocking its opening thanks to its complementary geometries the contiguous element.
We will call the element found at the end of the cable and joined to it the flashing. This final flashing may incorporate a bolt.
We will call each set that includes a cable, a plurality of rings, a lock and a flashing a branch. The main branch shall be the branch that includes the steering lock and the other secondary branches.
The device may or may not comprise secondary branches.
These secondary branches are attached to the main branch or to another secondary branch via anchoring in the mouths of the anchorage clamps of the branch to which they are attached.
These secondary branches comprise:
Most of the elements of the secondary branches do not differ when it comes to the form and use of the elements of the main branch, and so we refer to the definitions already made and which are valid for these elements that we will call secondary rings, secondary cable or secondary anchorage clamp to distinguish them from those of the main branch.
As far as the secondary lock is concerned, it differs from the steering lock in that the secondary lock comprises a retractable coupling piece intended, as it is forward, to be anchored to a fixed element that prevents its retraction.
This retractable coupling piece may include a bolt intended to be anchored in the mouth of a clamp of another branch, although it may include other types of geometry suitable for attachment to other elements, such as the case where it includes a through-hole opening suitable for inserting the arch of a padlock, and this secondary branch may be used independently.
The invention whose elements have been described behaves as follows.
In a possible embodiment the steering lock comprises an outer casing and a piston linked to the cable in such a way that the relative movement of said piston relative to the casing causes there to be a greater or lesser extension of cable available outside the casing.
In another possible embodiment, the extension or reduction of the available cable extension can be carried out with other mechanisms such as a spindle, gears, motors or any other, although this report explains the steering lock that includes a piston that can be moved with respect to the casing.
We will call the position of greater extension of cable available the unlocked position, and the position that leaves a smaller extension of cable available the locked position.
In a possible embodiment, when this variation of the available cable extension is caused by the piston position movement, one of the piston positions is natural and the other is forced. There is an elastic element linked to the piston that helps to return it to its natural position once released from the forced one.
In the locked position, when the available cable extension is the smallest, the rings are in close contact with each other as well as with the anchorage clamp.
In the unlocked position, when the available cable extension is the largest, some space is allowed between the rings and with the anchorage clamp.
The anchorage clamp remains locked and, if necessary, trapping the bolt in its mouth, when the contact between it and the adjacent elements is narrow, the geometries of the clamp being embedded with those of these adjacent elements.
The anchorage clamp comprises two bodies that tend to join and, in doing so, grasp the cable, with the clamp being perpendicular to the cable.
As mentioned above, the sides of the clamp have geometries that are complementary to those of the adjacent elements.
The female side of the clamp has a suitable male re-entry to be inserted into a female geometry, which we will call the female re-entry, found in the first contiguous element.
We will call any extension included in the female side of the clamp and that is inserted in the first contiguous element in such a way that this insertion blocks the opening of the clamp the male re-entry.
On the other hand, the male side of the clamp is inserted into the female geometry of the second contiguous element.
When the clamp is in close contact with its adjacent elements, its opening is blocked and a bolt, if any, is blocked by the mouth of the clamp.
When the available cable extension increases, for example due to the displacement of the steering lock piston, spaces are generated between the rings and between the anchorage clamps and their contiguous elements, allowing them to be opened.
When the anchorage clamp is opened, if necessary, the bolt trapped in its mouth is released and, in addition, it is possible to remove this anchorage clamp to place it in another point of the tubular body.
To do this, the rings must be moved along the cable until there is a sufficient gap at the point where the anchorage clamp needs to be placed, and then the anchorage clamp placed grasping the cable at that point.
In the case of the secondary branches, the behaviour is similar, although the secondary piston is connected to a retractable coupling piece in such a way that when the piston moves reducing the available secondary cable extension, the retractable coupling piece remains outside the casing on the side opposite to the secondary cable exit. When this retractable coupling piece is anchored to an element such as a clamp of another branch, as it includes a secondary bolt, or to a padlock, as said retractable part has a hole, the piston is fixed in the position of least extension of secondary cable available and the set is blocked and, where appropriate, fixed to the main branch. On the other hand, if this retractable coupling piece is released, the available secondary cable extension can reach its maximum value by allowing space between the secondary rings and between these and, where appropriate, the secondary anchorage clamps.
In a possible embodiment, two or more secondary branches comprising a hole in the retractable piece could be joined through an external element such as a padlock which, with its arch, would go through the holes of the retractable pieces of each of the branches.
The device is optionally completed with static bolts of the type that can be fixed to a bracket or any other frame and this in turn to a structure of, for example, the object to be safeguarded. This would be the case of brackets attached to the seat tube of a bicycle where such clamps incorporate a bolt that is trapped by one of the anchorage clamps.
A device such as the one described allows total versatility, allowing all the important elements of a bicycle, such as the wheels, frame and seat, to be tied together with a single lock.
The procedure for configuring the safety device, starting from a lock position, comprises the following steps:
An unlocking stage in which the available cable extension is increased, e.g. by moving the piston inside the casing.
A release stage of the clamp(s) with respect to the contiguous elements, dislodging the geometries of the former with respect to the latter.
A removal stage of the clamp(s) by separating the bodies they comprise and extracting the clamp from its position in the set.
A new hole generation stage for the relocation of the clamp(s), which is achieved by moving the rings and other elements, if necessary, along the available cable and grouping them together until a sufficient free space of available cable is obtained to locate the clamp.
A placement stage of the clamp in the new hole opened in the cable available. The clamp is located by grasping the segment that can be visibly seen on the available cable and perpendicular to it.
A blocking stage reducing the amount of cable available which is obtained, for example, by displacing the piston in the opposite direction to the displacement of the first stage.
For a better understanding of the above, the following figures are provided.
The same movement of the piston with respect to the casing, and the fixation thereof by the inner latch governed by the bulb allow 2 or more rings to be masked, or not, inside the casing, in such a way that the cable presents a maximum or minimum quantity of cable available in both sections. For this purpose, one of the side extensions of the casing corresponds to section 2 of the main branch, a section (36) and an opening (37) with a section greater than the maximum section of the rings, thus allowing the rings to occupy the inside of the casing at one point in the cycle.
As the piston moves inside the casing, it occupies or partially releases the cable, thus varying the available extension of the cable and expelling or masking the rings.
Below an embodiment of the invention is described which is not the only possible option, but merely explanatory.
The invention refers to a configurable safety device and the procedure for its configuration.
The ends to be easily configured by the user in a device such as that which is the object of this patent are the location of the anchorage clamps (3) in the main branch as well as, where appropriate, the secondary anchorage clamps (41) in the secondary branch (34), and also the number and location of the secondary branches with the advantage of all being governed by a single steering lock (4) that blocks or unblocks the set.
Below, a simple device is explained that only has one main branch, as the mechanics are very similar in the secondary branches as explained above.
For this purpose the device comprises a main branch (1) which in turn comprises:
The tubular body consists of a series of rings (11) that constitute the segments of said tubular body. The rings (11) have a cylindrical main body with a female base (14) and a male base (12) incorporating a female re-entry (13).
The rings (11) include a through channel (15) suitable to be passed through by the cable (10) which supports the set and at the same time allows the sliding of the rings, taking the cable as axis. The cable is a flexible filiform body, and resistant to traction, such as a braided steel cable.
The cable is connected at one end to the steering lock (4), specifically to a displaceable piston (7) inside the casing (6) and at the other end to the flashing (5), which in this case incorporates a bolt (39).
The rings (11) and the anchorage clamps (3) are mounted on the cable
Depending on the position of the piston in relation to the casing, the available cable extension for the rings and clamps varies. In their maximum available extension or unlocked position, the rings and clamps are positioned loosely in the device, while in the minimum available cable extension position, the anchorage rings and clamps are closely linked.
The rings (11) are all arranged in the same direction along the cable, with the male base (12) of a ring facing the female base (14) of the next one in such a way that when the available cable extension is reduced, the male base (12) is inserted into the female base (14) as a ball-and-socket joint.
The anchorage clamps (3) are placed between two rings and perpendicular to the cable.
Each anchorage clamp comprises two bodies that tend to be joined by the action of an elastic such as a spring. The anchorage clamps (3) therefore have two positions, unlocked (35) and locked (38).
When they lock onto the cable, they grasp it, perpendicular to it, and crossed on the cable.
The anchorage clamps (3) comprise a female side (16) with a male re-entry (19), a male side (17) and a mouth (18) which is formed by joining the two bodies comprising each anchorage clamp.
Each anchorage clamp (3) is placed on the cable (10) facing its female side (16) with the male base (12) of the previous ring and its male side (17) facing the female base (14) of the posterior ring.
With the anchorage clamp (3) between two rings (11) and locked onto the cable (10) when the available cable extension is reduced, the sides of the anchorage clamps are fitted against the bases of the adjacent rings they are facing.
When the male side (17) of the anchorage clamp is fitted to the female base (14) of the adjacent ring, this ring base acts as a stop and prevents the opening of the clamp. On the other hand, when the male re-entry (19) of the female side (16) and the female re-entry (13) of the male base (12) of the adjacent ring on the opposite side are fitted, these geometries also act as a stop preventing the opening of the clamp.
If we have inserted a bolt (39) into the anchorage clamp (3), it will be trapped until the clamp is unlocked.
If a secondary bolt (26) were to be anchored in the clamp, in the case of an embodiment with secondary branches, when the clamp is unlocked and can be opened, the secondary bolt (26) would be released.
In order to unblock the anchorage clamp (3), it is necessary to increase the available cable extension. For this purpose, the position of the piston must simply be changed by increasing the available cable extension and allowing a space between the rings and between the rings and the clamps.
The procedure for configuring the safety device, starting from a lock position, comprises the following steps:
An unlocking stage in which the available cable extension is increased by displacing the piston.
A release stage of the clamp(s) with respect to the adjacent rings, dislodging the geometries of the former with respect to the latter.
A removal stage of the clamp(s) by separating the bodies they comprise and separating them from the device.
A stage of generation of new space for the relocation of the clamp(s), which is achieved by moving the rings along the available cable and grouping them together until there is enough free cable gap available to locate the clamp.
A placement stage of the clamp in the new hole opened in the cable available. The clamp is located by grasping the exposed segment of available cable and perpendicular to it.
A blocking stage reducing the amount of cable available which is obtained by displacing the piston in the opposite direction to the displacement of the first stage.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| P201830515 | May 2018 | ES | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2019/063891 | 5/28/2019 | WO | 00 |
