BACKGROUND
Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a securing device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a securing device which is capable of locking an object.
Related Art
Regarding locks, a U.S. Pat. No. 7,712,339 disclosed a joint rod lock, which includes a lock body and a joint bar hoop formed via linking a plurality of bars. Such a lock can be folded up to reduce the volume thereof according to the user's needs.
Compared with the conventional U-shape padlocks having a bulky volume, the abovementioned linkage locks indeed have the advantage of size reduction when it is collapsed for storage. However, the abovementioned prior arts still have room for improvement in terms of the convenience for use since it can't be adjusted in accordance with the size of the object to be locked.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a securing device which is more convenient to use to resolve the issues of the prior arts.
The securing device includes a body and a cable. The body includes a housing and a fixing unit. The housing includes a restricting hole, a first end portion and a second end portion disposed on opposite ends of the housing, and a first operating face, a display face, and a second operating face disposed between the first end portion and the second end portion. The first operating face, the display face, and the second operating face are sequentially adjacent to each other. The display face has a display area. The restricting hole penetrates the housing from the display face. The fixing unit is disposed in the housing. The fixing unit includes a rotating disc, wherein the outer rim of the rotating disc extends out of at least one of the first operating face and the second operating face. The display area is capable of displaying a symbol on the rotating disc. The cable includes a free end and a connecting end. The free end is capable of passing through the display face via the restricting hole. The fixing unit is capable of restricting the cable form moving. The connecting end is connected to the second end portion.
In one embodiment, the housing includes a display face, a first operating face, a second operating face, and a restricting hole. The display face has a display area. The first operating face extends backward from one side of the display face. The second operating face extends backward from the other side of the display face. One side of the first operating face, one side of the display face, and one side of the second operating face are connected with each other and form a first end portion of the housing. The other side of the first operating face, the other side of the display face, and the other side of the second operating face are connected with each other and form a second end portion of the housing.
In one embodiment, the first operating face has a first hollow part, and the second operating face has a second hollow part, wherein the outer rim of the rotating disc extends simultaneously out of the first hollow part and the second hollow part.
In one embodiment, the body further includes an operating unit for operating the fixing unit to restrict the cable from moving or to release the cable, and the operating unit is disposed in the housing, wherein a portion of the operating unit extends out of the housing.
In one embodiment, the operating unit extends out of the housing from the operating face.
In one embodiment, the restricting hole is disposed between the first end portion and the display area.
In one embodiment, the cable bends on the other side of the body with respect to the display face to make the free end face the first end portion.
In one embodiment, the first operating face has a first concave portion, wherein the first hallow part is in the first concave portion. The second operating face has a second concave portion, wherein the second hallow part is in the second concave portion.
In one embodiment, the display face faces a first plane. The normal projection of the portion of the outer rim of the rotating disc extending out of the first hallow part on the first plane is within the scope of the normal projection of the housing on the first plane. The normal projection of the portion of the outer rim of the rotating disc extending out of the second hallow part on the first plane is within the scope of the normal projection of the housing on the first plane.
In one embodiment, the display area is hallowed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of an embodiment of the securing device of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of an embodiment of the securing device of the present invention showing the cable inserts into the restricting hole.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the securing device of the present invention showing the rod engages with the ratchet teeth.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a different embodiment of the securing device of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A securing device provided in the present invention is used for securing different sizes of objects. The structure and the operation of the present invention will be illustrated in the following description.
As shown in the embodiments in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the securing device 800 of the present invention includes a body 100 and a cable 400. The body 100 includes a housing 200 and a fixing unit 300. The housing 200 includes a restricting hole 250, a first end portion 241 and a second end portion 242 disposed on opposite ends of the housing 100, and a first operating face 210, a display face 230, and a second operating face 220 disposed between the first end portion 241 and the second end portion 242. The first operating face 210, the display face 230, and the second operating face 220 are sequentially adjacent to each other. From a different point of view, the housing 200 includes a display face 230, a first operating face 210, a second operating face 220, and a restricting hole 250. The first operating face 210 extends backward from one side of the display face 230. The second operating face 220 extends backward from the other side of the display face 230. One side of the first operating face 210, one side of the display face 230, and one side of the second operating face 220 are connected with each other and form a first end portion 241 of the housing 100. The other side of the first operating face 210, the other side of the display face 230, and the other side of the second operating face 220 are connected with each other and form a second end portion 242 of the housing 100. The housing 200 could be modified according to the manufacturing, design, and usage requirements. For example, the first operating face 210 and the second operating face 220 could be parallel to each other so that force may be applied more easily during operation, or the housing 200 could have less sharp angles to avoid scratching, etc.
As shown in the embodiments in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the first operating face 210 has a first hollow part 211. The second operating face 220 has a second hollow part 221. The display face 230 has a display area 231. The restricting hole 250 penetrates the housing 200 from the display face 230. The fixing unit 300 is disposed in the housing 200. The fixing unit 300 includes a rotating disc 310, wherein the outer rim of the rotating disc 310 extends simultaneously out of the first operating face 211 and the second operating face 221. The display area 231 is capable of displaying a symbol, e.g., a character or a number, on the rotating disc. More particularly, in an embodiment, the fixing unit 300 is a combination lock having a plurality of rotating discs 310, wherein the diameter of the rotating disc 310 is larger than the width of the housing 200. Therefore, the opposite sides of the outer rims of the rotating discs 310 can extend simultaneously out of the first operating face 211 and the second operating face 221 for a user to apply force on the outer rims of the rotating discs 310 to rotate the rotating discs 310 more easily. In different embodiments, however, the outer rim of the rotating disc 310 can extend out of only one of the first operating face 211 and the second operating face 221 for the user to apply force on the outer rims of the rotating discs 310 to rotate the rotating discs 310. The display area 231 is hallowed for the user to view the symbol on the rotating discs 310 to identify the position of the rotating discs 310 while rotating them. A light-transmittable cover could be further disposed on the display area 231 to prevent dust or moisture from entering the housing 200 through the display area 231. In different embodiments, the housing 200 is light-transmittable. In this situation, any area of the display face 230 in which the user can view the symbol on the rotating discs 310 could be considered the display area 231.
As shown in the embodiments in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the cable 400 includes a free end 410 and a connecting end 420. The free end 410 is capable of passing through the display face 230 via the restricting hole 250. The fixing unit 300 is capable of restricting the cable 400 form moving. The connecting end 420 is connected to the second end portion 242. The restricting hole 250 is disposed between the first end portion 241 and the display area 231, i.e., in a position closer to the first end portion 241. A plurality of ratchet teeth 430 are disposed on one side of the cable 400 for engaging. More particularly, as shown in the embodiments in FIG. 3, the fixing unit 300 has a rod 330 capable of inserting into the restricting hole 250. A plurality of ratchet teeth 430 are disposed in line on one side of the cable 400. Furthermore, as shown in the embodiments in FIG. 3, the body 100 could include an operating unit 500 for operating the fixing unit 300 to restrict the cable 400 from moving or to release the cable 400. The operating unit 500 is disposed in the housing 200, wherein a portion of the operating unit 500 extends out of the housing 200. When the fixing unit is unlocked (e.g., the rotating discs 310 are in correct numbers), the rod 330 is movable. The user can move the operating unit 500 to make the rod 330 leave the ratchet teeth 430 to remove the engagement, i.e., to release the restriction of the movement of cable 400, and let the cable 400 be capable of leaving the restricting hole 250. In different embodiments, however, the cable 400 doesn't have the ratchet teeth 430 and is not limited to moving unidirectionally. Units such as the rod 330 of the fixing unit 300 can engage with the surface of the cable 400 to restrict it from moving.
To sum up, when the fixing unit 300 is in an unlocked state, the user can pull the cable 400 out of the restricting hole 250 and insert it into an object (such as a wheel frame of a bike) to be secured. After then, as shown in the embodiments in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the user can pass the free end 410 through the display face 230 via the restricting hole 250 and pull out the cable 400 to make the range surrounded by the cable 400 meet the requirements and achieve the goal of securing the object. Since the range surrounded by the cable 400 can be adjusted according to the size of the object to be secured, the securing device 800 of the present invention is more convenient to use. In one embodiment, the cable 400 bends preferably on the other side of the body 100 with respect to the display face 230 to make the free end 410 face the first end portion 241, so as to prevent the cable 400 from shading the display face 230.
As shown in the embodiments in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the first operating face 210 has a first concave portion 212, wherein the first hallow part 211 is in the first concave portion 212. The second operating face 220 has a second concave portion 222, wherein the second hallow part 221 is in the second concave portion 222. As such, the width of the housing 200 is substantially reduced. Accordingly, even if rotating discs 310 having a smaller diameter are used, the opposite sides of the outer rims of the rotating discs 310 can still extend simultaneously out of the first operating face 211 and the second operating face 221 for a user to apply force on the outer rims of the rotating discs 310 to rotate the rotating discs 310 more easily.
As shown in the embodiments in FIG. 4, the display face 230 faces a first plane 600. The normal projection of the portion of the outer rim of the rotating disc 310 extending out of the first hallow part 211 on the first plane is within the scope of the normal projection of the housing 200 on the first plane 600. The normal projection of the portion of the outer rim of the rotating disc 310 extending out of the second hallow part 221 on the first plane 600 is within the scope of the normal projection of the housing 200 on the first plane 600. In other words, the outer rim of the rotating disc 310 is totally accommodated in the first concave portion 212 and the second concave portion 222 to avoid mis-numbering or damage caused by the rotating disc 310 being collided.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Patent Application
20220412128
