AU645350B2

AU645350B2 - Vehicle steering-wheel lock

Info

Publication number: AU645350B2
Application number: AU85228/91A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Alexander Bruce Anderson
Original assignee: ABA Marketing Pty Ltd
Current assignee: ABA Marketing Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1990-09-06
Filing date: 1991-09-06
Publication date: 1994-01-13
Anticipated expiration: 2011-09-06
Also published as: AU8522891A

Description

VEHICLE STEERING-WHEEL LOCK

BACKGROUND ART

This invention relates to a security device to deter the theft of motor vehicles. The device is of the general type which is secured to the vehicle steering wheel by way of a long rigid arm.

There are many devices used in order to prevent, or at least deter, the theft of motor vehicles. It is probably fair to say that all such devices have some drawback or weakness, however, any device which makes the theft of the vehicle more difficult does service a useful purpose and provides vehicle owners with a choice as to theft deterrents.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The present invention includes, as a basic feature, a steering wheel cover made of tough material to extend wholly over the wheel and being lockable to the wheel to prevent removal or cutting of the wheel and to prevent effective steering control of the vehicle. One particular embodiment of the invention can be described as a steering wheel lock comprising: a generally flat circular wheel cover means including a lip means about the perimeter extending out of the general plane of the cover means so that it fits over and about a conventional steering wheel, a first securing means rigid of the lip and extending parallel to the general place of the cover means from one portion of the lip means to another portion so that a corresponding section of the steering wheel fits between the securing means and the cover means, and a second securing means fixed to the cover means approximately diametrically opposition entrapping a corresponding second section of the steering wheel and openable, when unlocked, into a second position to release the steering wheel,

So that the wheel cover is able to be locked to a vehicle steering wheel in a manner preventing effective steering control of the vehicle. In one preferred embodiment of the invention the second securing means comprises a lockable reciprocating rigid arm forming a diametrically extending obstruction means, and an intermediate portion of the arm including a pin which extends radially inwardly of the lip means when in the locked position and is retractable to an unlocked position, the obstruction means extending sufficiently beyond the cover perimeter so as to collide with surrounding vehicle structure when the cover is turned. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The following example is a preferred embodiment of the invention explaining its construction and method of use and refers to the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an underside perspective view of the device, Fig. 2 is a top perspective view of the device, Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view demonstrating the construction of the device, and

Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of the device. BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT INVENTION

As seen in Fig. 1, the device includes a generally flat circular cover 1 with a lip 2 about its perimeter. A section of the generally open bottom side defined by the cover 1 and lip 2 is covered by a rigid plate 3. The cover 1, lip 2 and plate 3 are conveniently produced in a single integral component. Opposite plate 3, in the side of lip 2, is an entrant hole 8 (Fig. 3)which is large enough to accept the passage of the locking pin 7. The pin 7 is rigid of the arm extension 4 which itself includes a knuckled section 6. The knuckled section 6 can travel telescopically through the lock body 5 while unlocked, and fixed in place when locked. The lock body 5 is rigidly attached across the top side of cover 1 in a generally diametric orientation.

When the lock 5 is unlocked, the arm extension 4, and thus the pin 7, can be freely reciprocated in the direction of arrows 11, Fig. 4, into the locking position to the left or the unlocked position to the right. A pair of shrouds 9 extend down either side of the entrant hole 8 so that when the pin 7 is in the locked position the connecting section 7a cannot be levered out from the adjacent portion of the lip 2.

To use the lock the arm extension 4 is withdrawn from the lock body 5 sufficiently to substantially fully retract pin 7 from the inside region defined within lip 2. The plat° 3 is then slipped under a circumferential section of a ^heel 12 (Fig. 4) and once the cover 1 is substantially flush against the wheel 12, the arm extension 4 is fully inserted into the lock body 5 and pin 7 travels fully to the left of the drawing with pin section 7a housed between the shrouds 9. In this position the wheel 12 is fully covered by the cover 1 and the lock device cannot be removed. Spigot 13, rigidly extending from the inside of cover 1, protrudes through a central area of wheel 12 and interacts with any radial arm of the wheel 12 so as to prevent relative rotation between the lock and the wheel.

Once locked in position about the wheel 12, any rotation of the wheel can only occur between points at which the extension arm 4 collides with surrounding rigid structure of the car, such as the car windscreen or adjacent door.

While this arrangement prevents substantial turning of the cover, effective steering control of the vehicle cannot be obtained even if the arm extension 4 is cut off as the steering wheel 12 is fully covered and cannot be gripped.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A lockable steering wheel cover device comprising a tough cover means sized and shaped to fit substantially wholly about a vehicle steering wheel so as to prevent access to the wheel, and a lock means lockable so as to fix the device to a steering wheel in a manner preventing effective steering control of the vehicle.

2. A steering wheel lock device a generally flat circular wheel cover means including a lip means about the perimeter extending out of tne general plane of the cover means so that it fits over and about a conventional steering wheel, a first securing means rigid of the lip and extending parallel to the general place of the cover means from one portion of the lip means to another portion so that a corresponding section of the steering wheel fits between the securing means and the cover means, a second securing means fixed to the cover means approximately diametrically opposition entrapping a corresponding second section of the steering wheel and openable, when unlocked, into a second position to release the steering wheel, and obstruction means rigid of the cover means and extending radially beyond the cover means perimeter so as to prevent full rotation of the entrapped wheel by collision of the obstruction means and surrounding vehicle structure.

3. A device as in claim 2 wherein a said second securing means comprises a lockable reciprocating rigid arm, one end of the arm defining the obstruction means, and an intermediate portion of the arm including a pin which extends radially inwardly of the lip means when in the locked position and is retractable to an unlocked position.

4. A device as in claim 2 wherein the lip means is integral with the cover means and the first securing means is a plate integral with the lip means, said plate being parallel to and spaced apart from the cover means.

5. A device as in claim 3 wherein said pin is aligned with, and when in the locked position passes through, an entrant hole in the lip means.

6. A device as in claim 5 wherein a shroud means external and rigid of the lip means substantially surrounds said entrant hole, and when said pin is in the locked position portions of said pin external the lip means lie within the shroud means.

7. A device as in claim 2 wherein a spigot means rigid of the cover means extends generally perpendicularly thereto from a side of the cover means being generally surrounded by the lip means, the spigot means being sized and position so that when the device is locked to a steering wheel the spigot prevents substantial relative turning of the wheel and the device.

8. A lockable steering wheel cover device comprising: A cover means having a integral perimeter lip so as to define a shallow region to house a steering wheel and thus to substantially surround the steering wheel; securing means extending throughout a portion of applying parallel to the cover means and spaced opposite the steering wheel from the cover means; locking means lockably retaining the securing means in a position preventing removal of the device from the steering wheel; and obstruction means extending radially of the cover means and being rigidly attached thereto so as to strike surrounding vehicle structure if the cover device is turned through a substantial degree and further obstruction means extending rigidly from the cover means to engage the steering wheel to prevent relative substantial turning of the steering wheel and the cover device.

9. A lockable steering wheel cover device having a lip extending about its perimeter, a cover extending wholly across one diametric face, a plate section extending partially across a second parallel spaced apart diametric face, a pin lockably reciprocable diametrically within the second face between a first position extending substantially radially inwardly of the lip and a second position being wholly radially outward of the lip, a bar preventing complete rotation of the device when it is locked to a vehicle steering wheel, and a second bar preventing substantial rotation of the steering wheel relative to the device when it is locked to the steering wheel.