LOCK

• US 20110041569A1
• Filed: 08/19/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kunox Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sinoxlock (Kunshan) Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: YU, Chang-Chiang, WANG, Chia-Hung
• Granted Patent: US 8,528,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 70/15
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 67/003 Chain, wire or cable locks alarms therefor E05B45/005; E05B69/006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/40 Portable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/402 Fetters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/483 Flexible shackle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5872 For cycles

Abstract

A lock includes a housing, a cable, a restrictor, and a lock unit. One end of the cable is fixed to the housing while the other end is detachably connected to the housing so as to selectively form an adjustable loop with the housing. The restrictor is rotatably disposed on the housing to selectively wedge together with the cable. The lock unit is disposed on the housing and can be selectively moved among a first position, a second position, and a third position. When the lock unit is moved toward the first position, the restrictor moves together with the lock unit to detach from the cable so as to allow the other end of the cable to disassemble from the housing. When the lock unit is moved to the second position, the restrictor restricts the cable to move toward a specific direction so as to shrink the adjustable loop. When the lock unit is moved to the third position, the restrictor wedges together with the cable, so that the length of the adjustable loop is fixed and not adjustable.

Claims

1. A lock, comprising:

a housing;

a cable with one end fixed to the housing and the other end detachably connected to the housing, so that an adjustable loop is selectively formed by the cable and the housing;

a restrictor rotatably disposed on the housing to selectively wedge with the cable; and

a lock unit disposed on the housing, the lock unit being selectively moved among a first position, a second position, and a third position;

wherein when the lock unit is moved toward the first position, the restrictor moves along with the lock unit to leave the cable so as to allow the other end of the cable to detach from the housing;

when the lock unit is moved to the second position, the restrictor restricts the cable to move toward a specific direction, so as to shrink the adjustable loop; and

when the lock unit is moved to the third position, the restrictor wedges with the cable, so that the length of the adjustable loop is fixed and not adjustable.

2. The lock of claim 1, wherein the housing has at least a positioning portion for defining the position of the other end of the cable on the housing.

3. The lock of claim 1, wherein the lock unit has a lock body and a discoidal body, the lock body has a lockhole for a key to insert therein so as to enable the lock unit to move among the first position, the second position, and the third position, the discoidal body connects to the lock body and moves along with the lock body.

4. The lock of claim 3, wherein the discoidal body has an axis and a plurality of rim portions, each of the plurality of the rim portions has a different radial distance with respect to the axis.

5. The lock of claim 4, wherein the restrictor includes a body, a restricting portion, and a wedging portion, the body has an axial hole, the body rotatably connects to the housing through the axial hole, the restricting portion and the wedging portion are disposed on two sides of the body.

6. The lock of claim 5, wherein when the lock unit is moved toward the first position, the discoidal body is rotated accordingly so that the rim portion of the discoidal body having longer radical distance contacts the wedging portion to enable the restricting portion to leave the cable

7. The lock of claim 6, wherein when the lock unit is moved from the first position to the second position, the discoidal body rotates correspondingly so that the rim portion of the discoidal body having shorter radical distance faces the wedging portion while a gap is maintained therebetween.

8. The lock of claim 3, wherein the restrictor further includes a fixing clip, the fixing clip has a channel including a U-shaped cross-section so as to allow the other end of the cable to insert therein.

9. The lock of claim 8, wherein the lock unit further includes a clamping portion disposed on the rim portion of the discoidal body having the largest radial distance, the clamping portion has a clamping channel, when the lock unit is moved from the second position toward the third position, the clamping portion moves toward the fixing clip correspondingly to enable the clamping channel to accommodate a portion of the fixing clip.

10. The lock of claim 8, wherein the fixing clip includes at least a clamping slice, the clamping slice is curved to form the channel.

11. The lock of claim 3, wherein the discoidal body has a protruding arm horizontally protruding from the rim of the discoidal body to form a chute, the restrictor has a protruding portion, when the lock unit is moved to the first position, the protruding portion wedges in the chute and slides along the chute to a predetermined position to enable the restrictor to leave the cable;

when the lock unit is moved to the second position, the protruding portion slides along the chute to leave therefrom, so that the discoidal body releases the restrictor to allow the restrictor to rotate.

12. The lock of claim 11, wherein the discoidal body further includes a pushing portion vertically protruding from the rim of the discoidal body, when the lock unit is moved to the third portion, the pushing portion pushes the restrictor toward the direction of the cable.

13. The lock of claim 1, wherein the restrictor further includes a sawtoothed portion, sawteeth of the sawtoothed portion are formed toward the specific direction, when the lock unit is moved to the second portion, the sawtoothed portion contacts the cable so that the cable can only move along the sawteeth of the sawtoothed portion.

14. The lock of claim 1, wherein the restrictor further includes a torsional spring, when the lock unit is moved to the second position, the torsional spring urges the restrictor to rotate toward the cable.

15. A lock, comprising:

a housing;

a cable with one end fixed to the housing and the other end detachably connected to the housing;

a restrictor disposed beside one end of the cable;

a fixing clip disposed on the housing, the fixing clip having a channel, the channel having an open ring-shaped cross-section to allow the other end of the cable to insert therein; and

a lock unit disposed on the housing, the lock unit including a lock body and a discoidal body, the lock body being selectively moved among a first position, a second position, and a third position, wherein the discoidal body connects to the lock body and rotates with the movement of the lock body, the discoidal body has an unlocking portion, a releasing portion, and a clamping portion with the unlocking portion, the releasing portion, and the clamping portion being different rim portions of the discoidal body, the discoidal body has a rotation center, the distance between the unlocking portion and the rotation center is larger than the distance between the releasing portion and the rotation portion, wherein;

when the lock body is moved toward the first position, the unlocking portion contacts the restrictor and gradually enables the restrictor to leave the cable by rotating with the discoidal body, so that the other end of the cable is detachable from the housing;

when the lock body is moved to the second position, the releasing portion faces the restrictor and maintains a distance therebetween to allow the restrictor to move toward the cable so as to restrict the cable to move toward a specific direction; and

when the lock unit is moved toward the third position, the clamping portion gradually pushes the fixing clip as the discoidal body rotates, so that the open ring-shaped cross-section of the channel deforms to restrict the movement of the cable.

16. The lock of claim 15, wherein the restrictor includes a body, a restricting portion, a wedging portion, and a bolt, the body has an axial hole, the body rotatably connects to the housing by inserting the bolt into the axial hole;

the restricting portion and the wedging portion are disposed on two sides of the body while the restricting portion and a projection of the wedging portion on a plane have an angle therebetween;

the restrictor has a sawtoothed portion, sawteeth of the sawtoothed portion formed toward the specific direction, when the lock body is moved to the second position, the sawtoothed portion contacts the cable so that the cable can only moves along the sawteeth.

17. The lock of claim 16, wherein when the lock body is moved to the first position, the discoidal body rotates correspondingly to enable the unlock portion to contact the wedging portion, so that the restrictor leaves the cable accordingly;

when the lock body is moved from the first position toward the second position, the discoidal body rotates correspondingly so that the releasing portion faces the wedging portion and maintains a gap therebetween.

18. The lock of claim 17, wherein the clamping portion is disposed on the rim of the discoidal body so that the distance between the clamping portion and the rotation center is larger than the distance between the releasing portion and the rotation portion and the distance between the unlocking portion and the rotation portion, the clamping portion has a clamping channel, when the lock body is moved from the second position toward the third position, the clamping portion moves toward the fixing clip correspondingly to enable the clamping channel to accommodate a portion of the fixing clip;

the clamping channel has a narrowing width so that the open ring-shaped cross-section of the channel gradually closes with the increasing depth of the fixing clip in the clamping channel.

19. The lock of claim 15, wherein the fixing clip includes two clamping slices, at least a bolt, and at least a spring, the clamping slices connect to each other through the bolt, the spring is disposed between the clamping slices to provide a force to prop apart the clamping slices so as to form the channel.

20. A lock, comprising:

a housing;

a cable with one end fixed to the housing and the other end detachably connected to the housing;

a restrictor disposed beside the other end of the cable, the restrictor having a protruding portion; and

a lock unit disposed on the housing, wherein the lock unit includes a lock body and a discoidal body, the lock body is selectively moved among a first position, a second position, and a third position, the discoidal body is connected to the lock body and rotates with the movement of the lock body, the discoidal body has a protruding arm and a pressing portion, the protruding arm horizontally protrudes from the rim of the discoidal body to form a chute while the pressing portion vertically protrudes from the rim of the discoidal body, wherein;

when the lock body is moved toward the first position, the protruding portion wedges in the chute and slides along the chute to a predetermined position to enable the restrictor to gradually leave the cable through rotating with the discoidal body, so that the other end of the cable is detachable from the housing;

when the lock body is moved toward the second position, the protruding portion slides along the chute to leave therefrom, so that the discoidal body releases the restrictor to allow the restrictor to rotate so as to restrict the cable to move toward a specific direction;

when the lock unit is moved toward the third position, the pressing portion pushes the restrictor in the direction of the cable to enable the restrictor to restrict the movement of the cable.

21. The lock of claim 20, wherein the restrictor has a body, a restricting portion, a wedging portion and a bolt, the body has an axial hole, the body rotatably connects to the housing by inserting the bolt into the axial hole, the restricting portion and the wedging portion are disposed on opposite ends of the body while an angle is kept therebetween;

the restrictor has a sawtoothed portion, sawteeth of the sawtoothed portion are formed toward the specific direction, when the lock body is moved to the second position, the sawteeth contact the cable so that the cable can only be moved along the sawteeth.

22. The lock of claim 20, wherein the pressing portion is an arc-shaped protruding wall.

23. The lock of claim 20, wherein when the lock body is moved to the second position, a distance is maintained between the restrictor and the discoidal body so that when the cable is moved toward the specific direction, the restrictor swings toward the direction of the discoidal body with the movement of the cable so as to restrict the cable to move toward the specific direction.