Alarming wire lock

• US 5,786,759 A
• Filed: 05/15/1997
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chong-Kuan Ling
• Original Assignee: Chong-Kuan Ling
• Inventors: Ling, Chong-Kuan
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US08/856,748
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 340/542, 340/543, 340/529, 340/568, 340/571, 70/DIG. 49, 70/432, 70/439, 70/286, 70/315, 70/22, 70/30
• US Class Current: 340/542
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 37/025 in padlocks
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 45/005 Chain-locks, cable-locks or padlocks with alarms
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 67/006 with retraction of the cable for storage E05B73/0029 takes precedence; for devices mounted to a fixed surface or a portable object E05B73/0011
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 70/49 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/435 Flexible shackle

Abstract

An alarming wire lock includes an alarm circuit provided in the wire lock having a self-retractable wire wound in the lock casing and outwardly pulled to lock a thing by fastening the wire on the thing, whereby upon cutting of the wire or upon vibration of the thing, the alarm circuit will be actuated for sounding for safety warning.

Claims

1. An alarming wire lock comprising:

a casing (1) having a front cover (1a) combined with a rear cover (1b) for forming the casing, and having a right hole (12) and a left hole (13) respectively formed in an upper right and left portion of said casing;

a wire means (2) having a wire rope (21) wound on a reel (22) rotatably mounted in said casing and a locking head (24) secured on an outermost end of the wire rope (21) to be rested in the right hole when the wire lock is unlocked, with the locking head locked in the left hole when the wire lock is locked;

a plurality of dials (3) and sleeves (4) rotatably mounted in said casing;

a push-button latch (5) transversely mounted in said casing and slidably engageable with said sleeves resiliently coupled with said dials, said latch (5) engageable with said locking head (24) when locked in the left hole in said casing;

a resilient impinger (6) movably held in a left portion of said casing for resiliently ejecting said locking head (24) of said wire means when unlocked;

a wire clutch means (7) pivotally mounted in said casing for controlling a rewinding of said wire rope (21) on said reel (22) and controlling a releasing of said wire rope (21) unwound from said reel (22), said wire clutch means (7) operatively locked by said impinger (6) when downwardly depressed by said locking head (24) when the wire lock is locked; and

an alarm circuit (8) having an alarm (85) provided in said casing (1), said alarm (85) operatively actuated upon a cutting of the wire rope (21) or upon a vibration of said casing (1);

said alarm circuit (8) including;

an alarm integrated circuit (81) secured on a circuit board (80) installed in the casing (1) for processing an input alarm signal and for controlling an actuation of said alarm (85) electrically connected to the alarm integrated circuit (81), a power source having at least a battery (82) stored in a battery chamber (1)formed in said casing and having two poles of the power source (82) electrically connected to the alarm integrated circuit (81), a wire-rope input lead (83) electrically connected between the alarm integrated circuit (81) and the wire rope (21) of the wire means (2) through a rotary connector (25) whereby the cutting of the wire rope (21) will input a first signal into the alarm integrated circuit (81) through the wire-rope input lead (83) to actuate the alarm (85) for alarming, a vibration sensor (84) having a vibration input lead (842) of the sensor (84) electrically connected to the alarm integrated circuit (81) whereby a vibration of the wire lock will input a second signal into the alarm integrated circuit (81) through the vibration input lead (842) to actuate the alarm (85) for warning, and an indicator lamp (86) indicating the alarm circuit (8) being ready for warning.

2. An alarming wire lock according to claim 1, wherein said wire rope (21) is made of electrically conductive material and the locking head (24) being electrically conductive, said impinger (6) having a flange (61) formed on a middle portion of the impinger (6) and a tensioning spring (62), which is electrically conductive, resiliently tensioning the flange (61) upwardly, whereby when the locking head (24) is locked into the left hole (13) in the casing, the impinger (6) is depressed downwardly to contact a contactor switch (823) respectively connected to a negative pole of the power source (82) and connected to a negative-pole input lead (824) electrically connected to the alarm integrated circuit (81), with the power source (82) having a positive pole (821) thereof electrically connected to the alarm integrated circuit (81), whereby upon locking of the locking head (24) with the push-button latch (5), the alarm circuit (8) is closed;

and upon cutting of the wire rope (21), the wire-rope input lead (83) will input a voltage change signal into the alarm integrated circuit (81) to actuate the alarm (85) for warning.

3. An alarming wire lock according to claim 1, wherein said rotary connector (25) for connecting the wire rope (21) and the input lead (83) includes:

an electrically conductive bottom disk (251) rotatably mounted on a spindle (11) of said reel (22) in the casing (1) and electrically connected to an innermost end (212) of the wire rope (21), an electrically conductive tension spring (252) disposed around the spindle (11) having a bottom spring end of the tension spring (252) rotatably slidably contacting the bottom disk (251), and an electrically conductive top disk (253) connected with the wire-rope input lead (83) and fixed on a top of the spindle (11) to rotatably slidably contact an upper spring end of the tension spring (252) to be electrically connected with the wire rope (21).

4. An alarming wire lock according to claim 3, wherein said wire-rope input lead (83) is bridged over the top disk (253) and the reel (22) to be embedded in a slot formed in a front cover (1a) to said casing (1) to prevent from tangling by the wire rope (21) from the reel (22).

5. An alarming wire lock according to claim 1, wherein said battery of said power source is stored in a battery chamber formed in a rear cover of said casing, having a battery cover (1c) for covering said battery chamber, said battery cover (1c) formed with a hook recess for engaging a hook portion (541) protruding from a retarding plate (54a) formed on said push-button latch (5) to thereby lock the battery cover (1c) on the rear cover of the casing (1) when the wire lock is locked by engaging the push-button latch (5) with the locking head (24) to thereby prevent retraction of the hook portion (541) in order for locking the battery cover (1c).

6. An alarming wire lock according to claim 1, wherein said vibration sensor (84) is selected from:

a spring switch, a mercury switch and switches, which are triggered by vibration, for actuating said alarm (85), with the sensor (84) electrically connected to the alarm integrated circuit (81) by an vibration input lead (842) and connected to a sensor switch (841) having a negative-pole of said sensor switch (841) grounded.

7. An alarming wire lock according to claim 6, wherein said vibration sensor (84) includes:

time-delay circuit which is actuated to delay the actuation of the alarm (85) in a predetermined time interval.