AU2004201194A1

AU2004201194A1 - Gear lock device

Info

Publication number: AU2004201194A1
Application number: AU2004201194A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Thanyaluk Pitisettakarn
Original assignee: PITISETHAKARN NUNTHA
Current assignee: PITISETHAKARN NUNTHA
Priority date: 2003-10-10
Filing date: 2004-03-22
Publication date: 2005-04-28
Also published as: GB2406839A; GB0414871D0; CN1605512A; GB2406839B; RU2359848C2; CN100408392C; BRPI0402721A; RU2004119164A

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: THANYALUK PITISETTAKARN and NUNTHA

PITISETHAKARN

THANYALUK PITISETTAKARN CALLINAN LAWRIE, 711 High Street, Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia GEAR LOCK DEVICE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 18/03/04,eh13868.cov,1 -2- GEAR LOCK DEVICE Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of engineering for a gear lock device.

More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a lock at the gear lever of an automatic gear with non-straight-lined gear groove.

Background and Related Art A gear lock device, specifically a gear lock device for an ordinary automatic gear system in a car, consists of a rectangular-shaped metal base made from tough and strong steel that is very hard to destroy. By drilling through the car chassis that lies under the gear lever, the bottom of a gear lock device is attached to the car chassis by means of screws. At the top of a gear lock device, it is installed with a padlock that has two holes for a U-shaped latch. When the U-shaped latch is inserted into the padlock, both sides of the U-shaped latch can hold and lock the gear lever in between. This gear lock device makes the gear lever of an automatic gear unmovable. However, the mentioned gear lock device still has problems. It is inevitable that drilling the car chassis requires an expert in order to install a gear lock device. Customers cannot install it by themselves. In addition, this kind of gear lock device has a portion that sticks out all the time, making customers feel uncomfortable.

Features and Objectives of the Invention The present invention seeks to solve the above problems by providing a gear lock device for an automatic gear system in a car with a non-straight-lined gear groove. It consists of two main components, one is a padlock and the other is a locking latch. Both components are designed in order to have a structure that can lock the gear lever at a preferred position, such as the reverse gear position and/or neutral gear position. This structure is very rigid and can prevent the theft.

Another of the objectives of present invention is to provide a gear lock device for an automatic gear system in a car with a non-straight-lined gear groove that does not require installing the gear lock device by drilling the car chassis and to be done by an expert. Again this device consists of two main components, one is a padlock and the other is a locking latch. Both components are designed in order to have the structure that, when 18/03/04,eh I 3868.spc,2 -3the locking latch is fastened to the gear lever and covered by the padlock, this device will seize on the gear groove and make the gear lever stay at the preferred position, such as the reverse gear position and/or neutral gear position.

Additional objectives and advantages of present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the invention referring to each component that appears in the attached drawings as set forth hereinafter.

Brief Description of the Drawings In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and put into practical effect there shall now be described in detail preferred constructions of a gear lock device in accordance with the invention. The description is given by way of non-limitative example only and is with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1, a perspective image, displays gear lock device of the present invention that locks the gear lever with the non-straight-lined gear groove at the preferred position; Figure 2 is a three-dimensional image displaying each part of gear lock device of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the position to install the gear lever attachment; Figure 4 illustrates the top view of two main components, one being the padlock and the other the locking latch of the gear lock device in a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 shows a bottom view of the two main components of a gear lock device in the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 illustrates a top view of the two main components, one being the padlock and the other the locking latch of the gear lock device in a second embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 7 shows a bottom view of the two main components of a gear lock device in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments From Figure 1, it is a perspective image illustrating a gear lock device of the present invention that locks the gear lever with the non-straight-lined gear groove at the preferred position. Figure 2 is a three-dimensional image displaying each component of the gear lock device of Figure 1. The gear lock device of the present invention consists of 18/03/04,eh13868.spc,3 -4two main components, one being the padlock 1 and the other the locking latch 2. Gear lever attachment 3, a part that is attached to the gear lever, is also indicated in Figures 2 and 3. Gear lever attachment 3 is made up of two half-ring elements 4 and 5. A half-ring element 4 has at least two holes 8 and the other half-ring element 5 has bolted holes 9 for tightening nuts 6 through holes 8 of a half-ring element 4. This merges two half-ring elements 4 and 5 to a ring attached to the gear lever 7 with the non-straight-lined gear groove at the preferred position, wherein the padlock 1 and the locking latch 2 will be put together to cover the gear lever 7 and gear lever base 3 as shown in Figure 1.

The padlock 1 and the locking latch 2 as mentioned in the first feature are shown in Figures 4 and 5, wherein the padlock 1 has a body like a box, opened on one side which faces the locking latch 2. At the middle point between the upper and lower edges of the opened side there are two concaves or apertures 10 and 11 whose shapes correspond to that of the gear lever, such as half-ring shape. At the top, there is a key hole 12. At the bottom, there are ridges 13 and 14. These ridges are not a straight line, however, in lines with the gear groove at the locking position as clearly illustrated in Figure 5. Latch holes 14 and used to hold locking latch, are inside the body. At the middle inside the body between latch holes 14 and 15, there is a concave or aperture 16 that has a shape corresponding to that of the half of the gear lever attachment 3 in order to firmly hold the gear lever attachment 3 inside in such a way that it is locked to the locking latch 2. The locking latch 2 has a box-like body whose shape corresponds to the body of the padlock 1. When this gear lock device is put together in the locking position of the present invention, it is a rectangular box. At the middle of the upper and lower edge of the side facing the padlock 1, there are concaves or apertures 20 and 21 whose shape corresponds to that of the gear lever, such as half-ring shape. Two dowels or the like members as locking latches 22 and 23 from the side facing to the padlock 1 for inserting into the latch holes 14 and 15 of the padlock 1. Both sides of the edge of concave or aperture 20 have ridges 24 and 25 as a leading line 27 for attaching it to the gear lever. The middle.point inside the body between locking latch 22 and 23 is a concave or aperture 26 that has a shape corresponding to that of the half of the gear lever attachment 3 in order to firmly hold the gear lever attachment 3 inside at the status that it is locked to the padlock 1.

The padlock 100 and the locking latch 200 in the other feature are shown in Figure 6 and 7. The padlock 100 and the locking latch 200 have the same shapes as the padlock 1 and the locking latch 2 in the first feature. The difference is that the padlock 100 has ridges 124 and 125 at both sides of the edge of concave or aperture 101. This makes a I 8/03/04,eh 13868.spc,4 leading line 127 for attaching it to the gear lever. In addition, the bottom of the body of the padlock 100 is plain, without ridges 201 and 202 whose shapes correspond to that of the gear groove, whereas these ridges are located at the bottom of locking latch part 200 instead and the bottom of locking latch part 200 does not have ridges 124 and 125, which are located at the padlock 100, instead.

Finally, it is to be understood that the aforegoing description refers merely to preferred embodiments of the invention, and that variations and modifications will be possible thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the ambit of which is to be determined from the following claims.

18/03/04,ehl 3868.spc,5

Claims

1. A gear lock device for locking a gear lever with a non-straight-lined gear groove at a preferred position, including: a padlock and a locking latch, wherein a gear lever attachment is made up of two half-ring elements, wherein one of said elements has at least two holes and the other has bolted holes for tightening nuts through holes from said one of end elements, wherein said two half-ring elements are merged into a ring attached to the gear lever.

2. The gear lock device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said padlock has a body like a box, open on one side, which faces said locking latch and wherein, at the middle point between the upper and lower edges of the open side of said box, there are a plurality of concaves or apertures, corresponding to the shape of said gear lever, and preferably in the shape of a half-ring.

3. The gear lever device as claimed in claim 2, wherein at the top of said box there is provided a partly-covered keyhole, and at the bottom there are provided a plurality of ridges.

4. The gear lock device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said ridges are not a straight line, in line with said gear groove at a locking position therefor.

The gear lock device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said locking latch includes a body the shape of which corresponds to that of the body of said padlock and wherein, when said gear lock device is in the locking position, it has the shape of a rectangular box, and wherein, at the middle of the upper and lower edges of that side facing said padlock, there are provided a plurality of concaves or apertures, corresponding in shape to that of said gear lever, preferably have the shape of a half-ring.

6. The gear lock device as claimed in claim 5, including two dowels as a locking latch, extending from the side facing said padlock, adapted to be inserted into apertures of said padlock, and wherein both sides of the edge of each said concave or aperture have a plurality of ridges serving as a body line for attachment to said gear lever, and wherein the middle point inside said body and between said locking latch in a concave 18/03/04,eh I 3868.spc,6 or aperture the shape of which corresponds to that of half of said gear lever attachment in order to firmly hold said gear lever attachment made at the time it is locked to said padlock.

7. The gear lock device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said padlock has ridges at both sides of the edges of concaves that serve as a leading line for attachment to said gear lever, and the bottom of said body of said padlock part is flat or level without ridges whose shapes correspond to that of the gear groove, said ridges being located at the surface of the bottom of said locking latch.

8. The gear lock device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said locking latch does not have any ridges at the side edge of both concaves or apertures, whereas these ridges are located at the same position in said padlock.

9. A gear lock device for locking a gear lever with a non-straight-lined gear groove, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 18 th day of March, 2004 THANYALUK PITISETTAKARN and NUNTHA PITISETHAKARN By Their Patent Attorneys CALLINAN LAWRIE 18/03/04,eh13868.spc,7