GB2149552A

GB2149552A - A device for locking and releasing luggage carts

Info

Publication number: GB2149552A
Application number: GB08425140A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Henri-Andre Payraudeau; Jean-Pierre Etienne M Stremler
Original assignee: Mors SA
Current assignee: Mors SA
Priority date: 1983-10-07
Filing date: 1984-10-04
Publication date: 1985-06-12
Also published as: LU85571A1; ES281813Y; ES281813U; CA1264115C; DK476484D0; NO165419B; CH661605A5; DK476484A; IT8423021A0; IT1196282B; IT8423021A1; NO165419C; SE8404948L; CA1248359A; BE900744A; NL186276C; NO844013L; SE8404948D0; DE3436610A1; DE3436610C2

Abstract

A device for locking and releasing objects intended for public use, such as luggage carts is characterized in that it includes a slide (5) constituted by two portions, i.e., a first portion (5a), a second portion (5b) separated from the first portion by an intermediate or shim element (5c) adapted to be displaced out of its housing by a special means such as a magnetic key to allow said first portion to be displaced, by a pulling action exerted thereon, with respect to the said second portion to thus unlock the object locked between two adjacent objects. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to a device for locking and releasing objects intended for public use, such as luggage carts.

The present invention relates to an improvement to the device for locking and releasing objects intended for public use, particularly objects intended to be put at the public's disposal free of charge, such as luggage carts in a railway station or an airport, shopping trolleys in a self-service store, which objects the public can take directly from a common stowage space and must be taken back to said stowage space, which device is described in BRITISH patent application No. 83 17943 filed on the 1st July 1983, publication no 2135491.

There is already known a device including a locking apparatus allowing each object to be automatically locked to the adjacent object or to a fixed point in stowed position, into which locking apparatus is introduced a coin or the like authorizing the unlocking of the locking apparatus and the release of the object by exerting a pull thereon, said locking apparatus being designed to return the said coin when the object is returned to the stowage space and locked to an adjacent object or to a fixed point, and the unlocking is obtained by the said pull, which ensures successively the unblocking of the locking apparatus and the release of said object.The locking apparatus includes particularly a slide which is movable under the action of the said pull and fixable by an internal locking member which is movable to a non-blocking position by coming into contact with the edge of the said coin, the said slide serving to lock or unlock the lock connecting the object to an adjacent object or to a fixed point.

However, such a device suffers from a disadvantage which consists in that the introduction of a coin does not allow unlocking an intermediate object from a line of objects locked to one another, for all the front and rear clearances of the intermediate object are insufficient and even eliminated.

The present invention therefore has for a purpose to remedy this disadvantage by providing a device for locking and releasing objects intended for public use, such as luggage carts, of the type described above, and characterized in that it comprises an appropriate means for unblocking the said object from the adjacent object, particularly when it is locked between two adjacent objects.

According to a feature of the invention, the said slide is constituted by two portions, a first portion serving to perform the said locking and unlocking of the connecting lock, a second portion, separate from the first portion and located towards an end portion of the casing of the locking apparatus, an intermediate element being housed between the first and second portions so as to maintain a distance of separation between the first and second portions of the slide substantially equal to the slide travel necessary for unlocking the connecting lock, the said intermediate element being partially displaceable out of its housing by said appropriate means to allow the first portion of the slide to be moved under the action of the said pull with respect to the second portion of the slide over the said distance of separation, thus unlocking the said object from the adjacent object, particularly when it is locked between two adjacent objects.

According to another feature of the invention, said intermediate element is a substantially rectangular metal plate having two of its free sides adjacent to two corresponding shoulders of the first and second portions of the slide, respectively, and maintained between the first and second portions by a resilient straight element one end of which is connected to the said intermediate element, whereas its other end is connected to one of the said first and second portions of the slide.

According to still another feature of the invention, the said means is in the form of a magnetic key extending throughout the casing of the locking apparatus and attracting one of the said two free sides of the metal plate out of the corresponding said shoulder.

According to the invention, the device for locking and releasing objects of the type wherein the lock for connecting the object to an adjacent object or to a fixed point is constituted by first, female means and second, male means connected to the longitudinally endmost portions of the casing of the locking apparatus, respectively, the said first means consisting of a clamp constituted by two unsymmetrical jaws and so designed that only a locking pin, constituting the said second means of an adjacent object and perfectly calibrated, can be inserted therebetween, is characterized in that said locking pin is mounted on a removable support arbor of the longitudinally endmost portion of the casing of the locking apparatus.

Thus, the device according to the present invention allows ranks or lines of locked carts to be disrupted or broken up in order to transfer them to other, less charged ranks.

According to another feature of the invention, the locking apparatus includes means for retaining the said coin or the like in either of two positions in which the coin is confined in the locking apparatus, i.e., an active retained position ensuring the unlocking of the locking apparatus and an inactive retained position, respectively.

According to still another feature of the invention, the coin is introduced into the locking apparatus through a slit located on the external lateral wall of the cover of the locking apparatus casing.

This feature offers the advantage of reducing the penetration of water and humidity capable of freezing the device on frost days.

The invention will be better understood and other purposes, features, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly as the following explanatory description proceeds with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawings given solely by way of example illustrating two forms of embodiment of the invention and wherein:: - Figure 1 is a sectional view upon the line I-I of Figure 2, illustrating one example of embodiment of a locking apparatus according to the invention; - Figure 2 is a sectional view upon the line ll-ll of Figure 1; - Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the portion encircled by a dash-dotted line in Figure 2; - Figure 4 is a sectional view upon the line IV-IV of Figure 5 illustrating another example of embodiment of a locking apparatus according to the invention; - Figure 5 is a sectional view upon the line V-V of Figure 4; - Figure 6 is a sectional view upon the line VI-VI of Figure 4; - Figure 7 is a sectional view upon the line VII VII of Figure 4; and - Figure 8 is a perspective view of the various elements constituting the locking apparatus of the invention.

The device according to the invention allows several luggage carts (not shown) in stowed position to be locked to one another.

Referring to the Figures, the device includes a locking apparatus 3 allowing each object to be automatically locked to the adjacent object or to a fixed point in stowed position, and into which a coin or the like 4 is introduced to allow unlocking of the locking apparatus 3 and releasing the object by exerting a pull thereon, the locking apparatus 3 being designed to return the coin 4 when the object is taken back to the stowage space and locked to an adjacent object or to a fixed point; in particular, said pull ensures successively the unblocking of the lock 3 and the unlocking of the object.

As will be recalled, the locking apparatus 3 includes a slide 5 which is movable under the action of the said pull and is fixable by an internal blocking member 6 and unblockable when a sufficient pull is exerted by coming into contact with the edge of the coin 4, the slide 5 serving to lock or unlock the lock 37 connecting the object to an adjacent object or to a fixed point.

In the example illustrated, the blocking member is constituted by a stop or abutment 6 pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 9 which is substantially horizontal and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X-X' of lye locking apparatus 3. The stop 6 may be acted upon by a U-shaped-strip returnspring 10.

The movable slide 5 has a shoulder 11 at its upper surface opposite the free end of the stop 6.

When no coin is introduced into the locking apparatus and when a pull is exerted on the object, the free end of the free stop moves into abutment against the shoulder 11, thus preventing the unlocking of the locking apparatus. Figure 1 shows the travel a of the slide during a pull onto the object without introducing any coin within the locking apparatus.

The locking apparatus 3 also includes a means 8 for retaining the coin 4 in either of two positions in which the coin is confined in the locking apparatus, i.e., an active retained position ensuring the unblocking of the locking apparatus 3 and an inactive retained position, respectively. As illustrated in the Figures and more particularly in Figure 4, the retaining means 8 consists of a projection cast integral with the internal face of the cover 3a of the locking apparatus and occupies a definite position in the recess 12 of the slit 13 extending throughout the locking apparatus, said projection 8 being located substantially at the longitudinal axis X-X' of the said locking apparatus.Such a projection advantageously replaces the rocker and spring of the retaining means described in BRITISH patent application no 8317943 filed on the 1st July 1983 and allows a considerable saving of time in mounting the locking apparatus and a higher reliability thereof (doing away with the movable parts) while at the same time having no unfavourable effect upon the operation of the device. Indeed, up to a given value of the pulling action, i.e., up to a certain displacement of the slide 5 towards the left (in Figure 1) with respect to the projection 8, the latter retains the coin 4 in the slit 13 in its active position ensuring the unblocking of the locking apparatus 3.

When this pre-determined value is exceeded, the coin 4 moves down in the slit 13 by gravity and assumes an inactive retained position as shown in dash-dotted lines in Figure 1. The coin 4 is maintained in a inactive position by resting, on the one hand, on the vertical wall 5a (in dash-dotted lines) of the slide 5 and, on the other hand, on the upper curvilinear portion of the recovery funnel E. When the object is taken back to the stowage space and is locked to an adjacent object or to a fixed point, the slide 5 moves to the right (in Figure 1) so as to release the coin from the slit 13 and thus allow it to be recovered.Figure 1 shows the total travel b of the slide during the unlocking of the connecting lock 37, this travel being defined between an abutment portion B integral with a fixing element 42 to which the locking apparatus 3 is fixed and a rounded endmost edge of an opening provided in the slide along the axis X-X' and in which the abutment B is located, the convex portion of this edge being directed towards the projection 8.

The lock 37 for connecting the object to an adjacent object whose locking apparatus 3' is represented by dotted lines constituted by first, female means 19, 20 and second, male means 38, connected to the longitudinally endmost portion 39, 40 of the casing of the locking apparatus 3, respectively. The said first means connected to the longitudinal end 39 of the locking apparatus 3, i.e., as in the example illustrated, the end in the right portion of Figure 2, is constituted in particular by a clamp consisting of two unsymmetrical jaws 19, 20 acted upon by a spring 30 and so designed that only a connecting bar or locking pin 38 constituting the aforesaid second means of an adjacent object and whose diameter is perfectly calibrated, can fit in therebetween. In the example illustrated, the connecting bar 38 is connected to the endmost portion 40 of the casing of the locking apparatus 3 (in the left portion of Figure 2) adjacent to the free end 41 of the slide 5, and, in the locked position, is spaced from the latter a sufficient distance to allow said bar to be introduced between the jaws 19", 20" (only the endmost portion of the latter being shown in dotted lines) of the locking apparatus of an adjacent object.

Thus, in the unlocked position, the free end 41 of the slide 5, shown in Figure 1 in dotted lines, prevents the locking of the cart to another cart. Indeed, the space then formed between the connecting bar 38 and the free end 41 of the slide 5 is insufficient to allow the introduction of the bar 38 between the jaws 19", 20" of another cart.

Thus, in case a cart is abandoned, it is no longer possible, owing to such design of the locking apparatus, to use its locking pin for locking one's cart. In other words, one cannot lock his cart to another cart unless the latter is already locked.

The movable slide 5 is also provided with a tongue 23 holding the jaws 19, 20 of the clamp in closed position. To this end, the jaws 19, 20 are provided, on their inner-most portion in the locking apparatus, with mutually opposite recesses 36a, 36b which, in the locked position of the locking apparatus, define a space in which the tongue 23 is located so as to block the locking apparatus in this position.

The locking apparatus 3 is secured to a cart by the fixing member 42 through the medium of appropriate fastening means 43 such as screws, bolts or the like.

Furthermore, there may be provided an oblong recess 44 for the calibrated bar 38 so as to compensate for the differences in height between the carts, and an opening 45 in the endmost portion 40 of the locking apparatus 3 so dimensioned as to provide a lateral clearance between the carts.

The operation of the locking apparatus has already been described in detail in BRITISH patent application No. 8317943 filed on the 1st July 1983 and, therefore, needs not be described again here.

Once the locking apparatus 3 is locked, on the one hand, by means of its jaws 19, 20, to the locking pin 38' of the locking apparatus 3' of an adjacent object and, on the other hand, by means of its locking pin 38, to the jaws 19", 20" of another adjacent cart, it is no longer possible, by introducing a coin, to release the object from the adjacent object standing on the right side (according to Figure 1). Indeed, a pull exerted on the object towards the left (according to Figure 1) results in a displacement, in the same direction, of the slide 5, i.e., a slide travel c defined between the free end 41 of the slide and the free ends of the jaws 19", 20".

Since the travel c is smaller than the total travel b of the slide 5 defined previously, the tongue 23 maintains the clamp jaws 19, 20 in the locked position.

The present invention allows removing the above drawback.

To this end, the slide 5 is constituted by two portions, i.e., a first portion 5a constituting the slide portion serving to lock or unlock the connecting lock 37 of the object to an adjacent object, and a second portion 5b completely separate from the first portion and located near the endmost portion 40 of the casing of the locking apparatus 3. The said first and second portions are spaced from one another a distance d along the axis X-X' by an intermediate or shim element Sc in the form of a substantially rectangular metal plate.The plate Sc is located in a cavity defined between the first and second portions 5a and 5b and having two lateral walls perpendicular to the axis X-X' of Figure 1 defined by two shoulders Sal and 5b1 respectively, of the first and second portions adjacent to the free opposite sides 5c1 and 5c2 of the plate 5c, the upper and lower sides 5c3 and 5c4 of the plate Sc which are parallel to the axis X-X' being adjacent to the upper walls 5a3, 5b3 and the lower walls 5a4, 5b4 of the cavity.As shown particularly in Figure 2, the plate Sc bears partially by its face 5c5, on the one hand, against a face 5a2 of the first portion 5a perpendicularly connecting with the shoulder Sal and parallel to the axis X-X' and, on the other hand, against a face 5b2 of the second portion 5b perpendicularly connecting with the shoulder 5bl and parallel to the axis X-X', the said faces 5a2 and 5b2 constituting the bottom of the cavity in which the plate Sc is housed and connecting with the end edges 5a5 and 5b5, respectively, of the first and second portions 5a and 5b and spaced a distance d. The width of the shoulders Sal and 5b1 is substantially the same as the thickness of the plate 5c.

A flat face 5b6 parallel to the axis X-X' and spaced from the internal wall 3a1 of the cover 3a of the locking apparatus 3 connects with the shoulder 5bl.

A resilient straight element 5d in the form of a thin metal plate bears upon the face of the metal plate 5b confronting the face 5c5 and connected at one of its free ends to the plate Sc through the medium of a hook portion 5d1 extending through an opening in the form of a slot 5c6 provided on the free side 5c2 adjacent to the shoulder 5bl. The resilient plate 5d extends beyond the plate Sc and has its other end secured between a corresponding flat face of the first portion 5a and a washer 5e pressed against the resilient plate 5d through the medium of, for example, a rivet or the like.It is understood that the plate Sc is maintained in position between the shoulders Sal and 5b1 by the resilient plate 5d. Of course, the resilient plate 5d may be secured to the second portion 5b of the slide with the hook portion located in proximity to the shoulder 5al.

There also appears in Figures 2 and 3 a lock device including a sepcial service key, particularly a magnetic key 50, adapted to be inserted into a corresponding lock hole 51 provided through the wall of the cover 3a of the locking apparatus 3 and opening into the interior of the latter in proximity the end side 5c2 of the metal plate 5c, the axis Y-Y' of the lock hole being perpendicular to the plate Sc and approximately intersecting the longitudinal axis X-X' of Figure 1, the plate side 5c3 being substantially aligned with the axis X-X'.

Figure 3 shows the magnetic key 50 inserted into its corresponding lock hole. In this position, a magnet 50a located at the free end of the key is placed adjacent to the face of the metal plate Sc opposed to the face 5c3 of the latter. The magnet then attracts the end portion of plate Sc including the side 5c2, which therefore is outside the shoulder 5b1 and bears upon the internal face 3a1 of the lateral wall of the cover 3a of the casing of the locking apparatus 3 so that the plate Sc is inclined with respect to the axis X-X'. Figure 3 shows the angle of inclination of the upper side 5c3 of the plate Sc with respect to the axis X-X'.By exerting a pull on the object, the first portion 5a of the slide 5 is displaced with respect to the second portion 5b in a direction towards the left in Figure 2. Simultaneously with this displacement of the first portion 5a, the end portion including the side 5c2 of the plate Sc enters the space defined between the face 5b6 and the internal face 3a1 of the lateral wall of the cover 3a. Figure 3 precisely shows the endmost position of the edge 5a5 of the first portion 5a at the end of the travel of the latter (d then being substantially equal to 0). In this endmost position of the first portion 5a of the slide 5, the connecting lock 37 is unlocked, thus allowing the object to be unlocked from the locking pin 38' of the adjacent cart.It is therefore understood that the slide 5 thus designed allows an authorized person possessing the magnetic key 50 to unlock an intermediate object or cart from a line of objects locked to one another.

The said authorized person can thereafter exert a push on the object resulting in a displacement towards the right of the portion 5a of the slide 5 till the endmost position of the latter, i.e., till the separating distance d is again reached. The said person then withdraws the magnetic key 50 from its lock hole and the resilient plate acts upon and returns the free side 5c2 to a position opposite the shoulder 5b1, the plate Sc thus being again located between the shoulders Sal and 5b1 as shown in Figure 2.

Of course, the lock hole 51 is a complex hole in order to prevent an unauthorized person from inserting therein a magnetized means allowing the aforedescribed unlocking.

Referring now to more particularly to Figures 4 and 5, a second embodiment according to the invention of a locking apparatus will be described. It is well understood that the identical elements of the two embodiments have the same reference numerals and are not to be described again. In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5, the locking pin 38 is mounted on a support arbor 46 connected to the endmost portion 40 of the casing of the locking apparatus 3 (in the left-hand portion of Figure 4 adjacent to the free end 41 of the slide 5 and spaced from the latter, in the locked position, a sufficient distance to allow the pin 38 to be inserted between the jaws of the locking apparatus of an adjacent object.

As shown in Figure 5, the support arbor 46 extends through the opening 45 of the endmost portion 40 of the locking apparatus 3 (this opening being so dimensioned as to provide a lateral clearance between carts) and is removable perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis X-X' of the casing of the locking apparatus by the use of a circlip element 47. The possibility of removing the support abor 46 allows disrupting or breaking up ranks of carts in order to transfer them to other, less charged ranks.

The locking pin 38 includes a first cylindrical hollow portion 38a connecting at one of its ends with a second cylindrical shoulder portion 38b laterally abutting against a corresponding shoulder of the arbor 46. The diameter of each of the two cylindrical portions 38a, 38b is so calibrated as to allow it to be inserted between the jaws 19, 20.

As shown in Figure 4, the jaw 19 is so shaped that the calibrated cylindrical portion 38a of the pin 38 fits therein, whereas the jaw 20, which is smaller in length than the jaw 19, has an oblique surface 28 against which, in the locked position, the circular external surface of the shoulder 38b bears. Thus, the unlocking of the locking apparatus is made difficult for defrauders, the jaw 20 being partially covered by the cover 3a of plastics material. This covering of course also applies to the locking apparatus of Figures 1 and 2.

It should be noted that, when the support arbor 46 is removed from the locking apparatus 3 in order to disrupt a rank of carts, the locking pin 38 remains inserted between the jaws 19, 20 of the locking apparatus of the adjacent cart.

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the various locking apparatus elements described.

There also appears in this Figure a slit 3b provided on the external lateral wall of the cover 3a of the locking apparatus casing 3c and through which the coin or the like 4 is introduced. The modification of the location of this slit offers the advantage of reducing the penetration of water and humidity capable of freezing the locking apparatus on frost days.

Claims

1. A device for locking and releasing objects intended for public use, such as luggage carts, of the type including a locking apparatus allowing each object to be automatically locked to the adjacent object or to a fixed point in stowage position and into which a coin or the like can be inserted to allow unlocking the locking apparatus and releasing the object by exerting a pull thereon, the said unlocking being ensured by the said pull, the said locking apparatus including a slide displaceable by the said pull and fixable by an internal blocking member which is movable to a non-blocking position by coming into contact with the edge of the said coin, the said slide serving to lock or unlock the lock connecting the object to an adjacent object or to a fixed point, characterized in that it comprises an appropriate means for unlocking said object from the adjacent object, in particular when it is locked between two adjacent objects.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the slide (5) is constituted by two portions, i.e., a first portion (5a) for the said locking and unlocking of the said connecting lock (37), a second portion (5b) separate from the first portion and located near the endmost portion (40) of the casing of the locking apparatus (3), an intermediate element (5c) being housed between the said first and second portions so as to maintain between the said first and second portions of the slide (5) a separating distance (d) substantially equal to the slide travel necessary for unlocking the connecting lock (37); the said intermediate element being partially displaceable out of its housing by said appropriate means (50) to allow the first portion (5a) of the slide to be displaced by the said pull with respect to the second portion (5b) over the said sep-arating distance, thus unlocking the said object from the adjacent object, in particular when it is locked between two adjacent objects.

3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that the said intermediate element is a substantially rectangular metal plate having two (5c1, 5c2) of its free sides adjacent to two corresponding shoulders (5al, 5b1), respectively, of the said first and second portions of the slide, and maintained between the two shoulders by a resilient straight element (5b) having one of its ends connected to the said intermediate element and its other end connected to one of the said first and second portions of the slide.

4. A device according to any preceding claims, characterized in that the said means (50) is in the form of a magnetic key adapted to be passed through the casing of the said locking apparatus (3) and attract the endmost portion of the said plate (5c) including one of the said two free sides out of the said corresponding shoulder.

5. A device according to one of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the said resilient straight element is a thin metal plate bearing flat against the face of the metal plate (5c) adjacent to the hole (51) for the passage of the magnetic key (50) and extending beyond the said plate (5c) to form the said other end connected to one of the said first and second portions of the slide.

6. A device according to one of the foregoing claims, characterized in that said end of the metal plate (5c) is provided with a hook portion (5d1) passing through the corresponding opening (5c6) of the metal plate (5c) and in that the said other end is connected, e.g. by riveting or the like, to the first portion (5a) of the slide.

7. A device according to claim 1, of the type wherein the lock (37) for locking the object to an adjacent object or to a fixed point is constituted by first or female means (19, 20) and second or male means (38) connected to the longitudinally endmost portions (39, 40), respectively, of the casing of the locking apparatus (3), the said first means consisting of a clamp constituted by two unsymmetrical jaws (19, 20) and so designed that only a locking pin (38) constituting the said second means of an adjacent object and perfectly calibrated, can be inserted therebetween, characterized in that said locking pin is mounted on a support arbor (46) removable from the longitudinally endmost portion (40) of the casing of the locking apparatus (3) in order to disrupt a rank of objects locked to one another.

8. A device according to claim 7, characterized in that the said support arbor is removable perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis X-X' of the casing of the locking apparatus (3) after removing a ciclip element (47).

9. A device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the said locking pin includes a first hollow cylindrical portion (38a) connecting at one of its ends with a second cylindrical portion (38b) constituting a shoulder, each of the said first and second portions having a calibrated diameter.

10. A device according to claim 7 to 9, characterized in that the said locking pin fits into one (19) of the said two jaws by the said first cylindrical portion (38a), the second jaw (20) being so shaped as to allow the said second cylindrical portion (38b) to bear thereon.

11. A device according to one of the foregoing claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the said locking apparatus includes means (8) for retaining the said coin or the like (4) in either of two positions in which the said coin or the like is confined in the said locking apparatus, i.e., an active retained position ensuring the unblocking of the locking apparatus and an inactive retained position, respectively.

12. A device according to claim 11, characterized in that the said retaining means is in the form of a projection integral with the cover (3a) of the casing of the locking apparatus and occupies a definite position in the slit (13) extending through the locking apparatus (3).

13. A device according to one of the foregoing claims 7 to 12, characterized in that the said coin or the like (4) is introduced through the slit (3b) located on the external lateral wall of the cover (3a) of the casing of the locking apparatus (3).

14. A device substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.