US 5,085,061 AGranted

Anti-theft device for motor vehicles

OwnerMichael J. Maudsleyinventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An anti-theft device for a motor vehicle includes an elongate wheel lock bar slidably displaceable within a guide member, the guide member being fixedly securable to the floor board of a vehicle. When so secured and by providing suitable apertures in the floor board and fire wall of the vehicle, the wheel lock bar can be displaced between an inoperative position and an operative position in which the bar will inhibit the normal operation of a front wheel of the vehicle, thereby effectively immobilizing the vehicle. An electric motor is provided for displacing the wheel lock bar via a displacement shaft, operation of the motor being controlled by a control means in a manner that displacement of the wheel lock bar into its operative position will occur automatically upon the vehicle engine being switched off and the vehicle door being opened, whereas displacement into its inoperative position will require transmission of a coded signal to the control means.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An anti-theft device for a motor vehicle, which includes an elongate wheel lock bar, defining a longitudinal axis, securable to the body of a vehicle in a configuration in which it is displaceable between an inoperative position and two operative positions in which the bar can inhibit normal operation of a steered wheel of the vehicle one operative position being a position in which one end of the wheel lock bar bears against the tire of a steered wheel of a vehicle for inhibiting rotation of the said wheel and the other operative position being a position in which the steered wheel is turned about its vertical axis to the extent that the said end of the wheel lock bar is positioned adjacent the said wheel, blocking turning back of the said wheel;

displacement means for displacing the wheel lock bar between its inoperative and operative positions and for holding the bar in these positions;
control means for controlling operation of the displacement means;
and
sensor means for sensing resistance to displacement of the wheel lock bar in a first direction of displacement, for deactivating the operation of the displacement means for as long as a predetermined degree of resistance to displacement is being sensed, and for permitting reactivation of the operation of the displacement means for continuing displacement of the wheel lock bar in said first direction when said predetermined degree of resistance ceases to exist, said sensor means incorporated as part of the displacement means for displacing the wheel lock bar, and including switches for deactivating the displacement means while predetermined degrees of resistance to displacement is sensed.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.