Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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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 railw.ay 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 the said stowage space, which device is
described in CANADIAN patent application nD 4~1 721
lû filed on the 4th July 1983.
There is already known a device including a locking
apparatus allowing each object to be automaticall:y locked
to the adjacent object or~to a fixed point in stowed
position, into which locking appa:ratus is introduced a
coin or the like authorizing the unlocking of the locking
apparatus and the release o:f the object by exerting a
pull thereon,; said lockin~g ~apparatus~being designed to
return the said c:oin when the object is returned to the
stowage space and:locked to an adjacent obj~ect or to a
20 fixed point, and the unlocking is:::obtai~ned by the said
pull, which ensures successively the unblocking of the
locking~apparatus and the r`elease;of the said obJect.
The locking:~:apparatus~includes parti~cularly~a slide which ~-
: is;movable under the:~;acti~on~of the sa~id pull and fixable :by an:int~er:nal:locking memb~er which is movable to a non~
b:I~ocking~posltlo;n~by comlng~lnto~contact with~ the édge of ;~
the said~co~ln,~;~the sa~ld s~llde serving:to~lock or unlock
the lock~co~nnectlng;the~obJect to an adjacent object or to
a.fixed~poi~nt.~
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However, such a device suffers from a disadvantagewhich 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 insuffic-
ient 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 compri~es an appropriate means
for unblockin~ 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 a preferred aspect of the invention,
said interme~iate element is a substantially rec~angular
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
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element one end of which is connected to the said
intermediate element, whereas its other end is connected
to one o~ the said first and second por-tions o the
slide.
According to another preferred 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 one embodiment of the present
invention there is provided a device for locking and
releasing objects intended for public use, such as
luggage carts, including a locking apparatus allowing
each object to be automatically locked to an adjacent
object or to a fixed point in stowage position and into
which a coin can be inserted to allow unlocking of the
locking apparatus and releasing of the object by
exerting a pull thereon, the unlocking being ensured by
the pull, the locking apparatus including a casing, a
slide displaceable by the pull, an internal blocking
member for fi~ing the slide and which is movable to a
non-blocking position by coming into contact with an
edge of the coin, and a connecting lock for locking the
object to the adjacent object or to the fixed point, the
slide serving to lock or unlock the connecting lock
connecting the object to the adjacent object or to the
fixed point; wherein the slide is constituted by two
portions, a first portion for the locking and unlocking
of the connecting lock, a second portion separate from
the first portion and located near an endmost portion of
the casing of the locking apparatus, and additionally
comprising an intermediate element housed between the
first and second portions forming a~housing therefor so
as to maintain between the firs. and second portions of
the slide a~separating distance substantially equal to
slide travel necessary for unlocking the connecting
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lock, means ~or allowing the firs-t portion of the slide
to be displaced by the pull with respec-t to the second
portion over the separating distance, the intermediate
element being partially displaceable out of the housing
between the first and second portions by the means, thus
unlocking the object from the adjacent object.
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 embodinent 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 II-II of
Figure l;
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
Fiqure 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 as illustrated 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 ob~ect to be
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automatically locked to the adjacent objeck or to a
fixed point in stowed position, and i.nto 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
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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 connPcting 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 the locking
apparatus 3. The stop 6 may be acted upo~ by a U-shaped-
strip return-spring 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 prevent-
ing 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 inacti~ve retained position,~
30~ respectively. ~s illustrated in the Figures and more
particularly in Figure 4, the retalning means 8 consists
of a projection cast integral with the internal face of
the cover 3a of the locking apparatus and occupies a
defin;ite position in the~re~cess 12 of the slit 13 extend-
ing throughout the lo~cking apparatus, said~ projection B
being located~substantlally at the~longltudinal axis X-X'
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of the said locking apparatus. Such a projection
advantageously replaces the rocker and spring of the
retaining means described in CAN~DIAN patent application n 431 721
filed on the.4th 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 hauing 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 ~f 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. ~hen 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 openiny provided in -
3û 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~repr~esented by dotted
lines IS constituted by first, female means 19, 20 and
second, male means 38, connected to the longitudinally
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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 laft 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
20 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 lockiny one's cart. In other ~ords, one
cannot lock his cart to another cart unless the latter is
already locked.
The movable slide 5 is also provided with 2 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 port~ion in the locking apparatus, with mutually
apposite recesses 36a, 36b whlch, in the locked po ition of
the locking apparatus, define a space in which the tongue
23 is located so as to black the lacking apparatus in this
position.
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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.
lû The operation of the locking apparatus has already
been described in detail in CANADIAN pfltent application n 431 721
filed on the 4th 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 3e~
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", 2û". 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 draw-
back.
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
obiect to an adiacent object, and a secor.d portion 5b
completely separate from the first portion and located
near the endmost portion 40 of the casing of the locking
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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 5c in the form of a
substantially rectangular metal plate. The plate 5c is
located in a cavity defined between the first and second
portions 5a and 5b and having two lateral walls perpen-
dicular to the axis X-X' of ~igure 1 defined by two
shoulders 5al and 5bl respectively, of the first and
second portions adjacent to the free opposite sides 5cl
10 and 5c2 of the plate 5c, the upper and lower sides 5c3
and 5c4 of the plate 5c 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 5c bears partially by its face 5c5,
on the one hand, against a face 5a2 of the first portion
5a perpendicularly connecting with the shoulder 5al and
parallel l:o 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 5c 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 5al and 5bl 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 3al 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 5c through the medium of a hook portion
5dl extending through an~openin~g in the form of a slot
Sc6~ provided~on the free side 5c2 adjacent to the shoulder
5bl. The resilient plat~e~5d extends beyond the plate 5c
and has its other end~ secured between a corresponding flat
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face of the first portion 5a and a washer 5z pressedagainst the resilient plate 5d through the medium of,
for example, a rivet or the like. It is understood that
the plate 5c is maintained in position between the
shoulders 5al and 5bl 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 Sal.
There also appears in Figures 2 and 3 a lock device
including a special 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 to the end side 5c2 of the metal plate
5c, the axis Y-Y' of the lock hole being perpendicular to
the plate 5c and approximately intersecting the longitud-
inal 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 5c opposed to the face 5c3 of
the latter. The magnet then attracts the end portion of
plate 5c including the side 5c2, which therefore is out-
side the shoulder 5bl and bears upon the internal face 3al
of the lateral wall of the cover 3a of the casing of the
locking apparatus 3 so that the plate 5c is inclined with
respec~t to the axis X-X'. Figure 3 shows the angle ~
of inclination of the upper side 5c3 of the plate 5c with
3û 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 5c enters the space
defined between the face 5b6 and the internal face 3al of
the lateral wall of the cover 3a. Figure 3 precisely
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shows the endmost position of the edge 5a5 of the first
portion 5a at the end of the travel o e 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 ba 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 car-t
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 5bl, the
plate 5c thus being again located between the shoulders
5al and 5bl 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.
Re~erring now more particularly to Figures 4 and 5,
another form 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 o~ the locking apparatus 3 (in the left-hand
portion of F}gure 4 adjacent to the free end ~1 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 ~ ~ ~
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jaws of the locking apparatus of an adjacent object.
As shown in Figure 5, the support arbor ~6 extends
through the opening 45 of the endmost portion 40 of the
locking apparatus 3 (this opening being 50 dimensioned
as to pro~ide 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 arbor 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 ~, 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.
Fioure 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
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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.
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