Bicycle lock

Claim 2

A bicycle lock comprising: a reel housing having a cable opening therein; a shaft projecting through said housing; a cable reel mounted on said shaft for rotation in said housing; spring means connected between said shaft and said cable reel for resiliently opposing rotation of said cable reel in one direction on said shaft; a guide ring detachably secured to said housing opposite said opening; a securing cable wound upon said cable reel and projecting through said cable opening and through said guide ring; a safety cable having one end connected to said housing, a second end secured to said guide ring and connected by said guide ring to the securing cable extended therethrough, and a bight portion between said ends of said safety cable for looping over and engaging a part of the frame of the bicycle; and a two-part bar clamp secured to the outer side of said housing and including: a base part having a semicircular opening therein; an upper cap part having a semicircular opening therein dimensioned to mate with the semicircular opening in said base part; and means for detachably engaging said base part and said upper cap part with each other and about a portion of a bicycle frame.

Claim 3

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 1 wherein said safety cable has said one end connected to an end of said shaft which projects through the outer side of said housing.

Claim 4

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 1 wherein said cable reel has a first end and a second end, and is further characterized as including: a first end portion of generally cylindrical configuration adjacent said first end and defining therewithin, generally cylindrical bore means formed concentrically within said cylindrical first end portion and about said shaft; and a second end portion positioned between said cylindrical first end portion and the second end of said reel, said second end portion being of frusto-conical configuration and of diminishing diameter from the location adjacent said first end portion to said second end; and wherein said lock further includes: a concentrically convoluted torsion spring positioned within said generally cylindrical bore means and around said shaft, said torsion spring including a first end connected to said shaft and a second end connected to said cable reel.

Claim 5

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 1 and further characterized as including: a ratchet wheel secured to said cable reel and rotatable therewith on said shaft; and a pawl lever secured to the outer side of said housing and having a dog thereon projecting through a second opening in said housing into engagement with said ratchet wheel.

Claim 6

A bicycle lock comprising: a reel housing having a cable opening therein; a shaft projecting through said housing; a cable reel mounted on said shaft for rotation in said housing; spring means connected between said shaft and said cable reel for resiliently opposing rotation of said cable reel in one direction on said shaft; a guide ring detachably secured to said housing opposite said opening; a securing cable wound upon said reel and projecting through said opening and through said guide ring; a safety cable having one end connected to said housing, a second end secured to said guide ring and connected by said guide ring to said safety cable extended therethrough, and further having a bight portion between said ends for looping over and engaging a part of the frame of the bicycle; a bar clamp secured to the outer side of said housing and including means for detachably mounting said housing on a bar of the bicycle frame; and rotation-arresting means mounted on the outer side of said housing and including a portion projecting through a second opening in said housing and cooperating with said cable reel in one position of said rotation-arresting means for locking said cable reel against rotation under the influence of said spring means.

Claim 7

A bicycle lock comprising: a reel housing having a cable opening therein; a shaft projecting through said housing; a cable reel mounted on said shaft for rotation in said housing; spring means connected between said shaft and said cable reel for resiliently opposing rotation of said cable reel in one direction on said shaft; a guide ring detachably secured to said housing opposite said opening; a securing cable wound upon said reel and projecting through said opening and through said guide ring; a safety cable having one end connected to said housing, a second end secured to said guide ring and connected by said guide ring to said safety cable extended therethrough, and further having a bight portion between said ends for looping over and engaging a part of the frame of the bicycle; a bar clamp secured to the outer side of said housing and including means for detachably mounting said housing on a bar of the bicycle frame; and rotation-arresting means mounted on the outer side of said housing and including a portion projecting through a second opening in said housing and cooperating with said cable reel in one position of said rotation-arresting means for locking said cable reel against rotation under the influence of said spring means.

Claim 8

A bicycle lock comprising: a reel housing having a cable opening therein; a shaft projecting through said housing; a cable reel rotatably mounted on said shaft and having a first end and a second end, said cable reel being further characterized in including: a first end portion of generally cylindrical configuration adjacent said first end and defining therewithin generally cylindrical bore means formed concentrically within said cylindrical first end portion and about said shaft; and a second end portion positioned between said cylindrical first end portion and the second end of said reel, said second end portion being of frusto-conical configuration and of diminishing diameter from a location adjacent said first end portion to said second end; a concentrically convoluted torsion spring positioned within said generally cylindrical bore means and around said shaft, said torsion spring including a first end connected to said shaft and a second end connected to said cable reel; a securing cable wound upon said reel and projecting through the opening in said housing; a guide ring of substantially trapezoidal configuration secured to said housing and including four sides joined together to form said ring, the longest side of said trapezoidally shaped guide ring being positioned to extend substantially parallel to the outer periphery of the frusto-conical configured second end portion of said cable reel, whereby said guide ring guides said securing cable in axial movement along said cable reel during the winding and unwinding of said securing cable on said cable reel, said securing cable being extended through said guide ring after projection through the cable opening in said housing; a safety cable having one end connected to said housing, a second end connected to said guide ring and a bight portion between said ends for looping over and engaging a part of the frame of the bicycle; and a two-part bar clamp secured to the outer side of the housing and including: a base part having a semicircular opening therein; an upper cap part having a semicircular opening therein dimensioned to mate with the semicircular opening in said base part; and means for detachably engaging said base part and said upper cap part with each other and about a portion of a bicycle frame.

Claim 9

A bicycle lock comprising: a reel housing having a cable opening therein; a shaft projecting through said housing; a cable reel rotatably mounted on said shaft and having a first end and a second end, said cable reel being further characterized in including: a first end portion of generally cylindrical configuration adjacent said first end and defining therewithin generally cylindrical bore means formed concentrically within said cylindrical first end portion and about said shaft; and a second end portion positioned between said cylindrical first end portion and the second end of said reel, said second end portion being of frusto-conical configuration and of diminishing diameter from a location adjacent said first end portion to said second end; a concentrically convoluted torsion spring positioned within said generally cylindrical bore means and around said shaft, said torsion spring including a first end connected to said shaft and a second end connected to said cable reel; a securing cable wound upon said reel and projecting through the opening in said housing; a guide ring of substantially trapezoidal configuration secured to said housing and including four sides joined together to form said ring, the longest side of said trapezoidally shaped guide ring being positioned to extend substantially parallel to the outer periphery of the frusto-conical configured second end portion of said cable reel, whereby said guide ring guides said securing cable in axial movement along said cable reel during the winding and unwinding of said securing cable on said cable reel, said securing cable being extended through said guide ring after projection through the cable opening in said housing; a safety cable having one end connected to said housing, a second end connected to said guide ring and a bight portion between said ends for looping over and engaging a part of the frame of the bicycle; and a two-part bar clamp secured to the outer side of the housing and including: a base part having a semicircular opening therein; an upper cap part having a semicircular opening therein dimensioned to mate with the semicircular opening in said base part; and means for detachably engaging said base part and said upper cap part with each other and about a portion of a bicycle frame.

Claim 10

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 6 wherein said safety cable has said one end connected to an end of said shaft which projects through the outer side of said housing.

Claim 11

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 7 and further characterized as including spring means connected between said shaft and said cable reel for resiliently opposing rotation of said cable reel in one direction on said shaft.

Claim 12

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 8 and further characterized as including: a ratchet wheel secured to said cable reel and rotatable therewith on said shaft; and a pawl lever secured to the outer side of said housing and having a dog thereon projecting through a second opening in said housing into engagement with said ratchet wheel.

Claim 13

A bicycle lock comprising: a hollow reel housing of generally cylindrical configuration and including two opposed, substantially parallel side walls and an annular peripheral wall between said side walls, said annular peripheral wall having an opening therethrough into the interior of the housing; a shaft extending through said housing and secured to said side walls; a cable reel having first and second ends and rotatably mounted on said shaft, said reel having a first end portion adjacent said first end and of generally cylindrical configuration, said first end portion extending concentrically around said shaft, and said cable reel further including a second end portion of frusto-conical configuration extending concentrically around said shaft and disposed contiguously to said first cylindrical end portion, said second end portion of frusto-conical configuration having a diminishing diameter from its point of junction with said first end portion to the second end of said cable reel; a trapezoidally shaped guide ring mounted on the annular peripheral wall of said housing adjacent said opening and including a side of said ring aligned with, and extending substantially parallel to, the line of taper of said frusto-conical end portion of said cable reel; and an elongated flexible cable having: a first end secured to said frusto-conically shaped end portion of said reel at the point of its smallest diameter; a portion between the first and second ends of the cable extending through said guide ring and wound around said reel in a plurality of convoluted turns, with those turns on said cylindrical end portion of the reel being connected to the part of said cable passing through said guide ring, and those turns on said frusto-conical end portion being that portion of the cable extending between said first end of the cable and the turns thereof on said cylindrical portion of the reel.

Claim 14

A bicycle lock comprising: a hollow reel housing of generally cylindrical configuration and including two opposed, substantially parallel side walls and an annular peripheral wall between said side walls, said annular peripheral wall having an opening therethrough into the interior of the housing; a shaft extending through said housing and secured to said side walls; a cable reel having first and second ends and rotatably mounted on said shaft, said reel having a first end portion adjacent said first end and of generally cylindrical configuration, said first end portion extending concentrically around said shaft, and said cable reel further including a second end portion of frusto-conical configuration extending concentrically around said shaft and disposed contiguously to said first cylindrical end portion, said second end portion of frusto-conical configuration having a diminishing diameter from its point of junction with said first end portion to the second end of said cable reel; a trapezoidally shaped guide ring mounted on the annular peripheral wall of said housing adjacent said opening and including a side of said ring aligned with, and extending substantially parallel to, the line of taper of said frusto-conical end portion of said cable reel; and an elongated flexible cable having: a first end secured to said frusto-conically shaped end portion of said reel at the point of its smallest diameter; a portion between the first and second ends of the cable extending through said guide ring and wound around said reel in a plurality of convoluted turns, with those turns on said cylindrical end portion of the reel being connected to the part of said cable passing through said guide ring, and those turns on said frusto-conical end portion being that portion of the cable extending between said first end of the cable and the turns thereof on said cylindrical portion of the reel.

Claim 15

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 10 and further characterized as including: spring means connected between said shaft and said reel housing for resiliently opposing the rotation of said reel housing in one direction of rotation on said shaft; and means mounted on said housing for selectively arresting the movement of said cable reel in one direction of rotation opposite to the direction of rotation of said cable reel in opposition to the resilient bias of said spring.

Claim 16

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 10 and further characterized as including a safety cable mounted outside said housing and connected thereto to define a bight portion engageable with a portion of the frame of a bicycle to retain said reel housing on said frame by means of said safety cable.

Claim 17

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 12 and further characterized as including a bar clamp secured to said housing and including detachably engageable parts facilitating clamping said bar clamp on the frame of a bicycle.

Claim 18

A bicycle lock as defined in claim 12 wherein one end of said safety cable is connected to said shaft and the other end thereof is connected to said guide ring.

Claim 19

A bicycle lock comprising: a reel housing having a cable opening therein; a shaft projecting through said housing; a cable reel mounted on said shaft for rotation in said housing and having a first end and a second end, said cable reel further including a frusto-conically configured end portion adjacent said second end; a four-sided, trapezoidally configured guide ring secured to said housing opposite said opening and including a longest side positioned to substantially parallel the outer periphery of the frusto-conically configured end portion of said cable reel; a securing cable wound upon said reel and projecting through said opening and through said trapezoidally configured guide ring whereby said guide ring guides said securing cable in axial movement along said cable reel during the winding and unwinding of said securing cable on said cable reel; a safety cable having its opposite ends connected to said housing and including a bight portion between its ends for looping over and engaging a part of the frame of the bicycle; a spring connected between said shaft and said cable reel for resiliently urging said cable reel in rotation in one direction; and a bar clamp secured to the outer side of said cable reel housing and including means for detachably mounting said housing on a bar of a bicycle frame conjunctively with the mounting thereto by use of said safety cable.

Claim 20

A bicycle lock comprising: a reel housing having a cable opening therein; a shaft projecting through said housing; a cable reel mounted on said shaft for rotation in said housing and having a first end and a second end, said cable reel further including a frusto-conically configured end portion adjacent said second end; a four-sided, trapezoidally configured guide ring secured to said housing opposite said opening and including a longest side positioned to substantially parallel the outer periphery of the frusto-conically configured end portion of said cable reel; a securing cable wound upon said reel and projecting through said opening and through said trapezoidally configured guide ring whereby said guide ring guides said securing cable in axial movement along said cable reel during the winding and unwinding of said securing cable on said cable reel; a safety cable having its opposite ends connected to said housing and including a bight portion between its ends for looping over and engaging a part of the frame of the bicycle; a spring connected between said shaft and said cable reel for resiliently urging said cable reel in rotation in one direction; and a bar clamp secured to the outer side of said cable reel housing and including means for detachably mounting said housing on a bar of a bicycle frame conjunctively with the mounting thereto by use of said safety cable.