Anti-theft roof carrier structure for an automobile

Claim 1

A lock unit of a roof carrier of a vehicle, comprising a crossbar for placing an object to be carried thereon, a plurality of stands mounted on said crossbar for supporting said crossbar on a vehicle roof, and a rotatable knob mounted on at least one of said stands, for fixing said stands at given positions on said roof of said vehicle, wherein said knob includes a locking member rotatably mounted with respect to said knob for preventing rotation of said knob, said locking member including a rotatable cam member having a camming surface and wherein said knob includes a bottom plate, a rotating member mounted on said plate and having at least one recess formed therein, a pin member movably mounted in said locking member transverse to a rotational axis of said cam member, and biasing means positioned between said rotating member and said cam member for biasing said pin member into engagement with said cam member; wherein said cam member is rotated to move said pin out of engagement with said recess, thereby preventing rotation of said knob and defining a locked state and wherein said cam member is rotated to move said pin into engagement with said recess defining an unlocked state.