Steering wheel lock

Claim 1

A locking attachment for a steering wheel of an automobile having a passenger compartment, comprising: (a) an elongated rod having opposite end regions and extending into the passenger compartment; (b) a housing having one housing portion stationarily secured and welded to one end region of the rod, and another housing portion pivotably mounted on the rod by a pin extending through said one end region of the rod, for pivoting movement relative to said one housing portion between a clamped position in which the housing portions capture therebetween opposite surfaces of a steering wheel, and an unclamped position in which the housing portions are remote from the opposite wheel surfaces to permit removal of the housing and the rod from the steering wheel, each housing portion having a generally planar base wall and side walls extending generally perpendicular to a respective base wall, said base and side walls of each housing portion bounding an interior in which a portion of the steering wheel is received, and each side wall of each housing portion having cutouts through which part of the steering wheel passes into the interior of the respective housing portion; (c) lock means on the housing portions for locking the housing portions in the clamped position, and for unlocking the housing portions from the clamped position; (d) biasing means for constantly urging the housing portions to the unclamped position upon unlocking of the lock means; and (e) cushioning means for protecting the opposite wheel surfaces from wear, including a pair of cushions each mounted on a respective housing portion, said cushions facing each other and respectively engaging the opposite wheel surfaces in the clamped position.