RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial

No. 17/363,891 filed June 30, 2021, under §§119, 120, 363, 365, and 37 C.F.R. §1.55 and

§1.78. U.S. Patent Application No. $7/363,891 is incorporated herein by this reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an electronic lock, for example a cable lock used for bicycles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic locks for bicycles are known. See, for example, U.S. Patent

Application No. 2019/0368234 and Patent Nos. 5,893,283; 9,679,429; and 9,495.820 all incorporated herein by this reference. Many such locks are activated via a Bluetooth signal transmitted to the lock from a smart device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Some cyclists prefer flexible cable locks instead of the rigid hoop style described in published application No. 2019/0368234. On the other hand, known flexible cable locks can be easier to defeat by cutting the cable. For any electronic lock, the design of the antenna and access to it for the RF signal are design considerations. Adding a port in the lock body for the RF signal to reach the antenna results in an access point for tools or the like which can be used in an effort to defeat the lock.

The size and weight of the lock also increases when the lock is electronically controlled. A battery, a motor, an RF receiver, a controller, and the like are required.

Finally, power management is a concern especially when power is used to both unlock and lock the lock.

Featured in one specific design is a flexible cable electronic lock with a difficult to defeat cable and a spherical lock body which is also difficult to defeat. The lock body has no RF signal port. The lock is made smaller and lighter due to a unique configuration of the mechanism(s) which engages the lock shackle and the retainer which locks the shackle in the lock body. Power is conserved because power is only required to unlock the lock when the retainer is driven for a short time to release the shackle from the lock body. And, the retainer is itself a component of a small solenoid rendering the lock body compact. Also, power for the solenoid is provided by a unique boosting circuit in the lock body.

Featured is a lock comprising a cable configured as an antenna, a shackle pin connected to one end of the cable, and a lock body connected to another end of the cable.

The lock body preferably includes a channel for the shackle pin, at least one lock member adjacent the channel pivotable from an open position disengaged from the shackle pin to a closed position engaging the shackle pin, a retainer associated with a lock member driven from a released position disengaged from the lock member to an engaged position retaining the lock member in the closed position, and an electrically driven linear actuator driving the retainer to the released position in response to a signal received by a receiver via the antenna.

The lock body may further include one or more capacitors for powering the electrically driven linear actuator and charged by a battery charged by a charging circuit.

The actuator may further include a first spring biasing the retainer in the engaged position. A second spring may be included to bias the lock member in the open position and a third spring in the channel may be included to bias the shackle pin outwards from the channel.

In one preferred example, the lock member includes a striker face which engages the shackle pin to pivot the lock member to the closed position, the shackle pin includes a ledge and the lock member includes a tab seated on the ledge when the lock member is in the closed position. In one version, the retainer is in the form of a shaft and the lock member includes a recess receiving the shaft therein when the shaft engages the lock member in its closed position. Preferably, the recess is aligned with the shaft when the lock member is in the closed position and the recess is not aligned with the shaft when the lock member is in the open position. In one example, the majority of the lock body includes curved surfaces. The lock cable may include a wire rope surrounded by a (e.g.,

Kevlar®) sheath itself surrounded by interlocking metal beads.

Also featured is a lock comprising a cable configured as an antenna, a shackle pin connected to one end of the cable, and a lock body connected to another end of the cable and including: a channel for the shackle pin, means for retaining the shackle pin in the lock body channel, and an electronically driven linear actuator driving the means for retaining the shackle pin to a released position in response to a signal received by a receiver via the cable. In one version, the means for retaining includes: at least one lock member adjacent the channel pivotable from an open position disengaged from the shackle pin to a closed position engaging the shackle pin, and a retainer associated with a lock member driven by the actuator from a released position disengaged from the lock member to an engaged position retaining the lock member in the closed position. The actuator may further include a first spring biasing the retainer in the engaged position.

The subject invention, however, in other embodiments, need not achieve all these objectives and the claims hereof should not be limited to structures or methods capable of achieving these objectives.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1 A-C are schematic three-dimensional views showing an example of a new electronic cable lock;

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the lock of Fig. 1 in its unlocked position;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the lock of Fig. 1 in its locked configuration;

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing a spring biasing the two locking members into an open position;

Fig. 5 is another cross-sectional view showing the lock in its unlocked position;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the lock in its locked configuration;

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the carrier assembly within the lock body;

Figs. 8-10 are additional schematic views of the carrier assembly; and

Fig. 1 1 is a block diagram showing the primary components associated with the electronic subsystem(s) of a preferred version of the lock.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed below, this invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. If only one embodiment is described herein, the claims hereof are not to be limited to that embodiment. Moreover, the claims hereof are not to be read restrictively unless there is clear and convincing evidence manifesting a certain exclusion, restriction, or disclaimer.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a cable bicycle lock 10 including cable 12 and locking body 14. Cable 12 is preferably constructed according to U.S. Patent No. 7,055,656 incorporated herein by this reference and it is fairly difficult to defeat due to the use of interlocking metal bead members 13 about internal metal wire rope 24. Interlocking beads 13 (e.g., steel) are difficult to cut and tools cannot be jammed between them. An insulating protective sheath 15 may be disposed between the bead members 13 and the internal wire 24. Insulating flexible sheath 15 may be made of a protective material such as Kevlar®. Sheath 15 is flexible and thus is difficult to cut. Lock body 14 itself is approximately spherical in construction with no or few easily gripped surfaces as shown and includes a metal shell 17 with only a single small access 19 for USB charge port 23

(Fig. 5) receiving a USB charging cable in order to charge the internal battery 21. The mostly spherical shape of the lock body makes it difficult to grasp with a cutter or gripper tool and difficult to cut or damage. Egg or other shapes can be employed such that the majority of the lock body includes curved surfaces and/or is devoid or mostly devoid of easily gripped comers or surfaces. The lock body may include two halves press fit together and retained via a blind dowel pin. Protective (e.g., silicone) sheath 17, Fig. 1 A, may be disposed about the interlocking beads to protect the bicycle. Lock body 19 may also include a protective coating such as silicone.

Shackle pin 20, Figs. 2 and 3 is fixed to one end of cable 12 and lock body 14 is fixed to the other end of cable 12. Shackle pin 20 may be fixed relative to member 22 which is secured to interior wire rope 24 of cable 12. Lock body 14 includes cable end 26 fixed therein. Channel 30 extends into spherical lock body 14 receiving shackle pin 20 therein. Further included are means for retaining the shackle pin 20 within channel 30.

In one example, such means includes, inter alia, one or more lock bodies and an associated retainer. For example, lock members 32a and 32b are disposed adjacent channel 30 and pivot about posts 34a, 34b, respectively, between an open (unlocked) position, Fig. 2 disengaged from shackle pin 20 and a closed (locked) position, Fig. 3 engaging the shackle pin. A retainer, here in the form of steel shaft 36, is driven from a released (unlocked) position (Fig. 2) disengaged from the lock members 32a, 32b to an engaged (locked) position (Fig. 3) retaining the lock members 32a and 32b in their closed position. Spring 40 in channel 30 biases shackle pin 20 out of the channel. When the shackle pin is placed in channel 30 and the biasing force of spring 40 is overcome, shackle pin 20 truncated cone striker end 42 meshes with striker faces 44a, 44b of locking members 32a, 32b and a further downward force applied to shackle pin 20 pivots lock members 32a, 32b inwards whereupon tabs 48a, 48b of locking members 32a, 32b seat on ledges 50a, 50b of shackle pin 20. Then, a spring drives shaft 36 through recess 52 between locking members 32a and 32b. In this position. Fig. 3, pin 36 functions to keep the locking members from rotating outward to the positions shown in Fig. 2.

When pin 36 is retracted, spring 54, Fig. 4 connected to both lock members 32a,

32b and to structure within the lock body drives lock members 32a, 32b to their outwardly rotated position (Fig. 2) releasing shackle pin 20 from the lock body 14. Spring

40 drives the shackle pin out of channel 30. Lock members 32a, 32b have mating faces

59a, 59b which stop them from rotating outward further than shown in Fig. 2.

Preferably, an electrically driven linear actuator such as solenoid 60, Fig. 5 within lock body 14 includes windings 62 about pin 36, spring 64 configured to urge pin 36 to the left in the Figure, and seat 66 for pin 36. When windings 62 are energized, pin 36 retracts out of recess 52 as shown in Fig. 5 and seats on seat 66 whereupon the locking members 32a, 32b rotate outwards due to spring 54, Fig. 4 releasing the shackle pin.

Spring 40 urges shackle 20 out of the lock body. As shown in Fig. 2, recess 52 is not aligned with pin 36 when the lock members are rotated outward but is aligned with the pin when the lock members are rotated inward. Windings 62 are then deenergized whereupon spring 64 urges pin 36 to the left in Fig. 5 so it is ready to automatically enter the recess between the two locking members when they are rotated to their closed position by the action of inserting the shackle pin into the lock body channel. Fig. 6 shows the position of pin 36 in the locked position.

In this way, solenoid windings 62 need only be energized a very short time in order to unlock the lock saving battery power. Locking the lock requires no battery power and instead occurs by the mechanical action of the shackle pin being driven into the lock body, the action of the locking members being moved to their closed position via the insertion of the shackle pin into the locked body, and the action of the solenoid pin biased to engage to the locking members to retain them in their closed position.

Plastic membrane 70 between cable end 26 Figs. 2-3 and lock body lower housing portions 72b serves to keep dust and water out of the lock body. The same is true for plastic membrane 71.

In one version, an antenna for the Bluetooth receiver or transceiver is realized using one or more extra pins of the Bluetooth charging port connected to printed circuit board 90 which includes the receiver and the appropriate logic circuitry. But, in one preferred embodiment shown, the antenna includes conductive wire rope 24, Fig. 1C, conductive beads 13, and insulative shielding 15. In this way, the antenna for the Bluetooth receiver or transceiver includes the cable itself. Conductive metal lock body housing sections 72a and 72b serve as the antenna ground. Cable end 26 is also conductive. Thin plastic disc 80 between conductive battery holder 82 and cable end 26 serves as shielding. The rf signal for the smart device proceeds via the cable to cable end

26, through the plastic disc 80, to the conductive battery holder 82 located in very close proximity to the cable end 26, and then to the printed circuit board 90 which includes the receiver or transceiver and logic circuitry (e.g., one or more processors, microcontrollers, application specific integrated circuits, or the like configured via programming associated therewith) is configured to interpret the rf signal and initiate the appropriate actions such as proving a short (e.g. 200 millisecond or less) voltage pulse to the solenoid to unlock the lock.

Figs. 7-10 show additional details of the carrier within the lock body housing including capacitors 100a- 100d on printed circuit board 90 which energize the solenoid.

Dust/water shield 71 is located between capacitor holder 73 and printed circuit board 90.

Fig. 11 depicts the primary electronic components associated with one preferred lock. There is a charging port (e.g., a mini USB charging port) for charging battery 21 via battery charging circuit 154. Wireless battery charging is also possible. Mechanical motion (e.g. piezoelectric) charging is also possible. Battery 21, in turn, charges the one or more capacitors 100 via charging circuit 156.

A receiver coupled to antenna 160 (or a transceiver for two-way communications) receives, typically via the Bluetooth standard, a communication from a smart device (e.g., a cell phone with the appropriate application loaded thereon) a signal to unlock the lock. Controller 162 receives and processes this signal and activates switching circuity 164 which allows the capacitors 100 to discharge their power to solenoid 60. A short high voltage pulse is all that is required. The windings of the solenoid then drive the shaft out of engagement with the locking members as described previously and the lock is unlocked. One preferred antenna structure is also previously described.

Bi-directional communications may be useful for authentication, battery power indications, unlock and lock times and date data, GPS location data, and the like.

Although specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, this is for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention. For example, the lock described here can be used as lock for lockers, doors, and the like. The words “including”,

“comprising”, “having”, and “with” as used herein are to be interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to any physical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed in the subject application are not to be taken as the only possible embodiments.

In addition, any amendment presented during the prosecution of the patent application for this patent is not a disclaimer of any claim element presented in the application as filed: those skilled in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft a claim that would literally encompass all possible equivalents, many equivalents will be unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and are beyond a fair interpretation of what is to be surrendered (if anything), the rationale underlying the amendment may bear no more than a tangential relation to many equivalents, and/or there are many other reasons the applicant cannot be expected to describe certain insubstantial substitutes for any claim element amended.

Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.

What is claimed is: