阅读说明：本技术 锁 (Lock with a locking mechanism ) 是由 不公告发明人 于 2020-11-06 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种锁,具体为自行车锁,包括：锁体；位于锁体外部的锁定元件；以及锁定机构,位于锁体外部,用于接收和锁定锁定元件。锁定机构通过第一绳索部分连接至锁体,以及锁定元件通过第二绳索部分连接至锁体,其中绳索部分中的至少一个的在锁体外部延伸的部分的长度是能够改变的。(A lock, in particular a bicycle lock, comprising: a lock body; a locking member located outside the lock body; and a locking mechanism located outside the lock body for receiving and locking the locking member. The locking mechanism is connected to the lock body by a first cable portion and the locking element is connected to the lock body by a second cable portion, wherein the length of the portion of at least one of the cable portions extending outside the lock body is variable.)

1. Lock (11), in particular bicycle lock, comprising:

a lock body (13);

a locking member (15) located outside the lock body (13); and

a locking mechanism (17) located outside the lock body (13) for receiving and locking the locking member (15),

wherein the locking mechanism (17) is connected to the lock body (13) by a first cable portion (19) and the locking element (15) is connected to the lock body (13) by a second cable portion (21), and

wherein a length (L1, L2) of a portion (23, 25) of at least one of the first and second rope portions (19, 21) extending outside the lock body (13) is changeable.

2. Lock (11) according to claim 1, wherein the length (L1, L2) of the part (23, 25) of each rope portion (19, 21) extending outside the lock body (13) can be varied.

3. Lock (11) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the or each rope portion (19, 21) can be pulled out of the lock body (13) to change the length (L1, L2) of the part (23, 25) of the or each rope portion (19, 21) that extends outside the lock body (13).

4. A lock (11) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the or each rope portion (19, 21) is connected to a pull-in device (27), the pull-in device (27) being arranged within the lock body (13) for pulling in the rope portion (19, 21).

5. Lock (11) according to claim 4, wherein the pull-in device (27) has a reel (29, 31) for winding the at least one rope portion (19, 21) and in particular a first reel (29) for winding the first rope portion (19) and a second reel (31) for winding the second rope portion (21).

6. Lock (11) according to claim 5, wherein the or each reel (29, 31) comprises a spring (41), the spring force of which spring (41) counteracts the unwinding of the associated rope portion (19, 21), wherein in particular the spring (41) is configured as a helical spring.

7. Lock (11) according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the windings (33) of the or each wound rope portion (19, 21) are arranged in a winding plane (W) in each case, in particular all windings (33) are arranged in a common winding plane (W).

8. Lock (11) according to claim 7, wherein the lock body (13) forms a housing (25), the housing (25) being for the or each reel (29, 31) and for the or each wound rope portion (19, 21), wherein the housing (25) has a rear housing portion (27) and a front housing portion (39) connected to each other along a separation plane (T), and wherein the separation plane (T) is aligned parallel to the winding plane (W) or is provided in the winding plane (W).

9. Lock (11) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the pull-in device (27) comprises a fixing device (53), the fixing device (53) being configured to block the pulling in of the or each rope portion (19, 21).

10. Lock (11) according to claim 9, wherein the fixing means (53) have first blocking means (55) for the first rope portion (19), the first blocking means (55) being configured to block a portion (23) of the first rope portion (19) extending outside the lock body (13) with a predetermined length (L1), and wherein the fixing means (53) have second blocking means (57) for the second rope portion (21), the second blocking means (57) being configured to block a portion (25) of the second rope portion (21) extending outside the lock body (13) with a predetermined length (L2).

11. Lock (11) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the or each rope portion (19, 21) terminates in a rope end (43, 45) inside the lock body (13), said rope end (43, 45) being connected to a reel (29, 31) rotatable around a rotation axis (D1, D2).

12. Lock (11) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first rope portion (19) terminates in a first rope end (43) within the lock body (13), the first rope end (43) being connected to a first reel (29) rotatable about a first axis of rotation (D1), and wherein the second rope portion (21) terminates in a second rope end (45) within the lock body (13), the second rope end (45) being connected to a second reel (31) rotatable about a second axis of rotation (D2).

13. Lock (11) according to claim 12, wherein the first rotation axis (D1) and the second rotation axis (D2) are aligned parallel to each other, and the separation of the first rotation axis (D1) from the second rotation axis (D2) amounts to between 60mm and 70mm, in particular amounts to about 65 mm.

14. Lock (11) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the first reel (29) and the second reel (31) are connected to each other via a connecting element (47), the connecting element (47) being in particular a metal plate.

15. Lock (11) according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the lock body (13) has a first fastening channel (49) and a second fastening channel (51), the first fastening channel (49) and the second fastening channel (51) being intended for guiding through a fastening screw (71), the first fastening channel (49) extending coaxially with the first rotation axis (D1), and the second fastening channel (51) extending coaxially with the second rotation axis (D2).

16. The lock (11) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a sealing element (59) is provided, the sealing element (59) being for sealing an entrance opening (61) of the rope portion (19, 21) into the lock body (13).

17. Lock (11) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the locking mechanism (17) is configured as a combination locking mechanism.

18. The lock (11) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lock body (13) has a holder (65) for the locking mechanism (17) and/or the locking element (15).

19. Lock (11) according to claim 18, wherein the retainer (65) is formed at least partially elastically deformable, in particular such that the locking mechanism (17) and/or the locking element (15) can be clamped in the retainer (65).

20. A bicycle, comprising:

a bicycle frame (69) having two threaded holes for fastening a bottle holder (67);

a bottle holder (67) fastened to the bicycle frame (69) by two fastening screws (71) associated with said threaded holes; and

lock (11) according to any of the previous claims, the lock (11) being arranged between the bottle holder (67) and the bicycle frame (69) and being attached to the bicycle frame (69) by means of the fastening screw (71).

Technical Field

The invention relates to a lock, especially relate to a bicycle lock, this lock includes: a lock body; a locking element; and a locking mechanism for receiving and locking the locking element.

Background

In particular, such locks may be used to secure a bicycle between two strokes to prevent unauthorized riding or removal. Locks used in this manner are usually provided separately from the bicycle and must be followed while traveling in order to be able to protect the bicycle from theft during parking. This can be achieved, for example, by a U-ring lock having a U-ring as the locking element which can be selectively locked in or released from the lock body. In addition, so-called hinge locks or fold locks with an engaging bar hoop that is selectively lockable to the lock body and has a plurality of engaging bars that are pivotably connected to each other can be used to secure the bicycle. In such locks, a ring can be formed by the respective ring in the locked state, by means of which ring the bicycle can be firmly connected to an object, for example to a bicycle rack or a street light. A rope or chain lock comprising ends that can be locked to each other can also be used to secure the bicycle to a stationary object.

However, carrying the lock alone often represents an undesirable effort, particularly for bicycles used for sports, such as racing or mountain biking. Thus, a holder attachable to the bicycle frame may be provided to facilitate transportation of the lock. However, such holders require special space on the bicycle frame and are therefore no longer available for attaching the bottle holder. In addition, conventional bicycle locks typically have a relatively high weight in order to be able to provide adequate anti-theft protection. The frame lock is formed directly on the bicycle frame and the fixing of the bicycle is achieved by the guide ring passing through the spokes of the rear wheel of the bicycle to limit its rotational movement, which in turn requires a special design of the bicycle frame, so that bicycles, especially racing bicycles, cannot usually be retrofitted with such a lock. In addition, the frame lock does prevent direct riding with the bicycle, but the frame lock does not attach the bicycle to a stationary object. Thus, such frame locks do not provide any protection against disassembly or loading of the bicycle when the lock is subsequently opened.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lock which provides protection of the bicycle against unauthorised disassembly, and which is compact and comfortable to transport and easy and quick to operate.

Disclosure of Invention

This object is achieved by a lock having the features of claim 1, in particular in that the locking member and the locking mechanism are located outside the lock body, wherein the locking mechanism is connected to the lock body by a first cable portion and the locking member is connected to the lock body by a second cable portion, and wherein the length of the portion of at least one of the cable portions extending outside the lock body is variable.

Since the locking mechanism and the locking element are arranged outside the lock body, the lock body can be particularly compact, since, unlike most common bicycle locks, the lock body does not have to provide any space for this arrangement, in particular for the components of the locking mechanism.

Instead, the lock body may be used primarily for accommodating at least one part of at least one rope portion, in particular at least one part of two rope portions, or for providing a connection for the rope portions, thus ultimately for the locking mechanism and the locking element. For this purpose, the first and second rope portions may in particular protrude into the lock body, so that the lock body may form a reservoir for the rope portions, from which the rope portions may be selectively pulled out to extend the length of the portion of the rope portion extending outside the lock body. This may, for example, enable a large part of the or each rope portion to be positioned within the lock body during transport, so as to position the locking mechanism and locking element as close as possible to the lock body, and to bring the lock into a compact arrangement that does not impede travel.

Since the locking element can be received by the locking mechanism and can be locked at or in the locking mechanism, the two rope portions can also be firmly connected to each other. In this connected state of the locking mechanism and the locking element, the lock can thus form a closed loop, wherein the dimensions of said closed loop can be flexibly adapted to the respective conditions by changing the length of the portion of the at least one cable part extending outside the lock body, for example for connecting a bicycle to a stationary object.

The length of the part of the rope portion extending outside the lock body may for example be variable, since the part of the rope portion extending inside the lock body may be pulled out of said lock body. In addition, the rope portion may be formed to be elastic so as to be able to achieve a desired loop size. In both cases, the fixing of the bicycle can be carried out very quickly, since the respective element connected to the cable part is guided around the object by the change in the length of the part of the cable part extending outside the lock body, and the locking mechanism and the locking element are then connected to each other.

In particular, the rope portion may be a portion of a steel wire rope arranged inside the lock body and extending out of the lock body. Such a steel cable may have a relatively small diameter, for example between 1.6mm and 2.4mm, in order to enable a particularly compact design of the lock with as little weight as possible. In particular, in the use of locks for sports bicycles, the bicycle is usually parked only for a short time and in the field of view of the rider, for example when visiting a coffee shop, and thus sufficient protection can be achieved with a minimum lock weight to prevent direct and unauthorized riding or removal. In addition, the rope portion may be formed by a chain, in particular a fine chain, or may be made at least partially of plastic.

Thus, such a lock can be formed compact and light in weight, and allows a quick and simple operation, in particular for the short-term fixing of the bicycle. In addition, such a lock can be fastened to the bicycle frame to provide a simple and comfortable transportation possibility. In this respect, the lock may be attached to the bicycle frame, in particular by means of a fastening screw screwed into a hole for fastening the bottle holder. In this respect, the compact design of the lock enables a common attachment with the bottle holder and an arrangement between the bicycle frame and the bottle holder, so that the lock can be carried around when using the bicycle without significant restrictions, as will be explained below.

Further developments of the invention can be seen from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

According to some embodiments, the length of the portion of each rope portion extending outside the lock body may be variable. Thus, the size of the loop formed by connecting the locking mechanism to the locking element can be quickly and flexibly adjusted. Thus, for example, the locking element and the locking mechanism may be brought together from the bicycle or its attached lock body behind a stationary object such as a street light or a fence, and may be connected to each other behind the stationary object without the need to completely guide one of the elements around the object for securing.

It may be provided that the or each rope portion is extendable from the lock body to vary the length of the portion thereof extending outside the lock body. Thus, the lock body may form a reservoir for the or each rope portion from which the or each rope portion may be pulled to form a loop of the required size. In this respect, the desired ring size can be achieved by a simple pulling movement and thus in a fast and simple manner.

According to some embodiments, the or each rope portion may be connected to a pull-in device arranged in the lock body for pulling in the rope portion. Such a pull-in device can apply a force directed into the lock body onto the respective rope portion, so that the rope portion can be automatically pulled into the lock body, for example after the use of the lock for fixing a bicycle, and the length of the portion of the rope portion extending outside the lock body is reduced. The elements connected to the respective rope portion, locking mechanism or locking element can be arranged as close as possible to the lock body by such pulling-in of the rope portion, so that the lock can be brought, for example, into a compact arrangement which does not impede travel for transport.

The pull-in device may be configured to pull the or each rope portion into the lock body automatically or as a result of an action to be performed by the user when releasing the connection between the locking element and the locking mechanism. For example, the pull-in may be performed as a result of a jerky-like pulling at the rope portion, or a button pressed by the user may be provided on the outside of the lock body to start pulling in the rope portion.

The pull-in device can have a reel for winding at least one rope portion and in particular can have a first reel for winding a first rope portion and a second reel for winding a second rope portion. Thus, the at least one cable part, in particular the two cable parts, may generally be arranged to be wound inside the lock body, wherein the length of the respective part extending outside the lock body may be increased in a simple manner by pulling the cable part out of the lock body and by the resulting unwinding from the reel. In addition, the wrapping of the rope portions enables them to be compactly arranged within the lock body, thereby accommodating relatively long rope portions to form a large loop with as small a range of the lock body as possible.

The or each reel may be arranged to comprise a spring whose spring force counteracts the unwinding of the associated rope portion, wherein the spring can in particular be configured as a helical spring. By means of such a spring, automatic pulling of the rope portion into the lock body can be achieved in a simple manner. In this respect, in particular, the or each reel may be configured as a spring reel, so that the reel may be formed, for example, directly from a respective helical spring on which the rope is partially wound.

The windings of the or each wound cord portion may be arranged in respective winding planes. For example, the winding may extend helically about an axis, which may particularly correspond to a rotation axis about which the respective reel is rotatable, and which may be oriented orthogonally to the winding plane. Thus, in the direction of this axis or perpendicular to the winding plane, the extent of the wound rope portion can be minimized and in particular can be substantially predetermined by or correspond to the diameter of the rope portion. In this respect, both cable parts can be wound in a common winding plane, so that the lock body forming the store for the cable parts can also extend predominantly along the winding plane and can only have a small extent perpendicular to this plane. Thus, the lock body may be flat and may for example be formed perpendicular to the winding plane with an extension of less than 2 cm. In particular, such a flat design of the lock body may enable the lock to be connected between the bottle holder and the bicycle frame in a space-saving manner, wherein the flat lock body only causes a slight shift of the position of the bottle holder without impairing other uses of the bicycle.

The lock body may form a housing for the or each reel and for the or each rope portion to be wound. In this regard, the housing may have a rear housing portion and a front housing portion connected to each other along a separation plane, wherein the separation plane may be aligned parallel to the winding plane or may correspond to the winding plane. Such a housing may in particular protect the components arranged therein from external access and may ensure correct and controlled arrangement of the or each reel and the wound-up rope portion.

In addition, the design of the housing with the rear housing part and the front housing part enables a simple and fast assembly of the lock. Since the housings are separated along a separation plane parallel to the winding plane, the reel provided can for example be inserted first into the rear housing part and the individual rope portions can be wound. Thus, the rope portion does not have to be threaded into the closed housing in a complicated and time-consuming manner. In particular, after arranging all the components of the lock body in the rear housing part, the assembly can be completed by a simple connection of the two housing parts to one another, wherein the housing parts can be welded to one another, for example, or alternatively or additionally connected to one another in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner.

According to some embodiments, the pull-in device may comprise a securing device configured to resist pulling in the or each rope portion. For example, such a securing device may be arranged to prevent pulling in of the respective rope portion after pulling out the rope portion to change the length of its portion extending outside the lock body and form a loop, so that the portion of the rope portion extending outside the lock body remains at the desired length. Thus, the user does not have to apply a permanent pulling force to the rope portion in order to prevent pull-in during the forming of the loop for fixing the bicycle. Instead, the rope portion can be comfortably, in particular continuously, pulled out of the lock body to the desired length and can thus then be connected to each other by means of the locking mechanism and the locking element.

The blocking of the pull-in of the or each rope portion may be selectively suspended by the securing means. Due to this pause, a pull-in of the respective rope portion may take place. For example, before transporting the lock or before traveling with the bicycle, the blocking effect of the fixing device can be cancelled by a jerk or a pulsed pull at the respective cable portion, so that the cable portion is pulled into the lock body by the pull-in device, and the length of the portion extending outside the lock body is minimized.

The securing device may have a first blocking device for the first rope portion, the first blocking device being configured to block a portion of the first rope portion extending outside the lock body by a predetermined length; and the securing device may have a second blocking device for the second rope portion, the second blocking device being configured to block a portion of the second rope portion extending outside the lock body by a predetermined length. For example, as a result of the continued pulling out of the lock body, the blocking means may block the length of the respective portion of the associated rope portion extending outside the lock body and may prevent the rope portion from being pulled into the lock body. For this purpose, the blocking means may comprise a blocking element which remains engaged with the rope portion as a result of the force exerted on the rope portion by the pull-in means and which can be disengaged from the rope portion by a brief pause in this force, for example by a jerky-like pull at the rope portion, to release said rope portion, thereby pulling in the lock body. Thus, like in the case of roller blinds or cable reels, blocking the pull-in device by the securing device can be carried out automatically first after pulling out the cable part, without requiring a user to perform an action, and can be selectively cancelled by the user in a simple manner.

Alternatively, the blocking device may for example have a corresponding blocking element which is arranged within the lock body and through which the cable part extends into the lock body in the vicinity of an entrance opening, and which may in particular be spring-preloaded into the lock body in a manner perpendicular to the linear direction of entry of the cable part. Due to this spring preloading of the blocking element, the rope portion pulled out of the lock body can be clamped between the respective blocking element and the inner housing wall formed by the lock body in order to block the respective rope portion at a desired length of its portion extending outside the lock body. In order to halt the blocking effect of the blocking element configured in this way and release the cable part to pull it into the lock body, the user can, for example after using the lock for fixing a bicycle, bring the cable part into an orientation extending obliquely to the entry direction in order to transmit a force acting against the spring preload to the blocking element by means of the cable part. The blocking element can thus be pushed back against the spring preload, so that the released rope portion can be pulled into the lock body in a controlled manner, in particular can be wound on a corresponding reel. Similarly, a button or a button, in particular a corresponding button or button, may be provided on the outside of the lock body, by means of which a user can selectively push back such a spring-preloaded blocking element in order to release the rope portion, thereby pulling in the lock body.

The or each rope portion may terminate in a rope end within the lock body, said rope end being connected to a spool rotatable about an axis of rotation. Thus, the rope portion can be wound on a reel and arranged in a space-saving manner in the lock body. In particular, these reels may form part of the pull-in device already mentioned above and may comprise or be formed by a spring which exerts a force directed towards the lock body. Alternatively or in addition, such a reel may be rotated manually, e.g. by a user, to effect winding of the rope portion.

The first cable portion may terminate at a first cable end within the lock body that is connected to a first reel that is rotatable about a first axis of rotation, and the second cable portion may terminate at a second cable end within the lock body that is connected to a second reel that is rotatable about a second axis of rotation. Thus, in this respect, the first cable part is arranged separately from the second cable part, so that the cable parts can be operated completely independently of one another and their length of the part extending outside the lock body can be flexibly changed. Thus, the locking element and the locking mechanism can also be moved independently of each other, so that the rope portions can be connected in a simple and quick manner to form a loop.

The first and second axes of rotation may be aligned parallel to each other and the first and second axes of rotation may be spaced between 60mm and 70mm, in particular about 65 mm. Thus, within the framework of production tolerances, the spacing of the first axis of rotation from the second axis of rotation may correspond exactly to the standard spacing between the threaded holes for fastening the bottle holder, which are usually provided on bicycle frames. This makes it possible to attach the lock or lock body to the bicycle frame by means of a fastening screw which is screwed into such a threaded hole and extends coaxially with the axis of rotation. The extent of the lock body between the holes is anyway necessary for the assembly of such a lock, in which connection the extent of the lock body between the holes can be advantageously used for the arrangement of the wound rope portion, since the spacing of the axes of rotation from each other is adapted to said extent. In addition, the winding of the cable section can be achieved by a parallel alignment of the axes of rotation in a common winding plane, so that the lock body can be flat and can be attached together with the bottle holder between the bottle holder and the bicycle frame by means of a common fastening screw without the position of the bottle holder thus being transferred destructively, or such a bottle holder has to be omitted.

The first reel and the second reel may be arranged to be connected to each other by means of a connecting element, in particular a metal plate. In particular, such a connecting element can ensure a correct arrangement of the reels with respect to one another and can improve the stability of the lock, in particular against attempted insertion.

According to some embodiments, the lock body may have a first fastening channel and a second fastening channel for guiding a fastening screw therethrough, wherein the first fastening channel extends coaxially with the first rotation axis and the second fastening channel extends coaxially with the second rotation axis. In particular, the lock body may be fastened to the bicycle frame by means of a fastening screw arranged in a hole for connecting the bottle holder. In particular, in this respect, the cross-section of the fastening channel may be circular and may have a diameter of between 4mm and 5mm, preferably a diameter of between 4.3mm and 4.5 mm. Thus, the diameter of the fastening channel may correspond or be adapted to the standard diameter of a threaded hole usually provided on a bicycle frame in order to attach the lock in a simple manner by means of a typical fastening screw.

According to some embodiments, a sealing element may be provided for sealing the entrance opening of the rope portion into the lock body. Such a sealing element may be, for example, annular or cylindrical and may in particular be made of rubber or soft plastic, in order to be able to reliably prevent dirt or water from entering the lock body. In particular, the sealing element may be configured to receive the contact portion of the locking element or the locking mechanism of the element connected to the respective rope portion in a form-fitting manner, thereby retaining it at the lock body. Thus, during transport, noise due to collisions with each other or rattling of the elements at each other or at the lock body can be counteracted.

The locking mechanism may be configured as a combination locking mechanism. Such a combined locking mechanism may have a plurality of coding rings which are rotatable about an axis of rotation and by means of which a code, for example comprising a sequence of numbers, symbols or colours, can be selected and which can be arranged to be able to release a locking element connected to the locking mechanism from the locking mechanism. Instead, the locking element may be locked to the locking mechanism by adjusting the combination. In particular, such a combined locking mechanism can be operated without a key, so that carrying such a mechanism for using the lock can be omitted, and if the key is lost, the risk of such a lock no longer being able to be used can be counteracted.

The lock body may have a holder for the locking mechanism and/or the locking element. Thus, the locking member and the locking mechanism may be securely connected to the lock body, in particular during transport or during riding with the bicycle, in order to e.g. be able to prevent noise or damage due to abutment of said members at the lock body.

The holder may be formed at least partially elastically deformable, and in particular such that the locking mechanism and/or the locking element may be clipped into the holder. Thus, the locking element or locking mechanism can be simply and quickly connected to or disconnected from the holder, so that a compact arrangement of the lock during transport or a quick availability for fixing, in particular of a bicycle, can be achieved.

The invention also relates to a bicycle comprising: a bicycle frame having two threaded holes for fastening the bottle holder; a bottle holder fastened to the bicycle frame by two fastening screws associated with threaded holes; and a lock as described above, arranged between the bottle holder and the bicycle frame, and attached to the bicycle frame by means of a fastening screw. A lock arranged on a bicycle in this way can be transported in a simple manner and can be used to fix the bicycle comfortably and quickly without restrictions on other uses of the bicycle or without unreasonably taking up a large space. Furthermore, in the arrangement described, such a lock can be comfortably attached to the bicycle frame by means of the threaded hole provided for the bottle holder, without any special precautions being necessary for this purpose.

Drawings

The invention will be described below by way of example with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of the lock in a fully assembled state;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the lock with the front housing portion removed;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an arrangement of a bottle holder and a lock for attaching the bottle holder to a bicycle frame;

FIG. 4 shows a front view of the lock attached to the bicycle frame along with the bottle holder; and

fig. 5A and 5B show corresponding schematic representations of parts of a lock body for illustrating a possible design of a fixture.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of a lock 11, the lock 11 having a lock body 13 and a locking mechanism 17 arranged outside the lock body 13 and a locking element 15 also arranged outside the lock body 13. In this respect, the locking mechanism 17 is connected to the lock body 13 by means of a first cable portion 19, and the locking element 15 is connected to the lock body 13 by means of a second cable portion 21, wherein the cable portion 19 and the cable portion 21 may in particular be formed by a steel cable. In addition, the locking mechanism 17 is configured to receive and lock the locking member 15 so as to be able to form a closed loop from the lock body 13 and from the cable portion 19 and the cable portion 21, and to be able to secure the bicycle to a stationary object (see fig. 2-4).

The lock mechanism 17 is configured as a combination lock mechanism, and has three code rings 63 rotatable about the rotation axis a. A secret code comprising three digits can be set or adjusted by means of these code rings 63. Whereas the locking element 15 connected to the locking mechanism 17 can be released from the locking mechanism 17 by setting a code (see fig. 1), the locking element 15 can be locked firmly to the locking mechanism 17 by rotation of the code ring 63 and adjustment of the code (see fig. 2 to 4).

In addition, the first and second cable portions 19 and 21 enter the lock body 13 through respective access openings 61. In this regard, a length L1 of portion 23 of first cable portion 19 extending outside of lock body 13 and a length L2 of portion 25 of second cable portion 21 extending outside of lock body 13 may be selectively and independently varied from each other in that first cable portion 19 and second cable portion 21 may be pulled out of lock body 13.

This makes it possible, for example, to increase the length L2 of the portion 25 of the second cable portion 21 that extends outside the lock body 13, so that the locking element 15 can be guided around a fixed object, such as a street light or a bicycle rack, and can thus be connected to the locking mechanism 17 to fix the bicycle to the object by means of the loop formed by the lock 11. Since the length L1 and thus also the spacing between the locking mechanism 17 and the lock body 13 is variable, the two cable portions 19 and 21 can be pulled flexibly out of the lock body 13 as required, so that the locking mechanism 17 and the locking element 15 can be placed behind an object for fixing, for example, and can be connected to one another there.

The lock body 13 forms a housing 35 for the components of the rope portion 19 and the rope portion 21 extending within the lock body 13, not shown in fig. 1, so as to protect these components from external access. In this regard, the housing 35 has a front housing portion 39 and a rear housing portion 37 connected to one another along a parting plane T. The first and second cable portions 19, 21 enter the lock body 13 through the entrance openings 61, the entrance openings 61 being sealed by the respective sealing members 59, so that water or contaminants can be reliably prevented from entering the interior of the lock body 13 and thereby damaging components provided in the lock body 13. In addition, the sealing element 59, which may be made in particular of rubber or soft plastic, is configured to accommodate the respective contact portion 75 of the locking mechanism 17 or the locking element 15 in a form-fitting manner, in order to be able to counteract disturbing shocks caused by the knocking of the other of these elements 15 and 17 at each other or at the lock body 13 during transport of the lock 11 (see fig. 2 to 4).

In addition, the lock body 13 has a first fastening passage 49 and a second fastening passage 51, and a fastening screw 71 for fastening the lock 11 may be guided through the first fastening passage 49 and the second fastening passage 51. In this respect, the spacing between the two fastening channels 49 and 51 is particularly chosen such that the lock 11 can be fastened to the bicycle frame 69 by means of the fastening screw 71 by screwing the fastening screw 71 into a threaded hole formed at the bicycle frame 69 and anyway provided for attaching the bottle holder 67 (see fig. 4). In this regard, the lock 11 may be fastened to the bicycle frame 69 in a space-saving manner, in particular together with the bottle holder 67, wherein the lock 11 may be arranged between the bottle holder 67 and the bicycle frame 69 (see fig. 3 and 4). For this purpose, the elongated hole 73 of the bottle holder 67 provided for guiding the fastening screw 71 therethrough may be arranged in alignment with the fastening channels 49 and 51, such that the fastening screw 71 may be guided through the elongated hole 73 and the fastening channels 49 and 51 in order to attach both the bottle holder 67 and the lock 11 to the bicycle frame 69. Thus, the lock 11 can be carried in a simple manner during riding of the bicycle without special precautions or restricting use of the bicycle to attach to the bicycle frame 69.

Although the separate arrangement of locking mechanism 17 and locking member 15 shown in fig. 1 allows the cable portion 19 and cable portion 21 connected thereto to be pulled out of the lock body 13 up to the respective desired lengths L1 and L2 to form a loop through the lock 11, fig. 2-4 show a compact arrangement of the lock 11 in which the locking member 15 is connected to the locking mechanism 17. This arrangement may be provided in particular during transport of the lock 11. In this respect, the rope portion 19 and the rope portion 21 are completely pulled into the lock body 13, so that the locking mechanism 17 and the locking element 15 are arranged at as small a spacing from the lock body 13 as possible. In addition, the locking mechanism 17 and the locking element 15 connected thereto are clamped in a holder 65 formed at the lock body 13, which holder 65 is adapted to the shape of the locking mechanism 17 and the locking element 15 and is formed at least partly elastic for this purpose. In particular, by housing the locking mechanism 17 and the locking element 15 in the retainer 65, noise can be prevented from being created during transportation of the lock 11, such as during riding of the bicycle, as the components of the lock 11 vibrate between each other.

As can be seen in fig. 2, fig. 2 shows the lock 11 with the front housing part 39 removed, the first cable part 19 terminating in a first cable end 43 within the lock body 13, said first cable end 43 being connected to the first reel 29 via a fastening element 46. Similarly, the second rope portion 21 terminates in a second rope end 45, which second rope end 45 is connected to the second reel 31 by means of an associated fastening element 46. Both the reel 29 and the reel 31 are formed by a spring 41, the spring 41 being configured as a helical spring and being rotatable about a first axis of rotation D1 and a second axis of rotation D2, respectively.

Starting from the first cable end 43 or the second cable end 45, the first cable part 19 and the second cable part 21 are arranged in a respective winding 33 around the respective reel 29 or 31 within the lock body 13. In this regard, the coil 29 and the coil 31 are disposed outside of a respective boundary 50 formed by the lock body 13, and the inside of the respective boundary 50 defines a securing channel 49 or a securing channel 51. The inwardly disposed spring ends 42 of reels 29 and 31 or springs 41 forming reels 29 and 31 are connected to boundary 50 such that the spring force of springs 41 counter-balances the associated cable portion 19 or 21 to unwind or pull lock body 13. Thus, the reel 29 and the reel 31 form a pull-in device 27 by means of which the rope portion 19 and the rope portion 21 can be automatically pulled into the lock body 13.

What is achieved by this figure is that, when the lock 11 is converted into the transport state shown in fig. 2 to 4, the rope portion 19 and the rope portion 21 are pulled into the lock body 13 in a controlled and automatic manner, and are wound in a compact and space-saving manner in the lock body 13. In this respect, the windings 33 of the rope portions 19 and 21 are arranged in a common winding plane W such that the windings 33 extend helically around the respective rotation axis D1 or D2 with a minimum extent in the direction of the rotation axes D1 and D2 aligned parallel to each other. Thus, the lock body 13 may also be designed to have a smaller extent in this direction, and the housing 35 may be correspondingly flat, so that the lock 11 may be comfortably attached between the bicycle frame 69 and the bottle holder 67 without the need to use the bottle holder 67, and thus be compromised (see fig. 3 and 4). The arrangement of the rope portion 19 and the rope portion 21 in the helically extending winding 33 within the lock body 13 also makes it possible to arrange relatively long rope portions 19 and rope portions 21 within the lock body 13 while requiring relatively little space in the winding plane W.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the pull-in device 27 is configured such that the reel 29 and the reel 31 permanently exert a force directed towards the lock body 13 on the rope portion 19 and the rope portion 21. Alternatively, it may be provided to form the pull-in device 27 with a fixing device 53 (not shown), which fixing device 53 comprises a first blocking device 55 for the first rope portion 19 and a second blocking device 57 for the second rope portion 21. Possible positions for arranging such a fixing means 53 in the lock body 13 are indicated by arrows associated with reference numerals. For example, such blocking devices 55 and 57 may be configured to block the cable portion 19 and the cable portion 21 independently of each other at a desired length L1 or L2 of the portions 23 and 25 extending outside of the lock body 13 (see fig. 1). For this purpose, the blocking means 55 and the blocking means 57 may comprise respective blocking elements which engage with the respective rope portion 19 or rope portion 21 as a result of the continuous pulling of the relevant rope portion 19 or rope portion 21 out of the lock body 13, in order to prevent being pulled therein due to the force exerted by the pulling-in means 27. Such blocking elements may, for example, be disengaged from the rope portion 19 or rope portion 21 by an intentional, jerky or pulsed pull by the user at the respective rope portion 19 or rope portion 21, similar to a roller shutter, so that the rope portion 19 or rope portion 21 may be pulled into the lock body 13 and may be wound around the respective reel 29 or reel 31.

Fig. 5A and 5B show another possibility of forming the fixing means 53. Fig. 5A and 5B each show a schematic view of a portion of the lock body 13 of the lock 11 into which the first cable portion 19 passes through the entrance opening 61. Next, the first rope end 43 of the first rope portion 19 is connected to the first reel 29 by the fastening element 46, the first reel 29 is configured as a helical spring 41, and applies a force directed into the lock body 13 to the first rope portion 19. The reel 29 is thus a component of the pull-in device 27, so that the rope portion 19 can be automatically pulled into the lock body 13 and the rope portion 19 can be compactly arranged in the winding 33 around the reel 29 (see fig. 2).

As shown in fig. 5A, the lock body 13 has a blocking element 77, as part of the blocking means 55 provided for the first cable part 19, which blocking element 77 is arranged in the region of the entrance opening 61 and is spring-preloaded in the blocking direction B by a preload spring 79. In this respect, the blocking direction B is perpendicular to the linear direction of entry E, along which the first cable section 19 extends into the lock body 13. Due to the spring preload, the blocking element 77 presses the first cable portion 19 against the inner housing wall 81 formed by the lock body 13, such that the cable portion 19 is sandwiched between the blocking element 77 and the inner housing wall 81. Thus, the pulling-in effect exerted by the pulling-in device 27 on the cable portion 19 can be blocked and the portion 23 of said cable portion 19 extending outside the lock body 13 can be fixedly held at the desired length L1.

In order to be able to selectively pull the first cable part 19 into the lock body 13 by means of the pull-in device 27, for example before transporting the lock 11, and to be able to arrange the first cable part 19 in a compact manner, the user can bring the cable part 19 into an oblique direction with respect to the entry E shown in fig. 5B in order to transmit a force acting counter to the blocking direction B to the blocking element 77, and the preloading of the preloading spring 79 pushes the blocking element 77 back. Thus, the clamping of the rope portion 19 between the blocking element 77 and the inner housing wall 81 can be halted, so that the rope portion 19 can be drawn in a controlled and continuous manner and can be wound on the reel 27 in the course of doing so. Alternatively, a button or electric knob may be provided on the outside of the lock body 13 to be able to selectively push back such a spring preloaded blocking element 77.

As part of the second blocking means 57, a further blocking element configured in the same way as the blocking element 77 may be provided as the second rope portion 21 extending into the lock body 13, so that the first blocking means 55 and the second blocking means 57 may form a fixing means 53 (see also fig. 2).

The lock 11 allows a very compact arrangement directly at the bicycle frame 69 and thus provides comfortable fixing possibilities particularly for bicycles mainly used for sports, such as racing or mountain bikes, without any restriction of other functions. In this respect, the cable portion 19 or the cable portion 21 may in particular be relatively thin, so that the lock 11 may be formed with a light weight, in order to be able to sufficiently protect such a bicycle against unauthorized riding or removal in a short time, without the lock 11 exhibiting an unreasonably large additional weight.

Description of reference numerals

11 Lock

13 lock body

15 locking element

17 locking mechanism

19 first rope portion

21 second rope portion

23 part of the first rope portion extending outside the lock body

25 part of the second rope portion extending outside the lock body

27 pull-in device

29 first reel

31 second reel

33 winding

35 casing

37 rear housing part

39 front housing part

41 spring

42 fastening spring end

43 first rope end

45 second rope end

46 fastening element

47 connecting element

49 first fastening channel

50 boundary

51 second fastening channel

53 fixing device

55 first blocking means

57 second blocking means

59 sealing element

61 inlet opening

63 code ring

65 holder

67 bottle holder

69 bicycle frame

71 fastening screw

73 long hole

75 contact part

77 Barrier element

79 preloaded spring

81 inner housing wall

A code ring axis of rotation

B blocking direction

E direction of entry

D1 first axis of rotation

D2 second axis of rotation

L1 length of part of the first rope portion extending outside the lock body

L2 length of part of the second rope portion extending outside the lock body

T plane of separation

W winding plane