GB2362679A

GB2362679A - Vehicle door security lock or handle guard

Info

Publication number: GB2362679A
Application number: GB0111170A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Michael Mills; Tony Delessio
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-05-05
Filing date: 2001-05-08
Publication date: 2001-11-28
Also published as: GB0111170D0; GB0010784D0

Abstract

The guard or protector comprises a plate B attached by adhesive and rivets E to the area of the vehicle door A around the lock D so as to prevent forced entry by an intruder. The plate B is shaped so as to overlie a portion of the lock D. The rivets are hidden beneath an outer colour coded cosmetic plate C.

Description

2362679 Vehicle door lock guard

Description

1 This invention relates to %protective security guards' for the door locks and handles of vehicles in order to improve the security of such vehicles.

It is common for intruders to break into a vehicle by piercing the outer skin of the door immediately around the lock/handle/barrel area thus gaining access to the lock mechanism in order to unlock the door.

We have now devised protective security guards which are of an essentially simple construction and easily installed and which offer protection for the above described form of attack.

This invention incorporates a door lock/handle guard which may be elongate, square, halfhorseshoe or circular in style with the aperture for the lock barrel or handle, either symmetrically or asymmetrically arranged for the vehicle door. The door lock handle/guard comprising a plate for fitting against the outer surface of the outer skin of the door and having an aperture or other suitable access area to receive the protruding barrel/handle on the outside of the door and a plurality of holes to receive rivets or other fixings for securing the guard plate to the door.

The guard plate is applied to the outer surface of the outer skin of the door, tailgate or boot-lid to cover an area immediately around the door lock/handle and so offer protection against the outer skin of the door being pierced at these positions.

Preferably the 'door lock/handle guard' is supplied together with pop rivets, self-tapping bolts or other mechanical fixings, which enable the door lock/guard plate to be fixed to the door from the outside and without the need to remove the door lining, or perform any disassembly of the vehicle. Additionally an adhesive is also used to apply the guard plate to the outer skin of the door.

1 2 Preferably the door lock/handle guard plate is formed of metal, k e v 1 a r (IEI'OA)D r other such mechanically tough material and a cover plate is provided to encase the outer surface of the door lock/handle guard plate - this cover plate is made of plastic or some other suitable material which will allow overpainting to the colour of the vehicle. Such plates may also be available in a natural metal finish.

All door lock/handle guards and cover plates will have dimensional variations in order to accommodate the requirements of the different vehicles on the market, be they commercial,. private or plant machinery in nature.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, followed by specific modifications which will be further described and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Drawing 1 of 12 displays an exhibit described as figure 1 which is an isometric view showing a vehicle lock guard in accordance with the present invention, fitted to a car door.

Drawing 2 of 12 displays an exhibit described as figure 2 which is an enlarged isometric view of the vehicle lock guard displayed in fig 1 excluding the door handle and door outer skin.

Drawing 3 of 12 displays a series of exhibits described as figure 1, figure 2, figure 3, figure 4 and figure 5. Figure 1 shows a plan view of a simple lock guard plate, figure 2 shows a side view of the simple lock guard plate while figure 3 shows a cover designed to be secured over the top of the door lock guard plate for aesthetic purposes and which allows the fittings to be colour coded to the vehicle or providing any other surface finish required. Figure 4 shows the door lock guard itself (B) secured to the skin of the vehicle (A) using rivets (E) and with adhesive in the gap between door skin & guard (A & B) with the 'cosmetic' cover plate from figure 3 (C) fitted over the top of the assembly while the barrel lock is shown by (D). Figure 5 shows an isometric view of the outer barrel lock (D) minus the door skin of the vehicle for clarity, the door lock guard (B) is shown as well as the rivets (E) and the outer cosmetic cover plate (C).

3 Drawing 4 of 12 is an enlarged version of figure 4 shows the door lock guard itself (B) secured to the skin of the vehicle (A) using rivets (E) and with adhesive in the gap between door skin & guard (A & B) with the "cosmetic' cover plate from figure 3 (C) fitted over the top of the assembly while the barrel lock is shown by (D).

Drawing 5 of 12 displays a series of exhibits described as figure 1 - a plan view describing a door lock guard plate with 4 holes for rivet or other mechanical security measure, figure 2 describes the side elevation of the door lock guard plate while figure 3 shows the outer cosmetic cover for this particular variation of the vehicle door lock guard in accordance with the present invention.

Drawing 6 of 12 displays a series of exhibits described as figure 1 - a plan view describing a rectangular door lock guard plate with 4 holes for rivet or other mechanical security measure, figure 2 describes the side elevation of the door lock guard plate while figure 3 shows the outer cosmetic cover for this particular variation of the vehicle door lock guard in accordance with the present invention.

Drawing 7 of 12 displays a series of exhibits described as figure 1 an isometric view describing a recessed handle & adjacent door lock barrel while figure 2 describes the guard plate with 4 holes for rivet or other mechanical security measure, in isometric elevation and figure 3 describes once again in isometric elevation the outer cosmetic door lock guard cover. Finally figure 4 shows an isometric projection of the fitted door lock / handle guard in position around the handle and door lock of the vehicle.

Drawing 8 of 12 displays a series of exhibits described as an isometric view describing a door edge handle & vertically aligned door lock barrel while figure 2 describes the guard plate with 2 holes for rivet or other mechanical security measure, in isometric elevation and figure 3 describes - once again in isometric elevation the outer cosmetic door lock guard cover.

Drawing 9 of 12 displays a complex series of exhibits for a more involved door handle/lock 4 combination. Figure 1 shows as isometric view of the handle and lock combination with the recessed area for the fingers of the hand when the handle is operated and the door lock/handle guard installed in position. Figure 2a shows the handle from a higher elevation while figure 2b is a plan view of the door handle, figure 3a shows the lock/handle guard cover with the 4 holes for the mechanical fixing points of the guard while figure 3b shows the handle from figure 2b in plan view with the door/handle guard in position. Figure 4a shows the outer cosmetic cover for the door lock/handle guard while figure 4b shows the plan view of the completed assembly in plan view, i.e., of the door handle, door lock/handle guard and the cosmetic cover. Figure 5 is a plan view of the door handle with the lock/handle guard and the cosmetic cover fixed in position from the barrel lock end for clarity.

Drawing 10 of 12 displays a series of exhibits where the vehicle lock and handle are horizontally aligned and the only way to protect both the handle and the door lock is with a 'half moon' or inverted 'U' shaped door lock/handle guard. Figure 1 shows an isometric view of the door handle and its associated lock on the door skin of a vehicle. The outer door skin has been omitted for clarity. Figure 2 shows the door lock/handle guard with its contoured shape to fit the vehicle and the four fixing holes for mechanical attachment. Figure 3 shows the exterior cosmetic cover plate for the door lock/handle guard while figure 4 shows a full isometric view of the door lock/handle guard and the cosmetic cover fixed in position on the vehicle, (outer door skin omitted for clarity).

Drawing 11 of 12 displays a series of exhibits where the vehicle lock and handle are horizontally aligned but in this case the door lock is under the plane of the handle and therefore an alternative door lock/handle guard is required. The only way to protect both the handle and the door lock is with a 'half moon' or inverted "U' shaped door lock/handle guard. Figure 1 shows an isometric view of the door handle and its associated lock on the door skin of a vehicle. The outer door skin has been omitted for clarity. Figure 2 shows the door lock/handle guard with its contoured shape to fit the vehicle and the four fixing holes for mechanical attachment. Figure 3 shows the exterior cosmetic cover plate for the door lock /handle guard while figure 4 shows a full isometric view of the door lock/handle guard and the cosmetic cover fixed in position on the vehicle, (outer door skin omitted for clarity).

Figure 12 of 12 displays an isometric view of an example door lock/handle guard being offered up to a barrel lock, the donor vehicle is in the background. Figure 1 shows the door lock/ handle guard while figure 2 shows the rivets and the associated holes in the plate described in Figure 1 for mechanical fixing while figure 3 shows an example of a half- moon cosmetic cover plate.

The following are generalized descriptions of key facts which relate to all of the door lock /handle guards shown in figures 1 to 12 in the attached drawings.

Referring specifically to drawing 1 of 12, figure 1 there is shown the outer skin (D, of a car door which is fitted with a keyoperated lock. The barrel of the lock is shown at (B) and its keyhole at (K): a door handle for operating the latch mechanism is shown at (H).

The car door (D) is fitted with a guard (G) in accordance with the present invention. Referring to drawing 1 of 12, figure 1 the door lock guard (G) comprises a flat or contoured (as may be necessary) metal plate, (drawing 2 of 12 item (G)), a variety of shapes, styles and designs are shown in the drawings pages 1 to 12, however these are not exhaustive but merely representative of the variety of shapes, sizes and contours that may be required as and when individual vehicles are protected using this method. An example of this variation & modification can be seen by viewing drawing 8 of 12 in which the lock/handle guard plate is designed in this instance to provide a wrap around the edge of the vehicle door. A simple variation of this design would NOT wrap around the edge of the door, for structural or mechanical reasons, but in all other respects would employ essentially the same protective method.

The guard plate (drawing 2 of 12 item (10)has within its perimeter shape a recess, hole or other aperture to take either the handle or the 6 door lock barrel, or both within the perimeter of the plate itself and therefore the protective area. The contour of the plate will coincide with the diameter and/or shape contour of the protruding end of the lock barrel an example of which is shown in drawing 2 of 12 at (B).

The door lock/handle guard plate (drawing 2 of 12 see item (10) is also formed with a series of countersunk holes for rivet, screw or other mechanical fixing method, see item (14). These fixings secure the door lock/handle guard against the outer surface of the outer skin (D) of the vehicle shown in drawing 1 of 12. Positioning of the holes will clearly vary according to the precise requirements of the vehicle and its peculiar alignment of lock barrel, handle, etc.

The door lock/handle guard (drawing 2 of 12, figure 2) is applied against the surface of the skin (D) of the door, with the protruding end of the lock barrel (B) located within the aperture (12). The plate (10) is secured in position using a suitable adhesive between plate (10) as shown in drawing 2 of 12 and the door body skin (D) as shown in drawing 1 of 12.

Additionally the pop rivets, see drawing 2 of 12 item (16) driven through the holes (14) in the plate (10) and through the skin (D) in drawing 1 of 12 of the door.

Alternatively, self-tapping bolts may be used which have heads which shear off at a predetermined torque.

It will be appreciated that the door lock/ handle guard is applied entirely from the outside surface of the door and does not require removal of the inner lining of the door for attachment.

The door lock/handle guard covers the area of the door in the immediate viscinity of the lock barrel/handle and gives protection against the outer skin of the door being pierced at this position in order to gain access to the latch mechanism of the door.

A cosmetic cover plate may be applied over the outer surface of the door lock/handle guard to 7 cover the fixings, see drawing 3 of 12, figure 3 and f igure 5 - item (C),

The cosmetic cover plate may be coloured or finished in a variety of textures or finishes to match the original vehicle colour or alternatively to provide a contrast.

The cosmetic cover plate may be made of plastic, kevlar, GRP, metal or some other suitable material and is secured by a suitable contact or rapid curing adhesive.

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Claims

Claims

Vehicle door lock guard 1. A motor vehicle door lock/handle protector having a lock plate, which may have a recess, sculpted area or cut-away area to accommodate any protruding lock barrel or handle on the vehicle and a method of securing the guard plate to the vehicle.

The motor vehicle door lock/handle protector attachment method features two discrete processes, namely a high performance impact /contact adhesive system for bonding between the guard plate and the body of the vehicle and a physical/structural attachment using nonremovable stud or stress bolt fixing.
2. A motor vehicle door lock/handle protector as in claim 1, wherein the protector plate is made of stainless steel, or a hardened steel, kevlar or some other impervious material. With the protector plate in position the security measure also acts as a cosmetic repair to the vehicle damage around the lock barrel/handle area.
3. A motor vehicle door lock/handle protector as in claim 1 or 2 wherein the retaining nonextractable rivets which secure the guard plate while the adhesive cures are hidden under a plate made of either a structural material such as stainless steel or a plastic material which can be colour coded to exactly match the vehicle.
4. A motor vehicle door lock protector as in claims 1, 2 & 3 wherein the adhesive is also located around the elevated barrel section of the door lock assembly, in this way the entire plate becomes 'as one' with the door panel itself and thus immensely strong.
5. A motor vehicle door lock protector as in claims 1,2,3 & 4 in which the plate is made of tungsten steel and in which the retaining non extractable bolts are made also of tungsten steel.
6. A motor vehicle door lock protector as in claims, 1,2,3,4,& 5 substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to the accompanying 1 1 drawings, 1 to 12 and which acts as a visual deterrent to potential thieves.

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7. A motor vehicle door lock protector as in claims, 1,2,3,4,5 & 6 substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to the accompanying drawings.