US3544140A - Antenna attachment base for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

. l, 1970 R. LANGHECK ANTENNA ATTACHME-N'I'N BASE FOR VEHICLES Filed April 29, 1969 INVENTOP qheck 9L AUUQVZ 5 Richard Len 7 United States Patent 1 3 544,140 ANTENNA ATTACHMENT BASE FOR VEHICLES Richard Langheck, Niefern, Baden, Germany, assignor to Wilhelm Sihn jun. K.G., Niefern, Baden, Germany Filed Apr. 29, 1969, Ser. No. 820,083 Int. Cl. F16b 9/00 US. Cl. 287-20 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An antenna rod is detachably mounted on an antenna base, which is adapted to be secured to a vehicle body. Releasably interengaging locking elements are provided on said base and rod, respectively, and have releasing means operable by a key to disengage said locking elements. Keyselecting means are arranged to prevent an operation of said releasing means by means other than a predetermined key. The locking means are arranged to interengage automatically as said rod is applied to said base and reaches said predetermined position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a mounting for vehicle antenna rods which are detachable, i.e., which can be fitted and removed. The rod may be integral or consists of a plurality of telescopic parts.

Mountings of this kind are known in which the rod has a screw thread which is engageable with the base, which is secured to the body of the vehicle. Other mountings are known to which the detachable antennas are secured with a screw or nut. In further mountings, the antenna is fitted into the base and is held in the same by a detent member, which is releasable by a sudden pull on the rod when it is desired to remove the antenna rod.

All these designs do not afford to the car owner an adequate protection against an unauthorized removal of the antenna. In a vehicle antenna according to the invention, this disadvantage is eliminated in that the antenna rod and base interlock as the rod is fitted and can be unlocked only by a suitable key.

The lock may be secured to the base, which is mounted on the vehicle body, or to the lower end of the antenna rod. Locks and other locking devices which are suitable for this purpose are known. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the mounting according to the invention, the locking means comprise an open snap ring, which snaps into a groove formed on the complementary member as the rod is fitted. To release the lock, the snap ring is expanded by means of the key and is thus disengaged from the groove.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention will now be explained more fully with reference to a preferred, illustrative embodiment and to the drawing. In that embodiment, the open snap ring is disposed in the lower end portion of the antenna rod. As the rod is fitted on a mandrel of the antenna base, the snap ring is expanded and, when the rod has reached its position of use, snaps into a groove in said mandrel to 3,544,140 Patented Dec. 1, 1970 lock the rod to the base. A key can be inserted through a lateral slot to expand the spring ring so that it disengages the groove and the rod can be removed.

The drawing shows in diagrammatical partly sectional views in-- FIG. 1 the antenna base secured to the vehicle body; in FIG. 2 the lower end of the antenna rod; in FIG. 3 a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the locking means between the antenna base and the antenna rod; and in FIG. 4 a transverse sectional view illustrating the locking means and the action of the key.

The antenna base 2 is secured to and insulated from the vehicle body 3 in known manner. The lower end 5 of the antenna rod 6 is fitted on the mandrel 4 of the antenna base 2. A wire spring 7 which has been inserted into the mandrel 4 produces the force required to establish a firm fit and an electrical contact between the mandrel 4 and the antenna rod 6. A snap ring 8, which is open on one side, is so inserted into the lower end portion 5 of the antenna rod 6 that there is space for the ring 8 to expand in diameter.

As the antenna rod 6 is fitted on the mandrel 4, the spring ring 8 moves over the conical extension 9 of the mandrel 4 and is thus expanded. In the end position of the rod 6, the ring 8 snaps into the groove 10 of the mandrel 4. This locks the antenna rod to the foot. When a key 12 is inserted into a lateral slot 11 formed in the lower end portion of the antenna rod, the snap ring 8 is expanded in that the surfaces 13 move the laterally bent end portions 14 of the snap ring apart. The expanded snap ring 8 no longer engages the groove 10 so that the antenna rod 6 can be pulled from the mandrel 4 of the antenna base 2.

To prevent an expanding of the snap ring 8 with any desired tool, a specially shaped rib 15 may be provided and the key 12 may be formed with a cut-out 16 which is complementary to the rib. Other means, known per se, may be used to ensure that only a fitting key can be used.

What is claimed is:

1. An antenna for vehicles, which comprises an antenna base adapted to be secured to a vehicle body,

an antenna rod detachably mounted on said base in a predetermined position,

releasably interengaging locking elements provided on said base and rod, respectively, and having releasing means operable by a key to disengage said locking elements, and

key-selecting means arranged to prevent an operation of said releasing means by means other than a predetermined key,

said locking elements being arranged to interengage automatically as said rod is applied to said base and reaches said predetermined position.

2. An antenna as set forth in claim 1, in which said locking elements comprise a male element provided on said base and a female element provided on said rod.

3. An antenna as set forth in claim 1, in which said locking elements comprise a male element provided on said rod and a female element provided on said base.

4. An antenna as set forth in claim 1, in which said locking elements comprise on open snap ring and a groove, respectively, and said releasing means are provided on said ring and .7 7 4 3 operable by said predetermined key to move said -2,808,278 10/ 1957- Snyder 343--900X ring out of said groove. I 2,944,847 7/1960 Chadowski 343-888 X 5. An antenna as set forth in claim 4, in which 3,065,003 11/1962 Whitehouse 28720 said groove extends radially inwardly of said ring and said releasing means are operable by said predeter- DAVID WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner mined key to expand said ring out of said groove. W. L. SHEDD, Assistant Examiner References Cited Us. CL

UNITED STATES PATENTS V 343 715; 2,097,628 11/ 1937 Liebhart 287-135 10 2,210,811 8/1940 Kelpsch 2 87135

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