Security device

Abstract

An anti-snap security device for a vehicle door lock 1 is disclosed, the vehicle door lock 1 comprising a lock body 7 and a cylinder 15. The anti-snap security device 5 has a bracket 51 for attaching

Description

Field This disclosure relates, in one aspect, to security devices - particularly, but not exclusively, to security devices for vehicles. Illustrative implementations of the teachings of the disclosure are embodied in commercial vehicles, such as vans or trucks. Other aspects of the disclosure relate to: a lock assembly for a vehicle - particularly, but not exclusively, a commercial vehicle; a vehicle door that includes a lock assembly of the type disclosed herein, and a vehicle - particularly a commercial vehicle, such as a van or truck - that comprises a vehicle door of the type disclosed herein. Background Certain previously proposed types of cylinder lock, such as the type of lock that has previously been proposed for patio doors, can be vulnerable to an attack technique known as "lock snapping". In such techniques, a tool (such as a length of scaffolding pole, an adjustable spanner, or a dedicated "cylinder snapper") is fitted to a part of the cylinder lock that projects from the outside face of the door. The tool is then used to apply pressure to the cylinder until it snaps, whereupon the broken cylinder can be removed and the lock can be manipulated to unlock the door. The principal reason why this is possible is that the lock body inside the door, that the cylinder lock interfaces with, is fixed within the door and as such a relatively small amount of effort applied to a lever -such as one of the aforementioned tools - coupled to the exposed cylinder, can cause the cylinder to fracture. In the context of cylinder locks on a vehicle door (such as - for example - a rear door that provides access to the load area of a commercial vehicle, such as a van), the outer face of the cylinder is typically generally flush with the surface of the door, and as such there is no exposed cylinder for the aforementioned lock snapping tools to be coupled to. One might think that the lack of an exposed cylinder on a vehicle door guards against lock snapping attacks of the type described above, but this is unfortunately not the case. What happens instead is that thieves cut an access panel (using, for example, an angle grinder or saw) into the relatively thin metal skin of the door that surrounds the cylinder. Once the access panel has been removed, the cylinder is exposed and can easily be snapped using the technique described above. Once the cylinder has been snapped, the vehicle door can easily be opened. In other cases, thieves have been known to attack the hook or bolt of the lock by attempting to cut the hook or bolt using a saw blade or angle grinder inserted in between the door that carries the lock the part of the vehicle that carries the keep for the lock. Aspects of this disclosure have been devised with the foregoing in mind. Summary One presently preferred aspect of the teachings of this disclosure provides an anti-snap security device for a vehicle door lock, said vehicle door lock comprising a lock body and a cylinder, the anti-snap security device comprising: a bracket for attaching the anti-snap security device to the door lock, and an anti-snap member that is coupled to the bracket, said anti-snap member being operable to support the cylinder and resist relative movement of the cylinder and the lock body when the anti-snap security device is attached to the door lock. As the anti-snap security device of this arrangement functions to resist relative movement of the lock body and lock cylinder, a thief who has cut through the skin of the door is unlikely to be able to apply sufficient force to the cylinder to move the cylinder relative to the lock body and snap the cylinder - even though at least part of the cylinder might be exposed. What tends to happen, in actual fact, is that the anti-snap member causes the lock body and cylinder to move in tandem when a force is applied to the lock cylinder. Although this applied force might cause the frame of the door to bend, it is unlikely to bend to a sufficient extend to disengage a latch bolt, for example, of the lock from a keep in an adjacent door or wall of the vehicle, and hence access to the interior of the vehicle is obstructed. In one arrangement the anti-snap member may be configured so as to be spaced from said lock body when the anti-snap security device is attached to the door lock. The anti-snap member may extend generally in parallel to said lock body when the anti-snap security device is attached to the door lock. The anti-snap member may comprise a plate. In one arrangement the anti-snap member is configured to accommodate the cylinder when the anti-snap security device is attached to the door lock. The anti-snap member may be configured to extend around at least part of the cylinder periphery when the anti-snap security device is attached to the door lock. The anti-snap member may include an aperture for accommodating the cylinder. In one implementation the aperture may be shaped and configured to accommodate an oval lock cylinder. In another implementation the aperture may be shaped and configured to accommodate a euro lock cylinder. The bracket may be configured to accommodate the lock body of the lock. The bracket may comprise a recess in which the lock body locates. The bracket may comprise a plate. The bracket may lie in a plane that is generally orthogonal to a plane in which the anti-snap member lies. The bracket may include a spacer that extends from a peripheral edge of the bracket, the anti-snap member being coupled to a peripheral edge of the spacer that is remote from the bracket. The bracket may include a first part of a two-part fixing for coupling the anti-snap security device to the door lock. The first part of said two-part fixing may comprise a clinch nut, and the second part may comprise a machine screw. The bracket may be configured to couple to a faceplate of the vehicle door lock. In one arrangement the anti-snap security device may locate inside a door of a vehicle in use with a wall of the door between the faceplate and the bracket. The vehicle door lock may comprise a deadbolt moveable into and out of said lock body. The vehicle door lock may comprise a hook that can be pivoted between a position where the hook is within the lock body and a position where the hook projects from the lock body. Another implementation of the teachings of this disclosure comprises, in combination, a vehicle door lock and an anti-snap security device of the type described herein, the anti-snap security device being configured to be coupled to the vehicle door lock. This combination may further comprise an anti-cut security device, said anti-cut security device comprising an anti-cut member and a bracket, said anti-cut member extending away from said lock body and in parallel to said anti-snap member when the anti-snap security device and the anti-cut security device are attached to the vehicle door lock, said bracket extending in a generally orthogonal direction away from a peripheral edge of the anti-cut member that is nearest the lock body, wherein said anticut security device acts to obstruct attempts to cut a locking hook or bolt of the vehicle door lock.. The bracket of said anti-cut security device may lie between the faceplate and the wall of the door when the anti-cut security device and the anti-snap security device are attached to the vehicle door lock and the lock is installed in the vehicle door. A further implementation of the teachings of this disclosure comprises a vehicle door that comprises the combination mentioned above. Another implementation of the teachings of this disclosure comprises a vehicle that includes a vehicle door of the type disclosed herein, said vehicle comprising a commercial vehicle such as a van or a truck. Another aspect of the teachings of this disclosure (which may or may not be combined with the aforementioned aspect of the teachings of this disclosure) provides an anti-cut security device for a vehicle door lock, said vehicle door lock comprising a faceplate that is configured to abut against a wall of a vehicle door and a lock body that extends from the faceplate and lies within the vehicle door when the door lock is fitted to a vehicle door, the anti-cut security device comprising an anti-cut member and a bracket, said anti-cut member extending away from and generally in parallel with said lock body when the anti-cut security device and vehicle door lock are attached to a vehicle door, said bracket extending in an orthogonal direction away from a peripheral edge of the anti-cut member that is nearest the lock body to lie between the faceplate and the wall of the vehicle door when the security device and vehicle door lock are installed in a vehicle door, said anti-cut member acting to obstruct attempts to cut a locking hook or bolt of the vehicle door lock. Other advantages and aspects of the security devices disclosed herein will be apparent from the detailed description provided below. Brief Description of the Drawings The teachings of this disclosure, and arrangements embodying those teachings, will hereafter be described by way of illustrative example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic front isometric view of - in combination - a vehicle door lock, an anti-cut security device and an anti-snap security device assembled together (with part of the fasteners omitted for clarity); Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the arrangement depicted in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the arrangement depicted in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an underneath plan view of the arrangement depicted in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an exploded schematic front isometric view of a vehicle door lock, an anti-cut security device and an anti-snap security device (with part of the fasteners omitted once again for clarity); Figs. 6 and 7 are, respectively, front right and front left isometric views of the anti-snap security of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a front right isometric view of the anti-cut security device depicted in Fig. 1; and Fig. 9 is a schematic front isometric view of a vehicle door lock and an anti-cut security device of the type shown in Fig. 8. Detailed Description An illustrative implementation of the teachings of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to a vehicle door lock for a commercial vehicle, such as a van, in particular to a vehicle door hook lock for the rear doors of a van. It will be appreciated by persons of skill in the art that this detailed disclosure is merely illustrative and as such that the teachings of this disclosure are not limited to commercial vehicles or indeed to door locks at the rear of such vehicles, or indeed to hook looks. The teachings of this disclosure may equally be applied to other types of vehicles, locks and other vehicle doors. With the above proviso in mind, reference will now be made to Fig. 1 in which there is depicted a schematic front isometric view of a vehicle door lock 1, an anti-cut security device 3 and an anti-snap security device 5 that have been assembled together by a pair of two-part fasteners, one part of each of which has been omitted for clarity. Reference will also be made to Figs 2 to 4, which depict - respectively - a front elevation of the arrangement depicted in Fig. 1, a rear elevation of the arrangement depicted in Fig. 1, and an underneath plan view of the arrangement depicted in Fig. 1. The vehicle door lock 1 comprises, in this particular example, a hook lock which includes - as the name suggests - a hook 13 that can be deployed, when the vehicle door that bears the lock is closed and the lock is locked, to engage with a suitable keep (not shown) in another part of the vehicle, such as another vehicle door or a structural member (e.g. door frame) of the vehicle. In other envisaged arrangements, the vehicle lock 1 could instead comprise a dead lock that is configured to deploy a dead bolt when the door is closed and the lock is locked. The vehicle door lock 1 includes a lock body 7 for housing the working components of the lock. The lock body includes a back box 9 to which an anti-drill front plate 11 has been fitted, for example by rivets or by welding. The hook 13, in this particular example, pivots into and out of the lock body 7 in response to turning a key (not shown) in a cylinder lock 15 that has been slotted into an appropriate channel 17 (Fig. 5) in the lock body. In this instance the cylinder lock 15 is oval in cross-section, but it is anticipated that the cylinder lock 15 may instead be circular in cross-section or have the same cross-sectional shape as a so-called Euro Cylinder Lock. As will be appreciated, the channel 17 in the lock body is appropriately shaped to closely accommodate the selected cylinder lock. In this particular example, the cylinder lock 15 is operable by inserting a key into a slot provide at one end of the cylinder, in this instance the end of the cylinder that will be accessible from outside of the vehicle door in which the lock is installed. In other anticipated arrangements the lock cylinder may have key slots in either end (so that the lock can be unlocked from inside or outside of the vehicle), or may have a thumbturn on an end of the cylinder lock that is accessible from inside the vehicle. In circumstances where the lock is retro-fitted to a vehicle as an upgrade to the OEM security, it may be that the structure of the door prevents the installation of a cylinder lock that is also operable from inside the vehicle, and in this case the cylinder lock may only be operable from outside the vehicle. The lock body 7 includes a face plate 19 (best shown in Fig. 5) from which the hook 13 projects, in this example, when the lock is locked. The faceplate includes a pair of apertures 21, 23 - one aperture 21 towards one end (typically the top end) of the face plate 19 and one aperture 23 (not shown) towards the other end of the face plate 19 (typically the bottom end). The apertures 21, 23 each accommodate a first part of the two-part fixings that are used to fix the lock in place in a vehicle door. Referring additionally to Fig. 5, a gasket 25 (typically of a polymeric material, such as a rubber or plastics based material) with a letter-box shaped internal aperture 27 is fitted over the lock body 1 to lie against an underside 29 of the face plate 19 that faces towards the vehicle door when the lock is installed. The gasket 25 further comprises a pair of apertures 31, 33 that align with the apertures 21, 23 in the face plate 19 when the gasket is abutted against the underside 29 of the face plate 19. Once the gasket has been fitted over the lock body, a bracket 34 of an anti-cut security device 35 with a letterbox-shaped internal aperture 37 is fitted over the lock body to lie against the gasket 25. As will later be described, the anti-cut security device functions to provide a barrier against attempts to cut through the hook 13, for example by means of a blade of an electric saw or angle grinder inserted into a gap between the vehicle door with the lock and the part of the vehicle with the keep for that lock. The bracket 34 of the anti-cut security device 35 further comprises a pair of apertures 36, 38 that align with the apertures 21, 23 in the face plate 19 and the apertures in the gasket 31, 33 when the anti-cut security device 35 is abutted against the gasket 25. The face plate 19, gasket 25 and anti-cut security device 35 all lie outside of a side panel 39 of the door 41 (a schematic of which is denoted by the dotted lines in Fig. 5) in which the lock is fitted. The side panel is typically recessed relative to the external door skin 43 of the door. The lock body 7 projects into the interior of the door through an aperture provided in or cut into the side panel 39 of the door 41. Also provided within the interior of the door 41 is an anti-snap security device 5, which anti-snap security device 5 can be inserted into the door via the aforementioned aperture in the side panel. Once the anti-snap security device 5 is in place, the lock body 7 (over which the gasket 25 and anti-cut security device 35 have been fitted) is inserted. The aforementioned first part of each fixing can then be threaded through the aligned apertures, 21, 31, 36 and 23, 33, 38 and into engagement with second parts 47, 49 of the two-part fixings carried by the anti-snap security device 5. In one envisaged implementation the first part of each two-part fixing comprises a machine screw, and the second part comprises a clinch nut. Once the face plate 19, gasket 25, anti-cut security device 25 and anti-snap security device 5 have been coupled, the lock cylinder 15 is inserted into the channel 17 in the lock body 7 via an appropriate aperture in the door skin 43. A fixing (not shown), such as a screw, can then be screwed through the face plate 19 and into the lock cylinder 15 to hold the lock cylinder in place. Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, there are depicted front right and front left isometric views, respectively, of the anti-snap security device 5 mentioned above. The anti-snap security device 5 comprises a bracket 51 and an anti-snap member 53. A spacer 55 couples the anti-snap member 53 to the bracket 51. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the bracket comprises a generally C-shaped plate with first and second wider portions 57, 59 interconnected by a relatively thinner portion 61. The wider portions and thinner portion co-operate to define a recess 63 in which the lock body locates, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5. The first and second wider portions 57, 59 each carry a second part 47, 49 (in this instance a clinch nut) of the two two-part fixings that couple the anti-snap security device to the face plate 19 of the lock. The anti-snap member 63 comprises a plate 65 that defines an aperture 67 which is shaped to closely accommodate the lock cylinder 15. In this instance the aperture is oval, and in other instances the aperture could be circular or shaped to accommodate a Euro Cylinder Lock. In the arrangement depicted the aperture is shaped and configured so that the anti-snap member closely fits around the entire periphery of the cylinder lock. The anti-snap member is configured to support the cylinder lock so that any attempt to move the cylinder relative to the lock body is resisted, which relative movement may otherwise have caused the cylinder lock to snap. By virtue of this arrangement, and with reference to Fig. 4, the cylinder lock 15 is supported to such an extent that a thief who cuts away the door skin 43 to expose the cylinder lock 15 is unable to expose enough of the cylinder lock to be able to apply sufficient leverage to the cylinder lock to cause it to snap. In other contemplated arrangements it may be sufficient for the anti-snap member to comprise a plate or other member that fits only part-way around the cylinder lock 15, preferably around the majority of the cylinder lock 15. In such an arrangement the resulting anti-snap member would be generally c-shaped with a recess rather than an aperture. The anti-snap security device may be of any suitable material, and in one arrangement is of stainless steel that is approximately 1-3 mm thick, preferably approximately 2 mm thick. Referring now to Fig. 8, there is depicted a front right isometric view of the anticut security device 35 depicted in Fig. 5 (and elsewhere). The anti-cut security device 35 comprises a bracket 34 with a letterbox-shaped internal aperture 37 that allows the anti-cut security device 35 to be fitted over the lock body 7 to lie, in one arrangement, against the gasket 25. The bracket 34 is coupled to an anti-cut member 69 that extends orthogonally relative to the bracket 34. In this embodiment, the anti-cut member comprises a plate. When the anti-snap security device and the anti-cut security device are attached to the vehicle door lock as in Fig. 5, the anti-cut member 69 extends away from the lock body 7 generally in parallel with the plate 65 of the anti-snap member 63. As will be appreciated when assembled as in Fig. 5, the anti-cut member 69 partially covers the hook 13 of the lock and hence acts to obstruct attempts to cut the locking hook of the vehicle door lock. Referring now to Fig. 9, there is depicted an exploded schematic front isometric view of a vehicle door lock in combination with an anti-cut security device 35 of the type shown in Fig. 8. In this arrangement, the lock 1, gasket 25 and cylinder 15 are as described above in connection with Fig. 5 and for brevity will not be described again. As can be appreciated from Fig. 9, the lock, gasket and anti-cut security device fit together in the same way as they do in Fig. 5, and the anti-cut security device functions to resist attempts to cut through the hook, in this case, of the lock. It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments of the present invention have heretofore been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular arrangements set out herein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, and modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, whilst in the forgoing it is contemplated that the gasket lies between the faceplate and the anti-cut security device, it will be appreciated that the gasket and anti-cut security device could be swapped around so that the anti-cut security device lies between the faceplate and the gasket. It will also be appreciated that whilst it is beneficial to provide a lock that includes both an anti-cut security device and an anti-snap security device, the scope of the present invention includes a vehicle lock in combination with only an anti-cut security device of the type described, as well as a vehicle lock in combination with only an antisnap security device of the type described. It should also be noted that whilst the accompanying claims set out particular combinations of features described herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular combinations hereafter claimed, but instead extends to encompass any combination of features herein disclosed. In addition, that whilst embodiments of the present invention have been described above in the context of software modules that are executable by a processor, it should be noted that the scope of the present invention is not limited to an 5 implementation of the teachings of the invention in software. Rather, the skilled person will immediately appreciate that the functionality described herein may equally be implemented in hardware (for example, by means of a plurality of application specific integrated circuits (ASICS)) or, indeed, by a mix of hardware and software. Finally, it should be noted that any element in a claim that does not explicitly 10 state "means for" performing a specified function, or "steps for" performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a "means" or "step" clause as specified in 35 (J.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6. In particular, the use of "step of" in the claims appended hereto is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 (J.S.C. Sec. 112, par. 6. 15

Claims

1. An anti-snap security device for a vehicle door lock, said vehicle door lock comprising a lock body and a cylinder, the security device comprising:a bracket for attaching the security device to the door lock, andan anti-snap member that is coupled to the bracket, said anti-snap member being operable to support the cylinder and resist relative movement of the cylinder and the lock body when the security device is attached to the door lock.

2. An anti-snap security device according to Claim 1, wherein said anti-snap member is configured so as to be spaced from said lock body when the security device is attached to the door lock.

3. An anti-snap security device according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said anti-snap member extends generally in parallel to said lock body when the security device is attached to the door lock.

4. An anti-snap security device according to any preceding claim, wherein said antisnap member comprises a plate.

5. An anti-snap security device according to any preceding claim, wherein said antisnap member is configured to accommodate the cylinder when the security device is attached to the door lock.

6. An anti-snap security device according to any preceding claim, wherein said antisnap member is configured to extend around at least part of the cylinder periphery when the security device is attached to the door lock.

7. An anti-snap security device according to any preceding claim wherein said antisnap member includes an aperture for accommodating the cylinder.

8. An anti-snap security device according to Claim 7, wherein said aperture is shaped and configured to accommodate an oval lock cylinder.

9. An anti-snap security device according to Claim 7, wherein said aperture is shaped and configured to accommodate a euro lock cylinder.

10. An anti-snap security device according to any preceding claim, wherein said bracket is configured to accommodate the lock body of the lock.

11. An anti-snap security device according to Claim 10, wherein the bracketcomprises a recess in which the lock body locates.

12. An anti-snap security device according to Claim 11, wherein the bracketcomprises a plate.

13. An anti-snap security device according to Claim 12, wherein the bracket lies in a plane that is generally orthogonal to a plane in which the anti-snap member lies.

14. An anti-snap security device according to any of Claims 10 to 13, wherein the anti-snap security device includes a spacer that extends from a peripheral edge of the bracket, the anti-snap member being coupled to a peripheral edge of the spacer that is remote from the bracket.

15. An anti-snap security device according to any preceding claim, wherein the bracket includes a first part of a two-part fixing for coupling the security device to the door lock.

16. An anti-snap security device according to Claim wherein the first part of said two-part fixing comprises a clinch nut, and the second part comprises a machine screw.

17. An anti-snap security device according to any preceding claim wherein the bracket is configured to couple to a faceplate of the vehicle door lock.

18. An anti-snap security device according to Claim 17, wherein the security device locates inside a door of a vehicle in use with a wall of the door between the faceplate and the bracket.

19. An anti-snap security device according to any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle door lock comprises a deadbolt moveable into and out of said lock body.

20. An anti-snap security device according to any of Claims 1 to 18, wherein the vehicle door lock comprises a hook that can be pivoted between a position where thehook is within the lock body and a position where the hook projects from the lock body.

21. In combination, a vehicle door lock and an anti-snap security device according to any preceding claim, the anti-snap security device being configured to be coupled to the vehicle door lock.

22. The combination of Claim 21, further comprising an anti-cut security device, said anti-cut security device comprising an anti-cut member and a bracket, said anti-cut member extending away from said lock body and in parallel to said anti-snap member when the anti-snap security device and the anti-cut security device are attached to the vehicle door lock, said bracket extending in a generally orthogonal direction away from a peripheral edge of the anti-cut member that is nearest the lock body, wherein said anticut security device acts to obstruct attempts to cut a locking hook or bolt of the vehicle door lock.

23. The combination of Claim 22 when dependent on Claims 21 and 18, wherein the bracket of said anti-cut security device lies between the faceplate and the wall of the door when the anti-cut security device and the anti-snap security device are attached to the vehicle door lock and the lock is installed in the vehicle door.

24. A vehicle door comprising the combination of any of Claims 21 to 23.

25. A vehicle comprising a vehicle door according to Claim 24, said vehiclecomprising a commercial vehicle such as a van or a truck.

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