Anti-theft device for a vehicle

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention provides an anti-theft device for a vehicle, comprising a dead bolt mechanism which includes a dead bolt mounted for linear translation within a housing, means for mounting the housing in a portion of a door of a vehicle, and actuator means connected to the dead bolt for translating the dead bolt between an unlocked position substantially within the housing and a locked position in which the dead bolt extends outwardly from the housing.
Striker means are provided for receiving a portion of the dead bolt in the locked position, and means are provided for mounting the striker means in a door frame portion of the vehicle opposite the vehicle door portion in which the housing is mounted.
The dead bolt mechanism is mounted in the door portion and the door frame portion of the vehicle such that the working parts of the mechanism are substantially inaccessible from either the exterior or interior of the vehicle.
In a preferred embodiment, first enable/disable means are connected to the actuator means of a dead bolt mechanism so as to move the dead bolt between the unlocked and locked positions, the first enable/disable means comprising a receiver disposed in the vehicle for receiving an encoded signal from a remote transmitter.
Second enable/disable means are provided for enabling and disabling an ignition circuit of the vehicle, the second enable/disable means being connected between the receiver and the ignition circuit so as to enable or disable the ignition circuit when the encoded actuating signal is received by the receiver.
It is an object of the invention to provide one of the dead bolt mechanisms for each door of a vehicle, with each dead bolt mechanism being simultaneously enabled and disabled upon operation of the remote transmitter.
Because none of the portions of the dead bolt mechanisms according to the invention are exposed for access either from outside or inside the vehicle, even if an intruder managed to force the conventional vehicle door lock(s), the dead bolt mechanism of the invention would prevent opening of the door(s)