Somerville inventor ‘locks horns’ with automobile wheel thieves

Local inventor David Lichter and his daughter proudly show off the “Lock Horns” auto wheel theft prevention product.

By Joei Chan

After Somerville resident and scientist David Lichter bought his first car back in 2009, little did he know that his beloved Honda Accord’s wheels would be victim to near-theft mere weeks later in Davis Square.

“The car had a lot of sentimental value to me,” shared Lichter. “I spent my hard-earned money on it and I was furious someone tried to rob me.” Thankfully, the thief didn’t get away with stealing his wheels, but it was still a jarring and scary experience to see his newly bought car on cinder blocks with two wheels already removed, mid-theft.

Lichter is not alone in this. Not only are wheel and car thefts happening all over the world, they are also rising. Thousands of cars parked outside on streets, in dealerships, or even car rental places can all fall victim to getting their wheels stolen. Wheels are commonly stolen as they, along with the rims, are easy to resell for a profit.

Lichter was always bothered that the currently available solution to the problem, specialized wheel “lock” lug nuts, did not actually lock, and thieves could still easily steal his wheels. He started trying to think of an improved wheel lock and wondered if and when he should take the leap of inventing something that could help better reduce wheel theft.

Even though he tentatively started the process back in 2012 with a patent lawyer in Boston, it was not until the COVID era that he really kickstarted his invention in motion and in more detail.

“As a scientist, while I started out not knowing anything about inventions and patents, I do know how to ask good questions to help me learn. I have found people to help with different aspects of creating this invention. I hired an engineer to help me design it, and now we have a fully gratitude utility patent.”

The “Lock Horns” mechanism.

What Lichter eventually invented is called “Wheel Locks … That Actually Lock” (under the company name Lock Horns LLC), a double-lock technology that he has spent the last two years creating.

The product comes with four lug nuts, one per wheel, which actually lock into place with a unique, personalized, lock and key, which is needed for installation and removal. Also provided are caps to help protect the locks from dirt and debris from the road.

“We focused on a very simple concept: previous wheel ‘locks’ don’t lock, but ours do!” Lichter enthuses. “This should provide the car or truck owner with enhanced security and peace of mind that their car may be less likely to be tampered with.”

The design is intended to “lock horns” with thieves and reduce wheel theft with a superior deterrent to what is currently available on the market.

“A big reason why I chose to pursue this as a side job was to help teach my daughter life lessons about hard work, and accepting and conquering new challenges.”

Lichter has just launched the company this year and will begin the journey of spreading the word of his product from Somerville to the rest of the US and world.

Learn more about the product at https://lockhornsusa.com.