Patent ID: 8944263
Filing Date: 2015-02-03
Classification: B65D,E05B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A prescription drug lock box comprising: (a) a container; (b) a cover; (c) a plurality of locking tumblers; and (d) a retaining cap; said container being a hollow part with uniform wall thickness having a flat horizontal bottom wall, a vertical side wall, and open at the top, interior volume suitably sized for acceptance of items including but not limited to pharmaceutical drug bottles, said container having structural means for supporting a cylindrical post positioned centrally above open top end, the post being vertically oriented and located on central vertical axis and located above said container, the post having a linear array of tabs projecting from its outside diameter surface and extending vertically downward from top end of the post, the tabs having discreet spacing or gaps between each other, where cylindrical post and tabs define a key post; said cover being a hollow part with uniform wall thickness, having a vertically oriented side wall, an upper wall, and fully open at the bottom, cover side wall sized for close concentric fit with container side wall, where cover side wall fits outside of container side wall, said upper wall of cover further having a flat horizontal surface formed defining a tumbler seat, said cover further having a cylindrical shaft portion extending vertically from said tumbler seat, the shaft having a closed wall at top end, said cover having a vertical longitudinal cut penetrating through said tumbler seat and partially through shaft side wall thus creating a key slot, width of said key slot being sized for clearance with tabs of said key post, where inside diameter of the shaft and key slot are sized to permit insertion and extraction of key post, the top end of cover shaft further having means for aligning, attaching, and securing said retaining cap, whereby said cover may be fully assembled over said container, where said key post may nest inside of the cover shaft and provide vertical support to said cover, where the key post tabs project through key slot and beyond the outside diameter of the cover shaft, and where length of assembled cover outside of said container provides an overlap between their respective side walls and sheaths or closes off the open end of said container, said locking tumblers being annularly shaped and having a short cylindrical outer wall, axis of which is vertically oriented, tumbler further having a planar horizontal wall or annular locking rib centered with respect to the tumbler's height and extending inwardly from inside surface of the cylindrical wall, the locking rib terminating at a circular opening at the center of the tumbler thus defining an inside diameter of the tumbler, the locking rib having a notch or portion of its wall section removed thereby creating a keyway opening, where profile of the keyway is sized for clearance with the tabs of said key post, where the inside tumbler diameter is just greater than outside diameter of cover shaft, where the thickness of the locking rib wall is just less than the gap or spacing between tabs of said key post, said locking tumbler having means for acceptance of programmable indicia onto the outer diameter surface, wherein assigned indicia may be aligned with and positioned in front of the keyway, where assigned indicia represents characters of an unlocking combination code used with the device, whereby with unlocking code selected and indicia assigned to all tumblers, tumblers may be inserted on to the cover shaft and stacked above and supported by said tumbler seat, wherein resulting elevation of stacked tumblers places locking ribs in direct vertical alignment and centered with respect to corresponding gaps between tabs of said key post, said retaining cap having uniform wall thickness with a circular perimeter, the diameter of cap's peripheral edge being equal to or greater than outside diameter of the tumblers, the cap having features providing means for alignment with and attachment to the top end of the cover shaft, whereby the attached cap captures and secures assembled tumblers, said retaining cap further having a marker visible on it top surface, whereby said marker is in direct alignment with cover's key slot, and wherein said cover, set of tumblers and retaining cap together comprise a combination locking cover assembly; whereby an unlocked condition is defined as all tumblers positioned with assigned indicia and unlocking code aligned beneath said marker on the cap, thus resulting in all tumbler keyways being in alignment with said key slot and tabs of key post, and where cover assembly may be freely inserted onto or extracted from said key post, and where a locked condition is defined by rotation of at least one or more tumblers where locking ribs engage gaps between tabs of said key post, whereby in said locked condition, the cover can not be removed from the container and any contents held within are secured.