Abstract:
A lock box with an obstruction free interior is provided that comprises a locking mechanism that has all of its internal moving components attached solely to the lid, making it easy for the user to put items into or take items out of the box. Furthermore, the locking mechanism is constructed so that locking and unlocking the box requires only the simple step of locking or unlocking the padlock.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/672,770 filed on Apr. 19, 2005. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Lock or gang boxes are commonly used by contractors in the construction industry to provide a secure place for them to store their tools safely overnight or during other periods when they are not present to prevent others from taking their tools. These lock boxes typically use padlocks that are part of a locking mechanism which keeps the lid of the box closed and prevents its opening after the tools have been placed within the box and the padlock has been locked. Frequently, the padlock is situated within a pocket such that its body only partially protrudes therefrom even when the padlock is in an open configuration and the shank is substantially inaccessible at all times, preventing someone from cutting it with bolt cutters.  
         [0003]     The disadvantage that these prior art lock boxes have is that they all have some of the internal moving parts of the locking mechanism attached to the front panel of the lock box. The resulting structure, which is necessary to accommodate the moving parts of the locking mechanism, creates obstructions that reduce the user&#39;s accessibility to the inside of the box for storage and also creates catch points upon which items may get stuck when trying to remove items from the box. Accordingly, there exists a need for a lock box that has a locking mechanism that maximizes the accessibility to the interior of the box and minimizes the difficulty of taking items out of the box.  
         [0004]     Furthermore, some of these prior art boxes require that the padlock be removed before the box can be opened. This can lead to the padlock being lost, creating frustration and additional cost for replacing the padlock for the end user. Other prior art boxes require that some lever or other member that is connected to the locking mechanism be moved after the padlock has been unlocked to actually unlock the box. These same boxes require that this same lever be moved back to a locked position before the padlock and box can be locked. This is an inefficient method for locking and unlocking boxes and an improvement is needed in order to reduce the time it takes for a user to lock and unlock such a box.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention includes a lock box that has a lid, a side panel, and a locking mechanism that has all of its internal moving components attached solely to the lid. This allows a user to easily access the interior of the lock box when the box is open, without creating obstructions for putting items into the box or catch points for taking items out of the box. This box may also include a padlock that is also attached to the lid and that is substantially inaccessible from the outside, preventing any tampering with the locking mechanism and enhancing the security of the lock box.  
         [0006]     A lock box that has a lid, a right side panel, a left side panel, a bottom panel, a front panel, and a back panel may also achieve the present invention. It also includes a locking mechanism that has a padlock and internal moving components that are all attached solely to the lid, allowing a user to easily access the interior of the lock box when the box is open. The construction of the locking mechanism may also be such that unlocking or locking the padlock is all that is necessary to lock and or unlock the box without having to move another lever or member that is connected to the locking mechanism or remove the padlock.  
         [0007]     This construction allows a user to use the lock box in the following manner. The user unlocks the padlock, which causes the locking mechanism to be unlocked without having to remove the padlock from the lock box or move another member that is part of the locking mechanism. Then the user pulls up on the lid so that the interior of the box can be accessed. Then the user can place an object into or take an object out of the box. Then the user pushes down on the lid until the padlock is ready to be locked. Finally, the padlock is locked, which causes the locking mechanism to lock the box without having to move a lever or another member that is mechanically coupled to the locking mechanism or having to attach a padlock to the box.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a lock box of the preferred embodiment of the present invention having a lid of the lock box in an open configuration;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a lock box of the preferred embodiment of the present invention having a lid of the lock box in a closed and locked configuration;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the locking mechanism of the lock box of  FIG. 2  taken along section line  3 - 3 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a side elevation view of the locking mechanism of the lock box of  FIG. 3  in an open configuration;  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the locking mechanism, removed from the lock box;  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the locking mechanism of  FIG. 5 , removed from the lock box;  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is a bottom plan view of the locking mechanism of  FIG. 5 , removed from the lock box;  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the locking mechanism of  FIG. 5  taken along section line  8 - 8 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 9  is a partially exploded side elevational view of the locking mechanism components;  
         [0017]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the shroud; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 11  is a-perspective view of the locking tang.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0019]     Looking at  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown the preferred embodiment of a lock box  10  that satisfies the aforementioned need. It comprises, in part, a lid  11 , a front panel  12 , a right side panel  14 , a left side panel  16 , a back panel  18 , a bottom panel  20 , skids  22 , handles  24 , a locking mechanism  26 , locking support arms  28 , and finger slot  29 .  FIG. 1  shows the lock box  10  in an open configuration where the locking support arms  28  are temporarily fixed using known means, allowing the user to place tools into the box  10  without fear of the lid  11  falling onto some part of the user, causing injury. It should be noted that the entire locking mechanism  26  is attached only to the lid  11 , minimizing any obstructions that could get in the way of the user placing items into or removing items from the space found between the front panel  12 , right side panel  14 , left side panel  16 , back panel  18 , and bottom panel  20  of the lock box  10 .  
         [0020]     Once the user has placed all the items, such as tools, he wishes into the lock box  10 , he can then disengage the locking support arms  28 , allowing him to then pull onto the lid  11 , which is hingedly connected to the top of the back panel  18 , until it bottoms out onto the top of the front panel  12 , right side panel  14 , left side panel  16 , and back panel  18 . Finally, the user pushes onto the padlock  30  until it locks, causing the locking mechanism  26  to engage the front panel  12  of the lock box  10  without having to move another member that is part of the locking mechanism  26  or attaching the padlock  30 . The lock box  10  is now locked, preventing anyone from lifting the lid  11  and accessing the items contained therein.  
         [0021]     When the lock box  10  is in this closed configuration as shown in  FIG. 2 , the padlock  30  is substantially inaccessible making any tampering with it impractical. Furthermore, the user can then move the lock box  10  easily by lifting and pulling onto one of the handles  24 , one of which is attached near the top of the exterior of the right panel  14  while the other is attached to the top of the exterior of the left panel  16 , until the lock box  10  slides on one of the skids  22 , which is attached to the underside of the bottom panel  20  and is opposite of that handle  24 . Alternatively, the box  10  could roll on casters (not shown), which can be attached via prepunched holes (not shown) located on the bottom of the skids  22 .  
         [0022]     Referring now to  FIGS. 3-7 , the construction of the locking mechanism  26  and the way it works can be clearly seen. The locking mechanism  26  comprises a padlock  30 , a shroud  32 , a connecting rod  34 , locking tangs  36 , a keep  38 , screws  42 , and flanges  44 . The open configuration of the locking mechanism  26  is created in the following manner. First, the user uses the key to unlock the padlock  30  by inserting a key into the keyhole  45  located at the front of the body  46  of the padlock  30 . Then the internal spring  31  of the padlock  30  causes the body  46  of the padlock  30  to move away from the generally hook shaped shank  48 , which is fixedly attached to the shroud  32 . This creates an extra half-inch of clearance between the body  46  of the padlock  30  and the shank  48 . Then the three locking tangs  36 , which are fixedly attached to the connecting rod  34 , are free to rotate away from the front panel  12  until they reach an equilibrium position where there is no interference between them and the lip  50  located near the top of the front panel  12 . This motion is created because the moment about the center of the connecting rod  34  that is produced by the hook portion  52  of the locking tang  36  is greater than that created by the push tab portion  54  of the locking tang  36 .  
         [0023]     Once this open configuration of the locking mechanism  26  has been achieved, then the user, who places his hand within the finger slot  29  located at the front edge  51  of the lid  11  and pulls upward, can open the lid  11 . It should be noted that no movement of another lever or other member that is part of the locking mechanism  26  is necessary to unlock the box  10  unlike other boxes. Also, the user does not need to remove the padlock  30  from the box  10 . These features save time and prevent user frustration.  
         [0024]     Conversely, the closed configuration is achieved in the following manner. First, the user pushes onto the padlock  30 , overcoming the internal spring  31  force until the body  46  of the padlock  30  contacts the push tab portion  54  of the locking tang  36 , overcoming the moment produced by the weight of the hook portion  52  of the locking tang  36 . This causes all three locking tangs  36  and the connecting rod  34  to rotate until the padlock  30  locks and the hook portions  52  of all three locking tangs  36  are caught beneath the lip  50  of the front panel  12 . The lid  11  cannot be lifted at this point until the padlock  30  is unlocked. There will often be a slight gap between the locking tangs  36  and the lip  50  of the front panel  12  even after the padlock  30  has been locked due to manufacturing tolerances. Therefore, it is advantageous to have a piece of rubber (not shown) or some other suitably resilient material to take up this slop and prevent any unwanted rattling between the locking tang  36  and the lip  50  of the front panel  12 .  
         [0025]      FIGS. 8, 9 ,  10 , and  11  show how the locking mechanism  26  is assembled and attached to the lid  11  of the lock box  10 . First, the shroud  32  is inserted through an opening located in the front edge  51  of the lid  11 . This shroud  32  is configured to support, house, and protect the padlock  30 . Then the center locking tang  36  is inserted from the bottom of the shroud  32  until its hole  56  aligns with the side holes  58  (only one of which is shown) of the shroud  32 . Next, the connecting rod  34  slides through the holes  56 ,  58  of the shroud  32  and locking tang  36 . Then, the flanges  44  are slid onto either end of the connecting rod  34  and positioned equidistant distance from the centerline of the shroud  32  where they are welded onto the underside of the lid  11 . Next, the outside locking tangs  36  are slid onto the connecting rod  34 . Then, all three locking tangs  36  are welded onto the connecting rod  34  in such a way that they are all substantially aligned. Next, the padlock  30  is inserted into the shroud  32  until its shank  48  bottoms out on the back of the shroud  32 . Then the keep  38  is inserted from the bottom of the shroud  32  such that it captures the inside surface of the shank  48  of the padlock  30 , holding the shank  48  of the padlock  30  in a fixed orientation. Finally, the keep  38  is held into place vertically by the screws  42 , which are fastened onto the shroud  32  (best seen in  FIGS. 3, 4 ,  8 , and  9 ). The locking mechanism  26  is then ready to operate.  
         [0026]     It should also be noted that the flanges  44  and shroud  32  are affixed to the lid  11  such that their rear surfaces press up against the bolster panel  60  that is also attached to the underside of the lid  11 . The bolster panel  60  provides increased rigidity to the lid  11 , helping to prevent anyone from prying the box  10  open. This enhances the overall security of the box  10 .  
         [0027]     As can be seen, this embodiment provides a lock box  10  that does not have any movable components of the locking mechanism  26  attached to any side panel, resulting in easy access to its interior. Furthermore, the locking mechanism  26  is constructed such that no movement of another member of the locking mechanism  26  is necessary to lock or unlock the box  10 , nor is it necessary to remove the padlock  30  at anytime. It should be appreciated that the spirit and scope of this invention could be achieved with other types of mechanisms including those that operate in a similar manner but only vary the number and position of locking tangs  36  and padlocks  30 . Therefore, the scope of this invention should be interpreted in view of the attached claims.