Abstract:
A lock guard protects a padlock with a shackle and the ends of a securing connector. The device comprises a five-sided housing with an open bottom. Two opposing sides of the housing have opposing openings therethrough for inserting the ends of the securing connector. Inside the housing is a retaining tab having an opening therethrough dimensioned to receive the end of the shackle. The housing can also contain an abutment providing a surface against which to drive the top of the shackle when locking the padlock within the lock guard. When the retainer tab is vertical, the top edge of the hole in the retainer tab can act as an abutment.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/472,656 filed on May 27, 2009, which in turn claimed the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application 61/060,838 filed Jun. 12, 2008. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Thieves use a variety of tools to break into fenced areas secured with a chain or cable and a padlock or to steal from retail stores displaying wheelbarrows, lawnmowers, barbecue grills, bicycles, motorcycles, or other large items outside. These tools include sledge hammers, acetylene cutting torches, saws, grinders and the like. In addition to these tools, the bolt cutter is a favored tool of burglars for cutting padlocks because of its portability and the fact that it can be used quickly and quietly allowing pilferage even in front of busy retail hardware stores in the middle of the day. 
     Retail products locked with a chain or cable are typically secured by a padlock that attaches the two open ends of the chain or cable to complete a circle that inhibits unwarranted removal of a retail item that has the securing connector threaded through it such that the item cannot be freely moved beyond a certain distance. Likewise, a gate can be secured by a chain and padlock by wrapping the chain around the swinging end of the gate and the post or pole to which it can be latched. In protecting a padlock used in this context, it is desirable to keep the lock guard relatively small to make it difficult for thieves to access the lock, yet sufficiently large so that the securing padlock&#39;s shackle is retained within the lock guard to minimize ready access. It is also desirable to provide a universal device that is not designed for a particular style cable or chain but is universally suitable for use with most chains or looped cables and most brands of padlocks. 
     For ages, two basic designs of lock boxes having four walls and a top have been used. One inconvenient design was a large box with a loop or bar inside the box for attaching the padlock and without an abutment as in the present invention. The chain or cable being locked was brought up through the bottom of the lock box. This box was inconvenient for two reasons. First, the user was forced to run the chain or cable up through the bottom of the box and could not see the relative position of the ends of the chain or cable once they were inside the box. This made capturing the cable or chain with the padlock difficult. Second, in order to lock the padlock, the user was required to reach inside the lock box. This was difficult and required the lock box to be larger than the present invention, which has an abutment for locking the padlock. The second design was comprised of a box fixed to a first door with a separate protruding element, typically bent, attached to a second door. The protruding element could be inserted into the box through a slot or opening in the back of the box on the first door and secured therein with a padlock. This design cannot be used in a free-standing environment. Thus there is a need for a convenient device for protecting padlocks used to secure the ends of connectors such as chains or cables where the lock is not attached to a bracket, latch, or other solid mounting surface. 
     Various attempts have been made to protect padlocks over the years, although most address the situation in which the padlock is locked to a wall or latch. Examples of such devices include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,220,941 to Bowers, U.S. Pat. No. 1,244,404 to Ankovitz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,555 to Beaver, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,581,907 and 4,898,008 to Eberly, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,533 to Santini. 
     Further attempts to protect locks are directed to bolt seals, as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,240 to Hamilton. Some attempts have been made to protect padlocks not secured to a door latch. Examples of such attempts include the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,847 to Vesely, U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,772 to Denison, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,003,989 to St. James. None of these devices, however, achieves the results of the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The herein disclosed lock guard shrouds the padlock&#39;s shackle and sides when fully engaged and secured so as to protect the lock from unauthorized tampering when securing a connecting device such as a cable or chain. The lock guard also protects the cable or chain at its point of connection with the padlock shackle. Moreover, the present invention protects the padlock without the benefit of a latch or solid mounting surface. With the present invention, in just a few seconds, a person can secure a swing gate or a number of free-standing, chained-together items with a padlock and at the same time protect the padlock from tampering. 
     The lock guard is specifically dimensioned to prevent access to the sides of the padlock and shackle through the lock guard&#39;s open bottom. That is, the lateral dimensions of the lock guard make it impossible for a thief to place a bolt cutter, a grinder, or even his/her hand within the lock guard. The lock guard does not however, obstruct access to the keyhole in the padlock and thus the padlock can be easily unlocked with the key. The lock guard can have side holes though which a securing connector, such as a chain, can be threaded and placed over the retainer tab, which is a shelf or plate in the lock guard with a hole in it dimensioned to receive the shackle of the lock. The lock can then be placed inside the lock guard, threaded through the ends of the securing connector and the retainer tab, and locked. To aid in locking the lock once it is in place, an abutment can be added above the retainer tab. 
     Another feature of the present invention is that it can be used with padlocks equipped with either standard or elongated shackles. For padlocks having elongated shackles, by providing a narrow vertical slot in the top wall, the lock guard can be used without expanding the lateral dimensions of the lock guard, which would make the sides and shackle of the padlock accessible and thus more vulnerable. The slot in the top wall allows the elongated shackle to temporarily extend out of the lock guard when the padlock is being installed. This allows the shackle to be raised above the retainer tab. Once the padlock is locked inside the lock guard, the shackle cannot be raised and pushed through the slot in the top wall. 
     In addition to the top slot, there is an additional slot in the front wall of the lock guard that permits the user to visually monitor the positions of the padlock, shackle, and the ends of the securing connector, when the padlock is being installed within the lock guard. The shackle must be threaded through the ends of the securing connector (e.g. the chain links at the ends of a chain or loops at the end of a cable) as well as through the retainer tab and the viewing slot facilitates this task. 
     Importantly, the top slot and front slot are sufficiently narrow to prevent insertion of an adult human finger or hand into the lock guard. Conveniently, the overall design of the lock guard is such that users can install a padlock in the lock guard without putting their hands into the lock guard. Additionally, the slots and openings in the lock guard are not large enough to permit a thief to get to the shackle of the padlock with a bolt cutter or grinding tool. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the walls of the lock guard are without slots and the retainer tab is vertical instead of horizontal. With the retainer tab vertical, the upper perimeter of the hole in the retainer tab through which the shackle of the lock is threaded acts as an abutment to assist in locking the lock. 
     Accordingly, the present invention is compatible with and protects a broad range of padlocks, including padlocks with extended shackles, and protects the connecting device (e.g., a cable or chain) attached to the padlock&#39;s shackle, at the point of connection between the connecting device and the shackle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the outside of the lock guard according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the lock guard according to one embodiment of the invention with portions of the housing cut-away to afford a view of the inside of the lock guard; 
         FIG. 3  is the same cut-away view of the lock guard as shown in  FIG. 2 , but with the addition of a chain secured with a padlock protected by the lock guard; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective cut-away view of another embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is the same cut-away view of the lock guard as shown in  FIG. 4 , but with the addition of a chain secured with a padlock protected by the lock guard. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the lock guard  11  consists of five walls: a front wall  13 , side walls  12  and  14 , a rear wall  15 , and a top wall  16 . Instead of having a sixth side or bottom wall, there is a bottom opening  25 . Side walls  12  and  14  have openings  21  and  23 , respectively. Openings  21  and  23  allow the respective ends of the securing connector (e.g., chain or cable, etc.) to be inserted into and removed from the lock guard  11  so the ends can be secured to the shackle of the padlock ( FIG. 3 ). In this particular embodiment of the present invention, top wall  16  has an elongated slot  24  for temporary reception of the shackle of the padlock when the padlock is being installed in the lock guard  11 . Slot  24  allows the lock guard  11  to be used with padlocks having elongated shackles without increasing the size of the lock guard  11 . 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the lock guard  11  shown in  FIG. 1  with portions of sides  14  and  16  removed and all of side  15  removed to show the inside of lock guard  11 . The four side walls  12 ,  13 ,  14 , and  15 , along with top wall  16 , form a cavity  26  that is accessible through bottom opening  25 . Inside cavity  26  is a retainer tab  41  (located immediately below openings  21  and  23  in side walls  12  and  14 ). 
     Retainer tab  41  has at least three functions. First, having a hole therein dimensioned to receive the shackle of the padlock, it serves as the point of connection for the padlock. Second, when the retainer tab is permanently fastened to side walls  12  and  14  and front wall  13 , it serves to reinforce the lock guard  11 . Third, in an embodiment of the present invention in which retainer tab  41  has spacer bars  43  and  44  defining a gap  46 , retainer tab  41  and spacer bars  43  and  44  serve to prevent the shackle  32  from being brought sufficiently close to openings  21  and  23  that it could be cut with a bolt cutter or other tool (see  FIG. 3 ). Note also that the opening  42  in retainer tab  41  is located laterally in the center of retainer tab  41  so that a user can see the shackle and its position with respect to retainer tab  41  through slots  22  and  24  while securing the padlock to the lock guard  11 . 
     Cavity  26  can also contain an abutment  45 . Abutment  45  is located above front wall opening  22  and below top wall  16 . Abutment  45  serves as a surface against which the shackle of the padlock can be pushed when the user locks the padlock inside the lock guard  11 . Similar to retainer tab  41 , abutment  45  can be secured to side walls  12  and  14  as well as front wall  13 , and extends in a rearward direction for a distance shorter than the full width of opening  42 . 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective cut-away like  FIG. 2  but, unlike  FIG. 2 , shows a padlock  31  and a securing connector, a chain  51 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , padlock  31  secures a connecting device, such as chain  51 , within the cavity  26  of lock guard  11 . To lock the padlock  31  inside lock guard  11 , the user inserts the padlock  31 , with the padlock&#39;s shackle  32  in the open position (not shown), through the bottom opening  25  of the lock guard and into cavity  26 . The shackle  32  of the padlock  31  is then raised above vertical gap  46  as formed by the left spacer  43  and right spacer  44  of the horizontal retainer tab  41 . If necessary, the shackle  32  can extend through elongated slot  24  of top wall  16  ( FIG. 1 ) to ensure that the shackle  32  is above retainer tab  41 . Connector ends  52  and  53  of chain  51  are placed through the side wall openings  21  and  23  and positioned on top of retainer tab  41 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The open shackle  32  is then threaded through securing device ends  52  and  53  and opening  42  of retainer tab  41 . The lock body  33  is then rotated to align the lock body  33  with the shackle  32 . The padlock  31  is then raised so that the top curve of the shackle  32  bears on the abutment  45  permitting padlock  31  to be locked. The securing device ends  52  and  53  and padlock  31  are then locked securely within lock guard  11 . When needed, padlock  31  is easily unlocked (with a key) through bottom opening  25 . 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective cut-away of another embodiment  11   a  of the invention. The walls  12   a ,  13   a , and  14   a  in this embodiment do not have slots or holes therethrough. Furthermore, retainer tab  41   a , instead of being horizontal within the lock guard  11   a , is vertical. The retainer tab  41   a  can be attached to top wall  16   a  and side walls  12   a  and  14   a  and be further supported with a support  47  spanning between retainer tab  41   a  and the front wall  13   a . The retainer tab  41   a  can have one or more openings  42   a  through which the shackle of the lock can be threaded. The top edges  45   a  of openings  42   a  act as abutments against which the shackle  32   a  of the padlock  31   a  can be forced, making locking of the padlock  31   a  within the device  11   a  very easy. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective cut-away of an embodiment  11   a  of the invention similar to that shown in  FIG. 4  having a vertical retainer tab  41   a . Here, as in  FIG. 3 , a padlock  31   a  and connector  51   a  are shown secured within the invention  11   a . To lock the padlock  31   a  within the invention  11   a , the user threads the ends  52   a  and  53   a  through the shackle  32   a  of the padlock  31   a  and inserts the padlock  31   a  into the invention  11   a  with the shackle  32   a  in the unlocked and open position (not shown). The shackle  32   a  is then threaded through hole  42   a  in retainer tab  41   a  and the padlock  31   a  can then be locked. As explained above, the top edge  45   a  of hole  42   a  acts as an abutment against which the top curve of shackle  32   a  can be forced to lock the padlock  31   a . As with the other embodiments of the invention herein disclosed, the padlock  31   a  can be easily removed with a key as the bottom of the lock  33   a  is accessible through the bottom  25   a  of the device  11   a.    
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , side walls  14  and  12  have top halves  62  and  72 , bottom halves  64  and  74 , fore edges  66  and  76 , and aft edges  68  and  78 , respectively. Top halves  62  and  72  have top edges  70  and  80 , respectively, front wall  13  has a top edge  82 , and back wall  15  has a top edge  84 . Finally, slots  22  and  24  have widths  90  and  92 . 
     Having hereby described the subject matter of the present invention, it should be apparent that many substitutions, modifications, and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention as taught and described herein is only to be limited to the extent of the breadth and scope of the appended claims.