Utility locking device

A combination of utility locking devices, for securing and supporting items having a frame-like structure such as ladders between the two brackets, has a first articulated bracket and a second articulated bracket. The first bracket has a base plate and a support arm hingedly connected to the base plate at a first end of the arm. There is a retaining head on a second end of the arm. The first braket is usually placed on a surface and aligned with the second bracket at a point distant the first bracket. The second bracket has several hingedly connected leaves. The second bracket has bracing members to strengthen the bracket in the secured position. The first and second bracket may be placed in a stowed position for convenience.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a locking and support device that the user may 
use to support and secure a ladder or other items having a frame or 
similar member. 
2. Description of the Related Art 
Several devices have been offered to the public to support items and 
provide a means to lock those items to the support. But none have the 
ability to be placed in a convenient and easy stowed position and provide 
a sturdy support and strong secured position for locking and supporting an 
item such as a ladder to a surface such as a truck, trailer or wall of a 
building. The present device provides many features that discourage a 
would be thief from obtaining the item protected by the Utility Locking 
Device. 
D. M. Herman U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,892 on Aug. 27, 1974 shows a Jack Lock 
having a two bracket combination to mount and lock a particular type of 
car jack within a car trunk. It is designed only for that purpose. 
L. W. Chamberlain U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,872 on June 25, 1985 describes a 
Universal Locking Device having an adjustable locking mechanism which 
supports and secures an object having a frame-like structure. It has a 
removable locking bar whose position may be adjusted on the bar to 
accommodate several sizes of items to be secured to the device. 
L. W. Chamberlain U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,504 on July 12, 1988 shows a Utility 
Locking Device similar to U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,872. It has a support bar 
and a retaining plate. The support bar is hook-shaped and the retaining 
plate is secured to the bar and acts to lock the item to be protected to 
the bar. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A combination of utility locking devices, for securing and supporting items 
having a frame-like structure such as ladders between the two brackets, 
has a first articulated bracket and a second articulated bracket. 
The first bracket has a base plate and a support arm hingedly connected to 
the base plate at a first end of the arm. There is a retaining head on a 
second end of the arm. The first bracket is usually placed on a surface 
and aligned with the second bracket at a point distant the first bracket. 
The second bracket has a base leaf. There is a first end of a receiving 
leaf hingedly connected to a first end of the base leaf. A first end of a 
linking leaf is hingedly connected to a second end of the receiving leaf. 
There may be more than two linking leaves. A hasp leaf is hingedly 
connected to a second end of the base leaf. 
There is a hasp attached to the hasp leaf. One end of a brace leaf is 
hingedly connected to one end of the hasp leaf and to the second end of 
the base leaf. There is a brace member to brace the hasp leaf against the 
brace leaf when the hasp is in a secured position. The brace member is 
attached to the hasp leaf. 
The first and second bracket have a stowed position and a secured position. 
The first bracket is in the stowed position when the support arm is swung 
back on its hinge against the surface to which the base plate is attached. 
The first bracket is in the secured position when the support arm is 
substantially perpendicular to the surface to which the base plate is 
attached. In the stowing of the second bracket (shown in FIG. 3), the hasp 
leaf is folded against the base leaf. Then the receiving leaf is placed 
against the hasp leaf. The hasp passes through the hasp port and the brace 
member passes through the brace member port in this position. Then the 
linking leaf and the securing leaf can be placed more or less parallel to 
the surface to which the base leaf is attached. 
A first end of a securing leaf is hingedly connected to a second end of the 
linking leaf. There is a first hasp port in the securing leaf to receive 
the hasp when the hasp is in the secured position. A second hasp port is 
in the receiving leaf to receive the hasp when the hasp leaf is in a 
stowed position. There is a brace member port on the receiving leaf to 
receive the brace member when the hasp leaf is in the stowed position. A 
brace head, on a second end of the securing leaf, braces the securing leaf 
against the brace leaf when the securing leaf is in the secured position. 
There may be a plurality of first mounting ports in the base plate to 
receive a plurality of first fasteners to mount the base plate to a 
surface. There may be a plurality of second mounting ports in the base 
leaf of the second bracket to receive a plurality of second fasteners to 
mount the first leaf to a surface. 
It is an object of this invention to provide Utility Locking Device to 
releasingly secure and support items such as ladders and other frame-like 
devices on a surface to reduce unauthorized removal of the items. 
It is another object of this invention to provide a Utility Locking Device 
that will fold into a stowed position for convenience and storage when the 
device is not being used to hold the item to be secured and supported.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A combination of utility locking devices 10 having a first articulated 
bracket 11 and a second articulated bracket 12 is described herein. 
The first bracket 11 has a base plate 13 and a plurality of first mounting 
ports 14 in the base plate 13 to receive a plurality of first fasteners 15 
to mount the base plate 13 to a surface 100. Surface 100 may be a wall of 
a building or the wall of a vehicle or trailer or similar objects. There 
is a support arm 16 hingedly connected to the base plate 13 at a first end 
17 of the arm 16. There is a retaining head 18 on a second end 19 of the 
arm 16 to reduce slippage of the item (not shown) supported off the first 
bracket. 
The second bracket 12 of the combination of Utility Locking Devices 10 has 
a base leaf 20. There are a plurality of second mounting ports 21 in the 
base leaf 20 to receive a plurality of second fasteners 22 to mount the 
second bracket 12, by way of the base leaf 20, to the surface 100. A first 
end 23 of a receiving leaf 24 is hingedly connected to a first end 25 of 
the base leaf 20. A first end 26 of a linking leaf 27 is hingedly 
connected to a second end 28 of the receiving leaf 24. 
A hasp leaf 29 is hingedly connected to a second end 30 of the base leaf 20 
and there is a hasp 31 attached to the hasp leaf 29. One end 43 of a brace 
leaf 32 is hingedly connected to one end 33 of the hasp leaf 29 and to the 
second end 30 of the base leaf 20. There is a brace member 34, to brace 
the hasp leaf 29 against the brace leaf 32 when the hasp 31 is in a 
secured position (as shown in FIG. 2), attached to the hasp leaf 29. 
A first end 35 of a securing leaf 36 is hingedly connected to a second end 
37 of the linking leaf 27. There is a first hasp port 38 in the securing 
leaf 36 to receive the hasp 31 when the hasp 31 is in the secured position 
as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. There is a second hasp port 39 in the receiving 
leaf 24 to receive the hasp 31 when the hasp leaf 29 is in a stowed 
position as shown in FIG. 3. There is a brace member port 40 on the 
receiving leaf 24 to receive the brace member 34 when the hasp leaf 29 is 
in the stowed position. There is a brace head 41 on a second end 42 of the 
securing leaf 36 to brace the securing leaf 36 against the brace leaf 32 
when the securing leaf 36 is in the secured position. 
The foregoing descriptions and drawings of the invention are explanatory 
and illustrative only, and various changes in shape, sizes and 
arrangements of parts as well certain details of the illustrated 
construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without 
departing from the true spirit of the invention.