Abstract:
A security device for a vehicle door or shipping container hasp includes a hinged cover with a window that permits the hasp to partially project thereinthrough, and a lock for fixing the cover in an overlaying relationship with the hasp. The cover includes slots on the side for bypassing a lever held by said hasp, and otherwise shields the hasp from intrusion from a prying tool.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to locking mechanisms for vehicle doors and shipping containers, and more particularly to a hinged security cover for a locking mechanism to protect the locking mechanism from vandalism. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Many cargo trucks and trailers, cargo train cars, and various other transport vehicles have a swing out door or doors that provide access to the transported items. The swing out doors are typically secured by an assembly that includes a closure mechanism to prevent the door or doors from opening inadvertently. A common closure mechanism is shown in FIG.  1  and includes a vertical cam rod that mounts to a door and is capable of displacement along its longitudinal axis. When the vertical cam rod is shifted vertically, a keeper on the vehicle frame receives the end of the vertical cam rod blocking the door from opening. The vertical cam rod includes a lever positioned along the length of the vertical cam rod so as to be aligned with a pair of brackets when the vertical cam rod is disposed within the keeper. By securing the lever between the brackets, the vertical cam rod is held within the keeper and the door is fixed in the closed position. The brackets are designed such that one or both of the brackets swivel about their mount to permit the lever to enter the space therebetween, and then the brackets may then be swivelled together and locked in a closed position to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the vehicle. The brackets are formed with a hasp structure at their ends that includes a pair of holes aligned to be received by a padlock or other locking hardware (not shown) to secure the brackets about the captured lever. To secure the door, the user moves the vertical cam rod vertically into the keeper and then rotates the lever into position between the brackets. The brackets are then swivelled together and a padlock is passed through the hasp formed by the brackets, fixing the vertical position of the cam rod and preventing the door from opening. With the padlock removed, the brackets can be swivelled apart and the lever can be released and moved down to release the cam rod from the keeper and thus permit the swing out door to open. The foregoing arrangement is well established in the art, and is also used on shipping containers. The following discussion is applicable to both vehicle applications as well as shipping container applications. 
     The problem with the above described configuration and with any similar arrangements whereby a hasp and padlock are used in conjunction to prevent unwanted entry into a cargo area, is that the padlock security feature can be defeated in some cases by directly prying the hasp device off at its base with a crow bar or similar tool. By prying off the hasp, the lever can be freed without the key or combination to the padlock and non-authorized personnel can quickly access and raid the cargo contents. Accordingly, a simple, effective security feature is needed to resist the removal of the hasp of the prior art with a prying tool or the like. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a security cover for a hasp-lock combination that thwarts a would-be thief by denying access to the base of the hasp. The security cover comprises a rigid shell that pivots about a hinge member over the brackets that form the hasp. The distal portion of the hasp that carries the padlock projects through a window in the shell while the base is shielded by the shell. The shell preferably mates flush with a base plate that also seats the brackets forming the hasp to enclose the hasp. The shell preferably supports a cam lock to control the opening and closing of the shell and limits access to the hasp&#39;s base. In conjunction with the cam lock, the base plate may include a raised extruded strip that forms a hook for retaining a rotating lock tab, precluding the shell from pivoting open when the lock is in the closed position. 
    
    
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment which, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrates by way of example the principles of the invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of the cam rod and lever assembly of the prior art; 
     FIG. 1A is an enlarged view of the encircled area of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 is an elevated perspective view of an embodiment of the security cover; 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the security cover of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the security cover of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the security cover of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 6 is an elevated perspective view of a base plate of the security cover of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 7 is an elevated perspective view of a shell of the security cover of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 8 is a longitudinal side view of the shell of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is an elevated perspective view of the cam lock tab of the security cover of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 10 is an elevated perspective view of the hinge member of the security cover of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 11 is an elevated exploded view of the security cover of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 12 is an elevated perspective view of the security cover of FIG. 2 in the open position; 
     FIG. 13 is a top view of the security cover of FIG. 2 in the open position; 
     FIG. 14 is a front view of the security cover of FIG. 2 in the open position; and 
     FIG. 15 is a side view of the security cover of FIG. 2 in the open position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1 and 1A show the environment that the present invention may be found such as a swing out type vehicle door. A vertical cam rod  10  is mounted by a plurality of lugs or mounting brackets  12  that support rotation of the cam rod about its longitudinal axis  15 . Near the end(s) of the cam rod and mounted to the vehicle frame is a keeper that can receive the end of the cam rod and hold the cam rod therein. A lever  25  is secured to the cam rod at a middle portion and can be used to raise and lower the cam rod  10  into the keeper, where the swing out door is free to open when the cam rod is outside the keeper but is prevented from opening when the cam rod is located in the keeper. To maintain the cam rod in the keeper during transit and when the vehicle is unattended, a pair of brackets  30  are mounted on the vehicle door at the height of the lever  25  when the cam rod  10  is located in the keeper. Once the cam rod is raised or lowered into the keeper using the lever, the lever is rotated about its longitudinal axis until it is located adjacent the pair of brackets. To allow the lever to be held by the brackets, one or both of the brackets swivel about their respective mountings  35  to separate and open for receiving the lever. The lever is then placed between the brackets, where a stepped portion  50  of each bracket forms a compartment  60  that receives the lever. As the brackets are swivelled closed, a distal portion  70  of each bracket projects perpendicularly from the plane of the vehicle door and are adapted to form a hasp  75  for locking the lever within the brackets. This configuration permits the door to be secured in a closed position but lacks a means for protecting the hasp from being pried off to defeat the security of the lock. 
     Referring now to the remaining Figures and in particular to FIGS. 2 and 12, a security cover  200  for a hasp-lock combination is provided to resist efforts of a would-be vandal to pry the hasp-lock combination off of its mounting surface. The cover comprises a hinged rigid enclosure or shell  210  for pivotally overlaying a hasp  220  such that the juncture of the hasp and its mounting surface is protected by said shell. In a preferred embodiment the shell  210  is rectangular and includes a pair of side walls  230  and an end wall  240 , and a top panel  250 . The shell  210  is connected to a hinge member  260  (see FIG. 10) located adjacent to the hasp, such as with a pivot plate  270 . The top panel  250  includes a window  280  located over the projecting plates  290 , 295  that make up the hasp  220  when the shell  210  is pivoted over the hasp. The window allows the hasp to partially extend through the top panel such that the plates&#39; aligned holes  305 , 310  extend to the exterior of the compartment defined by the shell  210  and its walls. 
     The cover  200  may further include a base plate  320  generally shown in FIG. 6 that is preferably secured directly to the vehicle door, and the base plate and shell are pivotally connected by the adjoining hinge member  260 . The hinge member  260  allows the shell  210  to pivot over the base plate  320  and enclose the attachment point of the hasp  220 , and then pivot away from the hasp to provide access to the captured lever when opening or closing the door. When pivoted over the hasp, the shell may be locked onto the base plate by a key-actuated cam lock  330  on the top panel  250 . The lock  330  is disposed within a fitted hole  340  in the top panel with a keyhole  350  oriented on the upper surface  360  for rotatably receiving a key (not shown). The cam lock  330  includes a cam lock tab  370  (see FIGS. 9,  11 ) located beneath the top panel. The cam lock tab is coupled to the orientation of the keyhole, i.e., a rotation of the key within the keyhole causes a corresponding rotation of the cam lock tab  370  inside the shell  210 . The unlocked and locked positions of the keyhole correspond respectively with the cam lock tab being located outside of, and within, a hook  380  sized to receive the locking tab on the base plate  320 . When locked, the cam lock tab  370  is captured in the recess defined by the locking hook  380  and prevents the shell from pivoting open about the hinge member  260 . When unlocked, the cam lock tab lies outside of the locking hook and the shell is free to pivot about the hinge member. 
     The base plate  320  connects to the vehicle door and receives the complimentary brackets  390 ,  395  that cooperate to form the hasp  220 . The base plate is preferably a unitary sheet having first and second holes  410 ,  420  at respective ends for fastening the base plate to the intended wall or door. The holes are sized to each receive square pins  430 ,  440  (see FIG.  11 ), the first hole  410  being square for a fitted reception of the square pin  430 , and the second hole  420  being round for circumscribing the square pin  440 . The square pin  440  passing through the round hole  420  also passes through a hole  450  on one of said complimentary brackets  390 , where the hole  450  may be square to prevent the bracket  390  from swiveling freely about the square pin  440 . A third hole  460  on the base plate  320  inward of the first hole  410  is sized to receive a rivet  470  for securing the second complimentary bracket  395  to the base plate at hole  480 . The rivet permits rotation of the second bracket  395  such that the second bracket can swivel freely from a capture position adjacent the bracket  390  to an open position rotated one hundred eighty degrees, allowing the cam rod lever to ingress and egress the designated compartment  490  between the brackets. 
     The base plate  320  is generally rectangular with respective ends of the base plate preferably rounded. At a first lateral edge  510  of the plate between the first and third apertures, a strip of plate material is cut along two sides and extruded out of plane to form a hook  380  as shown in FIG.  6 . The leg  520  of the h-shaped hook cooperates with the base plate to define an open-ended slot  530  above the base plate for receiving the cam lock tab  370  connected to a lock  330  on the top panel  250  of the shell  210 . With the lock tab rotatably captured inside the open slot, the shell is coupled to the base plate and thereby prevented from rotating about the hinge member  260 . 
     With the base plate  320  mounted to the vehicle wall or door to be secured, the two complimentary brackets  390 ,  395  that form the hasp  220  are mounted to the base plate as shown in FIG.  12 . Each bracket comprises a plate having a flat mounting portion  540  at a first end that includes a hole for receiving the respective square pin or rivet, and a step-shaped intermediate portion  550  leading to an orthogonal projecting panel  290 , 295  with a hole  305 , 310  for receiving the padlock (not shown). The step-shaped intermediate portion  550  on each bracket cooperate to form a rectangular compartment  490  or space for capturing the lever between the brackets  390 , 395 . When the brackets are closed together by the swiveling bracket  395  about rivet  470 , the orthogonal projecting panels  290 ,  295  are in a parallel spaced apart relation as shown in FIG.  13  and form the hasp  220 . 
     The shell  210  for the security cover  200  may be shaped as a rectangular open box with a top panel  250 , two side walls  230 , and an end wall  240 . The end opposite the end wall and the bottom of the shell are open. Along each side wall  230  is a rectangular slot  560  sized to fit over the lever such that the shell  210  can fit over the lever and mate with base plate  320  with the lever extending traversely through the security cover  200 . The top panel  250  of the shell has a window  280  located where the two projecting panels  290 ,  295  of the hasp  220  are located, such that the hasp projects partially through the window with the holes  305 ,  310  on the projecting panels  290 ,  295  lying outside the window  280  as shown in FIG.  2 . The top panel further includes an opening  340  that receives the cam lock  330  therein. The location of the cam lock is selected to be adjacent the slot  530  formed by the hook  380  on the base plate  320  such that the cam lock tab  370  coupled to the cam lock can rotate into and out of said slot. The cam lock tab is supported on the cam lock within the shell against the top panel, and rotates with the lock as a key (not shown) turns the lock. When the lock is in the open position and the cam lock tab is aligned longitudinally with the shell as shown in FIG. 14, the cam lock tab is not located in the hook and the shell can pivot freely about the hinge member  260 . However, when rotated into a position traverse with the shell as shown in FIG. 11, the cam lock tab rotates into the slot defined by the hook thereby capturing the cam lock tab and thus the attached shell. In this position, the shell cannot rotate about the hinge member and the security cover  200  is locked onto the base plate enclosing the base of the hasp. 
     The hinge member  260  is generally shown in FIG.  10  and comprises a first mounting plate  570  that includes a square hole  580  for passing the square pin  440  through (see FIG.  11 ), securing the first mounting plate  570  to the first bracket  390  at the flat mounting portion  540 . A pivot plate  270  is adhered to the bottom surface of the top panel  250  of the shell  210 , by welding, adhesive bonding, or other adhering method. The mounting plate  570  and the pivot plate  270  are connected in a hinged relationship by the adjoining hinge rod  590  and cooperating curled hinge rod connectors  610 , such that the pivot plate  270 , and therefore the shell  210 , pivots about the hinge member  260  to open and close the security cover  200  over the hasp assembly. 
     In operation, the base plate  320  of the present invention is secured to the door of the truck or other vehicle at the location where the hasp is to be located by providing square holes to receive the square pins  430 , 440 . The square pin  430  passes through the square hole  410  of the base plate at a first end, and the square pin  440  passes through the square hole  450  of the bracket  390 , the mounting plate  570  of the hinge member  260 , and circular hole  420  of the base plate at the opposite end. The second bracket  395  is then mounted to the base plate by inserting a rivet  470  through the round hole  480  of the bracket and the third hole  460  of the base plate such that the second bracket rotates about the rivet from an open position away from the first bracket, to a closed position adjacent the first bracket. When the vehicle door is to be secured, the cam rod is shifted vertically until the end of the rod is located in the keeper, and the lever/handle is placed between the brackets with the second bracket rotated in the open position. With the lever in the space between the two brackets, the second bracket is rotated closed until the respective projecting panels are adjacent and the holes in the projecting panels are aligned. Using the hinge member, the shell of the security cover is pivoted closed over the projecting panels until the shell is flush with the base plate. The hasp projects substantially through the window in the top panel of the shell and the lever extends through the security cover at the rectangular slots on the side walls. A key is inserted into the cam lock, and the cam lock is rotated from the open position to the locked position, locating the cam lock tab inside the shell and adjacent the base plate hook into the h-shaped slot defined by the hook, and fixing the security cover in the closed position. A padlock or other locking hardware is placed in the hasp through the aligned holes to secure the lever in the position between the brackets, and the connection of the hasp with its mounting surface is protected by the security cover from access without a key to the cam lock. 
     While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited except by the appended claims.