Abstract:
Devices and systems for securing and locking tractor trailer support legs in the down position are described herein. A securing pin passing through one of the support legs of a trailer while in the down position prevents the trailer legs from being raised. The pin can be locked in place such that only authorized users may remove the pin, raise the support legs, and move the trailer. A variety of kits for retrofitting existing trailers with securing devices are also provided.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/998,531 filed on Jul. 1, 2014. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Most trailers used in combination with large trucks utilize some variation of support legs or “landing gear” to keep the trailer level when not engaged with a truck and so as to allow the trailer to be easily attached and detached from a truck. These legs come in a variety of styles, but most have the overall basic form as shown in  FIG. 1 , where a conventional landing gear  10  for a semi-trailer is shown. The landing gear  10  is used to support a semi-trailer when the semi-trailer is disconnected from a tractor. The landing gear  10  is designed to expand and contract vertically. In expansion, the landing gear  10  lifts the front of a semi-trailer so that it can be disconnected from the tractor, and thereafter supports the front of the semi-trailer when the tractor departs. In contraction, the landing gear  10  lowers the front of the semi-trailer to enable connection to a tractor, and, once connected, to further gain ground clearance so the semi-trailer can be pulled by the tractor without the supports striking the ground. 
         [0003]    The landing gear  10  typically comprises a pair of spaced arms  12 , each having a mounting bracket  26  for securing the landing gear to a frame of a semi-trailer (not shown). Each arm  12  comprises a hollow tube  16  within which is a leg  14  that is geared to extend from and retract into the hollow tube  16 . Each leg has a foot pad  18  that supports the landing gear  10  on the ground. A gearbox  20  may be mounted to one of the arms to control the extension and refraction of both legs by way of a cross drive shaft  22  extending between the arms  12 . The gearbox  20  is manually driven by a crank handle  24 . In other examples, the legs may be raised and lowered using pneumatic, hydraulic, or electrical power rather than with a hand crank. 
         [0004]    When a trailer is parked without an attached truck it is vulnerably to theft by simply attaching another truck to the unattended trailer and driving away. Several different methods have been used to help secure unattached trailers, most of which involve securing or otherwise disabling the attachment point of the trailer (i.e., the kingpin) or removing or disabling the raising and lowering mechanism of the legs. Such methods are generally easy to defeat for a thief who comes prepared with cutting tools and/or replacement hardware to remove any securing devices and/or enable the trailer legs. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of trailer leg gear. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a partial cut away view of a trailer leg. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a partial cut away view of a trailer leg securing device according to one embodiment of the claimed invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a partial cut away view of a trailer leg securing device according to another embodiment of the claimed invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a partial cut away side view of a trailer leg securing device according to one embodiment of the claimed invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a partial cut away top plan view of the trailer leg securing device shown in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a partial cut away side view of a trailer leg securing device according to another embodiment of the claimed invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is a partial cut away top plan view of the trailer leg securing device shown in  FIG. 7 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  is a trailer leg securing kit according to one embodiment of the disclosed invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 10  is a trailer leg securing kit according to another embodiment of the disclosed invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 11  is a trailer leg securing kit according to still another embodiment of the disclosed invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the claimed technology and presenting its currently understood best mode of operation, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the claimed technology is thereby intended, with such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and such further applications of the principles of the claimed technology as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the claimed technology relates. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  shows a partial cut away view of a single trailer support leg  30 . The disclosed invention of the present application may be used with a wide variety of designs, may be adapted for use with either or both support legs, and may be used with legs which employ different raising and lowering means (manual cranks, pneumatics, electrical motors, etc.). The disclosed invention may also be used on any type of trailer such as flat beds, tankers, box trailers, and the like. The following examples will be described with reference to a single leg support shown unattached from a trailer for illustrative purposes only. 
         [0018]    The support leg  30  comprises a vertical leg portion  32  having an outer portion  34  and an inner portion  36  capable of sliding in and out of the outer portion  34  when moving between the raised and lowered positions. In this example, the leg portions  34 - 36  are shown as box shaped, but in other examples they may be tubular. The leg  32  is attached to a foot pad  38  by a pin  44  which allows the foot pad  38  to pivot when the trailer is parked on an uneven surface. The leg is raised and lowered using a driving means  40 , the exact nature of which may vary as previously described. When the support leg is moved to the raised position, the inner portion  36  slides into the outer portion  34  until the pin  44  contacts the lower edge  42  of the outer portion which acts as a stop. 
         [0019]    One example of a trailer leg securing device assembly according to the disclosed invention is shown in  FIG. 3 . In this particular example, a trailer leg  46  having an outer portion  48  and an inner portion  50 . A securing pin  54  passes through holes  56  made in the inner portion  50  of the trailer leg. When an attempt is made to raise the trailer legs by raising the inner leg portion  50  into the outer leg portion  48 , the securing pin  54  contacts the lower edge  52  of the outer portion  48  and prevents the trailer leg  46  from being raised. The securing pin further includes an attachment point  58  (in this example a hole) which allows the pin to be locked into place. Examples of methods for locking the pin will be described in greater detail in other examples. 
         [0020]    The holes  56  passing through the inner portion  50  of the trailer leg may be formed using a drill, torch, or other suitable cutting means and may be made during the manufacture of the trailer leg or be added to existing trailer legs. The hole is positioned and sized such that it does not interfere with the raising and lowering of the trailer leg when the pin is removed, but prevents the leg from being raised when the pin is secured in place. Exact placement and sizing of the holes will vary depending on a particular leg&#39;s design and the method which is used to raise and lower it. When the pin is secured in place, the trailer leg is prevented from being raised and the trailer effectively disabled from being towed behind a truck as the trailer legs would still be in contact with the ground. 
         [0021]    In the example shown in  FIG. 4 , a trailer leg  60  having an outer leg portion  62  and an inner leg portion  64  is secured in the lowered position using a securing pin  66  similar to the previous example. In this particular example, the securing pin  66  passes through holes in both the inner leg  64  and the outer leg  62 . A pair of inner leg holes  70  are sized and positioned such that they align with a pair of outer leg holes  68  when the leg  60  is in the lowered position. The securing pin  66  may then be inserted through the holes  68 ,  70  thereby locking the inner and outer leg portions together and preventing the trailer leg  60  from being raised. As with the previous example, the exact positioning and sizing of the holes  68 ,  70  will vary according to a specific leg design. 
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a partial cut away view of an assembly comprising a trailer leg securing device  72  according to one embodiment of the disclosed invention.  FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the device shown in  FIG. 5 . In this example, the securing device  72  comprises a securing pin  76  having an attachment point  82  and an enlarged portion  88 , a protective cowling  84 , and a locking device  80 . The pin  76  is made from a suitably hard material such as steel. The protective cowling is also made from a suitably hard material such as steel and includes an opening  86  sized such that securing pin  76  may pass therethrough. The locking device  80  may be a commercially available padlock which may be opened with a key or numerical combination. In other examples, the lock may be a more complex device which is operable using biometrics, radio frequencies, and the like. 
         [0023]    In this particular example, the trailer leg  74  is secured in the lowered position by passing the securing pin  76  through openings  78  in the leg  74 . The openings are sized and positioned such that trailer leg is operable when the securing pin is removed and locked in the lowered position when the securing pin is engaged. The pin  76  is inserted through the openings  78  in the leg  74  until the enlarged portion  88  contacts the leg  74 . The enlarged portion  88  is sized and shaped so that it may not pass through the leg openings  78 . In this example, the enlarged portion is a cross member forming a T with the pin, but in other examples it may be a ball, a ring, or other suitable shape as desired. 
         [0024]    Once the pin is inserted through the leg, the protective cowling  84  is placed over the securing pin  76  by passing the pin through an opening  86  in the cowling. The lock is then secured to the attachment point  82  of the pin  76 , thereby locking the pin in place and preventing the trailer leg from being raised. 
         [0025]    In this example, the cowling is a U shaped bracket having a hole sufficiently sized and placed so that the securing pin can pass therethrough. The cowling is sized such that the lock cannot be easily removed such as using bolt cutters, a grinding wheel, or a hammer. With the cowl in place, the cowl my first be removed or destroyed before the lock itself may be attacked. Such activity will attract attention and slow down a would-be thief. 
         [0026]    A variation of the disclosed invention is shown in  FIG. 7 . In this particular example, a securing device  90  comprises a securing pin  92  having an attachment point  104  and a protective cowl  94  similar to those previously described. The securing device in this example further comprises a cross member  100  having two attachment points  102  and two different locks  96 ,  98 . The cross member  100  is passed through the attachment point  104  of the securing pin  92  when the pin is engaged with the trailer leg. A lock  96 ,  98  is then secured to each attachment point  102  of the cross member  100 . The cross member may be sized such that it is compatible with a securing pin such as the one previously described with respect to the example shown in  FIGS. 5-6 . The cross member  100  may be removed from the securing pin  92 , and the securing pin  92  subsequently removed and the trailer leg unlocked, when either one of the locks  96 ,  98  is removed. This securing device  90  allows either one of two different drivers to both secure and unlock a particular trailer. For example, trailers used as part of a fleet may be equipped with such a device where individual drivers have keys to one of the locks and yard workers have keys to the other lock, thereby allowing yard workers to unlock and move any trailer but restricting individual truck drivers to only certain trailers which their specific keys unlock. 
         [0027]    A different dual lock system is shown in  FIG. 8 . In this particular example, a securing pin  108  is provided with two attachment points  112  disposed at opposite ends of the pin. Two cowls  110  similar to those previously described and two different locks  114 ,  116  are also provided. The system works in a similar manner to that described with respect to  FIG. 7 , but in this example a lock  114 ,  116  protected by a cowl  110  is secured at each end of the securing pin  108 . Having two different locks allows different drivers to access the trailer and also allows certain drivers to have access to certain trailers while retaining the ability of a single person to have access to all trailers without having to carry multiple keys. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 9-11  show trailer leg securing kits according to different embodiments of the disclosed invention. In all of these examples, the kids may be adapted to work with a particular style, make, or manufacture of trailer support legs as desired.  FIG. 9  shows a kit  118  comprising a securing pin  120 , a lock and key  124 , and a protective cowl  122 . The kit functions in a similar fashion to the example described in  FIGS. 5-6 . The kit  126  shown in  FIG. 10  includes a securing bar  128  having two attachment points, two protective cowls  130 , and two lock and key sets  132 ,  134 . The locks may be identical or different. The kit functions in a similar fashion to the example described in  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 11  shows a kit  136  having a securing pin  138 , a cross member  146 , two protective cowls and two lock and key sets  142 ,  144 . The locks may be identical or different. The kit functions in a similar fashion to the example described in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0029]    While the claimed technology has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood that the embodiments have been shown and described in the foregoing specification in satisfaction of the best mode and enablement requirements. It is understood that one of ordinary skill in the art could readily make a nigh-infinite number of insubstantial changes and modifications to the above-described embodiments and that it would be impractical to attempt to describe all such embodiment variations in the present specification. Accordingly, it is understood that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the claimed technology are desired to be protected.