Patent NZ-775152-A (NZ)
Title: Shielded self-latching locking assembly for a utility vault
Inventor: BURKE EDWARD
IPC: E05B55/00
Filed: 2021-04-19
Abstract: An equipment enclosure assembly including: a hollow enclosure, a lid for removably closing a top of the enclosure, and a shielded locking assembly for securely locking the lid to an opening in the enclosure, in which the enclosure has a locking surface positioned adjacent a rim or abutment on an inside wall of the enclosure, the shielded locking assembly positioned adjacent an edge of the lid for cooperating with the locking surface inside the enclosure, the shielded locking assembly comprising: a self-latching slide member slidably disposed in a non-conductive shielding cover secured to an underside of the lid by fasteners; a resilient biasing spring member engaging the slide member for controlling the spring-biased travel of the slide member toward and away from the locking surface; a latch carried on the slide member and adapted to contact the rim or abutment on the enclosure from a downward force applied to the lid being positioned in the opening of the enclosure, the latch retracting the slide member against the spring-bias as the latch travels over the rim or abutment in response to the downward contact force applied to the rim or abutment, followed by snap-locking the latch into spring-biased engagement with the locking surface below the rim or abutment for locking the lid to the opening in the enclosure; an L-bolt rotatably disposed in the lid, the L-bolt rotatable between an unlocked position and a locked position; a slotted structure affixed to said underside of the lid, the slotted structure projecting downwardly away from the underside of the lid to a downwardly facing opening on the slotted structure which is spaced below the lid and positioned adjacent the locking surface and adjacent a guide frame, the L-bolt extending through a passage in the lid and in the slotted structure to the underside of the lid; the L-bolt having a right angle leg protruding below the bottom of the slotted structure; and a position-adjusting device exposed to an upper surface of the lid; a separate locking piece inserted into the passage in the slotted structure and positioned around the L-bolt to prevent removal of the L-bolt from the exterior of the lid once the L-bolt is positioned in the passage through the slotted structure; the right angle leg of the L-bolt coupled to the slide member so that sliding travel of the slide member causes rotation of the L-bolt; the non-conductive shielding cover guiding spring-biased axial travel of the slide member in unison with rotation of the L-bolt in the slotted structure, the snap-locking action of the latch engaging the locking surface in the enclosure causing the L-bolt to rotate to a spring-biased locked position, rotation of the L-bolt in a direction away from the locked position retracts the slide member against the spring-bias to allow removal of the lid from the enclosure; and wherein the non-conductive shielding cover includes an end wall, a top side wall and a bottom side wall forming the channel, a rigid rib wall extending the channel perpendicularly from the end wall and in between and parallel to the top side wall and the bottom side wall for engaging the end of the spring member in the slide member at a distance away from the end wall.