Patent Publication Number: US-4317344-A

Title: Protective two-piece cover boots for padlocks

Description:
DEDICATORY CLAUSE 
     The invention described herein may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalties thereon. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The invention relates to pliable protective cover boots to protect the inner and working parts of a padlock from being ruined by direct and indirect deleterious exposure to dust, dirt, mud, sand, water, ice, and other moisture or rain-like atmospheric conditions. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Padlocks are undoubtedly among some of the simplest and most convenient of various types of security devices. Padlocks are commonly exposed to the various elements of nature and thus can become ruined in a relatively short time by harmful elements. 
     While various protective covers for padlocks have been previously devised (U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,581,953, 1,662,612 3,858,419, and 3,983,725), it is the main object of this invention to provide further novelly improved protective cover means to preserve a padlock in good working condition notwithstanding being subjected to a variety of deleterious elements. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The improved protective cover means of this invention include a complemental pair of anti-dust and anti-moisture sealing boots fabricated of a pliable soft molded material such as polyurethane plastic or similar material. A top boot is designed to fit snugly over the shackle bight, legs, and the adjacent upper shackle end of the padlock case. The other of the pair is a bottom boot to fit snugly over the cylinder/key or lower end of the case. In previous protective covers of this type, the shackle end cover contained nonconnected spaced holes to sequentially receive the legs of the shackle therethrough by being threaded first into one of the holes and then back into the other. In the present improved protective cover means, the top cover or boot for the shackle end is provided with a self-closing slit interconnecting the spaced shackle leg holes. The slit permits the boot to be more readily yieldably slipped over the shackle and snugly onto the case. Relative to the other cover or bottom boot for protecting the cylinder/key end of the case, while one such similar prior device (U.S. Pat. No. 1,662,612) is provided with a slot in a generally similar cover piece, the present improved corresponding cover has a self-closing key access slit in one embodiment, which is disposed not only angularly to the major and minor planes of the lock casing, but also is oblique to the outside and to the inside of the cover wall material to lessen likelihood of entry of detrimental elements. The resiliency of the covers is such as to permit the key to turn, and for the respective slits to be self-closing after respective assembly and removal of the key. 
     The above improved features and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying illustrative drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a padlock and the subject improved protective boots or covers shown in exploded relation to the padlock; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view taken through the protective cover boots assembled on a padlock casing, the latter being shown in elevation outline; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the protective cover boot adapted to fit snugly on the key end of the padlock; 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the inner face of the upper protective cover boot adapted to fit snugly over the shackle end on the adjacent end of the padlock case; 
     FIG. 5 is side elevational view of a modified embodiment having the protective cover boots shown interconnected by a flexible strap or tie string; 
     FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 6--6 of a modified form of the slit in the FIG. 5 alternate embodiment of a top cover boot; and 
     FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of still another modified embodiment of a bottom cover boot. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional type padlock generally designated 10 having a body 12 and a shackle 14. The shackle l4 has a bight portion 16 connecting shackle legs 18a and 18b. A key slot 20, shown in dotted lines only in FIG. 3, is provided in the bottom end of the padlock body, and is adapted to receive a key (not shown) which can be turned to release a free end of the shackle leg 18b from the customary locked engagement with a lock mechanism (not shown) within the body 12. 
     The protective cover means for the padlock include top and bottom cover boots 22 and 24 fabricated of resilient soft molded material such as polyurethane plastic or other suitable rubber-like material. Each cover boot 22 and 24 comprises a pliable planar end panel, 26 and 28 respectively, having a shape corresponding to that of the respective top and bottom ends of the particular type of padlock casing; and, each panel further includes an integrally formed marginal flange 26a and 28a, respectively, projecting a relatively short distance generally perpendicularly from each end panel. The marginal flanges are designed to snugly embrace the related end portions of the padlock casing, and said flanges preferably terminate in beveled or tapered edges 26b and 28b, respectively, to better facilitate and enhance the sealing characteristics, and to better shed precipitation and other moisture therefrom. 
     Referring more specifically to the top cover boot 22, the end panel 26 is provided with a pair of apertures 30a, 30b of a size just slightly smaller than the cross-sectional shape and area of the shackle legs so as to provide good sealing characteristics. The holes are spaced apart a distance corresponding to that between the centers of the shackle legs, and said end panel additionally is provided with a normally self-closing slit 32 interconnecting the aforesaid apertures 30a, 30b. The slit 32 thus facilitates yieldable assembly of the cover boot onto the top end of the padlock case by slipping it over the bight of the shackle. The top cover boot 22, in the areas of the respective shackle-leg-receiving holes 30a, 30b, is recessed preferably in a tapering or shallow conical manner as shown at 30c in FIG. 2. While the plane of the slit 32, as shown in FIG. 2, is essentially perpendicular to the inner and outer planer surfaces of the end panel, it is understood that the plane of the slit also can be disposed in nonperpendicular angular relation thereto, if so desired, as shown by slit 32&#39; in FIG. 6. The modified cover boot in FIG. 6 is designated 22&#39; and the end or top generally planar panel is designated 26&#39;. 
     Referring next more specifically to the bottom cover boot 24 in FIGS. 1-3, its end panel 28 is provided with a generally centrally disposed key-admitting slit 34 of self-closing character. The plane of the slit 34 is purposely not perpendicular to the inner and outer planar generally parallel surfaces of the end panel 28, to provide improved sealing characteristics. Additionally the inside face of the end panel 28 is preferably recessed in an area 36 around the key-admitting slit 34 to provide increased pliability and resilience to better facilitate non-detrimental key rotation distortion during unlocking of the padlock. Without such recessed area 36, the boot may have a tendency to be lifted away or off from the end of the lock casing, particularly if the depending flange 28b is not very long. 
     In the modified embodiment of FIG. 7, primed reference numerals are used to designate like or corresponding parts previously described relative to FIGS. 1-3. Therefore, no repetition of the basic boot description is required. In FIG. 7, the key-admitting slit 34&#39; is of dual angular disposition evolving from structural relationships wherein (1) said slit is oriented obliquely to the major and minor planes of the lock&#39;s casing or body, and thus often may be oriented substantially different from the normal orientation of the padlock&#39;s key entrance, and (2) the plane of the key-admitting slit 34 is disposed also preferably at an oblique angle relative to inner and outer generally planar surfaces of the end panel 28&#39; of said bottom cover boot 24&#39;. Because of the potential non-alignment of the slit 34&#39; and key entry 20&#39; (FIG. 7), it may be desirable to fabricate the lower cover boot from a generally transparent material. Even where opaque materials are used, since the normal orientation of the key slot is usually on a line transverse to the major plane of the lock body, it would be relatively easy to empirically manually align the key with the key entry slot. 
     In order to better keep the related pair of protective cover boots together to assure maximum protection by the coaction of both boots on a given padlock, the pair of cover boots may be interconnected by any suitable flexible tie means. One example of the tie means is designated 38 in FIG. 5, and may have the form of a flexible narrow strap integrally formed of the same material as that used for the respective cover boots 22&#39;, 24&#39;. Other forms may include merely a short length of string threaded through an eyelet or tab 40 (FIG. 2) provided on each cover boot. 
     From the foregoing detailed description, it is apparent that a best mode for carrying out the present invention has been shown and described. However, it is also apparent that certain modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter as set forth in the accompanying claims hereinafter.