Patent Abstract:
A security device is provided for locking a closure such as a door or a gate to an enclosure. The security device is a lock guard for a padlock having a shackle insertable in either a vertical opening or a horizontal opening in a latch component on the closure or the enclosure. The lock guard has a sloping roof for deflecting sledge hammer blows. The sloping roof is preferably a double pitch roof. One embodiment of the invention has two double pitch roofs facilitating its use with both latch parts having vertical openings and latch parts having horizontal openings. Another embodiment of the invention has a single pitch roof.

Full Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Applicant claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/230,677 filed Sep. 20, 2005 for a Stanchion Lever Lock Guard and the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/612,328 filed Sep. 23, 2004 for a Lock Guard, to which the first mentioned application claimed benefit. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Thieves who break into moving vans, tractor trailers and other cargo containers use a variety of tools such as sledge hammers, acetylene cutting torches, saws, grinders and the like. The bolt cutter is a favored tool of burglars for cutting padlocks because of its portability and reduced time, light and sound generation. Thus there is a need to protect padlocks used on containers, moving vans, semi-trailers, truck trailer units and storage facilities. Tractor trailers with twin rear doors are secured by a pair of stanchions, at least one of which has an operating handle or lever, which is normally secured by a padlock to prevent rotation of the stanchion, thus maintaining the doors in a locked condition. Many moving vans have side doors, which are also secured by stanchions. A recess with a locking tab is provided in each side door. The stanchion locking lever, in its locking position, is disposed within the recess with the locking tab extending through a slot in the lever. A padlock is customarily connected to the tab to prevent operation of the stanchion lever. It is also desirable to provide protection for padlocks securing doors of containers or storage facilities and for padlocks fastened to door or gate securing clasps or latches. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention is directed to a lock guard, which prevents bolt cutters or the like from being employed to cut the shackle of a padlock. It also has a pitched roof with substantially planar exterior surfaces designed to deflect sledge hammer blows. The lock guard has a front wall, and a side wall structure extending rearwardly from the front wall with a gap at the bottom of the front wall. The walls define a cavity for a padlock; and an interior tab extends rearwardly from the front wall with an opening through which a padlock shackle passes when the latter is in its installed locking condition. In the installed position of the padlock the shackle is shielded by the top, front and side walls of the housing, and the back side of the padlocks is shielded by the door itself. Only the key end of the padlock casing is exposed at the open bottom of the protective shell formed by the walls and the door. One embodiment of the invention provides a lock guard constructed to present a double pitched roof in each of two positions of the lock guard and the accompanying padlock. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the rear end of a tractor-trailer showing one embodiment of a lock guard with a double pitch roof protecting a padlock securing the operating lever of one of the locking stanchions; 
       FIG. 2  is a vertical section of the lock guard shown in  FIG. 1  applied to a padlock securing a stanchion operating lever having a right angle reinforcing ridge; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the lock guard; 
       FIG. 4  is a vertical section showing the lock guard of  FIG. 3  applied to a padlock securing a pair of operating lever keepers for a stanchion operating lever which does not have a right angle reinforcing ridge; 
       FIG. 5  is a rear view of the lock guard shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a view showing a third embodiment lock guard having a top and a side with angled walls forming peaked roofs for deflecting sledge hammer blows; 
       FIG. 7  is a section taken on line  7 — 7  in  FIG. 6 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a rear perspective view of the locking guard shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 ; 
       FIG. 9  shows the lock guard of  FIGS. 8 , with parts broken away, securing a stanchion operating lever of the type shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 ; 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view showing a lock guard with a roof sloping upwardly and rearwardly from its front wall, and 
       FIG. 11  is a vertical section of the lock guard of  FIG. 10 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The lock guard  11  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is used with a padlock  12  securing an operating lever  13  of a stanchion  14  for closures in the form of rear doors  26 , 27  of a semi-trailer truck container  10 . The operating lever  13  has a reinforcing ridge  25  with an opening  20  for receiving the shackle  17  of the padlock  12 . A pivotable keeper  18  also has an opening  19  for the shackle  17 . The lock guard  11  has a top wall in the form of a double pitched roof  21 , a front wall  22  and a pair of laterally spaced parallel side walls, only wall  23  of which is shown. The vertically extending side walls have notches  15  to accommodate reinforcing ridge  25  on the stanchion operating lever  13 . A retainer tab  31  is welded to the side walls and to the backside of the front wall  22  and extends horizontally at a right angle to front wall  22 . The tab  31  has an appropriately sized opening or bore  32  to accommodate the U shaped shackle  17  of the padlock  12 . An abutment surface  33  on the underside of the roof  21  serves as an abutment when locking the padlock  12 . When installing the padlock  12  and the lock guard  11 , the padlock  12  is unlocked, in which condition the U shaped shackle  17  is extended from the case  36  of the lock  12  to an open position, not shown. The free or distal end  34  of the shackle  17  is passed through the opening  32  in the retainer tab  31  of the lock guard  11 . The lock guard  11  and padlock  12  are then moved toward the door  27  being secured and the free end  34  of the shackle  17  is passed through an opening  19  in a pivotable keeper  18  and the opening  20  in the ridge  25  of the lever  13 . The padlock  12  is then locked, as shown in  FIG. 2 , by placing the shackle  17  against the abutment surface  33  and forcing the end  34  of the shackle  17  into the case  36 . 
   Some stanchion locking levers do not have a reinforcing ridge. Such a locking lever  38  is shown in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , with  FIG. 3  showing it pivotally connected to a stanchion  14 ′. A second embodiment lock guard  11 ′, shown in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , is used to secure the locking lever  38 . The lock guard  11 ′ includes, a front wall  22 ′, a tab  31 ′, a pair of parallel side walls  23 ,  24  and a double pitch roof  21 ′ with a peak  55  extending in a front to rear direction. Notches  53 ,  54  are formed in the side walls  23 ,  24  to accommodate the upper pivotable keeper  44 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the shackle  17  of the lock  12  is passed through opening  32 ′ in the tab  31 ′ and through aligned openings  42 ,  43  in the keepers  44 ,  46 . The lock  12  is secured by abutting the shackle  17  against the abutment surface  33 ′ on the underside of the double pitch roof  21 ′. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the double pitched roof  21 ′ has right and left planar parts  51 ,  52  which slope upward toward one another from the side walls  23 ,  24 , at equal angles to the side walls  23 ,  24 , peaking in a slightly rounded peak  55  midway between the side walls  23 ,  24 . The roof segments  51 ,  52  have substantially planar exterior surfaces and are notched at  53 ,  54  to accommodate the upper keeper  44  and its fastener  44 ′ which may not always be of the exact same configurations. The front wall  22 ′ is slightly longer than the side walls  23 ,  24  so as to extend below the lower ends of the side walls  23 ,  24 . 
     FIGS. 6 through 9  illustrate a third embodiment of the invention which affords protection for a padlock  68  connected to either horizontally extending latch parts with vertical holes such as shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  9  or a vertically extending latch part  72  as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . The lock guard  61  of  FIGS. 6 ,  7 ,  8  and  9  has a flat vertically extending front wall  62  and interconnected side walls  63 ,  64 ,  65 ,  66 , with planar exterior surfaces, forming a protective chamber or cavity  67  for a padlock  68 . The side wall structure has a gap between the ends  63 ′,  66 ′ of the walls  63 ,  66  thereby creating a side opening in the cavity  67  which facilitates installing the padlock  68  to either a horizontal or vertical latch. The walls  63 ,  64  form a first double pitch roof for protecting the padlock  68  from downward directed sledge hammer blows when the lock guard  61  is installed on a latch arrangement such as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  wherein a vertically extending latch segment  72  is locked to a horizontally shiftable bolt  71  by the padlock  68 . The horizontally shiftable bolt  71  locks a door  86  to an enclosure  87 . 
   The side walls  63 ,  64  of the lock guard  61  form a first double pitch roof, with planar exterior surfaces, when locking an enclosure having a vertically extending latch part, such as latch segment  72 ; and the side walls  64 ,  65  form a second double pitched roof, with planar exterior surfaces, protecting the padlock  68  against vertically downward blows when the lock guard  61  and padlock  68  are applied to a horizontally disposed latch part or parts, such as the keepers  44 ,  46  for the stanchion lever  38  shown in  FIG. 9 . The side wall  64  is shared in common by the first and second double pitched roofs. The lock guard  61  includes a tab  76  with a round opening  77 . The tab  76  is welded at its opposite ends to the walls  64 ,  65 , respectively, and has one edge welded to the back side of the front wall  62 . The lock guard  61  includes an abutment surface  82  which engages the shackle  69  of the lock  68  when the latter is installed as shown in  FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  9 . A slightly rounded peak  92  is formed at the junction of the walls  63 ,  64 , which form the first double pitch roof; and a second double pitch roof, formed by sides  64 ,  65 , has a slightly rounded peak  91 . Both peaks  91 .  92  extend in a front to rear direction. 
   A fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , showing a lock guard  101  protecting a padlock  102  locking the keepers  44 ,  46  which secure the operating lever  38  of the stanchion  14 ′. The lock guard  101  has a vertical front wall  103  and a rigidly interconnected side wall structure extending rearwardly from the top and laterally opposite edges of the front wall  103  including laterally opposite side walls  106 ,  107  and a roof  108  which slopes upwardly and rearwardly from the top of the front wall  103 . A horizontally disposed locking tab  111  with a vertical opening  112  is rigidly secured to the back side of the front wall  103 . An abutment  113  is rigidly secured to the underside of the roof  108  and presents an abutment surface  114  against with the shackle  116  is engaged when locking the padlock  102 . The locking tab  111  and the abutment  113  are also rigidly secured to the side walls  106 ,  107 . The front wall  103 , the side walls  106 ,  107  and sloping roof  108  from a protective cavity for the padlock  102  and the sloping roof  108  defects sledge hammer blows of vandals. 
   A versatile low cost lock guard is provided for protecting padlocks securing doors; gates, cargo containers and the like. The lock guard has a sloping roof with substantially planar exterior surfaces which effectively deflect sledge hammer blows. One embodiment of the lock guard has a single double pitch roof and a second embodiment of the invention has two double pitch roofs. The last mentioned embodiment protects a padlock when used to secure either horizontally or vertically disposed latch parts having corresponding vertically and horizontal openings engageable by the shackle of an appropriately sized padlock. In all the illustrated lock guards except the lock guard shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . The peaks of the roofs extend in a front to rear direction.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8