Abstract:
A lockable housing for a valve, tap, port, or other fixture is provided. The housing has a hinged clam shell design, with a protective shroud for a shackleless lock. A fixture can be encased within the housing and secured using the shackleless lock.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to anti-theft and anti-tamper devices for protecting valves, taps, ports, and other fixtures. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Valves, taps and ports, and other fixtures are used in conjunction with storage tanks, plumbing, and other fluid flow channels in a number of industries. For example, the oil and gas and chemical industries employ various valves and ports on storage tanks and pipes, wellhead “Christmas trees,” and other exterior fixtures, which are vulnerable to unauthorized access and vandalism. In restaurants and food manufacturing plants, it is common for used cooking oil to be routed from fryers through one or more pipes to a collection port accessible from the exterior of the building. By connecting a vacuum hose to the port, the spent oil can be pumped to a tanker truck and transported to a processing plant, where it can be converted into a number of products, such as animal feed, tallow, and “yellow grease,” a key ingredient in biodiesel fuels. Used cooking oil is a valuable commodity, and it attracts thieves. By some accounts, each year upwards of 50% of restaurant cooking oil is lost to thieves. 
         [0003]    Padlocks and chains, covered guards, and numerous other devices have been employed in an effort to secure the fixtures, with limited success. U.S. Pat. No. 4, 538,434 describes a security housing for an oil tank storage valve comprising a pair of hinged clamshell structures that are also pivotally hinged to an adjacent storage tank. When closed, the structure surrounds the valve, yet swings away from the valve to allow access thereto. The structure employs a simple padlock, which is vulnerable to being cut with bolt cutters. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,378,719 and 7,478,646 describe similar devices. U.S. Pat. No. 7,562,546 describes a locking system comprising a cylindrical padlock, a lock securing member attached thereto, a padlock guard, a hasp plate, and one or more guards. U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,033 describes a valve safety lockout device to “tamper-proof” a control valve. A similar device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,373. Although many inventors have attempted to design a secure housing for exterior plumbing fixtures, a need still exists for a more robust anti-theft and anti-tamper device. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The invention provides a lockable housing for a valve, tap, port, or other fixture. The housing has a hinged clamshell design, with a protective shroud for a shackleless lock. A fixture can be encased within the housing and secured using the shackleless lock. In one embodiment, the housing has a first enclosure portion, bounded at one end by a first end wall and bounded at an opposite end by a first collar portion; a first tab and a first flange portion extending from the first enclosure portion; a second enclosure portion, bounded at one end by a second end wall and bounded at an opposite end by a second collar portion; a second tab and a second flange portion extending from the second enclosure portion; and a hinged joint linking the first enclosure portion to the second enclosure portion. When the first enclosure portion and the second enclosure portion are brought together in a closed configuration, (a) the first and second end walls are brought together, (b) the first and second enclosure portions form a cavity large enough to encase the fixture, (c) the first and second tabs are brought together, (d) the first and second flange portions are brought together and form a shroud adapted to protect a “shackleless” lock, and (e) the first and second collar portions form a collar. The collar has an inner diameter smaller than a portion of the fixture and thereby secures the housing from being removed from the fixture. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Various features and embodiments of the invention will be more readily understood when considered in light of the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention, in an open configuration; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , partially installed around a fixture; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , in a closed configuration; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a shackleless lock usable with various embodiments of the invention; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is another perspective view of the shackleless lock shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a is a perspective proximal view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , in a closed configuration and with a shackleless lock seated in place; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is a perspective distal view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , in a closed configuration and with a shackleless lock seated in place. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    In one aspect, the invention can be described in terms of an overall clam-shell design. Thus, a lockable housing for a fixture is provided and comprises a hinged, clam-shell enclosure, adapted to be moved from an open to a closed configuration; a collar at one end of the enclosure; a wall an at opposite end of the enclosure; and a hasp secured to or integral with the enclosure, adapted to hold a shackleless lock; wherein, the enclosure can be placed around a fixture and then closed; a shackleless lock can be secured to the hasp and locked in place, thereby holding the enclosure in the closed configuration; and the collar is adapted to prevent the enclosure from being removed from the fixture while the enclosure is in the closed configuration. 
         [0014]    One embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-5 . A generally cylindrical, lockable housing  10  includes semicylindrical first and second enclosure portions  20 ,  30  linked together by a hinged joint  40 . The first enclosure portion  20  includes a curved sidewall  21  bounded at one end by a first end wall  22  that has an inner surface  23  and an outer surface  24 , and bounded at an opposite end by a first collar portion  25 . A first tab  26  extends outwardly from the first enclosure portion  20  and has a hole  27  extending there through. A semicircular first flange  28  also extends outwardly from the first enclosure portion  20 , and the first tab  26  is located in or adjacent to the semicircular space defined by the first flange. 
         [0015]    Similarly, the second enclosure portion  30  includes a curved sidewall  31  bounded at one end by a second end wall  32  that has an inner surface  33  and an outer surface  34 , and bounded at an opposite end by a second collar portion  35 . A second tab  36  extends outwardly from the second enclosure portion  30  and has a hole  37  extending there through. A semicircular second flange  38  also extends outwardly from the second enclosure portion  30 , and the second tab  36  is located in or adjacent to the semicircular space defined by the second flange. The second flange  38  is interrupted by a small gap  39 , which provides access for a key, as described below. A lip  41  extends from the inner surface  33  of the second end wall  32  and is substantially parallel to the second end wall. When the housing is closed, the lip will overlap with a portion of the inner surface  33  of the first end wall  22 . 
         [0016]    In  FIG. 2 , the lockable housing  10  is depicted partially placed around a fixture  50 —in this case a quick connect/disconnect coupling—which is attached to the proximal end of a pipe  54 . The distal end (not shown) of the pipe  54  extends into the interior of a building. This sort of fixture is often found on the exterior of a restaurant to facilitate pumping and removal of used cooking oil from one or more fryers inside the restaurant. The fixture includes a nut  53 . 
         [0017]    In  FIG. 3 , the fixture is completely encased by the housing  10 , as the two halves of the housing have been brought together with the hinged joint  40 . In this closed configuration, (a) the first and second end walls  22 ,  32  are brought together, (b) the first and second enclosure portions  20 ,  30  form a cavity  52  large enough to encase the fixture (see  FIG. 2 ), (c) the first and second tabs  26 ,  36  are brought together, (d) the first and second flanges  28 ,  38  are brought together and form a shroud  56  adapted to protect a lock  60 , and (e) the first and second collar portions  25 ,  35  form an annular collar  58  that secures the housing from being removed from the fixture. By “brought together” is meant the two pieces touch or nearly touch each other. For example, the inner edges of the first and second end walls may touch; the inner faces of the first and second tabs may touch, etc. 
         [0018]    The inner diameter of the collar  58  is selected to be large enough to fit around the outer diameter of the pipe  54 , preferably with as small a gap as possible between the collar and the pipe. A snug fit prevents the housing from rattling on the pipe when installed. In addition, because the inner diameter of the annular collar is smaller than the outer perimeter of the nut  53 , the housing cannot be pulled off the fixture. 
         [0019]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the housing  10  is designed to work with a “shackleless” lock, also called a “hidden shackle” or “hockey puck” lock, one embodiment of which is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The lock  60  includes a hardened steel body  62  having a slot  64  and a hole  65  formed therein. A cylinder  66  (e.g., a 5- or 6-pin cylinder) is coupled to a bolt or shackle  67 , the distal tip  68  of which can engage two hardened steel retaining pins  69  located in the hole  65  in the lock. In the embodiment shown, the lock is stepped, and a portion of the back face is elevated relative to the remainder of the back face. This configuration is preferred because it helps bring the backside of the lock closer to the curved side walls of the first and second enclosure portions of the housing of the lockable housing. Shackleless locks having other configurations and features can be employed in the alternative. 
         [0020]    In  FIG. 3 , the lock cylinder  66  is retracted and the lock  60  is shown ready to be inserted in the space  57  defined by the shroud  56  and a portion of the curved side walls  21 ,  31  of the first and second enclosure portions  20 ,  30  of the housing. The lock is ready to engage the “hasp” formed by the first and second enclosure portions, tabs, and shroud. 
         [0021]    In  FIG. 6 , the lock is seated in place and protected by the shroud  56 . The tabs  26 ,  36  fit within the slot  64  in the lock, and the bolt or shackle  67  can engage the holes  27 ,  37  in the tabs. The key  70  extends through the gap  39  in the second flange  38 . Notably, with the lock in place, even if the hinge is destroyed the housing will remain intact and in place. 
         [0022]      FIG. 7  shows a distal or bottom view of the closed housing. The end walls  22 ,  32  of the first and second enclosure portions meet at a seam  56 . However, the inner cavity of the housing cannot be accessed through the seam because the lip  41  extending from the inner surface  33  of the second end wall  32  overlaps part of the first end wall  22  of the first enclosure portion. 
         [0023]    In this embodiment, the housing is made of steel (for example, 4 inch diameter, schedule  40  pipe) or another suitably hard material. The tabs and flanges are welded to the first and second enclosure portions, and the lip is welded to the end wall of the second enclosure portion. (Welds are denoted by dotted regions in the drawings.) Other materials and modes of construction are also possible. The dimensions of the lockable housing reflect the length, shape, and diameter or outer perimeter of the fixture(s) to be protected. In the embodiment depicted in the drawings, the housing  10  is approximately 5.5 inches tall and has an outer diameter of about 5.25 inches. The shroud has an outer diameter of about 4 inches, protrudes approximately 2 inches from the side of the housing, and can hold a 3 inch diameter shackleless lock. The drawings are not necessarily to scale. 
         [0024]    The invention has been described with reference to various drawings and embodiments, but is not limited thereto. Other embodiments and variations will be apparent to the skilled person, without departing from the invention. For example, the housing  10  may have a shape other than cylindrical; the collar need not be annular, but may have an alternate shape; etc. The invention is limited only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.