Patent ID: 7353672

Claim:
A lock assembly adapted for use with at least one object having a lock hole, said lock assembly comprising: a plurality of lock devices, each of which includes a lock housing unit including an upper lock housing having a coupling part that is formed with a rod hole, and two positioning rings that extend outwardly from said coupling part, that are spaced apart from and registered with each other, and that are each formed with a first ring hole, and a lower lock housing having a first end part coupled to said coupling part of said upper lock housing, and a second end part formed with a jaw hole; a jaw actuating unit including a jaw actuator operable to move relative to said lock housing unit between locking and unlocking positions, said jaw actuator having a ring portion that is confined between said positioning rings of said upper lock housing, and that is formed with a second ring hole, and an operating rod that extends from said ring portion and through said rod hole in said upper lock housing, and an urging member for urging said jaw actuator to the locking position; and a jaw unit including an overlapping pair of locking jaws received in said lower lock housing, said locking jaws being pivoted to each other and to said lower lock housing, each of said locking jaws having a hooking section that extends out of said jaw hole in said lower lock housing and that is extendible into the lock hole in one of the objects to engage a periphery of the lock hole, and a force bearing section opposite to said hooking section, and a pair of biasing members for biasing said force bearing sections of said locking jaws toward each other; wherein said ring portion is aligned with said positioning rings and said operating rod extends between and forces apart said force bearing sections of said locking jaws when said jaw actuator is at the locking position, thereby forcing said hooking sections of said locking jaws apart from each other such that said hooking sections of said locking jaws are capable of engaging the periphery of the lock hole when extended into the lock hole; and wherein said positioning rings and said ring portion are misaligned, and said operating rod permits movement of said force bearing sections of said locking jaws toward each other by virtue of biasing action of said biasing members when said jaw actuator is at the unlocking position, thereby forcing said hooking sections of said locking jaws toward each other such that said hooking sections of said locking jaws can be extended into and removed from the lock hole and are unable to engage the periphery of the lock hole; and a locking chain having a cross-section slightly smaller than said first and second ring holes, and extended removably through said first ring holes and said second ring hole of each of said lock devices, thereby arresting movement of said jaw actuators of said lock devices from the locking position to the unlocking position and thereby stringing together said lock devices.