Patent ID: 6874340

Claim:
A parking meter, comprising: a vault housing having a wall defining a main opening providing access to an interior of said housing from an exterior of said housing; a vault door removably covering said main opening and having a back facing said interior of said housing; and a lock assembly including: a lock cylinder disposed on said door and having a usually stationary body and a usually movable portion designed to move relative to said body, a bolting mechanism operatively connected to said movable portion of said lock cylinder for selectively providing a locked position, a support structure disposed on said back of said door and holding said bolting mechanism on said back of said door; and a removable retainer engaging said body of said lock cylinder for preventing motion of said body that interferes with operation of said movable portion, said retainer thereby preventing sufficient motion of said body to operate said bolting mechanism when said movable portion is not moving relative to said body, said support structure configured for releasably maintaining said retainer on said body and preventing motion of said retainer in a direction other than a direction defined by release of said retainer, said vault housing defining a tool hole providing access to said interior of said housing for insertion of a disengagement tool through said tool hole, said retainer having a portion configured for connecting to said disengagement tool, said retainer being configured so that retracting said disengagement tool as connected to said retainer, when said movable portion will not move relative to said body, provides enough disengagement from said body to permit motion of said body to operate said bolting mechanism.