Locks – Portable
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-25
2003-07-15
Gall, Lloyd A. (Department: 3676)
Locks
Portable
C070S019000, C070S212000, C070SDIG006, C292S205000, C292S258000, C292S25900A, C292S288000, C292SDIG003
Reexamination Certificate
active
06591641
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to locking devices for the closures of cargo containers, for instance such as may be towed by semi-trucks and like vehicles, and more particularly to an improved locking device for such lockrod-type cargo-container closures comprising a pair of interconnectable arms adapted to confront the lockrods in a closed condition of the closure and resist movement of the lockrods to thereby prevent significant opening of the cargo-container closure.
BACKGROUND
Each year in this country, vast quantities of goods of all descriptions are transported and stored in large cargo containers. Commonly, these containers comprise trailers such as may be towed by semi-trucks. Due to the great size of this country, it is frequently the case that the transportation of goods from one place to another cannot be completed in a single day, and it therefore becomes necessary for the vehicle driver to stop and rest. Indeed, federal regulations mandate certain maximum periods of uninterrupted travel for the drivers of commercial cargo-hauling vehicles.
It is likewise commonplace for goods of all descriptions to be stored for extended periods of time in cargo containers unattached to a semi-truck or other towing vehicle. For instance, one or more semi-trailers parked adjacent a business may be employed as convenient warehousing for component parts awaiting assembly, or for finished goods awaiting shipment.
Unfortunately, stationary cargo-containers, whether standing alone or attached to an unmoving conveyance, are attractive targets for thieves. Annually, the theft of goods from cargo-containers causes loss to the owner of the goods, loss to the vehicle entrepreneur and the vehicle insurance carrier in the case of goods stolen during transportation, and loss to the consuming public at large.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, which depicts the rear of a conventional cargo-container
5
, and more specifically a cargo-container of the type adapted for towing by a semi-truck, it will be seen that such containers typically include a closure comprising a pair of outwardly swinging cargo doors
6
hingedly mounted to the body
7
of the cargo-container. The cargo doors
6
have free edges that lie along a common, intermediate scam
8
in a closed condition of the doors. At least one upright lockrod
9
is associated with each door
6
, each such lockrod
9
held in place by a plurality of eyelets
10
securely positioned on the doors
6
at spaced locations along the length of the lockrods
9
, as shown. The eyelets
10
position the lockrods
9
in spaced-apart relation from the surface of the cargo doors
6
, typically a distance of about {fraction (5/16)}
th
's of an inch. Each lockrod
9
is capable of rotary movement about its longitudinal axis by means of laterally protruding handles
11
. The ends of the lockrods
9
are selectively cooperatively engageable with receiving means (not shown) provided on the body
7
of the cargo container. When the cargo doors
6
are in the closed condition thereof (such as illustrated), the lockrods
9
are rotatable to bring their ends into cooperative engagement with these receiving means, all in conventional fashion. By engaging the ends of the lockrods
9
with these receiving means, it will be appreciated that the cargo doors
6
, while not thereby securely locked in the closed condition, are prevented from swinging freely open on their hinges, particularly when the cargo doors
6
are acted upon by shifting cargo within the container
5
, such as may occur during transportation by semi-truck. By disengaging the ends of the lockrods
9
from the receiving means, the doors
6
may be swung open upon their respective hinges, which movement of the doors necessarily causes the associated lockrods
9
to move radially outwardly and away from each other. Exemplary cargo-container arrangements of the lockrod-type such as described above are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,222, issued to Meyer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,862, issued to Hastings, U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,036, issued to Rosenbaum, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,984, issued to Blehi, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Various means have been devised over the years to securely lock the closures of cargo-containers against unwanted opening, and particularly against unauthorized access by thieves. In their simplest form, these means comprise securing the lockrod handles in place, for instance by a padlock, etc., after the cargo doors are in the closed condition thereof and the ends of the lockrods are cooperatively engaged with the receiving means. Such means are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,984, referenced above. Especially for padlock-dependent security systems, however, it is all too easy for a determined thief to defeat such systems simply by cutting through the shackle of the padlock with bolt cutters or the like.
Still other proposed solutions to the problem of cargo theft have made use of the lockrods as described above. For instance, Mickelson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,136, describes a lock-protecting hasp comprising two slidingly mating J-shaped members and a shackle lock. The J-shaped members are each adapted to engage one of the lockrods, and to be thereafter securely mated together by means of the shackle lock. A similar device, taught in Meyer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,222, comprises a clamp formed of mating, telescoping tubular members each supporting L-shaped hooks. These hooks encircle the lockrods of the cargo doors, and the tubular members are telescopingly adjusted and locked in a desired, adjusted configuration by means of a key-operated, removable cylinder. Unfortunately, these and other prior art locking devices are characterized by complex construction, making their manufacture expensive and their operation unnecessarily difficult.
There consequently remains a need for a locking device for lockrod-type cargo-container closures that is at once economical to manufacture, simple to utilize, and which otherwise improves upon prior art devices.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
The specification describes a locking device for a cargo-container closure of the type comprising a pair of doors hingedly mounted to a body of the cargo-container, each door having associated therewith in spaced-apart relation at least one upright lockrod, the lockrods being adapted for securement to the body in a closed condition of the doors, and in which closed condition of the doors the lockrods are laterally spaced-apart a finite distance. The locking device of this disclosure generally comprises a pair of separate arms, each arm having a principal length extending between first and second ends, the first end of each arm defining a stop adapted to confront one of the lockrods, and the second ends of the arms being adapted for secure interconnection in end-to-end abutting relation. The second end and principal length of each arm are dimensioned to be receivable between a lockrod and its associated cargo door for interconnection of the second ends intermediate the lockrods. In an interconnected condition thereof the arms are characterized by a combined length exceeding the finite distance between the lockrods, the combined length being further characterized in that, when the second ends are securely interconnected intermediate the lockrods, the first end of each arm resists movement of one or the other of the lockrods to thereby prevent significant opening of the cargo doors.
The pair of arms are each substantially formed from a single piece of flat metal stock. Per one feature of this invention, the flat metal stock has a thickness of approximately ¼ inch.
According to another feature of this invention, the second end of each arm defines a terminal portion having a bore therethrough, each terminal portion being angled relative to the principal length such that, when the second ends are arranged in end-to-end abutting relation, the terminal portions abut along lapped surfaces oriented in generally parallel planes. Also per this inventive fea
Freight Securities, Inc.
Gall Lloyd A.
Young & Basile P.C.
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