Antitheft apparatus for a conduit structure

Abstract

A pipe run is secured from theft by an antitheft apparatus providing a pair of straight tubes, coaxially engaged with an inner one of the tubes slidingly engaged within an outer one of the tubes. Each of the tubes provides a closure plate at one end with one or more apertues in it. A cover on an upper end of the inner tube is able to engage the pipe run to prevent it from being disassembled or pulled from its installation. To service the pipe run, the cover may be opened and the inner pipe lowered into the outer pipe. The tubes are secured to a mooring. Two of the aparatuses may be secured in spaced apart locations on the pipe run to secure components of the pipe run that are between the appartuses.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention In such drawing(s):

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the presently described apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof as installed; and

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view thereof as used in pairs with a water testing station.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above described drawing figures illustrate the described apparatus and its method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, it must be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as a limitation in the scope of the present apparatus and method of use.

Described now in detail is an antitheft apparatus 10 for a conduit structure such as conduits that carry water, oil, fuel, electrical wires, optical fibers and so forth. In this disclosure, such conduits shall be referred to as a “pipe run” and denoted on the attached drawings by numeral 20. In that the apparatus 10 and the pipe run 20 are bi-functional, i.e., each influences the physical state of the other, we shall consider apparatus 10 and pipe run 20 to be a combination article in one embodiment of this invention. The antitheft apparatus 20 may be used as a single unit, in pairs as shown in FIG. 3, or in numbers. The term “pipe run” as used herein is any single or plurality of conduits, pipes, guides, etc., generally, but not necessarily, set in a straight line. For instance, the set of horizontal water pipes shown in FIG. 3 is an example of the pipe run 20.

In a first preferred embodiment of the disclosed invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 10 includes a pair of straight tubes referred to by numerals 30 and 40, where an inner one of the tubes 30 is slidingly engaged within an outer one of the tubes 40. The tubes 30, 40 are made of a metal or other hard material that is not easily pierced, broken or deformed. Each of the tubes 30 and 40 provides, distally (in the direction toward the bottom of each of the figures), an end plate 32 and 42 (see FIG. 2), wherein these plates 32 and 42 each have bored in them at least one aperture, shown by numerals 34 and 44 respectively. The inner tube 30 provides, proximally, a clamp 50, which may be a hasp and staple or any similar structure, as shown in an open attitude in FIG. 1, and in a closed attitude in FIGS. 2 and 3.

A J-shaped steel lag bar 60 engages one of the apertures 34, of plate 32 and extends through and distally beyond plate 42, as shown in FIG. 2. Tube 30 therefore, is free to slide along lag bar 60 within tube 40 when clamp 50 is open.

Typically, when the apparatus is installed for use, the lag bar 60 is set into a mooring 70 such as a concrete block or footing as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Also, plate 42 of tube 40 is fastened to the up-facing surface 72 of mooring 70 by common fasteners, i.e., bolts. Therefore, tube 40 is rigidly secured in an upright attitude and tube 30 is placed within tube 40 and lowered until plates 32 and 34 are adjacent. With that completed, a nut 74 or other fastener is engaged with the proximal terminal end of lag bar 70 which is adapted for receiving nut 74 or other fastener such as by providing an external thread 76. This is clearly shown in FIG. 2. Now tube 30 is able to be raised or lowered within tube 40 at will, but since plate 32 cannot pass over nut 74, tube 30 cannot be removed or disengaged from tube 40 or lag bar 60 without disengaging nut 74 from lag bar 60. The terminal end of lag bar 60, and the nut 74 are positioned so that the tubes 30 and 40 cannot be disengaged.

Critically, clamp 50 is shaped, as for instance circularly for a round pipe, so as to tightly circumscribe a portion of the pipe run 20. It is considered critical that clamp 50 lie in an abutting relationship with the portion of the pipe run 20 so that a jimmy or crow-bar cannot be used to pry clamp 50 loose. To this point, should pipe run 20 take a cross-sectional shape other than round, clamp 50 will mimic the shape so as to assure a tight abutting fit.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus 10, described above and secured in mooring 70, and the pipe run 20, form an operant combination wherein the horizontal pipe run 20 is positioned at a vertical distance above the pier 70 such that the range of telescoping motion of tube 30 is able to position clamp 50 for coupling with pipe run 20, and, in fact, the two elements of this embodiment apparatus 10 and pipe run 20 are locked together by clamp 50 which includes lock 55.

In a still further embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of the apparatuses 10, secured in moorings 70, are assembled with pipe run 20 and form a combination. In this configuration, the apparatuses 10 are spaced apart such that valuable components of pipe run 20 are positioned between the apparatuses 10. In this manner, it becomes difficult to remove the components when clamps 50 are in place, and yet with clamps 50 are opened, pipes 30 may be moved downwardly to enable full access to the components and to the entire pipe run 20.

The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the apparatus and its method of use and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element.

The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim.

Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas.

The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that each named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.

Claims

1. An antitheft apparatus for a conduit structure comprising: a pair of straight tubes; one of the tubes slidingly engaged within the other of the tubes; each of the tubes providing, distally, a closure plate with at least one aperture therein; an inner one of the tubes providing, proximally, an integral clamp engagable with the conduit structure in an abutting relationship when the inner one of the tubes is extended from the outer one of the tubes; a lag bar engaged, proximally, within the at least one aperture of the inner one of the tubes, the lag bar extending through and distally beyond the at least one aperture of an outer one of the tubes, wherein, the inner one of the tubes is free to slide along the lag bar within the outer one of the tubes when the clamp is not engaged with the pipe run.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a mooring, the lag bar, distally, fixed therein, the outer one of the tubes, distally, fastened to the mooring.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the clamp is shaped so as to tightly circumscribe a portion of the pipe run.

4. A combination comprising: a pipe run and an antitheft apparatus; the antitheft apparatus having: a pair of straight tubes; one of the tubes slidingly engaged within the other of the tubes; each of the tubes providing, distally, a closure plate with at least one aperture therein; an inner one of the tubes providing, proximally, an integral clamp removably engaged with the conduit structure in an abutting relationship when the inner one of the tubes is extended from the outer one of the tubes; a lag bar engaged, proximally, within the at least one aperture of the inner one of the tubes, the lag bar extending through and distally beyond the at least one aperture of an outer one of the tubes, wherein, the inner one of the tubes is free to slide along the lag bar within the outer one of the tubes when the clamp is not engaged with the pipe run.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a mooring, the lag bar, distally, fixed therein, the outer one of the tubes, distally, fastened to the mooring.

6. A combination comprising: a pipe run and a pair of antitheft apparatuses; each one of the antitheft apparatuses having: a pair of straight tubes; one of the tubes slidingly engaged within the other of the tubes; each of the tubes providing, distally, a closure plate with at least one aperture therein; an inner one of the tubes providing, proximally, an integral clamp engagable with the conduit structure in an abutting relationship when the inner one of the tubes is extended from the outer one of the tubes; a lag bar engaged, proximally, within the at least one aperture of the inner one of the tubes, the lag bar extending through and distally beyond the at least one aperture of an outer one of the tubes, wherein, each of the inner ones of the tubes are free to slide along the respective lag bar within the respective outer one of the tubes when the respective clamp is not engaged with the pipe run; the pair of antitheft apparatuses placed in spaced apart positions on the pipe run with the respective lag bars engaged with moorings for securing the apparatus.