Not applicable.
The present disclosure relates generally to an enclosure lock. More particularly, the disclosure describes an enclosure lock including a bracket that interlocks with a mount, which may be coupled to an enclosure, such that the bracket may be selectively positioned along the mount and adjacent to the enclosure.
Many types of enclosures benefit from restricted access to that which is housed within the enclosure. Access into the enclosure is often restricted to inhibit environmental debris (e.g., dust, water, and other contaminants) from fouling the components housed within the enclosure and/or to prohibit nefarious characters from tampering with the contents of the enclosure. For example, utilities, such as gas, electric, cable, and telecommunications, are often housed in an enclosure to hinder and deter tampering with and/or theft of the provided utility.
The form factor of the enclosure may vary depending upon the requirements of the particular application. In the utility context, for instance, the enclosure may be of any size and may be configured to accommodate a variety of components that extend through portions of the enclosure. For example, modular gang meter enclosures, which are commonly installed at apartment complexes, include multiple positions that may receive either a meter and cover plate or a blank plate where no meter is seated. The cover plate(s) and/or blank plate(s) are typically coupled to the balance of the enclosure by fasteners. However, fasteners (even tamper-resistant fasteners) provide limited impediment to undesired removal of the plates and thus access to the interior of the enclosure.
Several attempts have been made to enhance the security of these modular gang meter enclosures and other types/styles of enclosures. One approach involves securing each enclosure opening individually, such as by providing individual locks (e.g., a barrel lock assembly or padlock) to inhibit removal of each respective access panel (e.g., cover plate, blank plate, hinged door, etc.). This approach, however, is costly to implement and tedious to operate. Another approach involves use of a bar extending across the access panel(s) and secured to the enclosure at ends of the bar. However, the placement of the bar across the enclosure is restricted by the positioning of meters and other contours of the enclosure, potentially preventing this configuration from being installed in the most effective deterrent location.
In light of at least the above considerations, a need exists for an enclosure lock capable of engaging and locking enclosures of various application-specific form factors in an economical and efficient manner.
Aspects of an enclosure lock are disclosed, including a mount that is coupleable to an enclosure and a bracket that may be selectively interlocked with the mount. The bracket may be secured along the mount to provide adjustability given various application-specific considerations.
In one aspect, an enclosure lock comprises a mount coupleable to an enclosure, a first interlock fixed relative to the mount, a bracket coupleable to the mount, and a second interlock fixed relative to the bracket. The first interlock and the second interlock are selectively engageable such that the bracket may be secured to the mount adjacent to the enclosure.
In another aspect, an enclosure lock comprises a mount coupleable to an enclosure and defining a first interlock, and a bracket slideably captured to the mount and defining a second interlock. The first interlock and the second interlock are selectively engageable such that the bracket may be secured to the mount adjacent to the enclosure.
In a further aspect, a bracket configured to engage a mount coupleable to an enclosure includes a base defining a passage configured to slideably receive the mount, thereby capturing the bracket to the mount between ends of the mount. A cavity is formed in the base and extends into the passage. An interlock is within the cavity and is movable toward the passage. The interlock is configured to engage the mount to selectively couple the bracket to the mount.
The above and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from the description that follows. In the detailed description, preferred example embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention; rather, the invention may be employed in many other embodiments. Reference should therefore be made to the claims for determining the full breadth of the invention.
An example enclosure lock (10) (“lock (10)”) is illustrated in
As illustrated in
The lock (10) is shown mounted to the enclosure (12) in
Before the lock (10) is mounted to the enclosure (12) via the lock supports (38, 40), application-specific brackets are coupled to and positioned along a mount (52). With specific reference to
In the example lock (10), the blank bracket (48), the cover bracket (50), and the end bracket (70) are slideably captured to the mount (52) such that each can be positioned at various locations between the ends (34, 36) of the lock (10). The cover brackets (50) and the end bracket (70) are configured to interlock with the mount (52), thereby selectively fixing the position of each relative to the mount (52). The example blank bracket (48) is located between a fixed end (34) of the mount (52) and a secured cover bracket (50); however, the blank bracket (48) may also include an interlock in accordance with the interlock concept described herein.
The example mount (52) and first interlock are illustrated in more detail in
Returning to the mount (52), the bar (54) includes a first face (55) that is generally smooth and an opposite second face (57) that defines the first interlock. As shown, the example first interlock is illustrated in the form of a notch (59) defined in the second face (57). Several notches (59) extend along the bar (54) and, in the example embodiment, are placed in application-specific locations to accommodate the particular enclosure (12) configuration. The first interlock may have a variety of other forms, such as a series of equally spaced teeth having a squared-off profile (as viewed perpendicular to a side face (68) of the bar (54)) and defining a series of adjacent projections and recesses along substantially the entire length of the bar (54). Given the benefit of this disclosure, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the first interlock, may be regularly spaced or irregularly spaced, and may define a variety or combination of profiles (e.g., beveled, ramped, angled, saw tooth, sinusoidal, arcuate, etc.). A multi-tooth configuration will allow the brackets to be adjustable along a length of the mount (52), thus establishing a generally adjustable/universal interlock arrangement. Additionally, while the first interlock is shown as being integral with the mount (52), the interlock may be a separate component that is fixedly attached to the mount (52) such that the mount (52) and first interlock move substantially in unison. The bar (54) may also have other forms, such as defining a circular cross section, a half-circle cross section, a square cross section, a hexagonal cross section, a tubular cross section, and the like.
In the example embodiment, the cover brackets (50) and the end bracket (70) include a second interlock that engages with the first interlock (i.e., the notch (59)) to secure each bracket to the mount (52). Of course, as with the first interlock, while the second interlocks are described as being integral with the brackets, the second interlock may be a separate component that is fixed or secured to the respective bracket. Each bracket is generally described below; however, the structure and operation of the second interlock is described only in reference to the cover bracket (50), with the understanding that the end bracket (70) is substantially similar.
The example blank bracket (48) is illustrated in greater detail in
The form factor and contour of each projection (78, 80) may be configured to accommodate the application-specific environment. For instance, the example first projection (78) defines a first rectangular plate (82) that is generally smaller than a second rectangular plate (84) defined by the second projection (80) because the entire lock (10) is offset from a centerline of the enclosure (12) (see, e.g.,
A passage (90) extends through the base (72) between the sides (74, 76) of the blank bracket (48). The passage (90) allows the blank bracket (48) to be slideably captured to the bar (54), as shown in
The example end bracket (70) is illustrated in greater detail in
A passage (110) extends through the base (98) between the sides (100, 102) of the end bracket (70). The passage (110) allows the end bracket (70) to be slideably captured to the mount (52), such that the bracket may be positioned at various locations along the bar (54) during use and removed from the bar (54) by sliding the end bracket (70) over the end (36) of the mount (52). As will be described in more detail below, the end bracket (70) of the example embodiment is located near the end (36) of the bar (54) such that it may be coupled to the lock support (40).
The boss (92) extends from the base (98) and houses a second interlock, as will be described with reference to the cover bracket (50). A cavity (94) is formed in a surface (93) of the base (98) and includes a circular portion (97) adjacent a rectangular portion (99). The cavity (94) extends into the passage (110) such that the second interlock seated in the cavity (94) can engage the first interlock (i.e., the notch (59)) to engage and couple the end bracket (70) to the mount (52).
In an alternative configuration, an end bracket may only include the base (98) and an arm (104) extending from the base (98). The base (98) is interlockable with the mount (52) and the arm (104) is coupleable to the lock support (40). In this arrangement, a blank bracket (48) may be installed adjacent the alternative end bracket to inhibit removal of the blank plate (22). One skilled in the art will appreciate other alternative configurations in view of this disclosure.
The example cover bracket (50) is illustrated in greater detail in
A passage (132) extends through the base (116) between the sides (118, 120) of the cover bracket (50). The passage (132) allows the cover bracket (50) to be slideably captured to the bar (54), such that the cover brackets (50) may be positioned at various locations along the bar (54) during use and removed from the bar (54) by sliding the cover bracket (50) over the end (36) of the mount (52). As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the passage (132) is again configured to accept the form factor of the bar (54).
A boss (134) extends from the base (116) and houses a second interlock (described below). A cavity (136) is formed in an engagement surface (135) of the base (116) and includes a circular portion (138) adjacent a rectangular portion (140). The cavity (136) extends into the passage (132) such that the second interlock seated in the cavity (136) can engage the first interlock (i.e., the notch (59)) to engage and couple the cover bracket (50) to the mount (52). The engagement surface (135) also includes a pocket (142) that is configured to cover one or more fasteners (25) when the engagement surface (135) is adjacent the panel (17), thus allowing the cover bracket (50) to sit substantially flush against the panel (17) and the cover plate (26) during use.
The engagement between the example first interlock and the example second interlock of the cover bracket (50) is described below with additional reference to
Given that the cavity (136) extends into the passage (132), a portion (162) of the lever (144) is biased toward the passage (132) by the compression spring (152) (shown in
To move the second interlock into the disengaged position shown in
As one skilled in the art will appreciate, given the benefit of this disclosure, various aspects of the second interlock may be altered. For instance, the lever (144) may be flared at an end, irregular in cross section, and the like. Moreover, the biasing member may be a leaf spring or any other type of resilient member capable of providing a biasing force. Additionally, while the components may be made from any material appropriate for a given application, where durability and strength are beneficial, the components may be made of heat treatable low carbon steel, such as AISI 1010, AISI 1018, and the like. Furthermore, some form of corrosion resistance (e.g., plating) may be applied if desired for a particular application.
The final assembly and installation of the example lock (10) to an enclosure (12) is shown in
With the blank bracket (48) installed to the mount (52), each cover bracket (50) is slid along the bar (54) to a desired interlock location by first moving the example second interlock into the disengaged position by biasing the lever (144) against the compression spring (152), thereby moving the lever (144) out of the passage (132). Removing the force F from the lever (144) will allow the compression spring (152) to bias the lever (144) into engagement with the respective notch (59) in the mount (52), interlocking the first interlock (i.e., the notch (59)) of the mount (52) with the second interlock (i.e., the lever (144)) of the cover bracket (50). In other forms, the mount (52) may include ramped projections such that the force used to slide the cover bracket (50) along the mount (52) also biases the lever (144) toward and into the disengaged position, such that the lever (144) ratchets against the successive ramped projections.
With the cover brackets (50) interlocked with the mount (52), the second interlock of the end bracket (70) may similarly be disengaged such that the bar (54) is inserted into the passage (110). The end bracket (70) is positioned proximate the end (36) of the mount (52) to enable the lock support (40) to be secured thereto.
While the above “passages” are illustrated as fully surrounding the bar (54), alternative passages may be incorporated that do not fully surround the bar (54) in order to capture the bracket to the mount (52). For instance, a U-shaped passage in which a second interlock closes off at least a portion of the open end of the “U” is one alternative configuration. One skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate the variations available.
When the lock (10) is fully assembled, the block (62) near the end (34) and the arm (104) near the end (36) are coupled to the tabs (46) of respective lock supports (38, 40). A fastener (164) extends partially through an opening (166) in the tab (46) to threadably engage the threaded hole in the block (62), thereby capturing the tab (46) of the lock support (38) to the block (62) (shown in
Given the benefit of this disclosure, one skilled in the art will appreciate the various available modifications to the interlock concept. For example, another example bracket (200) is illustrated in
With reference to
While there has been shown and described what is at present considered the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various additional changes and modifications can be made, given the benefit of this disclosure, without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application 61/420,521 filed Dec. 7, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61420521 | Dec 2010 | US |