Patent Application
20240263491
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The disclosure relates to latch guards and more particularly pertains to a new latch guard for guarding a latch from tampering when a padlock secures it in a closed position.
The prior art relates to latch guards which protect a latch from tampering. The devices disclosed by the prior art are meant to be attached to the latch or to a door, gate, or the like to which the latch is attached. These devices further have a shield component shaped to cover the latch, typically at least over a portion where a padlock attaches to the latch to secure the latch in a closed position. In some of these devices, the shield component is movable away from the latch when the padlock is removed by a pivotal coupling or the like.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a panel with a hole extending therethrough for receiving the padlock. The hole is shaped such that a perimeter edge of the hole engages a body of the padlock when a shackle of the padlock is received through the hole. The panel is positionable to cover the latch when the shackle is received through the hole and secured to the latch. The panel has a first edge and a second edge positioned opposite each other.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A first flange 38 and a second flange 40 are attached to and form a unitary structure 42 with the panel 12. The first flange 38 extends along and rearwardly from the first edge 30 of the panel 12, and the second flange 40 extends along and rearwardly from the second edge 32 of the panel 12. The first edge 30 is positioned opposite the second edge 32. Each of the first flange 38 and the second flange 40 is angled outwardly away from the panel 12. An angle between the panel 12 and the first flange 38 is between 40.0 degrees and 50.0 degrees, and an angle between the panel 12 and the second flange 40 is between 40.0 degrees and 50.0 degrees. The unitary structure 42 has a thickness between 0.100 inches and 0.150 inches and comprises steel. Various types of steel may be used including carbon steel and stainless steel. The unitary structure 42 may also comprise other metals, ceramics, composites, or the like at various thicknesses.
In a first embodiment 44 depicted in
In a second embodiment 48, depicted in
In a third embodiment 54, the panel 12 has the first and second holes 50, 52 described for the second embodiment 48. A first crossbar 60 is coupled to the panel 12 and extends across the first hole 50 such that the first crossbar 60 is positionable between the shackle 22 and the body 20 of the padlock 16 when the padlock 16 is received through the first hole 50. A second crossbar 62 is coupled to the panel 12 and extends across the second hole 52 such that the second crossbar 62 is positionable between the shackle 22 and the body 20 of the padlock 16 when the padlock 16 is received through the first hole 50.
In use, the shackle 22 of the padlock 16 is inserted through the hole 14, or through one of the first and second holes 50, 52 in the second or third embodiments 52, 54. The shackle 22 is positioned to engage the latch 24 to secure the latch 24 in a closed position 64, and a free end 66 of the shackle 22 is latched to the body 20 of the padlock 16 to secure the padlock 16 to the latch 24. The guard apparatus 10 is retained between the latch 24 and the body 20 of the padlock 16 and covers the latch 24 to prevent tampering of the latch 24.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
