Patent Application
20240301723
The present invention relates generally to a locking device, and, more particularly, to a locking device and method for preventing the opening of a door, such as the rolling door of a box truck or cargo van.
Roll-up doors are commonly used on cargo carrying vehicles such as box trucks, vans, trailers, and the like, to provide access to the bodies of said vehicles. They can also be used on other structures, such as garages, containers or storage facilities.
These doors typically are carried on rollers and guided along a set of channeled roller tracks. To keep them from opening, some type of latching mechanism is generally used, often combined with a locking mechanism to prevent unauthorized access into the cargo area. One of the more common locking mechanisms used is a padlock, which releasably holds the latch in an engaged position.
Unfortunately, break-ins to cargo-carrying vehicles are a common occurrence and can be done by cutting the padlock, or other locking mechanism, to gain access to valuable cargo secured within the vehicle. Cargo thieves will often target vehicles that are parked in unsecured areas, such as rest areas or truck stops, as well as parked on streets, truck yards or distribution centers. They will typically cut the padlock that secures the roll-up door of the vehicle and quickly make off with the contents of the trailer.
Accordingly, there is a need for a secondary locking method which would hinder a thief's ability to gain access to the items stored within the body of the vehicle if the primary locking mechanism is compromised. It would also be beneficial if this locking method was not easily identified by a potential thief to increase the total time it would take to attempt to gain access to the cargo.
Systems and methods implementing a locking device are disclosed herein. According to one aspect of the invention, a locking device is provided. The locking device includes an anchor fitting, a locking bolt and key tool. The anchor fitting includes a head forming a flange and has an elongate body with a hollow portion throughout. An entrance opening and an exit opening at two ends of the hollow portion is provided. The hollow portion consists of a hexagonal section, a threaded section, and a cylindrical section. The hexagonal section is located at the entrance opening of the anchor fitting and is followed by the threaded section. The cylindrical section of the hollow portion is located on the exit opening of the anchor fitting. The outer surface of the anchor fitting includes outer threads running the full length of the anchor body from the flange to the exit opening. According to another aspect of the invention, the inner threads located in threaded second section of the hollow portion of the anchor fitting may consist of 16 threads per inch. According to another aspect of the invention, the outer threads located on the outer surface of the anchor may consist of twenty-four threads per inch.
A locking bolt, having a first end and second end, is adapted to be inserted and threaded into the hollow portion of the anchor fitting. The locking bolt consists of a bolt head at the first end with a key insert adapted to receive the key tool. In some embodiments, the key insert can be hexagonally shaped, but it is not limited to this. The key insert and key tool can be various tamper proof shapes meant to prevent the use of common tools to unthread locking bolt. The locking bolt is generally cylindrical, with the threaded portion near the first end. At least two pin slots are located towards the second end of the threaded locking bolt on opposites sides of each other. The pin slots are adapted to hold ball pins. Each of the ball pins can be slidably disposed and moved to an in position and an out position. As the threaded locking bolt is inserted into the anchor fitting, the ball pins are squeezed in and maintain tension within the anchor. One benefit of the ball pins is that the locking bolt can remain in the anchor without falling out of it if not fully tightened. This allows a user to unthread the locking bolt to open the door without having to completely remove the locking bolt as the ball pins create enough tension to keep the locking bolt in position within the anchor when loosened. Once the threaded locking bolt has been inserted and threaded into the anchor fitting and the second end of the threaded locking bolt has made its way passed the exit opening of the anchor fitting, the ball pins are released to the out position. The threaded locking bolt can move upwardly and downwardly into the anchor fitting as expected.
In some embodiments, the second end of the threaded locking bolt is tapered.
The key tool consists of a body with a first end and second end, and an arm protruding perpendicularly from the body. The end of the arm is formed as a socket which is adapted to act as the key to unlock the threaded locking bolt. In some embodiments, the end socket has a hexagonal shape with a cylindrical bore and is adapted to fit into the key insert of the locking bolt head. The first end of the key tool has an aperture cut through its surface which can act as a key ring attachment. The overall shape of the key tool as a âTâ or an âLâ allows for adequate leverage to tighten and loosen the threaded locking bolt.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method for securing a roll-up door is described. The method includes drilling a hole through the exterior of the cargo vehicle and into the roller track of the door at the desired position. Once the hole is drilled, the anchor fitting is inserted into the hole and secured by its threads. The threaded locking bolt is then placed into the anchor fitting and tightened using the key tool. When not fully tightened, the ball pins will hold the locking bolt in place within the anchor fitting. Once the locking bolt has been fully tightened and its second end has made it through the anchor fitting, the threaded locking bolt will be secured, preventing the door from being able to be opened. To remove the locking bolt the provided key tool must be used to unscrew the locking bolt from the anchor fitting. Multiple locking devices may be installed along the roller track on either side of the door.
The locking device may be constructed of stainless steel or other material of suitable strength and hardness, either metallic or non-metallic.
The foregoing and other objectives, features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Reference will be made in detail to exemplary embodiments and methods of invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative devices and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described in connection with the exemplary devices and methods. It is to be understood that the features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with another and such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
The locking bolt 104 includes a bolt body 104a with a first end 130 and a second end 132, and a bolt head 134. The bolt body 104a is formed with a threaded portion 138 on an external surface of the bolt body 104a at the first end 130 below the bolt head 134. The bottom of the bolt head 134 is formed with a flat face 134a to sit flush on the flange 110 of the anchor fitting 102 when secured. As depicted in
The key tool 106 includes a key tool body 142 with a key tool first end 144 and a key tool second end 146. An arm 148 protrudes perpendicularly off of the key tool body 142 and includes an arm end 148a and an anchor torquing section 148b. In this embodiment, the arm end 148a has a hexagonal shape with a cylindrical bore 152 through the tip of the arm to form an end socket 150. Preferably, the anchor torquing section 148b is the same size and shape as the entrance opening 116 of the anchor fitting 102 and is meant to be used to install and tighten the anchor fitting 102 into the cargo vehicle 158. In this embodiment, the end socket 150 functions as the key to be inserted into the key insert 136 of the locking bolt 104. The first end 144 of the key tool body 142 includes an aperture 154 cut through its surface, which can be used to attach to a key ring. In one embodiment, the aperture 154 is square shaped.
