Many safety lockout devices are provided for restricting access to equipment and control instruments, including, for example, electrical components, such as switches, dials and push buttons, and fluid system components, such as valves and pressure regulators. Industrial and commercial equipment are often provided with or assembled with a key-operated lockout mechanism (e.g., a locking bracket and padlock or similar structure) to facilitate the restriction of access to or operation of the equipment.
In some applications, the authorization of multiple technicians or other authorized personnel is required to allow access to, or operation of, a locked out system or piece of equipment, for example, to comply with established safety procedures. In such an application, the use of multiple keys controlled by multiple users may be required to unlock the one or more lockout mechanisms to place the equipment in an operable condition.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, a lockbox includes a body and a lid connected to body and pivotable between a closed position and an open position. The body includes a body aperture and the lid includes a first lid aperture positioned adjacent to the body aperture when the lid is in the closed position, such that insertion of a padlock shackle through the body aperture and the lid aperture prevents pivoting movement of the lid from the closed position to the open position. The lockbox includes a key slot intersecting one of the body aperture and the lid aperture for insertion of a key into an enclosure when the lid is in the closed position. A padlock shackle inserted through the body aperture and the lid aperture prevents passage of a key through the key slot.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present application, a method of securely storing a plurality of keys associated with a plurality of authorized users is described. In the exemplary method, a lockbox is provided having a body defining a storage enclosure and a lid connected to the body and pivotable between a closed position blocking access to the enclosure and an open position permitting access to the enclosure. With the lid in the closed position, a first key associated with a first authorized user is inserted through a first key slot into a first compartment disposed within the enclosure. A first padlock associated with the first authorized user is secured through a first body aperture disposed in the body and through a first lid aperture disposed in the lid to secure the lid in the closed position. A second key associated with a second authorized user is inserted through a second key slot into a second compartment disposed within the enclosure. A second padlock associated with the second authorized user is secured through a second body aperture disposed in the body and through a second lid aperture disposed in the lid to secure the lid in the closed position.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present application, a lockbox includes a body defining a storage enclosure and a lid connected to body and pivotable between a closed position blocking access to the enclosure and an open position permitting access to the enclosure. The lid includes first, second, third, and fourth perimeter edge portions that align with corresponding first, second, third and fourth perimeter walls of the body when the lid is in the closed position. A latch is assembled with the lid and is slideable between a latching position in interlocking engagement with a latch engaging portion of the body when the lid is in the closed position, and a releasing position disengaged from the latch engaging portion of the body. The first perimeter wall includes a first end flange positioned to abut the first perimeter edge portion of the lid when the lid is in the closed position, the first end flange including a first body aperture that aligns with a first lid aperture in the first perimeter edge portion of the lid, such that insertion of a lock member through the first body aperture and the first lid aperture prevents pivoting movement of the lid from the closed position to the open position. When the latch is in the latching position, a first cutout of the latch aligns with the first lid aperture, such that insertion of a lock member through the first body aperture and the first lid aperture further prevents sliding movement of the latch from the latching position to the releasing position.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The Detailed Description merely describes exemplary embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. Indeed, the invention as claimed is broader than and unlimited by the exemplary embodiments, and the terms used in the claims have their full ordinary meaning
Also, while specific exemplary embodiments in the present application describe padlock secured group lockboxes and lockout stations for storing multiple keys for unlocking locked out portions of a system or equipment, one or more of the features described herein may additionally or alternatively be applied to other types of locking enclosures (e.g., safes, mailboxes, drop boxes, etc.) and to other types of locking mechanisms (e.g., combination padlocks, electronic locks, RFID locks, built-in key operated locks, combination locks, remote controlled locks, biometric operated locks, etc.).
According to an aspect of the present application, a locking enclosure is provided with multiple locking points, such that the cooperation of multiple authorized users may be required to open the enclosure. When two or more locking points of the enclosure are secured in a locked condition, each of the two or more locking points must be unlocked or released to open the enclosure. In one such embodiment, a locking enclosure may be provided with multiple sets of lock apertures, with the locking enclosure being configured to be secured in a closed condition when a padlock shackle or other such locking member (e.g., a cable lock, pin lock, zip tie) is secured through at least one of the sets of lock apertures.
As one example, a lockbox may be provided with a body and a lid movable (e.g., pivoting hinged movement, sliding movement, or fully removable) between a closed position securing one or more items within the lockbox, and an open position permitting access to, or the depositing of, items in the lockbox. The lid may be secured in the closed position by corresponding lock apertures in the body and in the lid. When a shackle (or other such locking member) is inserted through the corresponding body and lid apertures, movement of the apertured lid portion with respect to the apertured body portion is restricted to secure the lid in the closed position.
In an exemplary use of a multiple user lockbox or lockout station, one or more users deposit a key, credential, or other such item into the lockbox and secures his or her assigned lock with the lockbox to prevent access to the deposited item. To allow a second or subsequent user to deposit his or her item without opening the lockbox (e.g., without requiring that the first or previous user remove or unlock the previous user's assigned lock), the lockbox may be provided with one or more slots or other such openings (e.g., in at least one of the lid and the body) sized for insertion of the item into the locked lockbox through the opening.
While one or more openings (e.g., slots) may be used to deposit multiple items from multiple users into the lockbox, in another embodiment, as shown in
To impede efforts to remove one or more of the deposited items 5a-b through the opening 19a-b, the opening may be sized to closely receive the inserted item. The minimally sized opening may impede extraction of an item through the slot using an inserted tool, or an item from being shaken or dropped out of the lockbox through the opening. Additionally or alternatively, according to an aspect of the present application, one or more lock apertures 25a-b of the lockbox may be positioned such that a locking member 50a-b secured through the lock apertures 25a-b, 35a-b obstructs at least a portion of the opening 19a-b, thereby preventing the item 5a-b from passing through the opening.
In another exemplary embodiment of a lockbox, one or more lock apertures in at least one of a body and a lid may be positioned such that a locking member inserted through the lock apertures blocks movement of a latch mechanism out of a lid latching position. The latch mechanism may be assembled with one of the body and lid and configured to interlock with the other of the body and lid in the latching position, and to disengage from the other of the body and lid in the latching position in a releasing position to permit movement of the lid to the open position. In an exemplary embodiment, aligned or adjacent lock apertures in the body and lid may be configured such that an inserted shackle both directly secures the lid with the body in a closed position and blocks movement of a latch mechanism to a lid releasing position. One such exemplary embodiment is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,360,380, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
To secure the lid 130 in the closed position, the exemplary lockbox 100 may be provided with lock apertures 125a-t (
In other embodiments, the slots and openings may have other dimensions. In some exemplary embodiments, the slot is slightly longer than the item to be stored, and the openings are suitably sized to accommodate locking devices.
The compartments 129a-t may be defined by partitions 127, 128 extending from a rear wall 124e of the lockbox body 120, and may be sized to retain larger items than those insertable through the openings 119a-t (e.g., padlocks corresponding to the insertable keys), requiring that the lid 130 be opened to deposit these larger items.
To provide for more secure retention of the lockbox lid 130 in the closed position when the lockbox 100 is locked out, the lid may be provided with a latch mechanism configured to be secured in interlocking engagement with the lockbox body 120 when one or more locking members are secured through corresponding adjacent lock apertures 125a-t, 135a-t in the lockbox 100. In the illustrated example, as shown in
As shown, the lockbox 100 may include additional or auxiliary lock apertures 126a-r (
Further, to prevent inadvertent or automatic (e.g., due to gravity) opening of the lid 130 when no locking members are assembled with the lockbox lock apertures, the lid 130 may be provided with a biased mechanism that holds the latch frame 160 in the latching position and requires user manipulation of some element to allow the latch frame 160 to move to the releasing position. In the illustrated example, a spring tab 162 (
In an exemplary method of using a lockbox, such as, for example, the lockbox 100 of
Still other features may be additionally or alternatively provided with a lockbox or lockout station in accordance with the present application. For example, as shown, the lockbox body 120 may further define one or more additional compartments 129u-z (
While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the inventions may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts and features of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, alternatives as to form, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present inventions even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present disclosure; however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of an invention, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific invention. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/724,338, entitled “MULTIPLE USER LOCKBOX” and filed Nov. 9, 2012, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
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