Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6467316
-
Patent Number
6,467,316
-
Date Filed
Thursday, August 24, 200023 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, October 22, 200221 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
Agents
- Webb Ziesenheim Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 070 416
- 070 417
- 070 423
- 070 424
- 070 427
- 070 455
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A protective sleeve for a padlock includes a sleeve body having an open inserting end adapted for insertion of a lock body of the padlock into the sleeve body, a restricting end opposite to the inserting end and adapted for abutting against the lock body, and a surrounding wall extending between the inserting end and the restricting end and adapted to wrap fittingly around the lock body. The sleeve body is formed with a key opening adapted to be aligned with a keyhole of the lock body. A cover flap is hinged to the sleeve body at the key opening, and is movable pivotally between an open position adapted for permitting access to the keyhole, and a closed position adapted for closing the keyhole. The cover flap is formed with a plug adapted to be inserted into the keyhole when the cover flap is moved to the closed position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective sleeve for a padlock, more particularly to a protective sleeve for protecting a lock body of a padlock from both impact and dust.
2. Description of the Related Art
A padlock generally includes a lock body and a shackle mounted on the lock body. The lock body is formed with a keyhole to permit insertion of a corresponding key thereinto for operating the shackle. However, as the keyhole is typically exposed from the lock body, dust, moisture and dirty water can enter into the lock body to adversely affect operation of the lock body, especially when the padlock has been in use for a long period of time. In addition, the lock body is typically installed with small components, such as springs and steel balls, therein. When the padlock is accidentally dropped on the ground, it is likely that the resulting impact can damage the components within the lock body and thus disable the padlock.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a protective sleeve for protecting a lock body of a padlock from both impact and dust.
Accordingly, the protective sleeve of the present invention includes a sleeve body and a cover flap. The sleeve body has an open inserting end adapted to permit insertion of the lock body thereinto, a restricting end opposite to the inserting end and adapted for abutting against the lock body when the lock body is inserted into the sleeve body, and a surrounding wall extending between the inserting end and the restricting end and adapted to wrap fittingly around the lock body. The sleeve body is formed with a key opening adapted to be aligned with the keyhole of the lock body. The cover flap is hinged to the sleeve body at the key opening. The cover flap is movable pivotally between an open position adapted for permitting access to the keyhole of the lock body, and a closed position adapted for closing the keyhole of the lock body. The cover flap is formed with a plug which is adapted to be inserted into the keyhole when the cover flap is moved to the closed position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1
is an exploded perspective view illustrating a first preferred embodiment of a protective sleeve of the present invention when applied to a first type of padlock with a U-shaped shackle;
FIG. 2
is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment when applied to the first type of padlock;
FIG. 3
is a cross-sectional view of the first preferred embodiment with a cover flap thereof disposed in a closed position;
FIG. 4
is another cross-sectional view of the first preferred embodiment with the cover flap disposed in an open position;
FIG. 5
is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment when applied to a second type of padlock having a pair of shackle guards;
FIG. 6
is a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve of the present invention when applied to the first type of padlock;
FIG. 7
is a perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve of the present invention when applied to a third type of padlock having an L-shaped shackle;
FIG. 8
is an exploded perspective view illustrating a fourth preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve of the present invention when applied to a fourth type of padlock having a U-shaped lock body;
FIG. 9
is a perspective view of the fourth preferred embodiment when applied to the fourth type of padlock;
FIG. 10
is a perspective view of a fifth preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve of the present invention when applied to a fifth type of padlock having a cylindrical lock body; and
FIG. 11
is a perspective view of a sixth preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the first preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve
10
of the present invention is adapted to be applied to a padlock
20
of a first type having a lock body
22
which is formed with a keyhole
231
at a bottom end and which is mounted with a U-shaped shackle
21
at a top end. The protective sleeve
10
is shown to include a sleeve body
100
, and a cover flap
16
formed integrally with the sleeve body
100
from a stretchable material, such as plastic.
The sleeve body
100
is formed as a hollow rectangular body, and confines a receiving space
11
adapted for receiving the lock body
22
of the padlock
20
therein. The sleeve body
100
has an open inserting end
101
adapted for insertion of the padlock
20
into the sleeve body
100
such that the keyhole
231
of the lock body
22
is disposed adjacent to the inserting end
101
, a restricting end
102
opposite to the inserting end
101
, and a surrounding wall
105
extending between the inserting end
101
and the restricting end
102
. The inserting end
101
is formed with a key opening
12
(see
FIG. 3
) adapted to be disposed adjacent to and adapted to be aligned with the keyhole
231
of the lock body
22
. In this embodiment, the restricting end
102
is an open end, and is formed with an abutment wall
13
adapted for abutting against the lock body
22
when the padlock
20
is inserted into the sleeve body
100
. The abutment wall
13
also serves as a partition to define a pair of rectangular shackle holes
14
at the restricting end
102
and on opposite sides of the abutment wall
13
so as to permit extension of the U-shaped shackle
21
out of the sleeve body
100
and to permit engagement of the shackle
21
with the lock body
22
. The surrounding wall
105
has an outer surface formed with a bumper strip
15
around the sleeve body
100
and proximate to the inserting end
101
.
Referring to
FIGS. 3 and 4
, the cover flap
16
is connected integrally and is hinged to the sleeve body
100
at the key opening
12
. The cover flap
16
is movable pivotally between an open position adapted for permitting access to the keyhole
231
, as shown in
FIG. 4
, and a closed position adapted for covering the keyhole
231
, as shown in FIG.
3
. The cover flap
16
is formed integrally with a plug
18
which has a cylindrical base portion connected to the flap
16
and a restricted distal end portion
181
having a cross-section formed as three quarters of a circle. The plug
18
is adapted to be inserted into the keyhole
231
in the lock body
22
when the cover flap
16
is moved to the closed position. The key opening
12
has a size larger than that of the cover flap
16
such that a finger hole portion
17
is formed adjacent to the cover flap
16
when the cover flap
16
is disposed at the closed position. The finger hole portion
17
permits extension of a finger of a person thereinto for moving the cover flap
16
to the open position.
Referring back to
FIG. 1
, when the protective sleeve
10
of the present embodiment is to be assembled to the padlock
20
, the shackle
21
is disposed in an unlocking state, and is extended into the sleeve body
100
via the inserting end
101
and out of the sleeve body
100
via one of the shackle holes
14
. The protective sleeve
10
is stretched during insertion of the padlock
20
thereinto.
Since the cover flap
16
is adapted for covering the keyhole
231
, and since the plug
18
on the cover flap
16
is adapted to be inserted into the keyhole
231
when the cover flap
16
is moved to the closed position, dust, moisture, and dirty water can be prevented from entering into the lock body
22
to protect the same from damage. The bumper strip
15
further protects the lock body
22
from external impact when the padlock
20
is accidentally dropped on the ground.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, the protective sleeve
10
of the present embodiment is adapted to be applied to a second type of padlock
20
′ which includes a pair of shackle guards
25
for enclosing the U-shaped shackle
21
when the shackle
21
is disposed in a locking state. The shackle guards
25
can extend out of the sleeve body
100
via the shackle holes
14
.
FIG. 6
illustrates the second preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve
80
of the present invention when applied to the first type of padlock
20
. The protective sleeve
80
is generally similar to the protective sleeve
10
in the previous embodiment, except that the restricting end
83
of the sleeve body
85
is covered by an end wall
84
which is formed with a pair of circular shackle holes
81
to permit extension of the U-shaped shackle
21
out of the sleeve body
85
. Each of the shackle holes
81
has a size slightly larger than the cross-section of the U-shaped shackle
21
. The shackle holes
81
shrink in cold weather for receiving more fittingly the shackle
21
therein so as to prevent entry of snow into the lock body.
FIG. 7
illustrates a third preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve
30
of the present invention when applied to a third type of padlock
2
which has a generally L-shaped shackle
201
with a bent end
202
. The protective sleeve
30
is generally similar to the protective sleeve
80
of
FIG. 6
, except that the end wall
34
on the restricting end
33
of the sleeve body
35
is formed with only one circular shackle hole
31
to permit extension of the L-shaped shackle
201
out of the sleeve body
35
.
FIGS. 8 and 9
illustrate a fourth preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve
40
of the present invention when applied to a fourth type of padlock
4
. The padlock
4
has a U-shaped lock body
400
formed with a keyhole
403
at a lateral end face, and a shackle
402
mounted on an upper end portion between a pair of upper body parts
401
of the U-shaped lock body
400
. The protective sleeve
40
also includes a sleeve body
45
and a cover flap
42
formed integrally with the sleeve body
45
from a stretchable material, such as plastic.
The sleeve body
45
is formed as a hollow rectangular body adapted for receiving a lower body part of the U-shaped lock body
400
therein. The sleeve body
45
has an open inserting end
46
adapted to permit insertion of the padlock
4
into the sleeve body
45
, a restricting end
47
opposite to the inserting end
46
, and a surrounding wall
49
extending between the inserting end
46
and the restricting end
47
and adapted for wrapping fittingly around the lower body part of the lock body
400
. In this embodiment, the restricting end
47
is an open end, and is formed with an abutment wall
48
which bridges the opening formed in the restricting end
47
and which is adapted for abutting against the lower body part of the lock body
400
when the padlock
4
is inserted into the sleeve body
45
. The abutment wall
48
also serves as a partition to define a pair of rectangular top openings
41
at the restricting end
47
and on opposite sides of the abutment wall
48
so as to permit extension of the upper body parts
401
out of the sleeve body
45
. The surrounding wall
49
is formed with a key opening
421
adapted to be disposed adjacent to and adapted to be aligned with the keyhole
403
of the lock body
400
. The surrounding wall
49
has an outer surface formed with a bumper strip
44
which is proximate to the inserting end
46
. The cover flap
42
is connected integrally and is hinged to the surrounding wall
49
at the key opening
421
. The cover flap
42
is movable pivotally between an open position adapted for permitting access to the keyhole
403
, and a closed position adapted for covering the keyhole
403
. As with the foregoing embodiments, the cover flap
42
is formed integrally with a plug
43
that is adapted to be inserted into the keyhole
403
in the lock body
300
when the cover flap
42
is moved to the closed position.
When assembling the protective sleeve
40
of the present embodiment to the padlock
4
, the shackle
402
is disposed in an unlocking state. The lock body
400
is then inserted into the sleeve body
45
via the inserting end
46
such that the keyhole
403
is aligned with the key opening
421
and such that the lower body part of the lock body
400
abuts against the abutment wall
48
, thereby enabling the upper body parts
401
to extend out of the sleeve body
45
via the top openings
41
, respectively.
FIG. 10
illustrates a fifth preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve
60
of the present invention when applied to a fifth type of padlock
5
which includes a cylindrical lock body
501
and an elongated shackle
502
mounted on the lock body
501
. The lock body
501
has a first end formed with a keyhole
503
, and an opposite second end mounted with the shackle
502
. The protective sleeve
60
includes a sleeve body
65
and a cover flap
61
formed integrally with the sleeve body
65
from a stretchable material, such as plastic. The sleeve body
65
is formed as a hollow cylindrical body with an open inserting end
651
adapted to permit insertion of the lock body
501
of the padlock
5
into the sleeve body
65
, a restricting end
652
opposite to the inserting end
651
, and an annular surrounding wall
653
extending between the inserting end
651
and the restricting end
652
and adapted to wrap fittingly around the lock body
501
. The restricting end
652
has an end wall which is adapted to abut against the lock body
501
and which is formed with a key opening
654
adapted to be aligned with the keyhole
503
in the lock body
501
. The surrounding wall
653
has an outer surface formed with an annular bumper strip
62
around the sleeve body
65
. The cover flap
61
is connected integrally and is hinged to the end wall of the restricting end
652
at the key opening
654
. As with the previous embodiments, the cover flap
61
is formed integrally with a plug
63
which is adapted to be inserted into the keyhole
503
in the lock body
501
when the cover flap
61
is moved to its closed position for closing the key opening
654
.
Referring to
FIG. 11
, a sixth preferred embodiment of the protective sleeve
70
of the present invention is shown to include a sleeve body
75
formed as a hollow rectangular body with an open inserting end
751
, a restricting end
752
opposite to the inserting end
751
, and a surrounding wall
753
extending between the inserting end
751
and the restricting end
752
. The restricting end
752
has an end wall formed with a circular shackle hole
71
. The surrounding wall
753
includes a lateral wall portion formed with a rectangular window opening
72
, and a front wall portion formed with a pair of first bumper strips
73
on an outer surface thereof. The surrounding wall
753
is further formed with four second bumper strips
74
at its four corner edges, respectively. The second bumper strips
74
are transverse to the first bumper strips
73
, and extend between the inserting end
751
and the restricting end
752
. A cover flap
76
is hinged to the sleeve body
75
at the open inserting end
751
, and is formed integrally with a plug
761
.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Claims
- 1. A protective sleeve for a lock body of a padlock, the lock body having a first end formed with a keyhole and a second end with a shackle mounted thereon, said protective sleeve comprising:a sleeve body having an open inserting end adapted to permit insertion of the lock body thereinto, a restricting end opposite to said inserting end and adapted for abutting against the lock body when the padlock is inserted into the sleeve body, and a surrounding wall extending between the inserting end and the restricting end and adapted to wrap fittingly around the lock body, said sleeve body being formed with a key opening adapted to be aligned with the keyhole of the lock body; and a cover flap hinged to said sleeve body at said key opening, said cover flap being movable pivotally between an open position adapted for permitting access to the keyhole of the lock body, and a closed position adapted for closing the keyhole of the lock body, said cover flap being formed with a plug which is adapted to be inserted into the keyhole when said cover flap is moved to the closed position.
- 2. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sleeve body and said cover flap are formed integrally from a stretchable material.
- 3. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the stretchable material is plastic.
- 4. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein said key opening is disposed at said open inserting end, said restricting end being formed with an abutment wall adapted to abut against the lock body and a pair of shackle holes on opposite sides of said abutment wall and adapted to permit the shackle of the padlock to extend out of said sleeve body.
- 5. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 4, wherein said key opening has a size larger than that of said cover flap such that said key opening has a finger hole portion formed adjacent to said cover flap when said cover flap is disposed at the closed position, said finger hole portion being adapted to permit extension of a finger thereinto for moving said cover flap to the open position.
- 6. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 4, wherein said sleeve body is formed as a hollow rectangular body.
- 7. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein said key opening is disposed at said open inserting end, said restricting end having an end wall adapted to abut against the lock body, said end wall being formed with a shackle hole adapted to permit the shackle of the padlock to extend out of said sleeve body.
- 8. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 7, wherein said sleeve body is formed as a hollow rectangular body.
- 9. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein said key opening is formed in said surrounding wall, said restricting end of said sleeve body being formed with an abutment wall adapted to abut against the lock body, and a pair of openings on opposite sides of said abutment wall and adapted to permit parts of the lock body to extend out of said sleeve body.
- 10. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 9, wherein said sleeve body is formed as a hollow rectangular body.
- 11. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein said key opening is disposed at said restricting end.
- 12. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sleeve body is formed as a hollow cylindrical body.
- 13. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surrounding wall has an outer surface formed with at least one bumper strip.
- 14. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 13, wherein said bumper strip extends around said surrounding wall.
- 15. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 13, wherein said bumper strip extends between said inserting end and said restricting end.
- 16. The protective sleeve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said plug of said cover flap has a cross-section formed as three-quarters of a circle.
- 17. A padlock and protective sleeve assembly, comprising:a padlock having a lock body, the lock body having a first end formed with a keyhole and a second end with a shackle mounted thereon; a protective sleeve, comprising: a sleeve body having an open inserting end adapted to permit insertion of the lock body thereinto, a restricting end opposite to said inserting end and adapted for abutting against the lock body when the padlock is inserted into the sleeve body, and a surrounding wall extending between the inserting end and the restricting end and adapted to wrap fittingly around the lock body, said sleeve body being formed with a key opening adapted to be aligned with the keyhole of the lock body; and a cover flap hinged to said sleeve body at said key opening, said cover flap being movable pivotally between an open position adapted for permitting access to the keyhole of the lock body, and a closed position adapted for closing the keyhole of the lock body, said cover flap being formed with a plug which is adapted to be inserted into the keyhole when said cover flap is moved to the closed position.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1365684 |
Sep 1974 |
GB |