The present disclosure relates to a security container device, and more particularly, to a security container device for use in protecting a lock box.
Lock boxes are known. One common type of lock box includes an arm for securing the lock box to a handle of a door and a tray for housing a key with the tray being removable upon entry of a code. These types of lock boxes are commonly used in the real estate and property management industries, among others. However, known lock boxes have security deficiencies. For example, the arm can be cut by bolt cutters to remove the lock box from the door handle. In addition, a sharp blow to the side of the lock box can dislodge the tray from the lock box and provide access to the key to a potential intruder. Other types of known lock boxes may be installed in an inconspicuous location on a property, thereby making them difficult to locate for third party use.
As a result, it would be advantageous to have a lock box that overcomes the deficiencies of known lock boxes.
Embodiments of the present disclosure broadly include a security container structured to receive and protect a lock box. The security container is made of a durable material, such as metal, that is designed to mitigate or eliminate the security deficiencies of known lock boxes. For example, the security container may have a body that substantially surrounds the lock box and restricts access to the shackle of the lock box. Further, the security container may be painted in a bright color to assist with locating the security container and thus the lock box regardless of placement on a property.
One or more embodiments of a security container according to the present disclosure may be summarized as including: a body having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a cavity extending through the body from the first end to the second end; a first opening at the first end of the body that is connected with the cavity; a second opening at the second end of the body that is connected with the cavity; a plate coupled to the body at the first end, the plate extending across at least a portion of the first opening; and a rod coupled to the body and positioned inside the cavity, wherein the cavity and rod are structured to receive a lock box with the body extending around a majority of the lock box.
The security container may further include the body, the plate, and the rod being formed of metal; the plate extending across at least half of the first opening to restrict access to a shackle of the lock box; the body further including a front surface and at least one hole in the front surface of the body; the at least one hole including at least a first hole with a first diameter and a second hole with a second diameter; the first hole and the second hole being spaced from, and on opposite sides of, a vertical axis through a center of the front surface of the body; the first diameter being greater than, or equal to, the second diameter; the at least one hole being aligned with a vertical axis through a center of the front surface of the body; and the body further including a first portion and a second portion, the second portion recessed relative to the first portion.
The security container may further include: the body having a front surface and a rear surface, the first portion having a first width from the front surface to the rear surface and the second portion having a second width from the front surface to the rear surface that is less than the first width; the first width being one inch greater than the second width; and the body having a first height and the first portion being an upper portion having a second height that is equal to approximately half of the first height.
One or more embodiments of a security container according to the present disclosure may be summarized as including: a hollow body having an open first end and an open second end; a plate coupled to the hollow body at the open first end, the plate extending across at least a portion of the open first end; and a rod coupled to the hollow body and positioned inside the hollow body, the hollow body structured to receive a lock box with the hollow body extending around a majority of the lock box, and a shackle of the lock box being securable to the rod with the plate structured to restrict access to the shackle through the open first end.
The security container may further include: the shackle of the lock box covered by the hollow body when the shackle is secured to the rod in the hollow body; the plate extending across less than an entirety of the open first end; the body, the plate, and the rod being metal; the hollow body including a front surface with a plurality of holes including a first hole and a second hole with different diameters; and the first hole and the second hole are arranged on opposite sides of a vertical centerline through the front surface of the hollow body.
In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. In some drawings, the sizes and relative positions of elements are exactly to scale and convey information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements. In some drawings, the sizes and relative positions of elements are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, some of these elements may be arbitrarily enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, the particular shapes of the elements as drawn are not necessarily intended to convey any information regarding the actual shape of the particular elements and may have been selected solely for ease of recognition in some drawings.
Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art will understand that the present disclosure is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the presently disclosed technology readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the assistance of this disclosure.
Each of the features and teachings disclosed herein can be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide security container devices, systems, and methods. Representative examples utilizing many of these additional features and teachings, both separately and in combination, are described in further detail with reference to attached
Moreover, the various features of the representative examples and the dependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings. It is also expressly noted that all value ranges or indications of groups of entities disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter. It is also expressly noted that the dimensions and the shapes of the components shown in the figures are designed to help understand how the present teachings are practiced, but are not intended to limit the dimensions and the shapes shown in the examples in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the dimensions and the shapes of the components shown in the figures are exactly to scale and intended to limit the dimensions and the shapes of the components.
The present disclosure is generally directed to a security container for protecting a lock box. The security container extends around a majority of the lock box and protects a shackle of the lock box. The container is made from a durable material, such as metal, to prevent lock box theft and unauthorized access, among other benefits. The concepts of the disclosure can be utilized with a number of different types and form factors of lock boxes, including lock boxes with bottom or front mounted access points, as described further below. As used herein, the term “lock box” should be construed broadly to refer to any device with an internal cavity for receiving and securing an item to prevent unauthorized access to the item and expressly includes, but is not limited to, devices with a shackle or arm whereby the item inside the device is accessible by a code or key, whether inputted manually or transmitted electronically.
Beginning with
As explained further below, the container 100 is structured to receive and protect a lock box 108. The body 102 may be metal, such as steel or aluminum, in some embodiments, and may have material properties that resist traditional techniques to damage or improperly access the lock box 108, such as cutting the lock box 108 or striking the lock box 108 with a sharp blow. As shown in
In particular, the lock box 108 of
Additionally or alternatively, the holes 112, 114, 115 are designed to align with features of the lock box 108 to facilitate operation of the lock box 108. For example, the holes 112, 114, 115 may align with sensors, keyholes, number pads, or switches of the lock box 108 to allow a user to manipulate the lock box 108. Thus, the size and position of the holes 112, 114, 115 in the front surface 110 can be selected according to design factors. In the illustrated embodiment, the holes 112, 114, 115 are spaced from, and on opposite sides of, a vertical axis 116 through a center of the front surface 110 of the body 102. The vertical axis 116 may therefore also be referred to as a vertical centerline through the front surface 110. In particular, each of the holes 112, 114, 115 may have a different horizontal (i.e., left to right in the orientation of
Otherwise stated, the body 302 has a front surface 308 and a rear surface 310 opposite the front surface 308 with the first portion 304 having a first width from the front surface 308 to the rear surface 310. The second portion 306 has a second width from the front surface 308 to the rear surface 310 that is less than the first width and in some embodiments, is one inch less than the first width. Further, the body 302 has a first height and the first portion 304 has a second height that is equal to approximately half of the first height, or more or less, as shown in
Turning to
In view of the above, the present disclosure provides embodiments of security containers that mitigate issues associated with lock box protection, visibility and ease of access. In sum, the security containers are a metal enclosure constructed from four inch by three inch steel tubing or plating with various configurations based on the make and model of various known lock boxes. The security containers prevent tampering or removal of the lock box and mitigate the costs associated with stolen or damaged lock boxes.
Lock boxes are commonly mounted to a doorknob or to a utility (water/gas) bib on the property. As the hasp is exposed in any of these scenarios a person wishing to gain access to property can simply utilize bolt cutters or a grind off wheel to cut through the hasp, remove the lock box and then gain access to keys. That would of course allow them to access property and cause damage to the unit, remove or damage staging furniture, appliances, etc. In the case of a contractor using a lock box, this may also mean a person entering the job site and removing copper wiring, tools or other items within the unit. With the security containers of the present disclosure, it is extremely difficult to reach the hasp as it is secured within the housing unit. Bolt cutters or a cut off wheel simply will not fit inside where the hasp is secured to the 1″ rod it is hanging from. Furthermore, as the security containers are mounted to a solid flat surface (fence post, doorframe, etc.) they are unable to remove the lock box or the security container unit from the property. The only way to remove the lock box and the security container is for an authorized representative to unshackle the hasp using their credentials and remove the two mounting screws securing the security container to the mounting structure.
The security containers of the present disclosure also make finding the lock box to a listed home or construction site easy, convenient and safe. As the security container can be mounted to an obvious location at or near the front entrance realtors, or vendors working on a new construction project, no longer need to “hunt” down the location of the lock box for access to the property. A common practice today is to shackle the lock box to a utility, either the hose bib or gas meter. These are quickly compromised by breaking off the knob or hose bib and removing the lock box. This situation forces homeowners or contractors to repair or replace a hose bib. In the event of the lock box being mounted to the gas meter this can be expensive, and dangerous, as the perpetrators would be interfering with the gas meter in their attempt to remove the lock box. Many utilities across the country have rules or even ordinances around mounting of lock boxes to utilities and will remove them if they come across these placements. Furthermore, when a realtor or construction vendor visits a new property they need to scour the property looking for the lock box. Especially in a high end real estate sale it is unprofessional for a real estate agent to be searching for a lock box that is mounted somewhere on the property. The security containers of the present disclosure provide a secure, professional and attractive alternative to lock box practices today.
In the case of the lock box being mounted to the doorknob this also comes with several concerns. The first being ease of removal from door knob either by using bolt cutters, a cut off grinder or just breaking off the door knob itself to remove. Additionally a lock box cannot be mounted on a lever style door handle forcing a realtor or builder to find an alternative location. Other issues that come with mounting to the door is the scratching of the door finish as the lock box swings back and forth, often times being caught in the door jamb as someone attempts to close the door and damaging the door frame. The security containers of the present disclosure solve or mitigate these issues and reduce the costs associated with replacing stolen lock boxes or damage to a property from unauthorized access.
In the foregoing description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with the technology have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.
Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims that follow, the word “comprising” is synonymous with “including,” and is inclusive or open-ended (i.e., does not exclude additional, un-recited elements or method acts).
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or” is generally employed in its broadest sense, that is, as meaning “and/or” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The headings and Abstract of the Disclosure provided herein are for convenience only and do not limit the scope or meaning of the embodiments.
The use of ordinals such as first, second, third, etc., does not necessarily imply a ranked sense of order, but rather may only distinguish between multiple instances of an act or a similar structure or material. The terms “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” and other like derivatives are used only for discussion purposes based on the orientation of the components in the drawings, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. These terms are not limiting with respect to the possible orientations explicitly disclosed, implicitly disclosed, or inherently disclosed in the present disclosure and unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, any of the aspects of the embodiments of the disclosure can be arranged in any orientation.
As used herein, the term “substantially” is construed to include an ordinary error range or manufacturing tolerance due to slight differences and variations in manufacturing. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, relative terms such as “approximately,” “substantially,” “generally,” and other derivatives, when used to describe a value, amount, quantity, or dimension, generally refer to a value, amount, quantity, or dimension that is within plus or minus 5% of the stated value, amount, quantity, or dimension. It is to be further understood that any specific dimensions of components or features provided herein are for illustrative purposes only with reference to the various embodiments described herein, and as such, it is expressly contemplated in the present disclosure to include dimensions that are more or less than the dimensions stated, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5280518 | Danler | Jan 1994 | A |
5284036 | Rosenbaum | Feb 1994 | A |
6578393 | Yarborought | Jun 2003 | B2 |
20020124603 | Yarborough | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20050199020 | James | Sep 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220396975 A1 | Dec 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63209894 | Jun 2021 | US |