Patent Application
20170178546
This disclosure relates to a cable lock for a variety of uses. In particular, this disclosure relates to a cable lock with tamper resistant features.
Cable locks are used for a variety of purposes. One use is to lock a device such as a shipping container or a water meter. The cable is inserted through the hasp of the container or meter and then locked in place with a cable lock that cannot release the cable without breaking the lock or cable. The only way to release the cable lock once the cable is inserted into the channel of a gripping mechanism is to cut the cable. This arrangement prevents tampering, because tampering is easily detected by the presence of the broken or damaged cable or lock. A cable lock of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,969.
While the locking mechanism of the cable lock serves to lock cables in place, many of them can still be tampered with. If the cable is replaced in such a fashion that it no longer looks like the cable has been severed, tamper evidence is hidden. For example, if the cable end adjacent the device is severed and then glued back in place, or replaced with another cable, it is hard to recognize that the cable lock has been tampered with.
Disclosed is a cable lock and cable, the lock comprising a body adapted to secure at least one end of a cable therein, the body having a side, and a body opening in the body side and receiving another end of the cable. The lock also includes a boss on the body side, the boss being spaced apart from the body opening and having a cable passing there through.
This disclosure provides a cable lock that is more tamper resistant than conventional cable locks.
Before one embodiment of the disclosure is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways, Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Further, it is to be understood that such terms as “forward”, “rearward”, “left”, “right”, “upward”, “downward”, “side”, “top” and “bottom”, etc., are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
Referring now in detail to the drawings, shown in
As shown schematically in
More particularly, the body 18 includes a cable lock shell 46, as illustrated in
The boss 38 is generally cylindrical, but in other embodiments, such as shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in
The mechanism 50, shown schematically in
When an end of a cable is passed into the second passageway 66 from an opposite end of the mechanism, the cable 14 pushes the ball 78 aside, against the bias of the spring 82. This allows the cable 14 to be inserted into the second passageway 66, But when trying to remove the cable from the passageway 66, the spring 82 presses the ball 78 into the side of the cable 14, securing the cable 14 inside the mechanism 50. In other embodiments (not shown), other means of securing the cable inside the mechanism can be used.
In use, the mechanism 50 is placed inside the cable lock shell 46, and the end 22 of the cable 14 is passed through the boss 38 and into the body opening 30. The shell is then indented or swaged 90 as shown in
When the cable lock 10 is used, the other free end 20 of the cable 14 is then passed through the items intended to be secured by the cable, such as shipping door handles. then passed through one end of the mechanism 50 and through the first passageway 62, and then out of the other end of the mechanism 50, The free end of the cable is then passed back into and optionally through the second passageway, where the cable is secured in place inside the mechanism by the ball 78 and spring 82, as shown in
The spacing of the boss 38 from the body opening 30 and from the straight side outer edge 54 is significant, for the following reasons. If one were to attempt to sever and then glue or otherwise replace a cable end back into the body opening 30, if no boss 38 were present, this would not be too difficult, even if the cable shell 46 was swaged near the opening 30 to the body, for the body mass prevents significant distortion of the entrance to the opening 30. The boss 38, on the other hand, can be distorted by swaging, given its lesser mass. This results in a distortion of the boss 38 that prevents the ready reinsertion of the cable end into the boss 38. The most common method of tampering with the cable lock involves an attempt to drill out a portion of the old cable, and then to replace ft. With the small mass of the boss 38, any attempt to drill through the boss 38 is likely to distort and damage the boss 38. In other words, the boss 38 is frangible. As a result, ft will be readily apparent if anyone has attempted to drill through the boss 38, for damage to the boss 38 will be evident. And making the boss 38 spaced apart from the end of the body edge 54 discourages the ready severing of the cable 14 near the boss 38.
Various other features of this disclosure are set forth in the following claims.
