Patent Application
20150252835
The present disclosure concerns tamper-resistant fastener provisions, and in particular tamper-resistant fastener provisions on electrical utility distribution and transmission equipment such as circuit breakers and transformers.
Unauthorized access to the internal components of electrical utility equipment such as transformers and circuit breakers can cause severe and costly damage with the potential to incur tremendous costs on communities dependent on reliable electrical power, including customers, safety forces, businesses and others. However, with additional security measures that mitigate unauthorized access, even individuals authorized to access and work on such electrical utility equipment can encounter greater relative burden in performing their tasks due to the increased difficulty in accessing the equipment. As just one example, the use of specialty fasteners that common tools are unable to loosen can result in delays in necessary repairs by authorized individuals, in particular during emergencies where immediate access by authorized individuals with only common tools is critical. It is therefore beneficial to have a fastener system at once allowing authorized access by those having only common tools and also securing the equipment against unauthorized access.
A tamper-resistant fastening provision includes a fastener cover having a first flange and second flange joined at one end. The first flange has an elongate opening slidably receiving a shaft of a fastener, and the second flange has an opening disposed closer to a second end of the cover than the first end. The cover is moveable to a first position such that the fastener head is operably accessible through the second opening and the fastener shaft is disposed at an end of the elongate opening proximate to the second end of the cover. The cover is also moveable to a second position such that the cover is in an interference position relative to the fastener head and the shaft is disposed at an end of the elongate opening proximate to the first end of the cover.
In the accompanying drawings, structures and methods are illustrated that, together with the detailed description provided below, describe aspects of a tamper-resistant locking cover for fasteners. It will be noted that a single component may be implemented as multiple components or that multiple components may be implemented as a single component. The figures are not drawn to scale and the proportions of certain parts have been exaggerated for convenience of illustration. Further, in the accompanying drawings and description that follow, like parts are indicated throughout the drawings and written description with the same reference numerals, respectively.
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In the present disclosure, reference numerals followed by alphabetic indices refer to one of the illustrated elements, while use of the reference numeral without the alphabetic indices refer to one or more of the illustrated elements. For the purposes of this disclosure and unless otherwise specified, “a” or “an” means “one or more.” To the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is used in the specification or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as that term is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “or” is employed (e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both.” When the applicants intend to indicate “only A or B but not both” then the term “only A or B but not both” will be employed. Thus, use of the term “or” herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use. See, Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 6116 (2d. Ed. 1995). Also, to the extent that the terms “in” or “into” are used in the specification or the claims, it is intended to additionally mean “on” or “onto.” As used herein, “about” will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art and will vary to some extent depending upon the context in which it is used. If there are uses of the term which are not clear to persons of ordinary skill in the art, given the context in which it is used, “about” will mean up to plus or minus 10% of the particular term. From about A to B is intended to mean from about A to about B, where A and B are the specified values.
While the present disclosure illustrates various embodiments, and while these embodiments have been described in some detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the claimed invention to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention, in its broader aspects, is not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's claimed invention. Moreover, the foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application.
