Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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LOCK ARRANGEMENT FOR CONTAINERS
Field of the Invention
The inveneion relates to a lock arrangement for con~
10 tainers comprising a latch with a crossbar and a counterpart,
the crossbar and the counterpart being equipped with lock
members provided with holes, said lock members being locked
together by means of a padlock. - `
Background Art ;l ;
Swedish publish~d patent application no. 441.820 `~
dLscloses a lock arrangement for a container comprising a
~;'?~ bar. The arrangement is provided with fixing means inserted
in~éhe openiDgs of the braces on the edges of the container. ;`
The~arrangement is provided with a lock handle connected
20~:with~on-~of the fixing means and rotatable therein. In its
~ locked position the lock handle is enclosed by a protective
Sbi~ shield.~The object of this shield is to reduce the!risk, of ~.
the lock~belng forced open. The protective shield is, how-
ever~, uneatisfactory, as a burglar with suitable equipment
25~ is e~asily able to reach the vital parts, especially the
shackle of the padlock. Furthermore it is disadvantageous
that the entire lock arrangement has to be removed for
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obtaining access to the container. Moreover, the arrangement
is very heavy and difficult to handle. It can also be used
for different containers, since it is not especially adapted ~
to one container. ~ `
US patent specification no. 4.500.123 discloses a door ; ;~
lock arrangement for e.g. the back door of a truck or a -
van. The lock arrangement comprises two tube-shaped parts,
each fastened to one half o f a double door. The end of one
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tube-shaped part is provided with a box-shaped part. When
lO the lock is to be shut, a long tube is inserted in the two -
tube-shaped parts, the length of said tube corresponding to
the total lengeh of the two tube-shaped parts. The long ;~
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tube is provided with a plate fitting in a groove in the
~;~box-shaped part. The plate has a hole through which the
15 shackle of a padlock is insertable. When the lock is to be
shut and tha plate is positioned in the groove of the box-
shaped part, the padlock is inserted in the box-shaped part
and~ locksd. The padlock is now positioned inside the box-
sbaped~part and thus protected against cutting-off and other
20~ways~ of being forced open. Furthermore the inside of the
long tube is provided with a freely rotatable inner tube.
; ;, The obj,ect of the inner tube is to render it more difficult
to cut through the long tube. The disadvantage~of this door
lock~ ar~rangement lies in the padlock not being tightly
25 ~enclosed by the box-shaped part, and the long tube having to
bs removed en~irely from the lock arrangement before the
opening of the door. The remaining parts are, however,
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permanently mounted on the door. A further disadvantage is
that although they are secured, the heads of the bolts are
accessible from outside, e.g. for a crowbar or the like.
The ob;ect of the invention is to provide a lock
5 arrangement of the above type not only reducing the above
disadvantages but also ~nsuring a considerably improved
protection against burglary.
SummarY of the Invention
According to the invention, when the lock arrangement
10 is shut, the lock members are inside a housin~ mounted on
the crossbar or the counterpart, said housing being shaped
and arranged in such a way that it tightly encloses the
padlock and the lock members, when the padlock provided
with a straLght shackle is in its locked position, and the
15 housing and the lock members are furthermore provided such
that~the padlock is insertable in the housing via an opening
th~erein by a rectilinear movement in ae least two directions
p;erpendicular to each other, and the crossbar and the
coun~terpart~are fastoned to the container by means of safety
;;ZO~f~astening means, such as bolts, the heads of which being on
the same level as the crossbar and/or the counterpart. Since
the lock members and the shackle of the padlock arq tightly
enolosed by the housing when the lock arrangement Ls shut,
it is virtually impossible to obtain access to these vital
25iparts~ by e.g. a saw or a crowbar. When the fastening means
are secured a burglar is not tempted to try to force the lock
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j~ arrangement by removing said fastening means. All part are ~ ~
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fastened to the container, thus avoiding various forms of
loose rods. A further advantage of the inventive arrangement
is that all parts are permanently connected with the
container, and only the lock itself is removable when the
5 lock arrangement is not in use.
According to the invention the housing is box-shaped
and completely closed off at four of the six sides, partly
closed off on the fifth side and open on the sixth side.
Consequently the lock is accessible only from one side,
10 rendering it difficult for a burglar to obtain access to the
vital parts of the lock by means of various tools.
In a preferred embodiment of the inventive lock arrange-
ment the lock member in the housing is fastened to two of
the sides of the housing and to an edge of the fifth side.
15 This results in a substantial part of the padlock being
situated inside the housing and thus completely inaccessible
when the padlock is in its locked position.
In a further preferred embodiment of the inventive
lock arrangement the lock member mounted in the housing
; 20 forms a chamber therein, said chamber being closed off on
five sides, apart from the hole in the lock member, while
the sixth side of the chamber is open, thus increasing,the
~; inaccessibility.
According to the invention it is advantageous that
25 the first insertion direction of the padlock is parallel to
~; but not coinciding with the axis of the hole through the
lock members.
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The inventive lock members are made of thick plate-
shaped blanks, and the total thickness of the blanks is
slightly less than the largest width the psdlock is able to
bridge. This renders it very difficult to twist the lock
5 apart.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention
the fastening means include bolts retainable during the
lock arrangement being mounted on the container, e.g. by
means of the bolt having a hexagonal socket at the end
10 opposite the head. As a result it is impossible to get a
grip on the heads of the bolts from outside by using various
types of tools. ~ ;
In a further embodiment of the invention the fastening
- means in form of bolts are secured against cutting of by
15 means of sleeves arranged around the shanks of the bolts,
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and that the sleeves are freely rotatable, although the
balts are secured, and that the sleeves are countersunk in
the~spac-rs, and the counterpart is an integral part of the
spacers. ~hen a person attempts to cut through the shank of
20~the bol;t by -ither cutting down between the parts of the
lock arrangement or by cutting said parts off, the sleeve
only rotat-s, thus preventing cutting-off of the bdlts.~
In another embodiment of the invention the sleeves
are of hardened steel or of sintered hard metal. Thus the
25 bolts are manufactured from inexpensive materials, while
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the sleeves are extremely hard. Small round articles of ~-
even thickness are easily manufactured from extremely hard
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materials
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In a last embodiment of the invention the padlock is
of substantially rectangular shape with an aperture in the
middle, and the straight shackle substantially forms one of ;~
5 the four sides of the padlock, ensuring a better hold of
the lock --;
Brief Descri~tion of the Drawings
The invention is described in greatsr detail below
and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG l illustrates a container with a mounted, inventive
lock arrangement,
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FIG 2 is a perspective view of an inventive embodiment,
FIG 3 is a bottom view of the housing of the lock -`--
arrangement, and
FIG 4 is a sectional view along the line IV-IV of
FIG 3,
Detailed DescriDtion of the Invention
FIG 1 illustrates a container having the general
r-fe~re~nce numeral 30 and comprising a lock arrangement having
20~the general reference numeral 31 ~ ; `
Th~e lock arrangem-nt of FIG 2 is a latch comprising a
crossbar,l and a counterpart 2 The crossbar l is biolted~ to
the container 30 by fastening means, such as bolts 3 Each
bo~l~t~has a head 22 fitting into a recess in the crossbar 1
2~5 The out-rmost part of the head 22 is on the same level as .!~' ,'`"
the outermost part of the crossbar l The bolt 3 extends `
through different types of spacers 35 and counterpieces 36
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into a hole in the container 30. The bolt 3 is then secured
with a nut 37. Sleeves 24 and 25 are inserted in the
different types of spacers 35 and between the crossbar 1 and
the spacers 3S. The sleeves 24, 25 are countersunk in the
5 spacers. The counterpart 2 is an integral part of one of -
the spacers and provided with a hook-shaped part. The end
of the bolt 3 opposite the head 22 has e.g. a hexagonal
socket or a thread or a simple hole, so that the bolt is
retainable inside the container 30, when the bolt is
10 tightened or loosened. A lock member 4 with a through hole
34 is fastened to the counterpart 2. The lock member 4 with
the through hole 34 consists of a plate welded to the
counterpart 2. A second lock member 5 is positioned inside
the housing 7 and welded to the crossbar 1. The housing has
15 the shape of a 6-sided box with the sides 11, 12 and 13
visible in FIG. 2. The fifth side is substantially the
crossb~ar 1. The end of the housing 7 farthest away from the
upper~side 13 is reinforced with double plates.
FIG.~3~is a bottom view of the housing 7. Sides 11,
2~0~12~,~14 and 15 of the housing 7 are visible. The sixth side
16 is~actually open, as it is the side allowing a ~iew into
the inside~of ~the housing 7. The lock member 4 fasltened to
th-~counterpart 2 is ~isible in the inside of the housing
7.~ The lock~member 4 rcgisters witb the second lock member
25~5 fastenèd to the sides 12, 14 and 15 inside the housing. ~:
FIG. 4 is a section-l view of the housing 7 along the
line IV-IV of FIG. 3. A padlock 6 with a straight shackle 8
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is arranged in the housing. One end of the shackle 8 is
knurled. Neither the padlock 6 nor the shackle 8 are shown
in a sectional view in FIG. 4. The sides 11, 13, 14, and 16
of the housing 7 surround the padlock 6. The padlock is
5 lockable by means of a key 33. The shackle 8 in the padlock
6 is displaceable through the holes 34 in the two lock
members 4 and 5. The lock member 5 fastened inside the
housing 7 is fastened parallel to an edge 21 of the fifth
side, thus forming a chamber 32. The fifth side 15 is
10 substantially formed by the crossbar 1. When the padlock 6
is to be inserted in the housing 7, it has to be moved along
two directions 9a, 9L. The first part of the movement, in
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~ the direction 9a, is perpendicular to the crossbar 1, the ~
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-~ subsequent movement 9b is substantially parallel to said
15 crossbar. When the padlock 6 is in place so that it grips
; around the lock members 4 and 5 the shackle 8 is inserted
through the holes 34 of the lock members 4, 5 and the key
33 is turned and removed. Consequently the padlock and thus
the lock arrangement are locked. Owing to the difficulties
20~connected wLth obtaining access to the central lock parts
tha~lock arrangemen:t is well secured againgst burglary.
The invention is not restricted to the abovej emb~di~
ments;but can be modified in many ways, without thereby
deviating from the scope of the invention. The housing can
25 e.~g. have curved sides, when this is more suitable for a
given type of padlock. The sleeves may be made of granular
maeerial, and various parts of the lock arrange~ent can be
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made of special materials, such as plastics or ceramics,
and the parts can be through-hardened, case hardened etc.
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