Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02404544 2002-09-20
This invention relates to an assembly for locking down or securing a piece of
equipment, and in particular a piece of electronic equipment on a floor or
other fixed
horizontal surface.
The assembly of the present invention was designed to lock down computers
or stereo components. However, it will be appreciated that the assembly can be
used to secure many other pieces of equipment in a fixed position.
Unfortunately, we live in a society whereby theft is a fact of life. Personal
computers and stereos components are generally expensive, compact pieces of
equipment which provide an all too tempting target for thieves. Such equipment
can
be quickly and easily removed from a home or office which makes it an
attractive
target for thieves.
Understandably, there are many patents for devices for securing and locking
down electronic equipment such as stereos and computers. Examples of such
devices are disclosed by Canadian Patent Applications Nos. 2,173,404, filed in
the
name of G. D. Champagne on April 3, 1996; 2,205,133, filed in the name of M.
R.
Stewart on May 13, 1997; 2,214,699, filed in the name of M.R. Stewart on
September 4, 1997; 2,220,870, filed in the name of A. Lafleur et al on January
20,
1998; 2,234,072, filed in the name of D. K. Rittaler on April 6, 1998 and
2,291,365,
filed in the name of D. Vezina et al on November 30, 1999, and US Patents Nos.
4,585,202, issued to P.M. Parsekian on April 29, 1986; 4,691,891, issued to R.
Dionne on September 8, 1987; 4,858,878, issued to M. M. Gassaway on August 22,
1989; 4,884,420, issued to A. M. Finkel et al on December 5, 1989; 5,013,000,
issued to M.M. Gassaway on May 7, 1991; 5,052,651, issued to R. Guddee on
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October 1, 1991; 5,135,197, issued to D. W. Kelley on August 4, 1992;
6,138,483,
issued to S.N. Galant on October 31, 2000; 6,166,910, issued to M.E. Ronberg
et al
on December 26, 2000 and 6,192,722, issued to S. N. Galant on February 27,
2001.
The devices described in the above-listed patents vary in terms of efficacy
and complexity. In spite of the existence of such devices, a need still exists
for
simplicity. An object of the present invention is to meet this need by
providing a
relatively simple assembly, which is easy to mass produce and install.
Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly for locking down a
piece of electronic equipment which makes it extremely difficult to remove a
piece of
equipment without destroying or severely damaging the equipment.
Accordingly, the invention relates to an assembly for locking down a piece of
electronic equipment on a fixed horizontal surface comprising:
(a) a base including
(i) a first baseplate for mounting on a fixed horizontal surface and
for covering by a piece of electronic equipment,
(ii) a track open at one side and one end extending upwardly from
one side edge of said first baseplate;
(b) a slide slidable in said track for mounting on a bottom side edge of a
piece of electronic equipment, so that when slid into said track, the slide
closes said
one side and one end of the track;
(c) double-faced tape on said one side of said slide for attaching the slide
to a piece of electronic equipment; and
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(d) a lock for locking said slide in said track, whereby, when the baseplate
is attached to a fixed horizontal surface and the slide is attached to a piece
of
electronic equipment and slid into said casing and locked therein, the result
is a
closed casing on the side of a piece of electronic equipment preventing easy
removal of such piece of equipment from the surface.
The invention is described below in greater detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a schematic end view of the bottom end of a computer with two
assemblies in accordance with the invention attached thereto;
Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the bottom end of a computer with an
assembly in accordance with the invention attached thereto;
Figure 3 is an exploded, isometric view of two assemblies in accordance with
the invention;
Figure 4 is an isometric view of a base used in an assembly of Fig. 3;
Figure 5 is a side view of a slide used in an assembly of Fig. 3;
Figures 6 and 7 are schematic, isometric views of two assemblies during use;
Figure 8 is a schematic, exploded, isometric view of second and third
embodiments of the invention;
Figure 9 is an exploded, isometric view of a portion of one end of a base and
a baseplate used in the third embodiment of the invention;
Figure 10 is an isometric view of the elements of Fig. 9 in the assembled
condition;
Figure 11 is a cross section taken generally along line II-II of Fig. 10; and
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Figure 12 is an isometric view of the third embodiment of the invention in the
assembled condition.
For the sake of simplicity, in the following description, reference is made to
the use of the assembly of the present invention for locking down a computer.
As
mentioned above, it will be appreciated that the assembly can be used for
locking
down other pieces of electronic equipment such as stereo components, DVD
players
or televisions sets.
With reference to Figs. 1 to 7, the assembly of the present invention includes
two basic elements, namely a base indicated generally at 1 for mounting on a
fixed
horizontal surtace (not shown), and a slide 2 for mounting on the side of a
computer
3. Both elements are formed of sheet metal; i.e. steel.
The base 1 is generally L-shaped in cross section, and is defined by a
baseplate 4 and a side wall 5. A plurality of holes 6 are provided in the
baseplate 4
for receiving screws or bolts 7 (Figs. 6 and 7) for securing the base to a
fixed
horizontal surtace such as a floor or desk top. A generally V-shaped slot 8,
which
opens away from the side wall 5 in the baseplate 4, surrounds a tab 9 on three
sides. A hole 10 in the tab 9 receives a screw or bolt 7 for securing the tab
to the
horizontal surtace on which the baseplate 4 is mounted. As described
hereinafter in
greater detail, if a lifting force is applied to the side wall edge of the
baseplate 4,
while the remainder of the base 1 may tilt, the tab 9 will remain in the
horizontal
position affixed to the horizontal surface. Flanges 12 and 13 extend inwardly
(in the
direction of the baseplate 4) from the top edge and one end of the side wall
5,
respectively. Thus, one side of the baseplate 4, the side wall 5 and the
flanges 12
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and 13 define a rectangular track, which is open on one side and one end for
receiving the slide 2.
A bracket 14 is welded to the center of the interior of the side wall 5. A tab
15
on the bottom end of an L-shaped foot 16 of the bracket 14 extends into a hole
17 in
the baseplate 4 for positioning the bracket 14 on the base 1. Slots 19 in a
pair of
wings 20 on the bracket 14 receive screws 21 (Fig. 4) for mounting a bolt lock
22 on
the base 1. A key 23 (Fig. 3) can be inserted into the lock 22 via aligned
holes 24
and 25 in the side wall 5 and the bracket 14, respectively. As described
hereinafter
in greater detail, the bases 1 and slides 2 are used in pairs and only one
lock 22 is
required. Accordingly, the hole 24 in the sidewall 5 of one of the bases is
plugged
with a plastic plug 26.
Referring to Figs. 4 to 6, the slide 2 is defined by an elongated, rectangular
body having a generally C-shaped cross section. The slide 2 includes a planar,
rectangular side wall 27 carrying a strip 28 of double-faced tape on an inner
surtace
thereof. The adhesive on the tape must be sufficiently strong that the slide
cannot
be removed from a computer 3 without considerable force, i.e. a force
considerably
greater than that which can be generated by a person with a crowbar. A
suitable
tape is available from 3M. The tape has product number 4952, and is identified
as
VHPmc double-faced tape. The tape will stick, inter alia, to powder epoxy
paint on
desks or filing cabinets. A flange 30 extends outwardly from the top edge of
the side
wall 27 along the length thereof. An opening 32 at the junction between the
side
wall 27 and the flange 30 receives the bolt 33 of the lock 22 when the slide 2
is slid
into the track 1.
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An inverted L-shaped flange 35 with beveled ends extends along the length
of the bottom edge of the side wall 27. A generally inverted L-shaped slot 36
in the
flange 35 is intended to receive the foot 16 of the bracket when the slide 2
is slid into
the base 1. The leading edge 37 (in the direction of movement of the slide 2
into the
base 1 ) of the slot 36 is inclined to facilitate sliding of the slide onto
the foot 16. It
will be appreciated that in order to move the slide 2 into the track in the
base 1 from
the open end 38 thereof, it is necessary to raise the slide 2 so that the top
flange 30
is close to or slides on the bottom surface of the flange 12 of the base 1, so
that the
foot 16 of the bracket 14 is cleared by the bevelled leading end of the flange
35.
When the open bottom end of the slot 36 is over the foot 16, the slide 2 is
dropped
so that the foot 16 enters the slot 36. When the slide 2 is fully inserted
into the track
(Fig. 7), the foot 16 is in the hook defined by the horizontal arm of the slot
36, and
the bolt 33 of the lock 22 is aligned with the opening 32 in the slide. By
extending
the bolt 33 into the opening 32, the slide 2 is locked in the base 1, and only
limited
vertical, but no horizontal movement of the slide is possible. Movement of the
slide
2 into the track in the base 1 is limited by an end plate 40 on one end of the
slide 2
and by the end wall 13 of the track.
As illustrated schematically in Figs. 6 and 7, two assemblies are used to lock
down a piece of electronic equipment (in this case a computer 3). The slide 2
is
easily positioned on one side of a computer 3 near the center thereof by
aligning the
bottom of the side wall 27 with the bottom edge of the computer 3.
A pair of bases are placed on the slides 2, and the assembly of bases 1,
slides 2 and the computer 3 is placed on a fixed horizontal surface, e.g. the
floor, a
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desk or a table. The positions of the bases 1 are marked, the assembly is
moved
away from the location, the bases 1 are removed from the slides 2 and bolted
or
screwed to the surface, and finally the computer 3 with slides 2 attached is
slid
between the tracks on the bases 1 to attach the slides 2 of the bases. When
the
slides are locked in the bases 1, they cannot be removed therefrom without
considerable effort which is likely to result in serious damage to the
computer 3. If a
crowbar is inserted beneath one base 1 on one side of the computer 3 and
upward
force is applied, the tab 10 will remain attached to the horizontal surface
while the
remainder of the base 1 and the slide 2 therein tilt toward the opposite
assembly.
However, tilting is severely restricted by the computer 3 and the other
assembly.
Thus, without destroying the computer housing, neither the lock down
assemblies
nor the computer can be removed from the chosen location.
Of course, when the computer is locked on a desk or table, it might be
possible, by destroying the top of the piece of furniture to remove the
computer and
both lock down assemblies with a portion of the top of the piece of furniture.
All of
this takes time, which is a luxury usually not afforded to thieves.
Referring to Fig. 8, in a second embodiment of the invention, the baseplate 4
of the base 1 includes a pair of slots 44 near the ends of the baseplates with
tabs 45
in the slots (it will be appreciated that the baseplate 4 of the embodiment of
the
invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 can also include two or more slots and
tabs).
Holes 47 in the tabs 45 receive screws or bolts (not shown) for securing the
track 1
to a horizontal surface. Each slide 2 includes a pair of feet 48 at the bottom
of the
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side wall 27 for insertion beneath a computer to facilitate positioning of the
slide 2 on
the computer side. In some models of computer, it is possible to remove a back
plate or cover, and detach a frame carrying component from the housing of the
computer to steal the essential elements of the apparatus. Holes (not shown)
can
be provided in the feet 48 for receiving screws which connect the frame in a
computer housing to the lock down assembly.
A third embodiment includes an optional baseplate 50 with a strip 51 (Fig. 11
)
of double-faced tape on a bottom surface thereof for securely connecting the
baseplate to a fixed horizontal surface. One side edge 53 of the baseplate 50
is
beveled to make it more difficult to insert a crowbar or other tool beneath
the plate.
A pair of rectangular loops 54 are provided on the top of the baseplate 50 for
securing the base 1 thereto.
As best shown in Figs. 9 to 12, the loops 54 receive small fingers 55 on the
free ends of the tabs 45. This assembly gives the user the option of
connecting the
base 1 directly to a fixed horizontal surface (second embodiment), or to a
plate 50
mounted on the surface (third embodiment).
Thus, there has been described a relatively simple assembly for locking down
a piece of electronic equipment which, in the use condition, defines a closed
casing
on a side of the equipment. The casing cannot readily be opened or removed
with
the piece of equipment without damaging the equipment.
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