Lock box using three point locking system

Abstract

A lock box with a locking mechanism using a puck lock is provided that also has a handle for moving a locking bar from a locking to an unlocking position. The locking bar has a locking member that can engage three flanges simultaneously, providing at least three points of locking contact.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/479,906 and claims priority thereof. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/479,906 is a Continuation in Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/404,349, filed on Apr. 14, 2006, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Lock or gang boxes are commonly used by contractors in the construction industry to provide a secure place for them to store their tools safely overnight or during other periods when they are not present to prevent others from taking their tools. These lock boxes typically use padlocks that are part of a locking mechanism which keeps the lid of the box closed and prevents its opening after the tools have been placed within the box and the padlock has been locked. Frequently, the padlock is situated within a pocket such that its body only partially protrudes therefrom even when the padlock is in an open configuration and the shank is substantially inaccessible at all times, preventing someone from cutting it with bolt cutters.

The disadvantage that these prior art lock boxes have is that they all have some of the internal moving parts of the locking mechanism attached to the front panel of the lock box. The resulting structure, which is necessary to accommodate the moving parts of the locking mechanism, creates obstructions that reduce the user's accessibility to the inside of the box for storage and also creates catch points upon which items may get stuck when trying to remove items from the box. Accordingly, there exists a need for a lock box that has a locking mechanism that maximizes the accessibility to the interior of the box and minimizes the difficulty of taking items out of the box.

Yet another disadvantage that these lock boxes have is that they do not have the necessary number of locking points nor are they located at the proper locations so as to properly prevent a thief from prying the lock box open. Furthermore, many padlocks have a key tumbler that is made of brass. Even if the shackle can't be cut using bolt cutters, someone can break into the lock box by drilling out the tumbler portion of the padlock, rendering it incapable of locking the box. Accordingly, there also still exists a need for a lock box that uses a lock that cannot be easily tampered with and a locking system that employs the necessary configuration of locking points, preventing someone from breaking into the lock box.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes a container with an interior and exterior comprising a first panel, a second panel that is in moving engagement with the first panel whereby a user can close or open the container, a first flange with an aperture and a second flange with an aperture that are attached to the second panel, and a third flange with an aperture that is attached to the first panel and is positioned between the first and second flanges when the container is closed. The container also has a locking bar that is movably attached to one of the panels and that has a locking member that engages all the apertures of the first, second, and third flanges when the locking bar is in a locked configuration, thereby providing three points of locking contact. This enhances the security of the container.

The present invention also includes a lock box comprising a lid, a bottom panel, a front panel, a right side panel, a left side panel, a back panel, which all define an exterior and an interior of the box. The lock box also has a locking mechanism that includes a puck lock that is attached to the exterior of the lock box and a locking bar having a locking member that is substantially disposed within the lock box and that is movably attached to the lid, a first flange with an aperture and a second flange with an aperture that are attached to the lid, a third flange with an aperture that is attached to the front panel and that is located between the first and second flanges when the lock box is closed. The locking member of the locking bar engages all the apertures of the first, second, and third flanges when the locking bar is in the locked configuration, thereby creating three points of locking contact. This enhances the security of the lock box.

This construction allows a user to use the lock box in the following manner. The user unlocks the puck lock so that it disengages the locking bar, then he uses the actuator to move the locking bar so that the locking mechanism is in an unlocked configuration. The user does this without having to remove the puck lock from the lock box. Then the user moves the lid so that the interior of the box can be accessed. After placing an item into or taking an item out of the box, the user moves the lid until it is closed, then the user moves the locking bar via the actuator until the locking mechanism is in a locked configuration. Finally, the user locks the puck lock without having to attach the puck lock to the box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lock box of the preferred embodiment of the present invention having a lid of the lock box in an open configuration;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lock box of the preferred embodiment of the present invention having a lid of the lock box in a closed and locked configuration;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the locking mechanism of the lock box of FIG. 2 taken along section line 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the locking mechanism of the lock box of FIG. 2 taken along line 4-4;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the locking mechanism of the lock box of FIG. 4 in an unlocked configuration;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the locking mechanism of FIG. 5 removed from the lock box;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the locking mechanism of FIG. 6 taken along line 7-7;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing how the puck lock is attached to the left side panel of the lock box of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the puck lock in a locked configuration;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the puck lock in an unlocked configuration;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the guiding bracket;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the flange; and

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the lid and back panel of the lock box of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Looking at FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown the preferred embodiment of a lock box 10 that satisfies the aforementioned need. It comprises, in part, a lid 11, a front panel 12, a right side panel 14, a left side panel 16, a back panel 18, a bottom panel 20, skids 22, side handles 24, a locking mechanism 26, locking support arms 28, and finger slot 13. FIG. 1 shows the lock box 10 in an open configuration where the locking support arms 28 are temporarily fixed using known means, allowing the user to place tools into the box 10 without fear of the lid 11 falling onto some part of the user, causing injury. It should be noted that the moving components of the locking mechanism 26 are attached only to the lid 11, minimizing any obstructions that could get in the way of the user placing items into or removing items from the space found between the front panel 12, right side panel 14, left side panel 16, back panel 18, and bottom panel 20 of the lock box 10.

Once the user has placed all the items, such as tools, he wishes into the lock box 10, he can then disengage the locking support arms 28, allowing him to then pull onto the lid 11, which is hingedly connected to the top of the back panel 18, until it bottoms out onto the top of the front panel 12, right side panel 14, left side panel 16, and back panel 18. Then the user moves the slide 27, which is located within the finger slot 13 found on the front of the lid 11 of the lock box 10, to its extreme left position, placing the locking mechanism 26 of the box 10 into a locking configuration. Finally, the user places a key into the keyhole 29 and pushes and then rotates the key tumbler 30 of the puck lock 32 until the puck lock 32 is activated, preventing the locking mechanism 26 from disengaging the front panel 12 of the lock box 10. The lock box 10 is now locked, preventing anyone from lifting the lid 11 and accessing the items contained therein.

When the lock box 10 is in this closed configuration as shown in FIG. 2, the puck lock 32 is substantially inaccessible because it is covered by a shroud 34 comprising an arcuate skirt 36 that is welded to the left side panel 16 of the box 10 and a cover 38 that is welded to top of the arcuate skirt 36. This shroud 34 covers the majority of the puck lock 32, making any tampering with it impractical. Furthermore, the user can then move the lock box 10 easily by lifting and pulling onto one of the side handles 24, one of which that is not shown is attached near the top of the exterior of the right panel 14 while the other is attached to the top of the exterior of the left panel 16, until the lock box 10 slides on one of the skids 22, which is attached to the underside of the bottom panel 20 and is opposite of that handle 24. Alternatively, the box 10 could be lifted off the ground using lift rings 40, which are located immediately above the side handles 24, and moved to another desired location.

Finally, the box 10 also includes an electrical access cover 42 that can be flipped out of the way so that an electrical cord can pass through it, providing power for any equipment that is located within the box 10. The puck lock may be the same as but is not limited to any conventional puck lock as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,821 issued to Randel. The puck lock may also be any type of padlock that does not have an exposed U-shaped shackle. Preferably, the puck lock 32 including its key tumbler 30 is protected by hardened steel so that a thief cannot drill into the puck lock 32 and disable it. This greatly enhances the overall security of the box 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-7, the construction of the locking mechanism 26 and the way it works can be clearly seen. The locking mechanism 26 comprises, in part, a puck lock 32, a shroud 34, a locking bar 44, guide brackets 46, an access cover 48, a slide 27, and flanges 50. The open configuration of the locking mechanism 26 is created in the following manner. First, the user unlocks the puck lock 32 by inserting a key into the keyhole 29 located at the bottom of the body 52 of the puck lock 32. Then the user twists the key in the puck lock 32 and pulls on the key tumbler 30, which causes the shank 54 of the puck lock 32 to move away from the hole 56 found in the L-shaped member 58, which is fixedly attached to the locking bar 44. When the puck lock 32 is in an unlocked position as shown by FIG. 10, there is clearance between the shank 54 of the puck lock 32 and L-shaped member 58 of the locking bar 44 as best shown in FIG. 7. Then the user moves the slide 27 to its extreme right position until the hooks 60 that are attached to the locking bar 44 are no longer engaging the eye portions 62 of the flanges 50 that are attached to interior of the front panel 12 as shown in FIG. 5.

Once this open configuration of the locking mechanism 26 has been achieved, then the user places his hand within the finger slot 13 located at the front face of the lid 11 and pulls upward, opening the lid 11. It should be noted that the user does not need to remove the puck lock 32 from the box 10 to achieve a locking mechanism 26 that is in the open configuration. This prevents the user from pinching their fingers when taking the puck lock 32 off the box 10 and from potentially losing the puck lock 32. Now, the user can place items into or take items out of the box 10 with the lid 11 open.

Conversely, the closed configuration is achieved in the following manner. First, the user disengages the locking support arms 28. Then he places his hand within the finger slot 13 located at the front face of the lid 11 and pulls downward until the lid 11 bottoms out on the front 12, back 18, right side 14, and left side 16 panels. Then the user moves the slide 27 to its extreme left position where the L-shaped member 58 of the locking bar 44 passes through a slot 64 found on the access cover 48 located between the interior of the box 10 and the rear face 66 of the puck lock 32 until the L-shaped member 58 is seated within a slot 68 found on the rear face 66 of the puck lock 32 and is aligned with the path of the shank 54 of the puck lock 32. At the same time, the hooks 60 of the locking bar 44 pass through the eye portions 62 of the flanges 50 as shown in FIG. 4. At this time, the lid 11 of the box 10 cannot be lifted up. Then the user inserts the key into the keyhole 29 of the puck lock 32 and pushes the key tumbler 30 until the shank 54 passes through the hole 56 of the L-shaped member 58 of the locking bar 44 and twists the key until the puck lock 32 is locked as shown in FIG. 9. This prevents any lateral movement of the locking bar 44 and ensures that the hooks 60 of the locking bar 44 will remain engaged with the flanges 50 that are attached to the front panel 12 of the lock box 10 at all times. Thus, the lock box 10 is secured and the items within the box 10 cannot be accessed. It should be noted that the puck lock 32 does not have to be reattached to the box 10 to achieve this closed configuration.

FIGS. 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 13 show how the locking mechanism 26 is assembled and attached to the lid 11 of the lock box 10. First, the shroud 34 is welded onto the exterior of the left side panel 16 near its top portion where it is concentric with a hole 70 that is configured to allow the puck lock 32 to pass through. This is necessary because the shroud 34 captures the puck lock 32 and prevents its removal from the exterior of the box 10. Next a frame 72 is centered with respect to the receiving hole 70 for the puck lock 32 and is welded onto the interior of the left side panel 16. A first hex bolt and nut assembly 74 is attached to the bottom of the frame 72. This assembly 74 provides a pivoting connection for the access cover 48 so that it can be rotated down and out of the way when the puck lock 32 is being replaced as shown in FIG. 8. Once the puck lock 32 is in place, the access cover 48 can be rotated upward until its two projections 76 are seated within the half round surfaces 78 of the slot 68 found on the rear face 66 of the puck lock 32, providing the correct orientation of the puck lock 32. Finally, a second hex bolt and nut assembly 80 is used to fix the position of the access cover 48 as shown in FIG. 6. At this time, the slot 64 found on the access cover 48 is in alignment with the slot 68 on the rear face 66 of the puck lock 32 such that the L-shaped member 58 of the locking bar 44 can pass through both of them. This completes the attachment of the puck lock 32 to the lock box 10.

The attachment of the locking bar 44 and slide 27 to the lid 11 of the lock box 10 is achieved in the following manner. First, a bolster plate 82 is provided with a slot 84 at one end. Three identical guide brackets 46 are welded to the underside of the lid 11. The first bracket 46 is located in the middle of the bolster plate 82 and the second and third brackets 46 are found equidistant from first bracket 46. The bracket is a U-shaped channel that has a first set of holes 86 that are in alignment with each other and a second set of holes 88 that are in alignment with each other. The first sets of holes 86 of each bracket 46 are also in alignment, as are the second sets 88 of holes. The main shaft 90 of the locking bar 44 is inserted through the first set of holes 86 of all three brackets 46. Next, each of the three hook portions 60 are welded onto the main shaft 90 adjacent to a bracket 46 such that each is capable of passing through the second set of holes 88 of that bracket 46. Then a connecting arm 92 is passed through the slot 84 of the bolster plate 82 and welded onto the main shaft 90 of the locking bar 44. Finally, the first leg 94 of the L-shaped member is welded to the end of the main shaft 90 of the locking bar 44 such that its second leg 96 with the hole 56 in it will remain parallel with the three hook portions 60 when the locking bar 44 is moved laterally. The subassembly of the locking bar 44 to the bolster plate 82 is now complete.

This subassembly is maneuvered such that the free end of the connecting arm 92 can extend through a slot (not shown) found within the finger slot 13 of the lid 11. The bolster plate 82 is then when welded into place on the lid 11. At this point, the slide 27 is attached to the connecting arm 92 by a pin connection (not shown). From this time forward, any movement of the slide 27 is transferred to the connecting arm 92, and to the locking bar 44. The slot on the lid is configured to match the slot 84 found on the bolster plate 82. Together they make sure that the proper sliding distance is allowed for effectuating the locking and unlocking configurations of the locking mechanism 26. Hence, the slide 27 serves as an actuator that causes the locking bar 44 to achieve both the locking and unlocking configurations. The last step in completing the assembly of the locking mechanism 26 is to weld the three identical flanges 50 to the top portion of the interior surface of the front panel 12 such that they will align with the guide brackets 46 when the lid 11 of the box 10 is closed. Preferably, the eye portions 62 of the flanges 50 will be located between the ears 98 of the bracket 46 and must be in alignment with the second set of holes 88 of the bracket 46 so that the hook portion 60 of the locking bar 44 can pass through all three apertures. This arrangement ensures that each bracket 46 and flange 50 combination will provide three points of locking contact between the lid 11 and front panel 12 of the box 10. This also means that there are nine points of contact in total. This arrangement is preferred as it ensures that the rigidity of the locking mechanism 26 is sufficient to prevent someone from prying open the lock box 10.

As can be seen, this embodiment provides a lock box 10 that does not have any movable components of the locking mechanism 26 attached to any panel other than the lid, resulting in easy access to its interior. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the spirit and scope of this invention could be achieved with other types of mechanisms including those that operate in a similar manner but only vary the number and position of hooks, brackets, and flanges. Also, the actuator used in the preferred embodiment was a mechanical slide. However, other actuators that are mechanical, electrical, magnetic, or electromechanical are also contemplated. For example, the actuator could be a solenoid that can be activated remotely by the user to create movement of the locking bar or it could be a spring, which biases the locking bar to move. Therefore, the spirit and scope of this invention should be interpreted in view of the attached claims.

Claims

1. A container with an interior and exterior comprising:

a first panel that is fixed;

a second panel that is in moving engagement with the first panel whereby a user can close or open the container;

a first flange with an aperture and a second flange with an aperture that are attached to the second panel;

a third flange with an aperture that is attached to the first panel and is positioned between the first and second flanges when the container is closed; and

a locking bar that is movably attached to the second panel and that has a locking member that engages all the apertures of the first, second, and third flanges when the locking bar is in a locked configuration, thereby providing three points of locking contact.

2. The lock box of claim 1 wherein the locking member and flanges are located near a midplane of the container.

3. A lock box comprising:

a lid, a bottom panel, a front panel, a right side panel, a left side panel, a back panel, which all define an exterior and an interior of the box; and

a puck lock that is attached to the lock box that has a body and a shank that is disposed substantially within said body when the puck lock is in the locked configuration;

a first flange with an aperture that is attached to the lock box; and

a locking bar having a locking member that is substantially disposed within the lock box and that is movably attached to the lock box so that the locking member engages the aperture of the first flange when the locking bar is in the locked configuration, said locking bar also having an aperture that receives the shank of the puck lock when the locking bar and the puck lock are in their locked configuration, thereby locking the lock box.

4. The lock box of claim 3 wherein the puck lock is attached to a side panel and the first flange is attached to the front panel of the box, said lock box further comprising a second flange with an aperture that is attached to the lid and a third flange with an aperture that is attached to the front panel and that is located between the first and second flanges when the lock box is closed so that the locking member engages all the apertures of the first, second, and third flanges when the locking bar is in the locked configuration.

5. The lock box of claim 4 wherein the locking bar has a sliding attachment to the lid of the box and which further comprises:

a fourth flange with an aperture and a fifth flange with an aperture that are attached to the lid;

a sixth flange with an aperture that is attached to the front panel and that is located between the fourth and fifth flanges when the lock box is closed; and

a second locking member that is part of the locking bar and that engages all the apertures of the fourth, fifth, and sixth flanges when the locking bar is in the locked configuration, thereby providing six points of locking contact.

6. The lock box of claim 5 wherein one of the locking member and flange combinations is located near a midplane of the lock box.

7. The lock box of claim 4 wherein the first and second flange are formed by the ears of a unitary bracket that is welded to the underside of the lid.

8. The lock box of claim 6 which further comprises:

a seventh flange with an aperture and a eight flange with an aperture that are attached to the lid;

a ninth flange with an aperture that is attached to the front panel and that is located between the seventh and eight flanges when the lock box is closed; and

a third locking member that is part of the locking bar and that engages all the apertures of the seventh, eight, and ninth flanges when the locking bar is in the locked configuration, thereby providing nine points of locking contact.

9. The lock box of claim 7 wherein the locking bar has a sliding attachment with the unitary bracket.

10. The lock box of claim 9 wherein the configuration of the bracket is a substantially U shaped channel that has two holes that are in alignment such that the locking member of the locking bar can engage the two holes.

11. The lock box of claim 10 wherein the locking member is a hook that is welded onto the locking bar.

12-17. (canceled)

18. A container with an interior and an exterior comprising:

a first panel;

a second panel; and

a locking bar that is movably attached to the second panel and that has first, second, and third locking members that engage the first panel when the container is locked and wherein the container has a midplane and at least one locking member is located near the midplane when the container is locked, making it difficult to pry open the container.

19. (canceled)

20. The container of claim 18 wherein the first panel is fixed in position and the second panel is movable with respect to the container.

21. The container of claim 20 which further comprises a first flange with an aperture that is attached to the first panel, a second flange with an aperture that is attached to the first panel, and a third flange with an aperture that is attached to the first panel; and wherein the locking bar translates causing its locking members to engage and disengage the flanges attached to the first panel when the container is in a closed position.

22. The container of claim 21 wherein the locking members of the locking bars are hooks that are welded onto the locking bar, said hooks having free ends each of which can slide into one of the apertures of the flanges, thereby locking the container.

23. The container of claim 18 which further comprises a puck lock that is attached to the container and which prevents the locking bar and its locking members from disengaging the first panel when the puck lock and container are in their locked configuration.