Anti-pry padlock and method of use
First Claim
1. An anti-pry anchor assembly for use with a shackle-type padlock having a planar disposed top wall registry through which a shackle passes and disconnectably connects with internal mechanisms in locking and unlocking positions, said shackle defining a U-shaped working area coincident with a normalizing plane through long and short legs of the shackle when the shackle is in the locked position relative to the top wall registry, said unlocking position occurring when at least one of the legs is displaced relative to said registry wherein at least the short leg is swingable about a pivot axis coincident with an axis of symmetry of the longer leg, comprising:
- (a) reduced side wall notch segments disposed along the long and short legs of the shackle positioned exterior of said top wall registry in both locked and unlocked positions, each notch segment being bisected by said normalizing plane when said shackle is in the locked position, said each notch segment defining a pair of shoulder surfaces and a wall extending between said pairs of surfaces,(b) a planar base member substantially coextensive with said top wall registry, said base member including first and second integrally connected end regions each of which include surfaces engageable with one of the side wall notch segments, so that irrespective of the direction of application of prying moments at the shackle crown, at least half of each pair of shoulder surfaces is placed in compression thereby and the associated pry force works against itself and tends to prevent premature release of said shackle from said padlock.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In accordance with the present invention, an anchor assembly is described for use in association with double- and single-keeper padlocks that substantially strengthens such padlocks to withstand prying leverage moments applied at the crown of the shackle. Such padlocks have an upper registry surface through which a shackle disconnectably connects to define locking and unlocking positions.
In accordance with apparatus aspects, the anchor assembly comprises:
(a) first and second reduced side wall notch segments along the lengths of long and short legs of the shackle positioned exterior of the padlock casing, each notch segment being bisected by a normalizing plane through the U-shaped working area of the shackle and including a pair of side wall shoulder surfaces coextensive with other and recessed wall extending therebetween, and
(b) a planar base member also exclusively positioned exterior of the padlock casing, having first and second end regions each including coextensive broad surfaces separated by the thickness of the base member.
When the shackle is locked relative to the upper registry, the pairs of side wall shoulder surfaces of the notches are disconnectably connected to the broad surfaces of the base member whereby irrespective of the application direction of prying moments at the crown of the shackle, at least half of each of the pairs is placed in compression thereby the associated pry force works against itself and strengthens the padlock against release.
Method aspects are also described.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An anti-pry anchor assembly for use with a shackle-type padlock having a planar disposed top wall registry through which a shackle passes and disconnectably connects with internal mechanisms in locking and unlocking positions, said shackle defining a U-shaped working area coincident with a normalizing plane through long and short legs of the shackle when the shackle is in the locked position relative to the top wall registry, said unlocking position occurring when at least one of the legs is displaced relative to said registry wherein at least the short leg is swingable about a pivot axis coincident with an axis of symmetry of the longer leg, comprising:
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(a) reduced side wall notch segments disposed along the long and short legs of the shackle positioned exterior of said top wall registry in both locked and unlocked positions, each notch segment being bisected by said normalizing plane when said shackle is in the locked position, said each notch segment defining a pair of shoulder surfaces and a wall extending between said pairs of surfaces, (b) a planar base member substantially coextensive with said top wall registry, said base member including first and second integrally connected end regions each of which include surfaces engageable with one of the side wall notch segments, so that irrespective of the direction of application of prying moments at the shackle crown, at least half of each pair of shoulder surfaces is placed in compression thereby and the associated pry force works against itself and tends to prevent premature release of said shackle from said padlock. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. In a shackle-equipped padlock having a top wall registry through a shackle defines locking and unlocking positions of the padlock, said shackle including long and short legs integrally connected together by an arcuate crown, the improvement comprising:
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(a) reduced side wall notch segments along said long and short legs of said shackle exterior of said top wall registry in both locked and unlocked positions, said each notch segment defining a pair of shoulder surface and a wall extending between said pair of surfaces, (b) a planar base member substantially coextensive of said top wall registry, said base member also including first and second integrally connected end regions each of which includes surfaces engageable with one of said side wall notch segments in said locked position, whereby irrespective of the direction of application of prying moments at said crown of the shackle, at least half of each pair of shoulder surfaces is placed in compression thereby and the associated pry force works against itself and tends to prevent premature release of said shackle from said padlock. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. In a shackle-equipped padlock having a top wall registry through which a shackle passes and defines locked and unlocked positions for said padlock, said shackle including long and short legs integrally connected together by an arcuate crown, a method of substantially increasing the maximum leverage moments that can be withstood by the padlock irrespective of the application direction of such moments at the crown of the shackle, comprising the steps of:
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(a) establishing at the intersection of a normalizing plane coextensive of a U-shaped working area of the padlock and a second plane transverse to said normalizing plane adjacent to the upper registry of the padlock, first and second reduced notch segments along said long and short legs, each segment defining a pair of side wall shoulder surfaces and a recessed wall extending therebetween, (b) placing a base member in slidable surface contact across the registry of the padlock in disconnectable end contact with said notch segments, (c) dividing any leverage moments applied at the crown of the shackle, into said pair of shoulder surfaces of the side wall notch segments whereby irrespective of the application direction of such leverage moments, at least half of each pair of shoulder surfaces is placed in compression so that the associated pry force works against itself and tends to prevent premature release of said shackle from said padlock. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. In a shackle-type padlock having a pair of legs disposed in a housing, a locking mechanism engaging at least one leg of said shackle interiorly of said housing, the improvement which comprises:
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(a) an anti-pry member spanning said shackle legs exterior of said housing; (b) said anti-pry member being adapted to permit locking and unlocking of said shackle, and pivotal motion of at least one leg of said shackle away from said housing; and (c) said anti-pry member being disposed in close association with the portion of said exterior of said housing between said shackle legs to resist insertion of a thin prying instrument between said anti-pry member and said top wall; and (d) said anti-pry member being engageable with both said shackle legs when said padlock is locked to transfer prying force of a pry bar inserted between legs of said shackle from between said shackle and said housing to between said shackle and said anti-pry member so that said pry bar prying force works against itself instead of against said lock housing thereby tending to prevent premature release of said shackle from said lock by said prying force.
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Specification