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Anti-animal container lock

  • US 6,722,711 B2
  • Filed: 04/09/2002
  • Issued: 04/20/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2002
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A locking arrangement for a receptacle having a cover, the receptacle and cover having overlapping parts with aligned holes therein, the locking arrangement comprising:

  • a bolt for extending at least partly into at least one of the aligned holes in the overlapping parts of the receptacle and cover;

    a handle at one end of the bolt for engagement for pulling the bolt out of the aligned holes in a withdrawing direction, the handle being outside the receptacle when the bolt extends through the aligned holes and having a bore with an outer end that increases in diameter and flares outwardly at an outer end of the handle;

    expansion means at an opposite end of the bolt for expanding to an expanded geometry having at least one dimension which is greater than a dimension of the aligned holes to prevent withdrawing the bolt from the aligned holes, the expansion means having a contracted geometry which is at most equal to the dimension of the aligned holes for allowing withdrawing of the bolt from the aligned holes;

    an actuator mounted for movement to the bolt and engaged with the expansion means for moving the expansion means from the expanded geometry to the contracted geometry when the actuator is pushed, the actuator being mounted for movement in the bore of the handle and having an outer end positioned in the outer end of the bore that increases in diameter and flares so that the outer end of the actuator is shielded in the outer end of the handle bore by being recessed in the handle to avoid accidental release of the locking arrangement;

    biasing moans engaged with the expansion means for biasing the expansion means toward the expanded geometry so that when the actuator is not being pushed, the expansion means is in the expanded geometry;

    said expansion means comprising a deformable and expandable tube engaged to the bolt and having an open end, and an expanding boss connected to the inner end of the actuator for expanding the tube, the boss having a smoothly increasing diameter in a direction opposite to the withdrawing direction and extending inwardly from the open end of the tube when the expansion means is in the contracted geometry, and the boss moving outwardly and in the withdrawing direction and into the open end of the tube to expand the tube when the expansion means is in the expanded geometry; and

    threaded release means at the outer end of the actuator for reducing the effective diameter or the outer end of the actuator allow the actuator to be pushed into the receptacle so that the cover can be removed in case the locking arrangement becomes caught in the aligned holes.

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