US2963895A - Dual locking device - Google Patents

Description

R. R. THOMAS 2,963,895

DUAL LOCKING DEVICE Filed June 6, 1958 Dec. 13, 1960 /Z Z0 1:: L2

Ralph .R'Thomc s INVENTOR.

United States Patent DUAL LOCKING DEVICE Ralph R. Thomas, '3110 N. 19th, Tacoma, Wash.

Filed June 6, 1958, Ser. No. 740,432

'4 Claims. (Cl. 70-14) This invention rel-ates to locking devices for locking together two relatively movable objects by means of two padlocks, the objects being released by unlocking either one of the padlocks.

There are numerous padlocked installations such as fence gates, storerooms, structures housing water and light meters and the like which are to be made accessible to two or more persons one of whom, usually the proprietor, may wish to use a master key which he does not wish to release to the other person. Accordingly he may wish to employ a dual locking device which will accommodate two padlocks, one of which may be opened with his master key and the other by a special key provided for the purpose. Unlocking either padlock, however, affords access to the locked installation.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a dual locking device which accomplishes the foregoing purpose.

The manner in which the above and other objects of this invention are accomplished will be apparent from the accompanying specification and claims considered together with the drawings wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the herein described device in locked position;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the herein described locking device;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the herein described locking device in opened position; and

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The herein described locking device, generally considered, comprises a guide having a pair of spaced openings transversely therethrough and a pair of slides adapted to work in the guide and each having therethrough a transverse opening. Stop means interengage the guide and slides, determining the movement of the slides between inserted positions wherein the openings therein register with the corresponding openings in the guide, and withdrawn positions wherein the openings in the guide and slides are out of registration with each other. A pair of arms are afiixed one to each of the slides in such a manner that their free ends are substantially in meeting relationship with each other when the slides are in inserted position, thus joining two relatively movable objects which are to be locked together.

Considering the foregoing in greater detail and with particular reference to the drawings.

The locking device of my invention includes a guide or body portion which in the illustrated embodiment is made from a single, reversely bent piece of metal. The guide is formed with a pair of registering, longitudinallyextending slots 12 each of which may terminate in enlarged transverse openings 14.

Slides or latches 16, each formed with a transverse opening 18, are dimensioned to slide in the guide end to end. Openings 18 are so positioned that when the slides are fully inserted in the guide, they register with the corresponding openings 14 through the latter.

Stop means are provided for interengaging the slide and guide and limiting the relative movement of the same between an advanced position wherein the slide is fully inserted in the guide with the openings in registration as set forth above, and a withdrawn position wherein the slides are substantially withdrawn from the guide so that the openings no longer register.

In the illustrated form of the invention the stop means comprise abutment pins 20 extending transversely through the inner terminal portions of the slides and dimensioned to work in slots 12. However, upon withdrawal of the slides, they abut against the end walls of openings 14 and prevent the complete removal of the slides from the guide.

One end of each of a pair of arms 22, 24 is afiixed to the outer terminal portion of a respective one of slides 16. These arms are formed in such a manner that their outer ends are substantially in meeting relationship to each other when the slides are fully inserted in the guide so that they may be used to join two relatively movable objects which are to be locked together.

Preferably one of the arms, e.g. arm 22, mounts a sleeve 26 the opening in which is aligned with the terminal portion of [the meeting arm 24 and which is adapted to receive the same when the device is in locked position.

Operation In use, arms 22, 24 are placed through or around the two objects to be locked together, for example, through a padlock hasp, with the end of arm 24 seated in sleeve 26 to prevent prying the arms apart. Padlocks 28, 30 then are inserted through registering openings 14, 18 on each side of the device and locked so that the apparatus assumes the position of Fig. l.

Padlocks 28, 30 may be operable by the same or different keys. Thus if the holder of the key fitting padlock 30 wishes to open the device, he first opens padlock 30, removes it from the openings in the device and slips slide 16 out of guide 10 until abutment pin 20 engages the outer terminal portion of slot 12. This separates the formerly meeting ends of arms 22, 24 so that the device assumes the position of Fig. 3 in which it may be disengaged from the objects which it previously had locked together, releasing them for relative movement.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A dual locking device comprising a guide having a pair of spaced openings transversely therethrough, a pair of slides adapted to work individually in the guide and each having therethrough a transverse opening, stop means interengaging the guide and slides for determining the movement of the slides between inserted locked positions wherein the openings therein register with the corresponding openings in the guide to accommodate a pair of padlocks, and withdrawn released positions wherein the openings are out of registration with each other, and a pair of arms afiixed one to each of the slides with their free ends substantially in meeting relationship with each other in the locked position for joining together two objects which are to be locked together and with their free ends separated in the released position of either slide for disengaging the objects.

2. The locking device of claim 1 wherein the stop means comprises abutment means on each slide for contacting the guide when the slides are in their withdrawn positions.

3. The locking device of claim 1 wherein the guide comprises a pair of interconnected plates having parallel, registering, longitudinally-arranged slots therein termi- 5 nating at the openings in the guide, and wherein the stops means comprise abutment pins dimensioned to work in the slots.

4. The locking device of claim 3 wherein the plates forming the guide comprise a reversely bent metal sheet. 10

References Cried in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Taylor Apr. 20, 1915 Sturr Mar. 6, 1917 Slade Sept. 25, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Mar. 16, 1923

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