Tow bar lock
OwnerVincent E. Sette, Edward Fellmaninventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present proposal comtemplates an anti-theft device for unattended trailers, in the nature of a cover-plate assembly for locking the open end of the trailer tow bar to prevent unauthorized removal of the trailer as by connecting the open end of the trailer bar to a peg on a towing vehicle. The assembly may comprise an underplate with a centrally disposed pintle and an apertured overplate or coverplate constructed and arranged to coact with the underplate to effectively prevent access to the opening at the end of the tow bar. For convenience, the two plates may be joined in spaced relationship as by a steel cable fixed at its ends, respectively, to the top side of the coverplate and to the reverse side of the underplate.
Claims4
Apparatus for locking a tow bar having an apertured end, comprising:
- a bottom underplate;
- a top coverplate, said bottom underplate and said top coverplate being of substantially uniform size and shape so as to receive therebetween and cover the apertured end of the tow bar;
- an elongate pintle affixed to and projecting from the upper surface of said bottom underplate;
- a centrally disposed through aperture formed in said top coverplate;
- a locking aperture formed in the distal end of said pintle for receiving a locking device therein, whereby when said bottom underplate and said top coverplate are arranged to cover the apertured end of the tow bar, said pintle being of a length such that said pintle extends through said aperture and said locking aperture is above the upper surface of and extends above the plane of said top coverplate for cooperating with the locking device to prevent separation of said bottom underplate and said top coverplate;
- and wherein
- said elongate pintle is affixed to said upper surface of said bottom underplate by means of a plurality of angularly disposed reinforcement members affixed to said pintle and to said upper surface of said bottom underplate.
Apparatus for locking a tow bar having an apertured end, comprising:
- a bottom underplate;
- a top coverplate, said bottom underplate and said top coverplate being of substantially uniform size and shape so as to receive therebetween and cover the apertured end of the tow bar;
- an elongate pintle affixed to and projecting from the upper surface of said bottom underplate, said elongate pintle including means for adjusting the length of said elongate pintle relative to the thickness of the apertured end of the tow bar;
- a centrally disposed through aperture formed in said top coverplate;
- and
- a locking aperture formed in the distal end of said pintle for receiving a locking device therein, whereby when said bottom underplate and said top coverplate are arranged to cover the apertured end of the tow bar, said pintle extends through said aperture and said locking aperture is above the upper surface of said top coverplate for cooperating with the locking device to prevent separation of said bottom underplate and said top coverplate.
Apparatus for locking a tow bar having an apertured end, comprising:
- a bottom underplate;
- a top coverplate, said bottom underplate and said top coverplate being of substantially uniform size and shape so as to receive therebetween and cover the apertured end of the tow bar;
- a plurality of elongate pintles arranged in spaced-apart relationship affixed to and projecting from the upper surface of said bottom underplate;
- a plurality of through apertures correspondingly formed in said top coverplate for receiving thereinto and therethrough said plurality of elongate pintles;
- and
- a plurality of locking apertures, one formed in each of said plurality of pintles for receiving a locking device therein, said pintles being of a length greater than the sum of the thickness of said top coverplate plus the thickness of the apertured end of the tow bar, whereby when said bottom underplate and said top coverplate are arranged to cover the apertured end of the tow bar said pintles extend through said plurality of through apertures and said plurality of locking apertures are above the upper surfaces of, and extend above the plane of, said top coverplate for cooperating with the locking device to prevent separation of said bottom underplate and said top coverplate.
Apparatus for use on tow bars having apertures end portions of different thicknesses, comprising:
- a bottom underplate;
- a top coverplate, said bottom underplate and said top coverplate being of substantially uniform size and shape so as to receive therebetween and cover the apertured end of a tow bar;
- a centrally disposed through aperture formed in said top coverplate;
- a pintle affixed to and projecting from the upper surface of said bottom coverplate, the distal end of said pintle extending through said centrally disposed aperture in said top coverplate, said pintle means including means for adjusting the length thereof relative to the thickness of the apertured end portion of a tow bar;
- and
- a locking aperture formed in the distal end of said pintle for receiving a locking device, therein, whereby when said bottom underplate and said top coverplate are arranged to cover the apertured end of the tow bar, said pintle extends through said centrally disposed through aperture and said locking aperture is above the upper surface of said top coverplate for cooperating with the locking device to prevent separation of said bottom underplate and said top coverplate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.