US 8,893,534 B1Granted

Yard hydrant locking collar

OwnerCarl H. Niemiinventor

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Abstract

A yard hydrant locking collar has two C-shaped steel hardened plates connected together at one end by a rivet. The rivet acts like a hinge and allows the top and bottom plates to swivel open and closed. The other end of each top and bottom plates has a locking hole. A one inch tapered slot is cut into the top plate near the locking hole. The top and bottom plates are rotated so the collar fits around the hydrant pipe. The locking holes and slot are positioned near the hydrant locking hole and the collar locking holes are aligned. A padlock is opened and tilted away from the pipe and the free arm of the padlock is placed through the locking hole of the hydrant handle and positioned over the locking holes of the collar. The padlock is then tilted back towards the pipe. The tapered slot allows the padlock to move towards the pipe so that the free end of the padlock can move through the locking holes. Once the free end of the padlock passes through the collar locking holes, the padlock can be raised and locked. The locking collar and hydrant handle are thus locked together to prohibit movement of the handle.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A locking collar for a yard hydrant comprising a pipe, a pipe head, and a pipe handle with a handle locking hole at its end, attached to the pipe head, the locking collar comprising:

(1) an upper crescent-shaped plate having a pivot end and a locking end, wherein the ends of said plate are rounded and wherein said crescent-shaped plate has an outer circumference diameter and an inner diameter wherein said upper plate has a pivot hole at its pivot end and a locking hole at its locking end, and wherein said upper plate has an upper plate tapered groove, located within said plate and adapted to receive a free arm of a lock, said groove located near the locking end of said plate between said locking and pivot holes wherein a lower edge of said tapered groove is located within said crescent-shaped plate between said outer circumference and said inner diameter;
(2) a lower crescent-shaped plate having a corresponding pivot end and a corresponding locking end, pivotally connected to said upper plate at said lower plate pivot end by a pivot pin;
(3) the lock having a U-shaped structure with a free arm and an attached arm;
whereby said upper and lower plates are positioned around a hydrant pipe and wherein the free arm of a lock is inserted through the locking hole of a hydrant handle and through the locking hole of said upper plate and a locking hole of said lower plate and said handle is locked to said pipe.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.