EP2619391A1

EP2619391A1 - Locking arrangement for a door

Info

Publication number: EP2619391A1
Application number: EP11764266.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Andrew Harrison
Original assignee: Loksys Ltd
Current assignee: LOKSYS SOLUTIONS LTD
Priority date: 2010-09-23
Filing date: 2011-09-23
Publication date: 2013-07-31
Also published as: GB201015961D0; WO2012038758A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a locking arrangement for a pair of doors (11, 12) of a freight container (10), each door (11, 12) including an upright operating bar (15, 16) mounted on the door (11, 12) for angular movement about its axis and a handle (13, 14) coupled to the operating bar (15, 16), wherein the locking arrangement comprises: mutually interconnected first and second elements (110, 120), each comprising an engagement portion for engaging the operating bar (15, 16) of each of the pair of doors (11, 12) in the vicinity of the handle (13, 14), wherein the first and second elements (110, 120) are movable with respect to each other so as to span the distance between operating bars (15, 16) and to thereby prevent handle operation.

Description

LOCKING ARRANGEMENT FOR A DOOR

The present invention relates to a locking arrangement for a door, such as the door (or doors) of a vehicle, trailer or freight container which is used for the transportation of goods by road, rail or sea.

Embodiments of the present invention find particular, but not exclusive, use with freight containers of the type that have a pair of hinged doors provided for allowing access to the interior of the container. Each door is hinged at an outer edge, with the two doors meeting at the centre of the container. Each door is locked individually by an upright operating bar which is arranged to engage with at least one keeper provided on the door frame. The operating bar is provided with a handle which is connected to the operating bar such that rotation of the handle causes the operating bar to rotate and for a cam member provided on the bar to engage with the keeper. Preferably, there is an upper and lower cam for engagement with an upper and lower keeper. One door is typically arranged to close first so that an edge of the other door overlays it when both are closed.

There is considerable incentive, especially in the case of vehicles which carry dutiable goods across frontiers, for thieves to be able to break into freight containers, tamper with or steal the goods, and then seal the container again without leaving any obvious evidence of tampering. For example, thieves have found ways of disengaging the handle of a fastening mechanism to allow rotation of the operating bar without tampering with the padlock, C-TPAT or TIR seal. The handle can then be re-engaged, albeit with adhesive or the like, to conceal the fact that pilfering has taken place.

It is therefore an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved locking arrangement for a door.

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus and method as set forth in the appended claims. Other features of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims, and the description which follows.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a typical freight container, having a pair of doors; Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention fitted to a typical freight container;

Figure 3 shows a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 4a and 4b show a rear view of an embodiment of the present invention in two different configurations;

Figure 5 shows a top view of an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 6 shows a close-up detailed view of the interconnector.

Figure 1 shows a prior art, typical, freight container, which is used to transport goods by sea, rail or road. The container 10 comprises a pair of doors 1 1 , 12 which close off one end of the container 10. Each door is hinged on an outer edge and the doors meet at respective inner edges. The left-hand door typically overlays the right-hand door to provide a weatherproof seal. Additional weather seals may also be provided as necessary.

Each door has a pair of locking devices, but only the inner ones will be considered here. The locking arrangement on each door comprises a vertical operating bar 15, 16 which causes a cam member at each end to engage with respective keepers on the door frame. The operating bar is provided with a handle 13, 14 which is coupled to the operating bar and arranged to pivot such that the operating bar rotates in its mount.

Figure 2 shows a locking device according to an embodiment of the present invention fitted to a container of the type shown in Figure 1. Figures 3-6 show different views of the same locking device.

Figure 2 shows how the locking device 100 is fitted to cover the region where the handles 13, 14 couple to the respective operating bars 15, 16. The locking device 100 comprises a first portion 1 10, arranged to couple and cover the first operating bar and handle, and a second portion 120, arranged to cover the second operating bar and handle. The first and second portions are coupled together by means of an interconnector 130, integrally formed with the second portion 120.

The interconnector 130 is in the form of an elongate element which, in use, sits in a complementary elongate slot 132 provided in the first element 1 10. Entry of the interconnector 130 into the slot 132 is provided in an end face of the first elemenl 10. The interconnector 130 is provided with a plurality of apertures along its length. These apertures are provided to allow a distance between the first and second elements to be set as required and as will be described shortly.

Located at the outer end of each of the first and second elements is an engagement portion 121 , 131 . The engagement portion is arranged to securely cover and protect the coupling between the operating bar and the respective handle. The engagement portion comprises an essentially U-shaped member, arranged such that, in use, the operating bar sits within the U-shape. Extending from the outward-facing arm of the U-shape is a shield element, arranged to extend beyond the operating bar and to cover the point where it couples to the handle, as well as a portion of the handle. The shield element also comprises a pair of projections which, in use assist in maintaining the locking device 100 in position over the handles of the container.

The first element 1 10 further comprises a closure device, comprising an L-shaped plate 133, positioned externally to a bottom surface of the first element 1 10, with a leg of the L- shaped plate extending to be adjacent to a complementary plate 134 extending from a lower surface of the first element 1 10. Both the L-shaped plate 133 and the complementary plate 134 are provided with a corresponding apertures to receive, e.g., the hasp of a padlock or a TIR, C-TPAT or other seal. The closure device is movable towards and away from the lower face of the first element 1 10 by means of a pin 135 which extends through an aperture provided in the lower wall and then through an aperture in internal wall 136 and one of a plurality of apertures provided in interconnector 130. The pin 135 may then also protrude through an aperture provided in the exposed upper wall of the first housing. To secure the container 10, the locking device 100 is positioned near the handles and operating bars. The first and second elements 1 10, 120 are moved apart such that their respective engagement portions are positioned over the points where the handles couple to the respective operating bar. In this configuration, each operating bar is securely located within the U-shaped section of the engagement portion and the handles protrude from the respective end of the first or second section, from under the shield element. This is clearly shown in Figure 2.

Once the desired configuration has been achieved, and the locking device is as fully extended as possible, the L-shaped plate 133 of the closure device is moved so that it lies adjacent to the lower surface of the first element, and the corresponding holes in the leg of the L-shaped portion and the complementary plate 134 align. This corresponds to the change in configuration shown in Figure 4b to that shown in Figure 4a. In this locked configuration, the pin 135 locks the interconnector such that the distances between the first and second elements is fixed and the device is secured in position. In this configuration, it is not possible to rotate the handles to open the doors of the container. Furthermore, the shield elements ensure that it is not possible to mechanically interfere with the couplings of the handles and operating bars.

The design is intended to be foolproof in that it is not possible to lock the device with a padlock, C-TPAT, TIR or other seal unless the L-shaped plate is fully adjacent the first element, which ensures that the interconnector 130 is locked at a particular position.

Within the first element 1 10, there is an internal space in which may be fitted an optional electronic security device (not shown). The security device may take the form of a tracker device, operable to transmit location or other information. This information may be transmitted continually, or in response to an alarm condition, indicative of an attempt to interfere with the locking device and so gain access to the container. The information may be transmitted by a mobile telephone signal, a satellite telephone signal or other radio technology.

The electronic security device is arranged to fit within the body of the first element 1 10, and to protrude partly through aperture 137. By protruding through the aperture, an antenna of the security device is better able to transmit a signal.

In order to functionally couple the optional electronic security device with the locking device 100, a second pin 138 is provided from the L-shaped plate 133. This, like the first pin 135, also passes through the housing of the first element, but only through the lower wall. It is arranged so that once the L-shaped plate is moved into a locked configuration, as shown in Figure 4a, the second pin engages with a switch provided in the electronic security device to arm it, so that any future attempts to interfere with it will trigger an alarm condition.

It is important to note that the locking device 100 can be used with or without the optional electronic security device. If used without, then it provides a mechanical lock which prohibits or at least seriously hinders access to the container via the doors. If used with the optional electronic security device, then the status of the locked container can be monitored and tracked remotely, giving an early indication of a problem and a chance to apprehend any thieves.

In order to remove the locking device 100, it is first necessary to remove the padlock, C- TPAT, TIR or other seal fitted through the L-shaped plate 133 and complementary plate 134. Then, the L-shaped plate 133 is moved away from the body of the first element 1 10, causing pin 135 to be moved out of the hole in interconnector 130. This allows the first and second elements 110, 120 to be moved together and the entire locking device to be removed. If an electronic security device is included, then this will trigger an alarm condition, but if it is a planned removal, this can be ignored. It should be noted that the locking device 100 may be fitted as shown in the accompanying drawings, or it may be fitted the other way up. References to upper/lower or similar should be interpreted accordingly.

Embodiments of the invention are suitably formed from steel, and/or aluminium, shaped and welded as required. The thickness of the metal can be selected to give the desired degree of mechanical strength.

Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. A locking arrangement for a pair of doors of a freight container, each door including an upright operating bar mounted on the door for angular movement about its axis and a handle coupled to the operating bar, wherein the locking arrangement comprises: mutually interconnected first and second elements, each comprising an engagement portion for engaging the operating bar of each of the pair of doors in the vicinity of the handle, wherein the first and second elements are movable with respect to each other so as to span the distance between operating bars and to thereby prevent handle operation.

2. The locking arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the engagement portion comprises a substantially U-shaped portion for engaging the operating bar.

3. The locking arrangement according to claim 2 wherein the engagement portion further comprises a shield element covering, in use, a portion of the handle.

4. The locking arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first and second elements are mutually interconnected by means of an elongate member arranged to allow a relative sliding motion.

5. The locking arrangement according to claim 4 wherein the second element is integrally formed with the elongate member and said elongate member is arranged to fit an aperture in the first element.

6. The locking arrangement according to claim 4 or 5 wherein the distance between the first and second elements is set using a closure device such that if the closure device is in a first position, the first and second elements move freely with respect to each other and if the closure device is in a second position, the distance between the first and second elements is fixed.

7. The locking arrangement according to claim 6 wherein the closure device comprises a pin which extends through the first element and is arranged to penetrate one of a plurality of apertures provided in the elongate member.

8. The locking arrangement as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein once the closure device is in the second position, means are provided to securely lock the closure device in position and so fix the relative positions of the first and second element.

9. The locking arrangement as claimed in claim 8 wherein the means provided to securely lock the closure device in position comprise a pair of aligned apertures provided in the closure device and the first element through which the hasp of a padlock or a seal may be placed.

10. The locking arrangement of any of claims 7 to 9 wherein the closure device further comprises a second pin, provided to interact with an electronic tracking device.

1 1. The locking arrangement of claim 10 wherein the second pin is arranged to arm the tracking device when the closure device moves from the first to the second position and to trigger an alarm condition when the closure device moves from the second to the first position.

12. The locking arrangement according to any preceding claim further comprising an electronic tracking device.

13. A locking arrangement substantially as herein described and having particular reference to Figure 2-6 of the accompanying drawings.