GB2304662A - Van door guard - Google Patents

Abstract

A van door guard (1) is secured behind a parked van to reduce the risk of unauthorised entry through the rear doors. The guard (1) comprises a stand (2) having telescopically engaging upper (4) and lower (5) elements. A pin (55) includes a casing (51) and passes through aligned holes (7,40,41) in plates (6) on the upper element (4) and (38,39) on a fixed part of the van and is secured by a padlock. A tube (23) having a vertical panel (21) telescopically engages a tube (8) on the upper element (4). A bolt (25) passes through the engaged tubes (23,8), and through a nut (8) and a hole (9) in the upper element (4) and also through the lower element (5) to fix their relative positions.

Description

VAN DOOR GUARD The present application relates to a van door guard for preventing or reducing the risk of unauthorised entry through the rear doors of a van when the vehicle is parked.

Theft from vehicles is generally on an increasing scale and it is now common for van rear doors to be forced and goods contained within the van stolen whilst the vehicle parked, for example from a service vehicle parked outside premises whilst the driver is undertaking maintenance or other services in that building.

We have now developed a device that can be secured readily to a van rear door and that effectively prevents the doors being forced apart or the door lock forced.

The device comprises: first means being secured to a structural member of the van below the van rear doors and includes attachment means extending outwardly therefrom; second means comprising a plate element dimensioned to extend at least part way across the van doors and including an outwardly extending spigot member and, third means comprising a stand member having a base end for contacting a road surface, a location element projecting normally thereto for co-operation with the attachment means of the first means and a substantially parallel member extending in the same direction for cooperation with the spigot member of the second means, the device further including means for releasably engaging said attachment member and said location element.

The spigot member of the second means and the co-operating member extending from the stand of the third means may comprise hollow tubular members dimensioned for telescopic engagement.

The stand member may comprise upper and lower elements in telescopic engagement whereby the position of the base relative to the first member may be adjusted. Preferably the lower element is in sliding engagement with the upper element from which the location element projects.

Preferably means are provided for securing the upper and lower elements in positions relative to each other such that the base is in fixed contact with the road surface when in use.

The upper element may include a hole concentric with the axis of the tubular location member and a threaded nut welded to lie within said tubular member; a bolt element extending through the hollow spigot member is provided for screw threadably engaging said nut, the length of the bolt being sufficient for the end portion to pass through the nut into the upper element of the stand to engage the lower element extending therethrough whereby the relative positions of the upper and lower elements of the stand are fixed with the base in contact with a road surface.

The spigot member may be secured directly to the second means plate element or to a member depending therefrom.

The attachment means extending outwardly of the first means and the location means extending from the third means may consist of plate elements containing holes which can be concentrically aligned and the means for engaging the elements may comprise a pin member passing through the said holes, said pin member having at one end a cap which will not pass through the holes in the two plate elements and at the other end a hole through which a padlock may be secured. Said cap element may comprise a horizontal plate from which depend two side elements extending below the level of the other end of the pin to restrict access to the padlock when in use.

The first means may comprise a tow bar extending across the width of the van and secured to a subframe in a conventional manner.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described with a reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded diagrammatic illustration of the essential elements of the device of the present invention; Figure 1A is an illustration of a pin assembly for use with the Figure 1 embodiment; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of a tow bar for use with the embodiment of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, in which the parts are made of steel, a stand generally illustrated at 1 comprises a base 2, a telescopic upright element 5 secured to said base and an upper part 4 in sliding engagement over said part 5. The lower part 5 extends through upper part 4. A plate 6 parallel to base 2 extends outwardly of part 4 to which it is secured by welding and contains a hole 7. A hollow square section tubular member 8 is also secured, by welding, to part 4 near the upper end thereof and extends outwardly parallel and in the same direction as plate 6.

Upper member 4 further includes a hole 9 formed coaxially with tubular member 8, a nut member 10 being welded concentrically with hole 9 externally of part 4 thereby lying within the end of tubular member 8.

A door restraining panel, generally indicated at 20, comprises a plate 21 secured to an elongate element 22 extending vertically downwardly therefrom. A hollow tubular spigot member 23 extends outwardly from element 22 at right angles and is dimensioned to be a sliding fit within tubular member 8 of stand 1. A hole 24 is formed in element 22 coaxially with tubular member 23 to receive a bolt element for insertion through spigot 23, said bolt having a threaded end portion 26 for engagement in nut 10 and a hexagon end 27 to receive a suitable spanner for tightening purposes.

A tow bar 30, shown in Figure 2, has a transverse tubular member 31 (shown as a fragment in Figure 1) welded to parallel side members 32 and 33 extending at right angle from each end thereof and including plate elements 34 and 35 for securing to a van subframe by bolts passing through holes 36 and 37 in plates 34 and 35. Spaced apart parallel plate elements 38 and 39 extend from member 31 rearwardly of the van and are secured to tow bar 30 by welding. Elements 38 and 39 contain concentric holes 40 and 41 and provide a gap 42 therebetween for engagement either side of plate 6 extending from part 4 of stand 1.

Holes 40 and 41 of plates 38 and 39 and hole 7 in plate 6 are formed such that they may be coaxially aligned to receive pin 55 of pin assembly 50.

Pin assembly 50 is illustrated in Figure 1A and consists of cowl 51 having a top portion 52 and parallel side portions 53 and 54; pin 55 (shown absent the cowl 51 in Figure 1) depends from the top portion 52 centrally of side portions 53 and 54. Pin 55 includes a hole 56 to receive a padlock. Side portions 53 and 54 extend beyond the length of pin 55 thereby restricting access, for example by bolt cutters, to the portion of the padlock passing through hole 56.

In use spigot 23 of panel 20 is introduced into member 8 extending from portion 4 of stand 1 and bolt 25 inserted through hole 24 such that thread 26 loosely engages in nut 10. The panel and stand member are then offered up to the rear of the van the height of portion 4 of stand 1 being adjusted such that plate 6 will slide into the gap 42 between plates 38 and 39 of tow bar 30 with base 2 in contact with the road surface. Prior to engagement of plate 6 between the plate bolt 25 is tightened such that the end of threaded portion 26 locates against the portion of part 5 within part 4 of stand 1 to secure the relative positions of parts 4 and 5. Stand 1 and associated restraining plate 20 are then moved into position and pin 55 dropped through holes 40, and 41, to attach the stand to the tow bar, and retained in position by means of a padlock passing through hole 46.

Since base 2 is in contact with the road surface the stand 1 is firmly held in position thereby maintaining plate 20 adjacent the van doors such that access to the doors is restricted, as is access to the door lock which will normally be behind plate 21.

Rubber pads may be located at the rear of plate 21 to prevent scratching of the paintwork of the van doors when in normal use.

Clearly the vertical dimensions of plate 21 should be such as to prevent either the lower or upper portions of the doors being forced apart.

Tubular portion 23 is dimensioned such that when the device is in position the free end thereof locates against the outside of portion 4 thereby maintaining plate 21 in position against the van doors.

Claims (15)

1. A van door guard device comprises: first means being secured to a structural member of the van below the van rear doors and including a first attachment means extending outwardly therefrom; second means comprising a plate element dimensioned to extend at least part way across the van doors and including an outwardly extending spigot member and; third means comprising a stand member having a base end for contacting a road surface, a location element projecting normally thereto for co-operation with the first attachment means and a substantially parallel member extending in the same direction for co-operation with the spigot member of the second means, the device further including means for releasably engaging said attachment member and said location element.

2. A van door guard device according to claim 1 wherein the spigot member of the second means and the co-operating member extending from the stand of the third means comprises hollow tubular members dimensional for telescopic engagement.

3. A van door guard device according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the stand member comprises lower and upper elements in telescopic engagement whereby the position of the base end relative to the attachment means can be adjusted.

4. A van door guard device according to claim 3 wherein the lower element is in sliding engagement with the upper element from which the location element and parallel member project.

5. A van door guard device according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein means are provided for securing the upper and lower elements in positions relative to each other such that the base is in fixed contact with the road surface when in use.

6. A van door guard device according to any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein the upper element includes a hole concentric with the axis of the tubular location member and a threaded nut welded to lie within said tubular member.

7. A van door guard device according to claim 6 wherein a bolt element extending through the hollow spigot member is provided for screw threadably engaging said nut.

8. A van door guard device according to claim 7 wherein the length of the bolt is sufficient for the end portion to pass through the nut into the upper element of the stand to engage the lower element extending therethrough whereby the relative positions of the upper and lower elements of the stand are fixed with the base in contact with a road surface.

9. A van door guard device according to any preceding claim wherein the spigot member is secured directly to the second means plate element.

10. A van door guard device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the spigot member is secured to a member depending from the second means plate element.

11. A van door guard device according to any preceding claim wherein the attachment means extending outwardly of the first means and the location means extending from the third means comprises of plate elements containing holes which can be concentrically aligned and the means for engaging the holes comprises a pin member passing through said holes.

12. A van door guard device according to claim 11 wherein said pin member has at one end a cap element which will not pass through the holes in the two plate elements and at the other end a hole through which a padlock may be secured.

13. A van door guard device according to one of claims 11 or 12 wherein the cap element comprises a horizontal plate from which depend two side elements depending below the level of the other end of the pin to restrict access to the padlock when in use.

14. A van door guard device of any preceding claim wherein the first means comprises a tow bar extending across the width of the van and secured to a subframe in a conventional manner.

15. A van door guard device substantially as described herein and with reference to the accompanying drawings.