Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multiple lock device holder for holding returnable locks, or other like indicators, used to prevent the use of apparatus which may be dangerous, or indicate the whereabouts of small apparatus which are either valuable, or indispensable, or both.

Background Art

At many industrial sites and mines, there are a wide range of devices, many of which are extremely dangerous in untrained hands and in respect of which a safety protocol has been established to prevent accidents. For example, circuit breakers which can be locked open are available and an electrician called to work upon a piece of machinery, such as an electric motor, will de-energise the motor circuit and lock the circuit breaker with a personal lock of the electrician. Such a lock can only be opened by a key of which there are two copies, one with the electrician and one with some person having a position of responsibility, such as the mine manager. The object of the lock is to prevent the circuit breaker being inadvertently closed whilst the electrician is working on the motor which could have the effect of possibly electrocuting the electrician and/or inadvertently starting the motor. Similar locks are available in respect of the valves which control the flow of liquids and gases through pipes, and the like.

This safety protocol has worked well and has prevented many accidents. However, in recent years, particularly with the introduction of twelve hour shifts at some mines or factories, tired workers are liable to be forgetful. It is common place for such locks to be inadvertently left on when the repair is completed and the tradesman with the key for the lock has left at the end of the shift. As a consequence, the next shift is deprived of the use of the piece of equipment This often means that the entire production of the mine or other plant is closed down for the time required for the worker to be retrieved from his distant home and returned with the key to unlock the circuit breaker, valve or similar piece of equipment. A similar problem arises in respect of some portable equipment such as fibreglass ladders which provide insulation, portable electric tools, and the like. Such tools are able to be borrowed from a central store by numerous authorised tradesmen who then utilize the tool on site, but may not return the tool to the central store at the end of their shift. As a consequence, if a subsequent need arises for use of the same tool, the question then arises as to where the tool is on the mine or industrial site, which may cover a very considerable area It is desirable to ensure that all such tools are returned before the tradesman, or other worker, who borrowed the tool from the central store, leaves for home at the conclusion of his shift.

Genesis of the Invention

The genesis of the present invention is a desire to prevent economic losses caused by the unavailability of equipment.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a multiple lock device holder for holding returnable locks or other like indicators, said holder comprising a body, a main rack reciprocally mounted on said body and movable in a first direction between a free position and a retention position, a plurality of hasp racks each reciprocally mounted on said body for movement in a second direction substantially transverse to said first direction between a hasp open position and a hasp closed position, said main lock and said hasp racks having an interlock means to allow movement of said hasp racks from said closed position to said open position only with said main rack in said free position, and permit movement of said main rack from said free position to said retention position only with all said hasp racks in said closed position.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above of the holder of the preferred embodiment with the main rack in the retention position and showing three personal locks retained in the holder; Fig. 2 is a perspective view from above of the holder of Fig. 1 showing the main rack In the free position and six personal locks now rendered available for use;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view from above of the holder in the condition illustrated in Fig. 1 but with the top cover removed;

Fig 4 is a view of the holder in the position illustrated in Fig. 2 but with the top cover removed;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view fiom above of the top cover;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view from the underside of the top cover;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view from below of the base plate; 1

Fig. 8 is a perspective view from above of the base plate;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the inter-engagement of the main rack and the hasp racks with the main rack in the free position;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 but showing the main rack in the retention position;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the main rack; and

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one of the hasp racks.

Detailed Description

As seen in the drawings, the holder 1 of the preferred embodiment takes the form of a top cover 2 which sits above a base plate 3 which forms the main body of the holder 1. The base plate 3 includes a loop 4 which enables the holder 1 to be secured in a fixed position, for example to a wall of a central store, or carried on a lanyard by a tradesman and used as to be described hereafter.

As best seen in Fig. 3, reciprocally mounted on the base plate 3, and extending along the longitudinal axis thereof, is a main rack 6. There are six hasp racks 7 which extend approximately at right angles to the main rack 6. As seen in Fig. 12, the main rack 6 has six slots 16 and a recess 26 located adjacent a handle 36.

As seen in Fig. 13, each of the hasp racks 7 has a cut out 17 and an arcuate bight 27. Each hasp rack 7 also has a cantilever arm 37 at the free end of which are located a ramp or barb 47 and an actuator button 57. Both the slots 16 and the cut outs 17 are in the form of flat bottom grooves and are respectively as wide as the hasp racks 7 and main rack 6 are thick, thereby enabling the hasp racks 7 and main rack 6 to inter-engage as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10.

As seen in Fig. 8, the base plate 3 has guide channels 13 and the top cover 2 has guideways 12 which together provide a reciprocal mounting for the hasp rack 7 so that the hasp rack 7 caα slide from left to right as seen in Figs. 9 and 10 and thereby move transversely to the main rack 6. Similarly, the guide channels 13 are truncated so as to provide a passageway 23 for the main rack 6. As also seen in Fig. 8, the base plate 3 has six lugs 33 over which the bights 27 can be moved so as to either open or close the bights 27.

As best seen in Fig. 6, each of the guideways 12 is provided with an elongate opening 22 through which the actuator buttons 57 pass and an indentation 42 with which the barb 47 is able to engage to form an auxiliary latch.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 3, in the initial retention position the handle 36 of the main rack 6 extends well beyond the top cover 2 and base plate 3, thereby exposing the recess 26 and giving access to the recess 26. At the commencement of the working shift, the tradesman preferably hangs the ignition keys of his motor vehicle on the recess 26 and then pushes on the handle 36 so as to move the main rack 6 out of the retention position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, and into the free position illustrated Ln Figs. 2 and 4.

As seen in Figs. 1 and 3 , in the retention position, the hasp racks 7 are positioned so that the bights 27 lie over the lugs 33. As a consequence the corresponding personal locks 70 are thereby trapped and retained within the holder 1. As seen in Figs. 3 and 10, in this position each of the cut outs 17 is engaged with the main rack 6 and is therefore unable to slide in the reciprocal mounting formed from the guideways 12 and guide channels 13.

However, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 9, if the handle 36 of the main rack 6 is pushed inwardly towards the loop 4 of the base plate 3, so each of the slots 16 of the main rack 6 is aligned with the corresponding hasp rack 7, which is therefore able to slide transversely to the main rack 6 so as to move the bight 27 away from the lugs 33. This thereby frees the. corresponding personal lock 70. This sliding action of the hasp - rack 7 can only be initiated by depressing the actuator button 7, thereby disengaging the barb 47 with the indentation 42 of the auxiliary latch and permitting the hasp racks 7 to slide from the closed position Illustrated in Fig. 3 to the open position illustrated in Fig. 4.

Thus after arriving for work at the beginning of the shift, the tradesman first secures his keys on the recess 26, pushes the handle 36 towards the loop 4, and thereby moves the main rack 6 from the retention position to the free position. In this position the ignition keys are safely held in the recess 26 and are unable to be lost.

Then, during the course of the shift, as required in order to free any one of the personal locks 7, the tradesman presses on the corresponding actuator button 57, and then slides the hasp rack 7 from the closed position into the open position thereby freeing the corresponding personal lock 70.

The personal lock 70 is then applied to the circuit breaker, valve, or the like, thereby enabling the tradesmen to work safely on the potentially hazardous equipment. When his work is completed, the personal lock 70 is removed from the circuit breaker or valve, returned to the holder 1, and re-engaged with the bight 27. Then the corresponding hasp rack 7 is moved from the open position to the closed position thereby re-securing the personal lock 70.

Even if the tradesman is tired, at the end of the shift when he needs to obtain his motor vehicle ignition keys to drive home, if any one of the personal locks 70 has not been returned, to the holder 1, then this should be plainly clear by inspection. So it is necessary for the tradesman to go and retrieve the missing personal lock, thereby preventing lhat particular circuit breaker or valve from preventing production in the following shift. Furthermore, the tradesman is not able to remove his ignition keys from the holder 1 if one or more of the hasp racks 7 are in the open position, because this open position of any one or more hasp racks 7 prevents the main rack 6 being moved into the retention position illustrated in Fig. 1 (and thereby freeing the ignition keys).

It would be possible for the tradesman to push an empty hasp rack 7 from the open position to the closed position without the corresponding personal lock 70 being trapped, and thereby free the ignition keys whilst a personal lock 70 was still installed at the end of the shift. However, there are only two circumstances in which this action is carried out. The first is if the repair has not been completed in the first shift and thus the personal lock is still required to be installed (in which case special procedures about key transfer must be made if the repair will be completed in the next shift). The second is a deliberate decision by the tradesman to disobey "the rules of the housing 1". Such a deliberate action constitutes grounds for dismissal and cannot be explained away as mere forgetfulness.

In addition to being useful in the circumstances described above in relation to personal locks for circuit breakers, valves, etc., the holder 1 is also useful for tools which are accessed from a central store. Under these conditions, the top cover 2 is labelled with the name of the tool and the tool itself is provided with a small lanyard which enables the tool to be secured in the bight 27 of a corresponding hasp rack 7. In order to remove the tool, the authorised worker pushes the main rack 6 into the free position illustrated in Fig. 2, takes the lanyard and the tool from the holder 1, and traps one of his personal locks 70 (or some other identifying device such as so called dog tags which are personnel identification devices that allow access to secured areas, etc.). Under these circumstances the holder 1 is secured to a wall or similar convenient location of the central store, and thus if anyone wishes to borrow, say, an insulating fibre glass ladder, if the ladder is not present then the identity of the tradesman who has the ladder is indicated by the holder 1. Thus the search for the item is considerably narrowed by the known area of responsibility of the identified tradesman. The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the industrial procedures arts, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, miners can use the holder 1 to identify which miner has taken which battery to power a miner's light or lamp. Similarly, the holder 1 can be used to identify which worker has taken the keys of which business vehicle and, in particular, the keys of the private vehicle owned by the worker who has taken the business vehicle, can be secured in the holder 1 as a type of ''security deposit" against the safe return of the work vehicle.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the fabricating arts that the housing 1 can be made longer or shorter, to increase or decrease respectively, the number of locks 70 able to be accommodated. Similarly, the bights 27 and recess 26 can be made with different shapes to accommodate only specific correspondingly shaped locks, tokens, keys, etc. In this way specific tools, for example a fibreglass ladder, can be restricted to a specific tradesman, or a specific group of tradesmen, for example electricians.

The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "including" or "having" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of.