Locking Device for a Shipping Container and System for Releasably Locking Container Components Together

Abstract

A locking device for a shipping container and system for redundantly locking container components together include a socket, upper and lower arms, upper and lower braces, and a clasp. The socket has upper and lower parts connected together to form a hinge at a rear of the socket with a socket cavity having an opening at a front of the socket. Also, the upper and lower arms of the device are fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts at the front of the socket. Further, the upper and lower braces of the device are fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts at the rear of the socket. The clasp is adapted to engage the socket to retain the socket and the components locked together in the assembled container.

1 . A locking device for a shipping container, comprising:
 a socket having upper and lower parts connected together to form a hinge at a rear of the socket with a socket cavity having an opening at a front of the socket, the hinge between the upper and lower parts being flexible such that the application of a squeezing action on the upper and lower parts toward each other converts the socket from an erected condition to a collapsed condition and the front opening from an opened condition to a substantially closed condition, the hinge also being biased to return the socket to the erected condition upon release of the application of the squeezing action thereon;   a front restraint structure including upper and lower arms fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts of the socket such that said upper and lower arms are spaced apart from one another but extend in a substantially common forward plane at the front of the socket and in opposite directions from the opening of the socket cavity when the socket is in the erected condition, the upper and lower arms being adapted for gripping by a user to apply the squeezing action on the upper and lower parts such that a folding action of the upper and lower arms toward one another occurs that concurrently causes the socket to convert from the erected condition to the collapsed condition; and   a rear restraint structure including upper and lower braces fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts of the socket such that said upper and lower braces are spaced apart from one another but extend in a substantially common rearward plane at and in opposite directions form the rear of the socket when the socket is in the erected condition such that the folding action of the upper and lower arms toward one another also causes a folding action of the upper and lower braces therewith toward one another concurrently as the socket is deformed from the erected condition to the collapsed condition to allow insertion and withdrawal of the socket and the upper and lower braces through a passage through components of an assembled container and with return of the socket and the upper and lower braces therewith from the collapsed condition back to the erected condition, with the socket and upper and lower braces inserted through the passage, the space between the forward plane of the upper and lower arms and the rearward plane of the upper and lower braces is sufficient to confine the components of the assembled container together.   
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the upper and lower arms are respectively disposed in substantially perpendicular relationships with said upper and lower parts of the socket. 
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the upper and lower braces are respectively disposed in substantially perpendicular relationship with the upper and lower parts of the socket. 
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the socket is made of a deformable material such that the hinge at the rear of the socket is deformable upon the application of the squeezing action to the upper and lower parts of the socket. 
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the upper arm is bifurcated such that said upper arm has a central opening formed therein. 
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 5  wherein the lower arm is aligned with the central opening in the upper arm and inserts therethrough when the upper and lower parts of the socket housing are squeezed toward each other and the socket is converted from the erected condition to the collapsed condition. 
   
   
       7 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the upper and lower parts of the socket each have forward and rearward sections, the upper and lower parts have rearward sections substantially identical to one another and integrally connected to one another to form the hinge at the rear of the socket such that the rearward sections are disposed in a substantially perpendicular relationship when the socket is in the erected condition and a substantially parallel relationship when the socket is in the collapsed condition. 
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 7  wherein the forward section of the upper part is bifurcated so as to have an opening, the forward section of the lower part being attached centrally to the rearward section of the lower part so as to align with the opening of the bifurcated forward section of the upper part such that the forward section of the lower part inserts through the opening of the forward section of the upper part when the upper and lower parts of the socket are squeezed toward each other and the socket is converted from the erected condition to the collapsed condition. 
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 8  wherein the upper arm is also bifurcated so as to have an opening aligned with the opening of the forward section of the upper part of the socket. 
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a clasp adapted to be fitted into and released from the cavity of the socket through the front opening thereof, the clasp fitting into the socket cavity in a close fitting relationship therewith preventing the socket from being deformed from the erected condition to the collapsed condition.   
   
   
       11 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the clasp is connected on a side of the upper arm and is swingable toward and away from the front opening of the socket. 
   
   
       12 . The device of  claim 10  wherein the clasp includes a lip portion located on the front of the clasp and the clasp has a hollow cavity behind the lip portion to allow for insertion of a finger tip to pry outward to release the clasp from the socket. 
   
   
       13 . The device of  claim 10  further comprising:
 a plurality of engageable elements on the socket and clasp that fit together when the clasp is fitted into the cavity of the socket so as to releasably retain the clasp in the socket cavity.   
   
   
       14 . The device of  claim 13  wherein the plurality of engageable elements releasably snap fit together. 
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 13  wherein the plurality of engageable elements on the socket and clasp are in the form of engaging pins on upper and lower portions of one of the clasp and the upper and lower parts of the socket. 
   
   
       16 . The device of  claim 15  wherein the engaging pins of the socket and clasp snap fit with edges of slots formed in upper and lower portions of the other of the clasp and the upper and lower parts of the socket. 
   
   
       17 . A system for releasably locking container components together, comprising:
 a pair of components fittable together to provide an assembled container, the components each having a plurality of openings which align with the plurality of openings of the other to define passages through the assembled container; and   a plurality of locking devices each insertable into a respective one of the passages through the assembled container, each locking device including
 a socket with spaced front and rear restraint structures, the socket and front and rear restraint structures being convertible between a collapsed condition in which the socket and rear restraint structure are installable through the one passage and an erected condition after installing the socket through the one passage, the rear restraint structure along an inner side of the assembled container adjacent to the one passage, and the front restraint structure along an outer side of the assembled container adjacent to the one passage; and 
 a clasp adapted to engage the socket to retain the socket with the spaced front and rear restraint structures in the erected condition, and the components locked together in the assembled container, with the socket filling the one passage and the front and rear restraint structures respectively positioned along the inner and outer sides of assembled container adjacent to the one passage retaining the components together in the assembled container. 
   
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17  wherein said socket of each locking device includes upper and lower parts connected together to form a hinge at a rear of the socket with a socket cavity having an opening at a front of the socket, the hinge between the upper and lower parts being flexible such that the application of a squeezing action on the upper and lower parts toward each other converts the socket from an erected condition to a collapsed condition and the front opening from an opened condition to a substantially closed condition, the hinge also being biased to return the socket to the erected condition upon release of the application of the squeezing action thereon. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein said front restraint structure includes upper and lower arms fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts of the socket such that said upper and lower arms are spaced apart from one another but extend in a substantially common forward plane at the front of the socket and in opposite directions from the opening of the socket cavity when the socket is in the erected condition, the upper and lower arms being adapted for gripping by a user to apply the squeezing action on the upper and lower parts such that a folding action of the upper and lower arms toward one another occurs that concurrently causes the socket to convert from the erected condition to the collapsed condition. 
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 19  wherein said rear restraint structure includes upper and lower braces fixedly connected to the upper and lower parts of the socket such that said upper and lower braces are spaced apart from one another but extend in a substantially common rearward plane at and in opposite directions form the rear of the socket when the socket is in the erected condition such that the folding action of the upper and lower arms toward one another also causes a folding action of the upper and lower braces therewith toward one another concurrently as the socket is deformed from the erected condition to the collapsed condition to allow insertion and withdrawal of the socket and the upper and lower braces through the passage in the assembled container and with return of the socket and the upper and lower braces therewith from the collapsed condition back to the erected condition, with the socket and upper and lower braces inserted through the opening, the space between the forward plane of the upper and lower arms and the rearward plane of the upper and lower braces is sufficient to confine the components of the assembled container together.