EP3351712B1 - Locking clamp for securing a gate to a fence post - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a securing clamp for securing two adjacent bodies to one another and, in particular, to a locking clamp with which, for example, a gate or a gate can be secured to a fence post, for example a pasture fence, or for example to another gate or door leaf. Such a clamp, which has the features of the preamble of claim 1, is for example from the JP 2003 284229 A known.

A clamp that is essentially comparable in terms of type is also evident from the publications US 996 339 A , US 6 990 839 B1 and WO 93/22534 A1 out, however, the tabs of the clamp of WO 93/22534 A1 have no hole for receiving the striker of a padlock. With regard to the further state of the art, reference is made to the publications at this point US 4,949,560A , DE 38 16 765 A1 and US 4,548,058 A referred.

Access gates and sliding gates with a round profile as well as gates or gates of pasture fences are often secured with the help of link chains by winding such a link chain around the gate and an adjacent post and then securing the chain with a padlock. Although link chains of this type can be made of hardened steel, they can nevertheless be destroyed or broken up by the action of mechanical force with the aid of bolt cutters, saws, crowbars, files or the like. Likewise, padlocks can be locked by force using appropriate tools be broken open even if the striker is made of hardened steel.

Furthermore, to secure two adjacent bodies to one another, for example to secure a gate on a fence post, a locking clip can be used, which has two articulated brackets, which together surround an area in their interior for receiving the two adjacent bodies. A sheet is welded to each of the brackets near its free end, which has a hole for receiving a striker of a padlock. The sheets are oriented and easily accessible from the outside in such a way that the sheets can be manipulated by mechanical force, with the result that the respective weld seam breaks or breaks.

The invention has for its object to provide a locking device with which two adjacent bodies can be secured to each other, for example a gate on a fence post, the device should be as stable as possible in order to be able to withstand the effects of mechanical force.

This object is achieved by a locking clamp with the features of claim 1 for securing two adjacent bodies to one another, in particular for securing a gate on a fence post, which has a first bracket and a second bracket, which together with the first bracket an area for Surrounding the recording of the two adjacent bodies, wherein the brackets each have a first end and a second end and are hingedly connected to one another at their first ends, so that the brackets are arranged between an open position of the locking clamp, in which the locking clamp is arranged around the two adjacent bodies can be pivoted and a closed position in which the brackets together surround the area for receiving the two adjacent bodies, each of the At its second end, the bracket forms a tab which is oriented essentially perpendicular to the second end of the respective bracket and has at least one bore, and the tabs of the bracket come to lie essentially plane-parallel to one another in the closed position, so that they are secured the shackle can be attached to a padlock with its striker in the holes in the tabs. At least one of the tabs forms an angled end section, the locking clamp being designed to be mirror-symmetrical with respect to a plane which is oriented perpendicular to the hinge axis of the locking clamp.

For example, the brackets can be made from sheet steel, preferably from hardened sheet steel, and thus be made relatively solid, as a result of which the locking clamp cannot be manipulated and / or damaged to a small extent by mechanical force. In contrast to conventional link chains, the locking clamp according to the invention thus has a greater resistance to the action of mechanical force.

In addition, the locking clip according to the invention also makes access to a padlock and in particular to its locking bracket to secure the locking clip of the locking clip to each other more difficult, since the tabs of the locking clip clips come to lie plane-parallel and at a short distance from one another in the closed position of the locking clip , so that the striker of a padlock hung in the hole of the tabs is not or hardly accessible from the outside through the gap between the two tabs. The gap which is formed in the closed position of the locking clamp between the two tabs preferably has a gap dimension which is less than the thickness of the steel sheet and in particular preferably less than half the thickness of the steel sheet from which the brackets are made. The gap is thus so small that access to the striker through the gap is prevented, for example with a bolt cutter, a lever tool or a saw. In the closed position, however, the two tabs can also lie directly against one another in plane-parallel fashion, ie without forming a gap between them, as a result of which the locking clamp offers even fewer points of attack for mechanical violence. Furthermore, due to the orientation of the tabs, the locking clamp can be secured by means of a so-called disc lock, which means that the locking clamp or the lock can be operated from the front in the usual manner like the lock cylinder in a lock case. Furthermore, the locking clamp according to the invention allows mounting on both sides, since the clamp is mirror-symmetrical with respect to a plane that is oriented perpendicular to the hinge axis of the clamp.

Preferred embodiments of the locking clamp according to the invention are described below, further embodiments also being able to be derived from the description of the figures, the dependent claims and the drawings.

According to one embodiment, it is provided that the respective bracket, including its tab, can be made from one piece. The tab and the bracket are therefore not two parts that can initially be handled separately, the first being connected to one another during production, for example by welding. Rather, it is provided according to the invention that the respective bracket including its tab can be made from one piece, for example from one and the same sheet metal blank, which is bent in shape in order to form the respective bracket together with its associated tab. Advantageously, there are no joints or joints between the tab and bracket, which generally represent easily manipulated weak points.

According to a further embodiment, the angled end section can be oriented perpendicular to the tab and thus extends essentially parallel to the second end of the respective bracket, since the tab is also oriented perpendicular to the second bracket end.

According to a preferred embodiment, it can be provided that both tabs form an angled end section, these end sections being oriented such that they protrude from the respective tabs in mutually opposite directions in the closed position of the locking clamp. The two angled end sections thus extend in the closed position of the locking clamp in a common alignment and thus cover a padlock which is suspended in the tabs or the bores thereof, which makes unauthorized access to the padlock difficult. The angled end sections thus represent effective protection for the striker of a padlock, since the angled end sections prevent access to the striker of a padlock by means of a bolt cutter.

This embodiment, in which each of the two tabs forms an angled end section, these end sections being oriented such that they protrude from the tabs in opposite directions in the closed position of the locking clamp, has also proven to be advantageous in that between the respective angled section End section and the associated bracket an intermediate space is formed, which makes it possible to hang a padlock or its locking bracket to secure the bracket of the locking clamp to each other over the two tabs in the closed position of the locking clip, so as to secure the closed position of the locking clip. The two angled end sections of the straps thus prevent a padlock that is hung over the two straps from being removed from the two straps. If, for example, only one padlock is available in a certain situation, the locking bracket of which does not fit through the holes in the two tabs, then this padlock can be hung over the two tabs in the closed position of the locking clamp in the manner described above, the two angled end sections prevent the attached padlock from being removed from the two tabs. In other words, the striker of a padlock which is hung over the two straps in this way is caught in the intermediate space which is formed between the angled end section of each flap and the second end of the respectively associated shackle.

According to a further embodiment, however, the angled end section of at least one tab can also be oriented such that it at least partially covers a free end of the other tab in the closed position of the locking clamp. For example, only one tab can have an angled end section, this angled end section extending over the entire height of the tab, so that in the closed position of the locking clamp it covers the free end of the other tab over its entire height.

According to another embodiment, however, both tabs can also have one or more angled end sections which partially cover the free end of the other tab in the closed position of the locking clamp. In this embodiment, the angled end sections of one tab preferably engage the angled end sections of the other tab, for which purpose the angled end sections of one tab are offset from the angled end sections of the other tab. Thus, the angled end portions of the two tabs in the closed position of the locking clip can preferably engage with each other in a positive-locking manner in the sense of a tongue and groove connection, whereby a possible gap between the two tabs is further increased in favor of increasing the resistance of the locking clip against external force , since the introduction of a lever tool into the gap is difficult or even impossible to pry open the locking clamp.

According to yet another embodiment, the tab of a respective bracket can have a plurality of bores, which are preferably of different sizes, the respective bores of the bracket being aligned with one another in the closed position of the locking clamp. To secure the shackles to each other, different padlocks can be used, which in particular can also have different lengths and / or different strengths of locking shackles, whereby if required, several padlocks can also be hooked in simultaneously through the holes in the two brackets, so as to provide additional security to care.

Fig. 1

eine perspektivische Darstellung einer exemplarischen Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Verriegelungsschelle zeigt.

An exemplary embodiment of a locking clamp according to the invention is explained below with reference to a single figure, wherein

Fig. 1

shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a locking clamp according to the invention.

The Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a locking clamp 10 according to the invention, with which two mutually adjacent bodies such as a gate and a fence post (not shown) can be secured to one another. For this purpose, the locking clamp 10 has a first bracket 11 and a second bracket 12 which, together with the first bracket 11, surrounds an area 14 inside for receiving two adjacent bodies. In the embodiment shown here, the first bracket 11 has an essentially U-shaped first bracket section 21 and, correspondingly, the second bracket 12 has an essentially U-shaped second bracket section 22, so that the first bracket section 21 together with the second Bracket section 22 forms an essentially oval or 0-shaped receiving area 14 for two adjacent bodies, which must be secured to one another with the locking clamp 10.

The first bracket section 21 has a first end 23 and an opposite second end 25. In a corresponding manner, the second bracket section 22 also has a first end 24 and an opposite second end 26. At their first ends 23, 24, the two brackets 11, 12 are connected to one another by means of a fork joint 15, so that they move around the joint axis 16 between an open position (not shown) in which the two second ends 25, 26 of the two bracket sections 21 , 22 further than in the Fig. 1 are spaced from one another in order to be able to put the locking clamp 10 around two mutually adjacent bodies, and that in FIG Fig. 1 shown closed position can be pivoted, in which the two bracket portions 21, 22 cooperate to form the receiving area 14 or to surround the same.

Again Fig. 1 can also be removed, the first bracket 11 also has a first tab 27, which is formed on the second end 25 of the first bracket section 21 and is oriented substantially perpendicular to the second end 25. In a corresponding manner, the second bracket 12 also has a second tab 28 which is formed on the second end 26 of the second bracket section 22 and is oriented essentially perpendicular to the second end 26. In the illustrated closed position of the locking clamp 10, the two tabs 27, 28 thus come to lie plane-parallel to one another, but are spaced apart from one another by a gap S of small size.

A through bore 32 extends through the second tab 28, and a through bore likewise extends through the first tab 27 in a corresponding manner Fig. 1 is not recognizable in the illustrated closed position of the locking clip 10, however, is aligned with the bore 32 in the second tab 28. Thus, to secure the two brackets 11, 12 to one another, a locking bracket of a padlock can be passed through the holes in the two tabs 27, 28, in order to secure the two brackets 11, 12 to one another with the aid of the padlock, which means that two bodies that are adjacent to one another , which are surrounded by the two bracket sections 21, 22, are secured directly to one another by the locking clamp 10.

In the embodiment shown, the first tab 27 forms a first angled end section 29 and, in a corresponding manner, the second tab 28 also forms a second angled end section 30. In the embodiment shown here, the two end sections 29, 30 are oriented such that, when the locking clamp 10 is in the closed position, they protrude from the two tabs 27, 28 in opposite directions and thus extend in a common alignment. The first end section 29 is thus spaced apart from the first end 25 of the first bracket section 21 by the tab 27, and in a corresponding manner the second angled end section 30 is also spaced apart from the second end 26 of the second bracket section 22 through the second tab 28. Thus, if necessary, a padlock or its striker can also be attached to one another via the two brackets 27, 28 to secure the two brackets 11, 12, since a padlock which is hung in this way via the two brackets 27, 29 is attached to the two angled end sections 29, 30 the locking clamp 10 is secured.

Contrary to the illustrated embodiment with two angled end sections, however, according to the invention only the first tab 27 can also have an angled end section which, contrary to the illustrated embodiment, is oriented such that, in the closed position of the locking clamp 10, it at least partially covers the free end of the second tab 28 covered. Although the gap S between the two tabs 27, 28 offers hardly any contact surface for a lever tool or the like anyway, in this embodiment, in which the free end of one tab 27, 28 is covered by the angled end section 30, 29 of the other tab 28, 27, the gap S from the front not accessible, as a result of which the locking clamp 10 according to the invention can be manipulated even less.

Furthermore, an embodiment is also possible in which both the first tab 27 and the second tab 28 each form one or more angled end sections which are oriented such that they at least partially cover the free end of the respective other tab 28, 27. For this purpose, the end sections of the two tabs 27, 28 are formed offset from one another in order to be able to interlock positively in the closed state of the locking clamp 10 in the sense of a toothing or a tongue and groove connection. By interlocking the end sections of the two tabs 27, 28 in this way, the security against being broken open of the locking clamp 10 is increased even further, since it can thereby be ensured that shear forces, which can occur during an attempt to pry the locking clamp 10 open, not only from the striker of a padlock but also be added by the interlocking end portions of the tabs 27, 28.

In the locking clamp 10 according to the invention, the two brackets 11, 12 including the respective tabs 27, 28 and the angled end sections 29, 30 of the tabs 27, 28 are each made from one piece. For example, each of the two brackets 11, 12 can be manufactured from a sheet metal blank by bending the same to form the respective bracket section 21, 22, the respective tab 27, 28 and the end section 29, 30. Each of the two brackets 11, 12 is thus made from one piece and is not composed of individual components, for example, which are attached to one another by welding.

Again Fig. 1 can also be seen, the locking clamp 10 according to the invention is symmetrical about a plane that is perpendicular to the hinge axis 16 of the hinge 15. Due to the symmetrical design of the locking clamp 10, the same can be used in different orientations, for example to secure a gate on a fence post, wherein in every orientation it is ensured that a padlock hung through the holes in the tabs 27, 28 can be adjusted in the desired manner hangs down. The locking clip 10 can thus be used intuitively, since the user has the option of attaching the locking clip 10 to two bodies to be secured to one another in the same way as is possible on site.

Contrary to the embodiment shown, the tab 27, 28 of each bracket 11, 12 can also have a plurality of bores, which can also be of different sizes if required. As a result, not only padlocks with different lengths or strong strikers can be used; rather, if required, several padlocks can also be hooked in simultaneously through the holes in the tabs 27, 28, in order to further increase the security force of the locking clamp if necessary.

In the embodiment shown, the two brackets 11, 12 and their bracket sections 21, 22 also have bores 33, 34 through which the locking clamp 10 can be screwed, for example to a fence post.

Reference symbol list

10th

Locking clamp

11

first bracket

12

second bracket

14

Recording area

15

joint

16

Hinge axis

21st

first bracket section

22

second bracket section

23

first end

24th

first end

25th

second end

26

second end

27th

first tab

28

second tab

29

first angled end section

30th

second angled end section

32

drilling

33

drilling

34

drilling

S

gap

Claims (6)

1. A locking bracket (10) for securing two adjacent bodies to one another, in particular for securing a gate to a fence post, having a first hoop (11) and a second hoop (12) which, together with the first hoop (11), surrounds a region (14) for receiving the two adjacent bodies, wherein the hoops (11, 12) respectively have a first end (23, 24) and a second end (25, 26), wherein they are connected to one another in an articulated manner at their first ends (23, 24) so that the hoops (11, 12) can be pivoted between an open position in which the locking bracket (10) can be arranged around the two adjacent bodies and a closed position in which the hoops (11, 12) together surround the region (14) for receiving the two adjacent bodies, wherein each of the hoops (11, 12) forms a lug (27, 28) at their second ends (25, 26), said lug (27, 28) being oriented substantially perpendicular to the second end (25, 26) and having at least one bore (32), and wherein the lugs (27, 28) of the hoops (11, 12) come to lie in a planoparallel manner with respect to one another in the closed position so that a closing hoop of a padlock can be introduced into the bores (32) of the lugs (27, 28) to secure the hoops (11, 12) to one another,
   characterized in that
   at least one of the lugs (27, 28) forms an angled end section (29, 30), with the locking bracket (10) being formed with mirror symmetry with respect to a plane which is oriented perpendicular to the joint axis (16) of the locking bracket (10).
2. A locking bracket in accordance with claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the respective hoop (11, 12), including its lug (27, 28), is produced from one piece, preferably from one and the same sheet metal blank.
3. A locking bracket in accordance with claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the angled end sections (29, 30) of the two lugs (27, 28) project in mutually opposite directions therefrom in the closed position of the locking bracket (10).
4. A locking bracket in accordance with claim 1,
   characterized in that
   at least the angled end section (29, 30) of a lug (27, 28) at least partly covers a free end of the other lug (28, 27) in the closed position of the locking bracket (10).
5. A locking bracket in accordance with claim 4,
   characterized in that
   the angled end sections (29, 30) of the two lugs (27, 30) respectively form a toothed arrangement having at least one tooth, with the teeth of the two lugs (27, 28) being in engagement with one another in the closed position of the locking bracket (10).
6. A locking bracket in accordance with at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that
   the lug (27, 28) of each hoop (11, 12) has a plurality of bores (32) which are preferably of different sizes, with the respective bores (32) of the hoops (11, 12) being aligned with one another in the closed position of the locking bracket (10).

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