GB2371596A

GB2371596A - Improvements in and relating to lockable storage containers

Info

Publication number: GB2371596A
Application number: GB0101887A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Charles Remnant
Original assignee: NEWSPACE CONTAINERS Ltd; STEELSPACE CONTAINERS Ltd
Current assignee: NEWSPACE CONTAINERS Ltd; STEELSPACE CONTAINERS Ltd
Priority date: 2001-01-25
Filing date: 2001-01-25
Publication date: 2002-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2021-01-25
Also published as: GB0101887D0; GB2371596B

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO LOCKABLE STORAGE CONTAINERS This invention relates to lockable storage containers of the type typically used on building sites etc. to provide security for materials and tools and in particular this invention relates to storage containers of the type which may be transported on the back of a lorry.

Storage containers of the aforementioned type have to be sufficiently robust to withstand attacks from thieves or vandals when the site in which they have been temporarily installed is unattended, e. g. at night or at the weekend.

Such storage containers therefore necessarily have to be robust and include locking mechanisms that may include large hasps and staples etc. which have to be disconnected by e. g. rotating the hasp about a vertical axis once a padlock has been removed from the staple, or some such other generally robust mechanism used as security for the door of the container. Examples can be found in GB 2245017 which discloses an anti-tamper hinge and GB 2309738 which discloses a door latching mechanism for such containers in the form of a"cat flap".

A problem with the foregoing kinds of containers and security systems therefor is that locking and unlocking can be physically demanding and with the various moving parts

it is relatively easy to e. g. pinch fingers or break nails, thereby making the opening and closing of such containers sometimes hazardous. The present invention is derived from the realisation that it would be advantageous to provide a container with openable doors which, whilst being sufficiently secure, nevertheless obviates the risk of injury to a user thereof whilst also simplifying the locking and unlocking procedures involved.

According to the invention there is provided a rectilinear storage container having an openable end defining a frame for receiving first and second doors hinged at respectively opposite sides of the frame so as to be outwardly openable centrally, the first door being arranged to be closed first and opened last relative to the second door, the second door including a door latching mechanism fixed for rotation on a pivotable shaft adjacent to the leading edge of the door parallel to but remote from the hinged edge, the pivotable shaft being mounted on the inside of the second door relative to the outside of the container when the second door is shut, a lock secured for rotation with the pivotable shaft and an associated handle portion extending through an aperture in the second door and by which handle portion the lock and hence the pivotable shaft may be swivelled through substantially 90 degrees, the lock being co-operable with an internal lock keep mounted on or in the second door for selectively locking and unlocking the lock

relative thereto, and at least one locking lever fixed to and extending from the pivotable shaft, the or each locking lever being co-operable with a respective locking formation on or in the door frame, the arrangement being such that when the lock is in its locked position relative to the internal lock keep the or each locking lever co-operates with its respective locking formation on or in the frame to releasably lock the second door relative thereto, and when the lock is unlocked and rotated via the handle portion outwardly the or each locking lever becomes disengaged with its respective locking formation to thereby permit the second door to be opened outwardly relative to the frame and thereafter the first door also.

Conveniently, the lock is mounted for rotation behind a lock faceplate and both are received within an open ended lock housing within the second door, which lock housing includes a lock keep for receiving part of the lock, such as a slideable latch. The lock and attendant faceplate may therefore be selectively swivelled into the housing in order to thereafter lock the lock, faceplate and pivotable shaft in position, and when unlocked within the housing the second door may thereafter be opened through movement of the lock, faceplate and pivotable shaft via the handle and hence the or each locking lever into and out of engagement with its locking formation on or in the door frame, as the case may be.

The lock is preferably a mortice lock such that the mortice or latch thereof can be selectively moved into and out of the lock keep by means of rotation of a key.

Conveniently, the handle portion of the lock extends slightly out of the major plane of the second door whereas the lock is recessed there within in the housing such that only the handle may be directly accessed by e. g. thieves or vandals, in which case the handle itself may have weakened portion so that if a lever is used to try to open the lock the handle portion breaks instead, thereby leaving little or no purchase for the lever to be used for opening the second door or damaging the lock.

The lock housing may conveniently include a packing member, such as a steel bar, mounted immediately behind the lock in order to prevent or inhibit the lock from being smashed in by a heavy implement such as a sledge hammer.

Preferably, one or more support levers are fixed to the pivotable shaft at positions between the extreme ends thereof, which support levers are intended to bear up behind the leading edge of the first door when the second door is shut and locked to thereby prevent or inhibit a heavy object such as a sledge hammer from being used to smash the first door in, to gain entry into the container.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : Figure 1 is a front view of a storage container according to the invention, Figure 2 is a part sectional plan view of part of the locking mechanism of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a part sectional end view of the locking mechanism shown in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a part sectional front view of the locking mechanism of Figure 2, Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of part of the locking mechanism of the invention and Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of another part of the locking mechanism of the invention.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, the front end of a generally rectilinear steel storage container is shown at 1 and has four steel beams connected end-on-end to form a square frame 2 for receiving a first door 3 and a second door 4, each being openable outwardly from the centre of the frame 2 on hinges 5 on respectively opposite sides of the frame

2.

In the drawing parts 10, 11 of the locking mechanism for the container 1 are shown exposed, although in practice these parts would lie behind the second door 4.

The second door 4 includes a lock faceplate 6 having a handle portion 7 the lock faceplate 6 being set within the door 4 within a recessed housing 8 having an open front such as the lock 6 maybe accessed from the front of the container 1.

The lock 6 is fixed to a pivotable shaft 9 mounted on the rear of the second door 4, such as by welding, which shaft includes locking levers 10 at each end co-operable in a manner to be described with locking formations in the frame 2. Disposed between these locking levers 10 on either side of the lock faceplate 6 are support levers 11 which are fixed at one end to the pivotable shaft 9 and, as can be seen from the drawing, the free ends of these support levers 11 lie behind the leading edge of the first door 3 to thereby provide support in the event of an attempted forced entry by the use of a heavy implement, such as a sledge hammer.

As can be seen from Figures 2,3 and 4, a lock shown generally at 12 fixed to the lock faceplate 6 and is

received within the housing 8 to a depth sufficient that it is not flush with the front face of the door 4, although the handle portion 7, in the form of a flange, can be accessed by the hand of the user. As can be seen more clearly with reference to Figure 4, the lock 12 is in the form of a mortice lock having a slideable latch 13 engageable within a correspondingly shaped recess of a lock keep 14 in the housing 8.

As will be seen more clearly with reference to Figure 2, projecting outwardly from the inside of the housing 8 is a hasp 15 which extends through a correspondingly shaped aperture 16 in the lock faceplate 6 and has at its free end thereof a through bore 17 into which may be inserted e. g. a padlock.

In order to provide mechanical support for the lock 6 a packing piece 18 extends from the inside of the housing 8 immediately behind the lock 12 so as to prevent or inhibit the lock being smashed in by the use of a heavy object.

Operation of the locking mechanism of the invention will now be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6 which show, respectively, operation of the lock 12 the supporting levers 11 and the locking levers 10. Referring firstly to Figure 5, which shows in bold outline the doors 3,4 in their locked condition and in dotted outline the doors in

their unlocked condition. In their locked condition it will be seen that the lock 12 rests within the housing 8 and the slideable latch 13 rests within the lock keep 14 within the hasp 15 which, itself, is fixed to and extends outwardly from the inside of the housing 8.

Because the lock 12 is fixed for rotation with the pivotable shaft 9 on the faceplate 6, the shaft 9 therefore holds the support levers 11 against the edge of the door 3 to provide support in the manner as previously explained.

To release the lock 12 a key 18 is rotated anti-clockwise in a conventional manner and the handle portion 7 is then pulled to the position shown outlined, thereby releasing the lock 12 and faceplate 6 from the housing 8 and moving the support levers 11 to the position shown outlined.

Similarly, Figure 6, shows a locking lever 10 bearing up against a locking formation 9 fixed to an inside wall surface of the frame 2 adjacent an opening 20 through which the locking lever 10 is received. Rotation of the pivotable shaft 9 to the position shown in dotted outline therefore releases the locking lever 10 from its engagement with the locking formation 19 to thereby allow the second door 4 to be swung outwards and, thereafter, the first door 3.

As will be seen, because operation of the locking mechanism

to unlock the second door and the first door only requires the insertion of the key 18 and, following turning thereof and the pulling of the handle portion 7, the storage container 1 is therefore very easy to open from a closed condition. Similarly, when closure is required it is simply necessary to push the first door 3 against the frame 2 followed by the second door 4 and then a simple quarter rotation of the pivotable shaft 9 via the handle portion 7 presents the lock 12 to a position in which it can then be operated to secure the slideable latch 13 into the lock keep 14 in the hasp 15.

With very few moving parts being visible or touchable from the outside it will therefore be apparent that the invention provides a relatively safe but secure method of closing and opening the storage container 1 and in particular it has been found that users of both sexes find operation of the locking mechanism relatively easy compared to other such mechanisms.

Claims

1. A rectilinear storage container having an openable end defining a frame for receiving first and second doors hinged at respectively opposite sides of the frame so as to be outwardly openable centrally, the first door being arranged to be closed first and opened last relative to the second door, the second door including a door latching mechanism fixed for rotation on a pivotable shaft adjacent to the leading edge of the door parallel to but remote from the hinged edge, the pivotable shaft being mounted on the inside of the second door relative to the outside of the container when the second door is shut, a lock secured for rotation with the pivotable shaft and an associated handle portion extending through an aperture in the second door and by which handle portion the lock and hence the pivotable shaft may be swivelled, the lock being cooperable with an internal lock keep mounted on or in the second door for selectively locking and unlocking the lock relative thereto, and at least one locking lever fixed to and extending from the pivotable shaft, the or each locking lever being co-operable with a respective locking formation on or in the door frame, the arrangement being such that when the lock is in its locked position relative to the internal lock keep the or each locking lever co-operates with its respective locking formation on or in the frame to releasably lock the second door relative thereto, and when

the lock is unlocked and rotated via the handle portion outwardly the or each locking lever becomes disengaged with its respective locking formation to thereby permit the second door to be opened outwardly relative to the frame and thereafter the first door also.

2. A storage container according to claim 1 further characterised in that the lock is mounted for rotation behind a lock face plate and both are received within an open-ended lock housing within the second door.

3. A storage container according to claim 2 further characterised in that the lock housing includes a lock keep for receiving part of the lock.

4. A storage container according to claim 3 in which the part of the lock received in the lock keep comprises a slidable latch.

5. A storage container according to any one of claims 2 to 4 in which the lock is a mortice lock in which the mortice or latch thereof can be selectively moved into and out of the lock keep by means of rotation of a key.

6. A storage container according to any preceding claim in which the handle portion of the lock extends out of the major plane of the second door and the lock is recessed

therewithin in the lock housing.

7. A storage container according to claim 6 in which the handle includes a weakened portion which is breakable when e. g. a lever is used to try to open the lock.

8. A storage container according to any one of claims 2 to 7 in which the lock housing includes a packing member mounted behind the lock in order to prevent or inhibit the lock from being broken by a blow from a heavy implement.

9. A storage container according to any preceding claim in which one or more support levers are fixed to the pivotable shaft at positions between the extreme ends thereof, which support levers are intended to bear up behind the leading edge of the first door when the second door is shut and locked to thereby prevent or inhibit the first door from being opened by a blow from a heavy object.

10. A storage container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

11. A lock for a storage container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2 to 5.

12. A locking mechanism for a storage container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 6.