Abstract
A lockable anti-theft device for a camper jack is provided. The lockable anti-theft device includes a blocking faceplate and a bar insert. The blocking faceplate includes a central plate connected to a pair of side plates. The central plate includes a blocking element configured to block access to a manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism of the camper jack. The bar insert includes a primary bar and a secondary bar connected to the primary bar. The primary bar includes a locking hole configured to allow a mechanical lock to removably retain the blocking faceplate relative to the bar insert in a locked position. The lockable anti-theft device for the camper jack is configured to prevent the unauthorized person (thief) from stealing the camper by blocking access to the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism of the camper jack.
Claims
1. A lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) for a camper jack (10), comprising: a blocking faceplate (120) comprising a central plate (122) connected to a pair of side plates (125), wherein each of the side plates (125) comprises a through hole (126), and the central plate (122) comprises a blocking element (124) configured for blocking access to a raising and lowering mechanism (20) of the camper jack (10); a bar insert (140) removably connected to the blocking faceplate (120), wherein the bar insert (140) comprises a primary bar (142) and a secondary bar (144) connected to the primary bar (142); wherein the primary bar (142) is dimensioned to pass through the through holes (126) of the pair of side plates (125), and the secondary bar (144) is configured to limit further movement of the primary bar (142) relative to the through holes (126) of the pair of side plates (125); and wherein the primary bar (142) comprises a locking hole (143) that is configured to allow a mechanical lock (150) to removably retain the blocking faceplate (120) relative to the bar insert (140) in a locked position.
2. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the raising and lowering mechanism (20) is a manually controllable raising and lowering mechanism (20).
3. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 2, wherein the manually controllable raising and lowering mechanism (20) is selected from a group of mechanisms consisting of a control button, a crank socket, a knob, a crank arm, and a switch.
4. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the pair of side plates (125) are arranged substantially perpendicular relative to the central plate (122).
5. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the central plate (122) and the pair of side plates (125) are integrally or removably connected to define the shape of the blocking faceplate (120).
6. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the blocking element (124) is shaped depending on the shape of the adjustable raising/lowering mechanism (20) of the camper jack (10).
7. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the blocking element (124) is a shaft configured to removably move inside a female orifice (21) located on the adjustable raising/lowering mechanism (20) of the camper jack (10).
8. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the blocking element (124) comprises a hole formed within a shaft to surround a male protrusion (22) of the adjustable raising/lowering mechanism (20) of the camper jack (10).
9. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the male protrusion (22) is a hex nut.
10. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the primary bar (142) and the secondary bar (144) are connected to one another to define a substantially L-shaped bar insert (140).
11. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the mechanical lock (150) is selected from a group of locks consisting of a physical key lock, an electronic key lock, a combination lock, a padlock, a fingerprint lock, a RFID card, and a keycard lock.
12. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 1, wherein the blocking faceplate (120) comprises an exterior depression (123) formed on an outer surface of the blocking faceplate (120).
13. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 12, wherein the exterior depression (123) and the blocking element (124) are configured to prevent an unauthorized person from accessing the adjustable raising and lowering mechanism (20) of the camper jack (10).
14. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of claim 12, wherein the central plate (122) and the pair of side plates (125) are connected to define the substantially U-shaped blocking faceplate (120).
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a first-perspective view of a lockable anti-theft device for a camper jack, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates a second perspective view of the lockable anti-theft device of FIG. 1;
[0029] FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the lockable anti-theft device of FIG. 1;
[0030] FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the lockable anti-theft device of FIG. 1;
[0031] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a lockable anti-theft device for a camper jack, according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the lockable anti-theft device of FIG. 1 in a locked position relative to the camper jack, according to another embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the lockable anti-theft device of FIG. 1 in a locked position relative to the camper jack, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of a lockable anti-theft device for a camper jack, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of the lockable anti-theft device of FIG. 8 in a locked position relative to the camper jack, according to another embodiment of the present invention; and
[0036] FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the lockable anti-theft device of FIG. 8 in a locked position relative to the camper jack, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of components or processes, which constitutes a lockable anti-theft device for a camper jack. Accordingly, the components or processes have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific component-level details and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
[0038] Some embodiments, illustrating its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words comprising, having, containing, and including, and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms a, an, and the include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although any methods, and systems similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments, the preferred methods, and systems are now described. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary.
[0039] References to one embodiment, an embodiment, another embodiment, one example, an example, another example and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase in an embodiment does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The words comprising, having, containing, and including, and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open-ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.
[0040] The lockable anti-theft device for the camper jack will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, particularly FIGS. 1-10.
[0041] FIGS. 1-4 and FIG. 6 illustrate a perspective views, a top view, and an exploded view of a lockable anti-theft device 100 for a camper jack 10, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The lockable anti-theft device 100 is configured to prevent the unauthorized person (e.g. a thief) from stealing the camper (not shown in figures) by blocking access to a manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (FIG. 6) of the camper jack 10 (FIG. 6). The lockable anti-theft device 100 comprises a blocking faceplate 120 removably connected to a bar insert 140, the entirety of which will be described in greater detail in below description.
[0042] It should be understood that the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (FIG. 6) comprises any means that is configured to increase or decrease the overall height of the camper jack 10 (FIG. 6). The manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (FIG. 6) may include but not limited to a control button, a crank socket, a knob, a crank arm, a switch and so on.
[0043] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the blocking faceplate 120 includes a central plate 122 and a pair of side plates 125 arranged substantially perpendicular relative to the central plate 122. The central plate 122 and the pair of side plate 125 are integrally (permanently) connected (formed) to define the shape of the blocking faceplate 120. In another embodiment (not shown in figures), the central plate 122 is removably connected to the pair of side plates 125. The blocking faceplate 120 is made from a material having sufficient strength and rigidity such as but not limited to metals such as iron, steel, etc., or hard plastics such as polycarbonate, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, and so on.
[0044] The central plate 122 comprises a blocking (obscuration) element 124 that is configured to block unauthorized user access to the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (FIG. 6) (control interface 20) for raising or lowering a camper jack 10 (FIG. 6). In various embodiments, the blocking element 124 may have various shapes and/or sizes such as but not limited to polygon, cylinder and so on depending on the shape of the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (FIG. 6) (control interface 20) of the camper jack 10 (FIG. 6). In an embodiment as seen in FIGS. 1-4, the blocking element 124 is a shaft that is configured to removably move inside a female orifice 21 (seen in FIG. 10) such as but not limited to a crank socket and so on of the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (FIG. 6) of the camper jack 10 (FIG. 6). In an embodiment as seen in FIGS. 5-6, a blocking element 124 comprises a hole formed within a shaft to surround (cover) a male protrusion 22 (a hex nut) of the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 of the camper jack 10.
[0045] Each side plate 125 comprises a through hole 126 that is configured to allow the bar insert 140 to pass through. In an embodiment as seen in FIGS. 1-4, the through holes 126 of the pair of side plates 125 are identical in shape and size. In another embodiment (not shown in figures), the through holes 126 of the pair of side plates 125 are different from one another in shape and/or size.
[0046] Referring again to FIGS. 1-4, the bar insert 140 comprises a primary bar 142 and a secondary bar 144 connected to one another to define a substantially L-shaped bar insert 140. The primary bar 142 is dimensioned to move (slidably pass) through the through holes 126 of the pair of side plates 125. The secondary bar 144 is configured to act as a shoulder stop and the secondary bar 144 limits (prevents) further movement of the primary bar 142 relative to the through holes 126 of the pair of side plates 125. The primary bar 142 comprises a locking hole 143 that is configured to allow a mechanical lock 150 (FIGS. 9-10) to removably retain (lock) the blocking faceplate 120 relative to the bar insert 140 in a locked position as seen in FIGS. 1-3. The bar insert 140 is made from a material having sufficient strength and rigidity such as but not limited to: metals such as iron, steel, etc, and hard plastics such as polycarbonate, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, and so on.
[0047] The mechanical lock 150 (FIGS. 9-10) is any conventional fastening device known in the art. The mechanical lock 150 (FIGS. 9-10) may include but is not limited to a physical key lock, an electronic key lock, a combination lock, a padlock, a fingerprint lock, a RFID card, a keycard lock, and so on. The mechanical lock 150 (FIGS. 9-10) is configured to be unlocked as well as locked only by authorized users by using a lock opening method/technique known in the art.
[0048] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the lockable anti-theft device 100 in a locked position relative to the camper jack 10, according to another embodiment of the present invention. As seen in FIG. 6, the camper jack 10 is substantially cuboidal shaped in nature and the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 of the camper jack 10 comprises a male protrusion 22 (hex nut) that is configured to be engaged with a standard mating tool such as but not limited to female adapter and so on for raising or lowering the camper jack 10.
[0049] When the lockable anti-theft device 100 is in the locked position as seen in FIG. 6, the blocking element 124 that is a hole formed within a shaft, is configured to surround (cover) the male protrusion 22 (hex nut) of the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 of the camper jack 10. The authorized user can remove the mechanical lock 150 (FIGS. 9-10) from the locking hole 143 and then afterward, disconnect the bar insert 140 from the blocking faceplate 120 to unlock the lockable anti-theft device 100, wherein in the unlocked position, the authorized user can access the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 of the camper jack 10. Thus, only the authorized user that can open the mechanical lock 150 (FIGS. 9-10) can raise or lower the camper (not shown in figures) by accessing the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20) of the camper jack 10.
[0050] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the lockable anti-theft device 100 in a locked position relative to the camper jack 10 (FIG. 6), according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. As seen in FIG. 7, the lockable anti-theft device 100 comprises a blocking faceplate 120 and a bar insert 140. The blocking faceplate 120 is similar to the blocking faceplate 120 of FIG. 1-4 except the addition of an exterior depression 123 formed on an outer surface of the blocking faceplate 120. The exterior depression 123 as well as the blocking (obscuration) element 124 is configured to prevent unauthorized persons from accessing the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20) of the camper jack 10.
[0051] FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of a lockable anti-theft device 200, according to another embodiment of the present invention. The lockable anti-theft device 200 is similar to lockable anti-theft device 100 except for the geometric modifications of the blocking faceplate. The lockable anti-theft device 200 comprises a U-shaped blocking faceplate 120 and a bar insert 140. As seen in FIG. 8, the central plate 122 and the pair of side plate 125 are connected to define the substantially U-shaped blocking faceplate 120. The U-shaped blocking faceplate 120 is primarily suited for cylindrical shaped camper jack 10 (FIG. 9), however, the U-shaped blocking faceplate 120 could also be utilized for other shapes of camper jacks 10 such as but not limited to: polygon shape (FIG. 6) and so on.
[0052] FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of the lockable anti-theft device 200 in a locked position relative to the camper jack 10, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. As seen in FIG. 9, the U-shaped blocking faceplate 120 is removably locked to the bar insert 140 using the mechanical lock 150, thereby preventing access to the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20) of the camper jack 10. As further seen in FIG. 9, the camper jack 10 is substantially cylindrical shaped in nature and the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 of the camper jack 10 comprises a male protrusion 22 (hex nut) that is configured to be engaged with a standard mating tool such as but not limited to: female adapter and so on for raising or lowering the camper jack 10. The authorized user can access the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20) of the camper jack 10 by merely repeating the steps earlier described in reference to FIG. 6 with little to no variation.
[0053] FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of the lockable anti-theft device 200 in a locked position relative to the camper jack 10, according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. As seen in FIG. 10, the blocking element 124 of the central plate 122 is a shaft that is removably fitted (slide) inside the female orifice 21 such as but not limited to: the crank socket and so on of the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 of the camper jack 10.
[0054] When the lockable anti-theft device 200 is in the locked position as seen in FIG. 10, the blocking element 124 which is a shaft, is removably fitted (slide) inside the female orifice 21 of the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 of the camper jack 10. The authorized user can remove the mechanical lock 150 from the locking hole 143 and then afterward, disconnect the bar insert 140 from the blocking faceplate 120 to unlock the lockable anti-theft device 100, wherein in the unlocked position, the authorized user can access the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 of the camper jack 10. Thus, only authorized user that can open the mechanical lock 150 (FIGS. 9-10) can raise or lower the camper (not shown in figures) by accessing the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20) of the camper jack 10.
[0055] The bar insert 140 of the lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) according to FIGS. 1-10 is substantially L-shaped in nature. However, it should be understood that the bar insert 140 of the lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) can have other shapes such as but not limited to: circular shape, semi-circular shape, triangle shape, square shape, rectangle shape, hexagon shape, octagon shape, and so on depending on the design requirement of the camper jack 10. Similarly, it should be understood that the blocking faceplate 120 of the lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) can have any other shapes not shown in FIGS. 1-10 such as but not limited to: circular shape, triangle shape, square shape, rectangle shape, hexagon shape, octagon shape, and so on. Broadly speaking, the shape and size of the blocking faceplate 120 and the bar insert 140 could vary depending on the design requirement of the camper jack 10. The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) according to FIGS. 1-10 includes two components that is one blocking faceplate 120 and one bar insert 140. However, it should be understood that the lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) can have more than two components depending on the design requirement of the camper jack 10. For instance, in an exemplary embodiment, the lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) could include two blocking faceplates 120 and one bar insert 140. For instance, in another exemplary embodiment, the lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) could include one blocking faceplate 120 and two bar inserts 140. Thus, an authorized user can customize or choose a lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) that better suits the design requirement of the camper jack 10.
[0056] The various components and parts of the various embodiments of the lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of the present invention are similar and interchangeable. It is obvious to the one skilled in the art that the various components, and parts of the lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) for camper jack 10 of one embodiment of the present invention could be considered for other embodiments with little or no variation.
[0057] The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of the present invention according to FIGS. 1-10 is primarily intended for camper jack 10, wherein the vehicles could include but not limited to: off-road vehicles such as trucks, SUVs, jeeps and so on as well as daily commuting vehicles such as cars, van and so on. However, it should be understood that the lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) for camper jack 10 could be useful for locking any component such as but not limited to: doors, windows, vehicles like bicycles, lockers, desks, drawers, refrigerators, safety deposit box, prisons, equipment safety and so on.
[0058] The lockable anti-theft device (100, 200) of the present invention according to FIGS. 1-10 is intended for manual, semi-automatic, and automatic camper jacks 10. In the case of manual camper jacks 10, the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 could include manual adjustment means such as but not limited to: a crank socket, a knob, a crank arm, and so on. In the case of semi-automatic camper jacks 10, the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 could include manual control means such as but not limited to: a control button, a control lever, a switch and so on. In the case of automatic camper jacks 10, the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 could include any backup means of adjustment included in the event of fully automatic camper jack failure, such as but not limited to: crank knob switch, control button and so on.
[0059] In various embodiments as seen in FIGS. 1-10, the primary bar 142 of the bar insert 140 is configured to slidably move inside the through holes 126 of the pair of side plates 125 in a specific direction to removably retain (lock) the blocking faceplate 120 relative to the bar insert 140 in the locked position and vice versa. However, in other embodiments (not shown in figures) of the present invention, the bar insert 140 is configured to rotate in a specific direction relative to the blocking faceplate 120 to removably retain (lock) the blocking faceplate 120 relative to the bar insert 140 in the locked position and vice versa.
[0060] In various embodiments as seen in FIGS. 1-10, the blocking (obscuration) element (124, 124) is configured to block unauthorized user access to the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20) for raising or lowering a camper jack 10. As seen in FIGS. 1-10, the blocking element 124 is in the form of a shaft and the blocking element 124 is in the form of a hole formed within a shaft. In another embodiment (not shown in figures) of the present invention, the blocking element (124, 124) is a flat surface that does not include any shaft or hole, wherein the flat surface type blocking element (124, 124) is configured to block unauthorized user access to the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20) for raising or lowering a camper jack 10.
[0061] In yet another embodiment (not shown in figures) of the present invention, the blocking element (124, 124) allows unauthorized user access to the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20) for raising or lowering a camper jack 10 and simultaneously (at the same time), the blocking element (124, 124) prevents rotation of the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20), thereby not allowing unauthorized person to raise or lower the camper (not shown in figures) by rotating the manually adjustable raising/lowering mechanism 20 (control interface 20).
[0062] It should be understood according to the preceding description of the present invention that the same is susceptible to changes, modifications and adaptations, and that the said changes, modifications and adaptations fall within scope of the appended claims.
