US3927792A

US3927792A - Container having controlled access to the interior thereof

Info

Publication number: US3927792A
Application number: US501815A
Authority: US
Inventors: Eugen J Andrade; Eugene J Andrade
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-08-29
Filing date: 1974-08-29
Publication date: 1975-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-23

Abstract

A container having a housing enclosing an interior compartment and having a pair of entrance openings communicating with the compartment; a pair of closures individual to the openings mounted on the housing for movement to and from closed positions in covering relation to their respective openings; and a pair of locks, responsive to preselected stimuli, individual to the closures and operable for locking engagement with the housing when their respective closures are in closed positions.

Description

United States Patent (191 Andrade et a1.

[ CONTAINER HAVING CONTROLLED ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR THEREOF [76] Inventors: Eugen J. Andrade, 7511 W.

Doverwood Ave, Fresno, Calif. 93705; Eugene J. Andrade, 151 1 W. Doverglood Ave.

[22] Filed: Aug. 29, 1974 [21] Appl. N0.: 501,815

232/43.4 [51] Int. Cl. B65D 55/14 [58] Field of Search 220/200, 210, 18, 336,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,755,748 7/1956 Abell, .Ir. 109/52 Dec. 23, 1975 Voitas et al 220/336 X Van lperen 215/207 Primary ExaminerGeorge T. Hall Attorney, Agent, or FirmHuebner & Worrel [57] ABSTRACT A container having a housing enclosing an interior compartment and having a pair of entrance openings communicating with the compartment; a pair of closures individual to the openings mounted on the housing for movement to and from closed positions in covering relation to their respective openings; and a pair of locks, responsive to preselected stimuli, individual to the closures and operable for locking engagement with the housing when their respective closures are in closed positions.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 CONTAINER HAVING CONTROLLED ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR THEREOF BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a container and more particularly to such a container which is adapted for use at construction sites to prevent the theft of blueprints, building plans and the like while making such articles available to both building inspectors and construction supervisors at their convenience by the use of locking mechanisms responsive to reselected stimuli.

State and local building codes commonly require frequent periodic inspection and approval by govemment building inspectors of public and private construction, with reference to the building plans, at various successive stages before construction is permitted to continue to the next stage. Since building inspectors must normally inspect construction for approval at a plurality of construction sites during a given day unavoidably resulting in delays, it is difficult for construction supervisors and the building inspectors to arrange specific dates and times on which the building plans will be made available for such inspection and approval.

This difficulty is compounded by the fact that construction supervisors, engineers and other supervisory personnel must have ready access to the construction plans. Yet, such supervisory personnel are frequently required to be present at a number of construction sites at various times during a given day. Because of the demands upon such personnel, it is difficult or impossible for a reliable time schedule to be arranged for meetings with building inspectors to make such plans available. Thus, frequently building inspectors arrive at a construction site, are not able to locate the plans and so must leave without providing the required approval. The delays resulting from such circumstances are not only aggravating but also expensive disrupting times schedules and detracting from the efficient use of per sonnel.

In view of these difficulties, often such building plans, blueprints and the like are simply hidden at construction sites when the supervisory personnel are required to leave the site. This makes the plans difficult for building inspectors to locate and yet frequently results in the theft of such plans thereby interfering with construction at the sites.

Therefore, it has long been recognized that it would be desirable to have the capability of preserving building plans, blueprints and the like at construction sites against theft while making such plans available for use by building inspectors and supervisory personnel at separate and individually convenient times so as to preclude delay as a result of obtaining the required approval of construction by building inspectors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container having controlled access to the interior thereof.

Another object is to provide such a container which is operable to insure that no unnecessary delays are encountered in obtaining the approval, required by building codes, of construction by building inspectors at construction sites.

Another object is to provide such a container which can be employed to prevent the theft of building plans, blueprints and the like from construction sites.

Another object is to provide such a container which has one entrance adapted for use by building inspectors and another entrance adapted for use by supervisory personnel.

Another object is to provide such a container which uses a pair of locking mechanisms operable by separate and distinct stimuli to provide a degree of control over access to the interior of the container not heretofore available in prior art devices.

Another object is to provide such a container which can be adapted to mount a variety of types of locking mechanisms such as those operable by keys, combinations dials, pass cards and other stimuli.

Anoter object is to provide such a container which permits all building inspectors in a given locality to be issued identical keys capable of opening corresponding entrances of all such containers at construction sites.

Another object is to provide such a container which permits the use by supervisory personnel of virtually any lock for sealing the entrance to the container adapted for their use so as to provide a breadth of control over what persons, other than building inspectors, are permitted access to the interior of the container.

Another object is to provide such a container which can be mounted on any available structure at a construction site in an area of ready visibility for identification by building inspectors and supervisory personnel and which is sealed to preclude the damage or destruction of the contents thereof as a result of inclement weather conditions.

A further object is to provide such a container which is of such construction as to permit repeated use at various construction sites without modification.

Further objects and advantages are to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is dependable, economical, durable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container embodying the principles of the present invention mounted on a supporting member fragmentarily shown in dashed lines.

FIG. 2 is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical section of the container.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken at a position indicated by line 3--3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section taken at a position indicated by line 4-4 in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring with greater particularity to the drawing, the container of the present invention is generally indicatcd by the numeral I0 in FIG. I. The container is shown therein attached to the structural member II. The member can be any suitable and convenient struc ture, such as a post, stud, or the like which is in position at the construction site.

The container I0 has an elongated tubular housing 15, having opposite ends 16, and is constructed of any suitable substance such as metal, plastic or the like. The housing has an exterior surface I7 and an interior surface 18 enclosing an interior compartment, or chamber I9 for the container. The housing is formed so that one opposite end circumscribes a first entrance, or access opening 20 and the other opposite end circum scribes a second entrance, or access opening 21. The housing can, ofcourse, be of any convenient size. How ever. a length and diameter convenient for the insertion of standard size blueprints, building plans and the like is preferred.

The opposite end 16 circumscribing the second access opening 21 is inwardly bent to form an annular flange 26. An annular seal 27 is affixed to the end wardly facing surface of the flange. An annular seal 28 is secured on the interior surface 18 of the housing concentric thereto and endwardly spaced from the opposite end 16. A stop 29 is fastened on the interior surface 18 of the housing at a predetermined position adjacent to seal 28, as shown in FIG. 2.

A pair of pivotally interconnected

hinge plates

35 and 36 are mounted on the exterior surface 17 of the opposite end 16 of the housing 15 adjacent to the first access opening opposite the stop 29. Hinge plate 36 mounts a first closure or door 37 having a diameter adapted for receipt within the first access opening in sealing engagement with the annular seal 28. Hinge plate is mounted on the housing and hinge plate 36 on the door by rivets 38.

A suitable locking assembly 39 is mounted on and extended through the door adjacent to the periphery thereof opposite the hinge plates. The lock assembly mounts a catch 40 operable for locking engagement with the stop 29, as best shown in FIG. 2. It will be apparent that the specific locking assembly employed can be of any type designed for operation by virtually any preselected stimulus. For example, those locking assemblies operable by stimuli such as keys, combination dials, pass cards and the like can be employed. However, the locking assembly is preferably of the type adapted to receive a key 41, having a substantially cylindrical insertion portion 42 with projections 43 so as to make more difficult the picking of the locking assembly or the copying of the key.

A pair of pivotally interconnected hinge plates 45 and 46 are mounted on the exterior surface 17 of the tubular housing 15' at the opposite end 16 thereof circumscribing the second access opening 21. Hinge plate 46 mounts a second closure or door 47 adapted to abut the annular seal 27 borne by the flange 26, when the door is in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 2. The hinge plate 45 is mounted on the housng and the hinge plate 46 mounted on the door by suitble rivets 48. A flange 49 integrally extends in coplanar relation from the periphery of the door 47 remote from the hinge plates. An angled bracket 50 is mounted by rivets 51 on the housing opposite the hinge plates 45 and 46 so as to be disposed in juxtaposition with the flange 49 when the door is in a closed position, as best shown in FIG. 2. The flange and bracket are pierced by

block receiving passages

52 and 53 respectively which are axially aligned when the door is in the closed position, As shown in FIG. 2, a suitable padlock 54 is received in locked relation extended through the passages.

The container 10 is adapted to be mounted on the structural member I] by a mounting assembly 60. The mounting assembly has a base plate 61, having opposite ends 62, secured on the exterior surface 17 of the tubular housing 15 substantially centrally thereof by rivets 63 with the opposite ends individually extending toward the opposite ends 16 of the housing 15. A hinged angle bracket 64 is pivotally mounted on one end of the base plate. The bracket has a nail hole 65 extending therethrough and a slot 66, of predetermined size and position, extending through the remote end thereof. A hinge plate 67 is pivotally mounted on the opposite end 62 of the base plate and has an endwardly extending tongue 68 adapted for insertion in the slot 66 of the angle bracket. The tongue has a lock receiving passage 69 extending therethrough and is adapted to receive a suitable padlock 70. As best shown in FIG. 3, the mounting assembly is adapted to be secured on the structural member 11 by the driving of a nail 71 through the nail hole 65 to support the mounting assembly and attached tubular housing 15 on the structural member.

OPERATION The operation of the described embodiment of the subject invention is believed to be clearly apparent and is briefly summarized at this point. As previously noted, the container 10 is mounted on any suitable structural member 11 at a construction site. Preferably, a structural member is selected which is readily visible to anyone coming onto the site. The container is moutned so as to be substantially immovable and is of a configuration preventing the mounting assembly 60 from simple being slidably removed once mounted in position. Thus, the stud of a wall under construction is excellently suited for the purpose. Preferably, a member is selected which is of a size adapted to be snugly fitted within the mounting assembly. However, if no such structural member is available a suitable object 72, such as a block of wood, can be inserted between the base plate 61 of the assembly and the structural member 11 so as to provide such a snug fit.

The assembly 60 is, of course, mounted on the member 11 by simply pivotally separating the angle bracket and

binge plate

64 and 67 respectively by removal of the tongue 68 from the slot 66 to admit the structural member therebetween and thereafter reinserting the tongue in the slot. The bracket and plate are then again locked in engagement by insertion of the padlock 70 through the passage 69 of the tongue. A nail 71 may be driven through the nail hole 65 of the bracket and into the member so as vertically to support the assembly and tubular housing 15 on the member, as shown in FIG. 1.

Thereafter the container 10 is simply left in position at the construction site during all phases of construction for use as needed. When supervisory personnel leave the construction site, the blueprints, construction plans, and the like are inserted in the interior 19 of the housing 15. This is accomplished by unlocking the padlock 54 to permit opening of the second door 47 for insertion of the plans. Subsequently, the door is simply repositioned in the closed position and locked using the padlock.

Subsequently, a building inspector is free to come to the construction site at his convenience and without the necessity of a prearranged time for inspection and approval of construction to that stage. The first door 37' is opened by insertion of the key 41 into the locking assembly 39 to pivot the catch 40 past the stop 29 to permit opening of the first door. The construction plans are then simply withdrawn from the interior 19 of the housing 15 for inspection and approval. Subsqucntly the plans are reinserted in the interior of the housing and the locking assembly again employed in combination with the key to lock the first door in the closed position shown in PK]. 2.

It should be noted that the most practical and convenient method for using the containers of the present invention calls for the issuance of identical keys to all building inspectors in a given locality and the use of identical locking assemblies 39, operable only by that key, on all such containers. Thus, building inspectors do not have to maintain a plurality of keys and confusion as to which keys are to be used is avoided.

Since the

padlocks

54 and 70 can be selected at the preference of the supervisory personnel, the personnel maintain control over admission to the interior of the container by other than building inspectors as well as control over removal of the container from the structural member 11.

Although such containers 10 may be exposed to adverse weather conditions in use, the annular seals 27 and 28 provide substantially fluid-tight sealing of the containers. Thus, construction plans are preserved against water damage while in the containers.

The container of the present invention provides the capability of preventing the theft of construction plans at construction sites while simultaneously making the plans available for use by building inspectors and construction supervisors at their convenience and without prearrangement so as to avoid the aggravation, expense and delay commonly experienced in obtaining the approval of construction at various stages as required by building codes.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the illustrative details disclosed.

Having described by invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A container having controlled access to the interior thereof comprising a housing enclosing an article receiving compartment with a pair of entrance openings communicating therewith, a first closure mounted on the housing for movement to and from a position in sealing relation to one of said entrance openings, a lock operable by a preselected stimuli mounted on the first closure for controlled locking engagement with the housing, a second closure secured on the housing for movement to and from a position in sealing relation to the other entrance opening, and a lock operable by a preselected stimuli mounted on the second closure for controlled locking engagement with the housing.

2. The container of claim 1 including means borne by the housing for lockably securing said housing on an available structure.

3. A container for use in preventing the theft of blueprints, building plans and the like from construction sites while making them individually available to building inspectors and building supervisors at their conve nience, the container comprising a mounting assembly adapted for attachment to an available structure at a construction site including a lock for locking association with the mounting assembly; an elongated tubular housing, having an interior and oppositely facing first and second entrance openings, borne by the assembly; a stop fastened on the housing extending into the interior thereof in a predetermined position adjacent to the first entrance opening; a first door mounted on the housing for pivotal movement to and from a position in covering relation to said first entrance opening; a lock, operable by a preselected key, secured on the first door in a predetermined position for operable engagement with the stop; a second door mounted on the housing for pivotal movement to and from a closed position in covering relation to the second entrance opening; a bracket pierced by a lock receiving passage affixed on the housing adjacent to the second door; and a flange, having a lock receiving passage, borne by the second door so as to be in facing engagement with the bracket with said passages in substantial axial alignment when the second door is in the closed position.

4. A container having controlled access to the inte rior thereof comprising a housing bounding a chamber and having a pair of openings communicating with the chamber, means borne by the housing for individually lockably sealing and opening said openings in response to preselected stimuli, and means borne by the housing for lockably securing said housing on a supporting structure.

5. The container of claim 4 wheren the sealing and opening means has a pair of locks individually responsive to separate preselected stimuli individually to seal and open said openings.

6. A container comprising a housing having a compartment and a pair of entrance openings communicating with the compartment, a pair of closures mounted on the housing for movement to and from positions in individual sealing relation to the entrance openings, and a pair of locks individually operable by preselected stimuli for locking interconnection of the housing and the closures.

7. The container of claim 6 including means borne by the housing for lockably securing said housing on a mounting structure.

Page 1 of 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 ,927, 792 Dated December 23, 1975 Eugene J. Andrade Inventor(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

[76] Inventors:

Delete "Eugen J. Andrade, 7511 W. Doverwood Ave.,

Fresno, Calif. 93705; Eugene J. Andrade, 1511 W. Doverwood Ave."

Insert Eugene J. Andrade, 1511 W. Dovewood Ave.,

Fresno, California 93705 Column 1, Line 41,

Delete "times", Insert time Column 2, Line 16,

Delete "combinations", Insert combination Column 3, Line 60,

After "position" delete Insert Page 2 of 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Pa N 3,927,792 Dated December 23, 1975 Invent0r(s) Eugene Andrade It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, Line 25,

Delete "moutned", Insert mounted Column 4, Line 27,

Delete "simple", Insert simply Column 5, Line 39,

Delete by", Ins rt my Signed and Scaled this Arrest.

RUTH C. MASON Arresting 0 m RSHALL DANN nmnussinmr oj'Pa tents and Trademarks

Claims

1. A container having controlled access to the interior thereof comprising a housing enclosing an article receiving compartment with a pair of entrance openings communicating therewith, a first closure mounted on the housing for movement to and from a position in sealing relation to one of said entrance openings, a lock operable by a preselected stimuli mounted on the first closure for controlled locking engagement with the housing, a second closure secured on the housing for movement to and from a position in sealing relation to the other entrance opening, and a lock operable by a preselected stimuli mounted on the second closure for controlled locking engagement with the housing.

3. A container for use in preventing the theft of blueprints, building plans and the like from construction sites while making them individually available to building inspectors and building supervisors at their convenience, the container comprising a mounting assembly adapted for attachment to an available structure at a construction site including a lock for locking association with the mounting assembly; an elongated tubular housing, having an interior and oppositely facing first and second entrance openings, borne by the assembly; a stop fastened on the housing extending into the interior thereof in a predetermined position adjacent to the first entrance opening; a first door mounted on the housing for pivotal movement to and from a position in covering relation to said first entrance opening; a lock, operable by a preselected key, secured on the first door in a predetermined position for operable engagement with the stop; a second door mounted on the housing for pivotal movement to and from a closed position in covering relation to the second entrance opening; a bracket pierced by a lock receiving passage affixed on the housing adjacent to the second door; and a flange, having a lock receiving passage, borne by the second door so as to be in facing engagement with the bracket with said passages in substantial axial alignment when the second door is in the closed position.

4. A container having controlled access to the interior thereof comprising a housing bounding a chamber and having a pair of openings communicating with the chamber, means borne by the housing for individually lockably sealing and opening said openings in response to preselected stimuli, and means borne by the housing for lockably securing said housing on a supporting structure.