Padlock-receiving locking attachment for pivotable operating handles of electrical control devices

Claim 1

A LOCKING DEVICE FOR A RIGID OPERATING HANDLE PROTRUDING OUTWARDLY OF A CASING OF AN ELECTRICAL DEVICE, THE HANDLE BEING PIVOTABLE ABOUT AN AXIS DISPOSED INWARDLY OF AN OUTER SURFACE OF THE CASING AND HAVING A RELATIVELY NARROW INTERMEDIATE PORTION AND AN ENLARGED OUTER END PORTION IN PLANES PERPENDICULAR TO ITS PIVOTAL AXIS SAID LOCKING DEVICE BEING MOUNTABLE ON SAID HANDLE ENTIRELY OUTSIDE SAID CASING AND COMPRISING AN ELONGATED, EDGEWISE RIGID, FLAT PLATE MEMBER MOUNTABLE ON SAID HANDLE, A FRAME ENCOMPASSING THE PROTRUDING PORTION OF SAID HANDLE WHEN SAID LOCKING DEVICE IS MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE, SAID FRAME BEARING AGAINST SAID OUTER SURFACE OF SAID EASING WHEN SAID LOCKING DEVICE IS MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE AND AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO OPERATE SAID HANDLE, SAID FRAME INCLUDING A PAIR OF SAPCED, PARALLEL, FLAT PORTIONS EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY TO SAID PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID HANDLE IS CLOSELY SPACED RELATIONSHIP RESPECTIVELY TO OPPOSITE SIDE SURFACES OF SAID HANDLE WHEN SAID LOCKING DEVICE IS MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE, SAID PLATE MEMBER BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ADJACENT ONE END ON SAID FRAME INTERMEDIATELY AND ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF, SAID PLATE MEMBER AND FRAME BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A SHACKLE OF A PADLOCK ADJACENT THE OTHER ENDS THEROEF, THE TOTAL CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID SPACED FLAT PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME AND SAID HANDLE BEING LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID PLATE MEMBER AND ONE OF SAID SPACED FALT PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME, AND MEANS PREVENTING REMOVAL OF SAID PLATE MEMBER FROM SAID HANDLE IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID HANDLE AND ACCOMMODATING REMOVAL OF SAID PLATE MEMBER FROM SAID HANDLE SOLELY IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID HANDLE WHEN SAID PLATE MEMBER IS MOUNTED ON SAID HANDLE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A CONTOURED RECESS IN AN EDGE PORTION OF SAID PLATE MEMBER BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF, SAID CONTOURED RECESS HAVING AN ENLARGED INNER END PORTION WIDER THAN SAID ELNARGED OUTER END PORTION OF SAID HANDLE AND HAVING A RELATIVELY NARROW OUTER END PORTION WIDER THAN SAID RELATIVELY NARROW INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID HANDLE BUT NARROWER THAN SAID ENLARGED OUTER END PORTION OF SAID HANDLE, THE RIGIDITY OF SAID HANDLE AND THE EDGEWISE RIGIDITY OF SAID PLATE MEMBER PREVENTING SAID ENLARGED OUTER END PORTION OF SAID HANDLE FROM PASSING THROUGH SAID RELATIVELY NARROW OUTER END PORTION OF SAID CONTOURED RECESS WHEN AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO REMOVE SAID PLATE MEMBER FROM SAID HANDLE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID PLATE MEMBER AND PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID HANDLE.