Lock assembly

Claim 1

A guarded lock assembly comprising: a lock body and shackle assembly, having a lock body separate from a shackle, said shackle disposed above said body and having a forward anchor section and a rearward anchor section disposed in approximate parallelism and spaced apart a substantial distance and a connecting section interconnecting upper ends of said anchor sections, said connecting section having a first portion attached to said forward anchor section and adapted to be received in a staple, said connecting section having a second portion attached to said rearward anchor section, said body slidably receiving lower portions of said anchor sections for upward and downward sliding movements thereof sufficient that said forward anchor section lower portion moves in and out of said body, said body having holding means therein adapted to engage and hold at least one of said anchor section lower portions when said lock body and shackle assembly is locked with said lower portions of said anchor sections therein to prevent said sliding of said anchor sections and adapted to release said one anchor section at times when said holding means is in an unlocking position for not holding said one anchor section, a guard having a lower end adjacent said body, means attaching said guard to said shackle, said guard having an upper end and covering the upper side of said shackle, said guard having rearward and right and left sides substantially covering the adjacent sides of those parts of said shackle which remain outside of said body at times when said lock assembly is locked, said guard having a notch therein on the forward side thereof for receiving means to be locked, said notch surrounding and receiving a portion of said forward section of said shackle so that said means to be locked can be received in said notch around said forward shackle section, said notch opening toward the body end of said guard to permit passage therethrough of a part of a means to be locked, said body having forward, rearward, and right and left sides, said guard surrounding said body on portions of said rearward and right and left sides thereof, and a barrier rib extending from the inner side of the right side of said guard to the inner side of the left side of said guard, said rib being secured to said inner sides of said right and left sides of said guard whereby a thief inserting a crowbar between said body and said guard will find his attempt to spread the sides of said guard apart in order to gain access to said shackle to be resisted by said rib.