Locking device for an electric meter box

Claim 1

A locking device for an electric meter box comprising: (a) an L-shaped lock housing having a first leg adapted to be securely fixed to the hinged front cover of the meter box, and having a second leg extending substantially perpendicular to said first leg and adapted to be positioned flush against and detachably fastened directly to a side wall of the meter box to lock the front cover in the closed position; (b) said second leg having an axial bore opening only at the front end of said second leg, said second leg also having a transverse bore intersecting said axial bore, said transverse bore opening at both sides of said second leg; (c) fastener means inserted into said second leg transverse bore for detachably fastening said second leg directly to the meter box side wall; (d) said second leg being sized and shaped to accommodate the insertion of a bolt-type lock into said second leg axial bore, said bolt-type lock having a barrel, a plunger and locking balls, said bolt-type lock, when in its locked position with its locking balls extended, being fixed against withdrawal from said axial bore and fixing said fastener means against withdrawal from said transverse bore, said bolt-type lock, when in its unlocked position with its locking balls retracted, being removable from said axial bore and permitting said fastener means to be removed from said transverse bore; (e) said inserted fastener means having a head portion which, when said bolt-type lock is inserted into said second leg axial bore is completely blocked by said bolt-type lock from exterior access; (f) said second leg axial bore having a reduced diameter portion spaced from its closed end, said reduced diameter portion being sized and located to engage the extended locking balls of said bolt-type lock to fix and bolt-type lock in said second leg axial bore to block said inserted fastener means; and (g) bushing means forming said reduced diameter portion, said bushing means fitted and fixed in said second leg axial bore, said bushing means defining part of said second leg transverse bore, said bushing means retained in said second leg axial bore by said fastener means.