BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to devices useful for securing any equipment or appliance having a threaded hole, and specifically to Expensive and small equipment, such as cameras and small electronic devices for example, often include no ready method or mechanism for attachment for securing the equipment. To secure the equipment, the owner may be expected to place it in a container of some sort which may be locked or otherwise secured.

There are also larger equipment such as printers, facsimile machines and scanners that similarly include no attachment mechanism for securing the items.

However, an increasing number of items now include threaded holes that are open only to the outside of the equipment. Cameras, for example, have long included such threaded holes, which are intended to be used for mounting the camera on a stand or tripod.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a simple attachment device for securing portable equipment having an exposed threaded opening, such as a standard tripod mounting opening, for example. The device quickly and efficiently permits the attachment and detachment to a suitable portable device. A cable secures the attachment device to a second object other than the portable device, thereby inhibiting the unauthorized movement of the portable device further than the length of the cable.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, it includes a device for locking equipment having an exposed threaded hole. The device includes a housing, an engagement rod, complementary to the exposed threaded hole, extending from the housing; a pawl, selectively coupling the housing to the rod, operable in a first and second mode wherein rotation of the housing while the pawl is in the first mode permits drivable

rotation of the engagement rod in a locking direction to secure the rod within the threaded hole and wherein rotation of the housing while the pawl is in the second mode inhibits drivable rotation of the engagement rod in an unlocking direction that removes the rod from within the threaded hole; and a lock, coupled to the pawl, for selecting one of the first and second modes.

An advantage of the invention over other methods is its relative ease of use and convenience to the user.

Reference to the remaining portions of the specification, including the drawing and claims, will realize other features and advantages of the present invention.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with respect to the accompanying drawing. In the drawing, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a generally perspective view showing the preferred embodiment of the present invention device attached to a threaded hole in an equipment, with a padlock attached to the device top portion for securing; Fig. 2 is a top view of the present invention, particularly showing a disk configuration of the top portion; Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of the present invention, showing a threaded rod attached to a top portion; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention illustrating internal components; Fig. 5 is an external perspective view of the locking device shown in Fig.

4, including the housing and threaded end of the rod; Fig. 6 is an alternate preferred embodiment illustrating a cut-away view of a locking device; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the underside of toothed wheel 615 illustrating a series of radially extending teeth 700; and Fig. 8 is another alternate preferred embodiment in which a cam selectively engages one of two pawls.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS Referring particularly to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a perspective view of a threaded hole locking device 1 according to the present invention, inserted in a threaded hole in an equipment 3. A padlock 5 is shown with its locking arm 7 inserted through a hole 9 in the top portion of the device 1.

A top view of the device 1 is shown in Fig. 1 and a side view is shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 1, the padlock 5 position prevents the top portion 13 which serves as a handle means, from being rotated counter-clockwise until the device 1 is released from the equipment 3. The padlock 5 in combination with a chain or cable, connects the equipment to a secure location.

Alternatively, a chain or cable without a padlock could be used to achieve the same purpose.

The top portion 13 includes grasping means to aid in manually rotating the device. In this embodiment it is shown as a milled edge 11. However, any suitable grasping means such as an upward projecting knob or handle could be used instead. A plurality of through holes 9 are located and distributed near the periphery of the top portion 9. These holes are sized to accommodate the locking arm of a padlock or a chain or cable.

It should be noted that any shape may be used for the top portion, so long, as at least one part of it having a through hole, is able to extend over an edge of the equipment to which the device is threaded. A preferred embodiment shape for the i portion is a disk, because that is deemed simple and easy to fabricate. However, it is not the only allowable shape to facilitate rotating a threaded rod.

A threaded rod 15 is attached with one end, to the center of the top portion 13, so that the rod 15 projects at 90 degrees to the bottom surface plane of the top portion 13. Together with the top portion, the rod 15 serves to securely attach the device to any equipment having a threaded hole.

The device may be made of metal or any suitably strong and rigid material.

It can be made with two separate parts or it can be molded in one piece. In short, the device lends itself to economic manufacture. This consideration in addition to its apparent match to an observed need, should encourage use of the device in securing expensive equipment that has a threaded hole.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of an alternate embodiment for a locking device 400 for portable equipment having an exposed threaded hole illustrating internal components. Locking device 400 includes a housing 405, a threaded rod 410 extending from a toothed wheel 415 within the housing, a pawl 420, a locking cam 425, and a cable 430.

Except for an end of threaded rod 410 and cable 430, the other components of locking device 400 are all contained within housing 405 and are inaccessible without removing a cover or portion of a wall of housing 405. Threaded rod 410 includes, in the preferred embodiment, threads complementary to the threads of the exposed threaded hole. In other embodiments, rod 410 may include other mechanisms for engaging an exposed aperture located in the walls of portable devices. For the principle of the present invention, it is desirable that rod 410 move in a first direction (e. g., rotate clockwise) to engage itself with the exposed aperture in the portable device and move in a second direction (e. g., rotate counter clockwise) to disengage itself from the exposed aperture.

Toothed wheel 415 is affixed to an end of rod 410 located within housing 405 and is selectively coupled to housing 405 by use of pawl 420. Pawl 420 includes a series of teeth complementary to the teeth of toothed wheel 415. Pawl 420 pivots within housing 405 to selectively couple housing 405 to toothed wheel 415 and thereby indirectly to rod 410. Pawl 420 includes two modes. In one mode, the teeth of pawl 420 engage the teeth of toothed wheel 415, and in another mode, the teeth of pawl 420 are completely disengaged from the teeth of toothed wheel 415. In some embodiments, pawl 420 and toothed wheel 415 may lack the disclosed teeth but otherwise operate in similar fashion by generating a sufficient but selective frictional or engaging force between a pawl-type structure and a wheel-type structure. Fig. 5 is an external perspective view of locking device 400 shown in Fig. 4, including housing 405 and threaded end of rod 410.

Locking cam 425, coupled to a distal end of pawl 420 remote from the pivot end controls the operational mode of pawl 420. Locking cam 425 operates to move the distal end either to couple or decouple pawl 420 and toothed wheel 415. Preferrably, locking cam 425 includes a cylindrical, tubular or other keyed locking structure as well known in the art. By use of a proper key (e. g., a cylinder, flat key, combination or magnetic lock), a user is able to lock pawl 415 into one of its operational modes. The lock operates in well-known fashion to allow the user to select one of the operational modes

and to inhibit a person not authorized by the user from selecting a different operational mode unless they have access to the key.

Cable 430 has a first end fixed within housing 405 and a second end adapted to engage another object, preferrably a relatively immovable object. In some cases, it is desirable for the second end to attach to housing 405 after passing a portion of cable 405 around such relatively immoveable object, or even to the portable device. It is less desirable to attach to the portable due to the lack of a universally available second aperture, though some suitable attaching structure may be developed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In operation, the user operates locking cam 425 to operate pawl 420 into the first operation mode. Thereafter, the user mates threaded portion of rod 410 to a complementary threaded aperture (e. g., tripod mounting hole in a camera) and rotates housing 405 in the appropriate direction to screw threaded portion of rod 410 to engage the threaded aperature. Since pawl 420 directly engages the teeth of toothed wheel 415, the rotation of housing 405 driveably rotates rod 410. In this preferred embodiment, the driveable rotation is symmetric in direction, meaning that the user may driveably rotate rod 410 into the engaged or disengaged position, depending upon the direction of rotation of housing 405.

After the user sufficiently engages rod 410 with the threaded aperture in the portable device, the user operates locking cam 425 to place pawl 420 into the second mode. In this mode, toothed wheel 415 is decoupled from housing 405 and any rotation of housing 405 will not cause any rotation of rod 410. Thus, as long as locking cam 425 established pawl 420 in its second mode, rod 410 may not be easily removed from the threaded aperture of the portable device, hence securing housing 405 to the portable device.

In some applications, securing housing 405 to the portable is sufficient, such as where housing 405 includes inventory control or theft prevention devices, such as for example electronic or magnetic anti-theft devices that are well known in the art. These devices interact with various sensors to indicate when they are moved from authorized locations.

In other applications, it is desirable to proximate housing 405 to a second object other than to the portable device. In the most preferred embodiment, it is desirable to affix one end of a suitable length of cable 430 to housing 405 and another end to the

second object. The affixing may be accomplished in some embodiments by special mounting attachments to couple the second end of cable 430 to the second object. In other embodiments, a loop may be provided in the second end of cable 430, enabling cable 430 to lasso the second object if appropriate.

In this manner, housing 405 may not be moved beyond the preestablished from the second object, and in those instances in which rod 410 engages the threaded aperture of a portable device, the portable device is also constrained to be proximate the second object. As a consequence, the portable device may not be moved from the proximity of the second object without operating locking cam 425 to return pawl 420 to the first mode. Thereafter, rotation of housing 405 in the appropriate direction driveably rotates rod 410 to disengage its threaded portion from the threaded aperture of the portable device. Thereafter, the portable device is easily moved to any new location as it is no longer secured by the locking apparatus 400.

In other preferred embodiments, it is possible to configure the interaction of housing 405 and toothed wheel 415 to include a ratchet effect in which rod 410 may be driveably rotated in one direction at a time, depending upon the operational mode. In the non-drive direction, the housing free-wheels relative to rod 410. Ratchets are well-known in the prior art and will not be discussed further. A locking cam would still control the operational mode, similar to that described above. In yet another preferred embodiment, it is possible to add a torque feature to a ratchet embodiment to prevent over-tightening of rod 410. Torque structures are also well-known in the art, with implementations dependent upon the drive mechanism.

Fig. 6 is an alternate preferred embodiment illustrating a cut-away view of a locking device 600. Locking device 600 includes a housing 605, a threaded rod 610 extending from a toothed wheel 615 within housing 605, a pawl 620, a locking cam 625, and a cable receiving aperture 630. Fig. 6 illustrates locking device 600 in a first operational mode with pawl 620 disengaged from toothed wheel 615.

In this configuration, a spring (not shown) between an upper wall of housing 605 (shown removed) increases a frictional engagement between an underside of toothed wheel 615 and the inside of the back wall of housing 615. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the underside of toothed wheel 615 illustrating a series of radially extending teeth 700. The radially extending teeth 700 are complementary to teeth molded into the inside of back wall of housing 615. The mating force between housing 605 and toothed wheel

615 in this configuration is a function of the spring pressure and the depth and shape of radial teeth 700. It is understood that radial teeth 700 may be made steeper or shallower, or the depth of the intermeshing may be adjusted, to effect the mating force. Additionally, radial teeth 700 are shown symettric in the engaging and disengaging directions. It is possible to have the ramp angles skewed to effectuate a non-symmetric mating force dependent upon rotational direction. In the most preferred embodiment, it is desirable to have an increased mating force in the engaging direction and a reduced mating force in the disengaging direction.

The spring pressure maintains selective engagement between housing 605 and toothed wheel 615. In this configuration, rotation of housing 605 rotates toothed wheel 615, as long the mating force between housing 605 and toothed wheel 615 is sufficient to overcome an engaging force between toothed end of rod 610 and the threaded hole in the portable equipment. As rod 610 is tightened, the engaging force increases. A point will be reached at which rotation of housing 605 can no longer further engage rod 610 within the threaded hole (i. e., tighten). The mating force is reduced as rod 610 engages the threaded hole because tightening rod 610 vis-a-vis the threaded hole causes toothed wheel 615 to move away from the inside of the back wall of housing 605, thus reducing the mating force. A further force which is implicated in the present design is a breakaway force. Another term for this is static friction. The coefficient of friction is typically higher in a static configuration than when the two surfaces are moving with respect to each other. It is possible for the mating force to be sufficient to tighten rod 610 into threaded hole, but once so engaged, the mating force is insufficient to enable rotation of housing 605 to disengage rod 610 from the threaded hole.

In this configuration, depending upon the degree of engagement, rotation of housing 605 may effectuate disengagement as well as engagement. Once a sufficient degree of engagement is achieved, it becomes very difficult to remove rod 610 from the threaded hole by rotating housing 605. At least, until pawl 620 is operated into the second operational mode. In the second operational mode, pawl 620 engages the peripheral teeth of toothed wheel 615 in a manner to significantly increase the mating force in the disengagement direction.

As shown, rotation of cam 625 permits pawl 620 to engage the teeth of toothed wheel 615. The engagement achieves a ratchet effect in which rotation of housing 605, while pawl 620 is engaged, in the engaging direction does not significantly increase

the mating force while rotation of housing 605 in the disengaging position may now driveably rotate rod 610 to disengage rod 610 from the threaded hole.

Fig. 8 is another alternate preferred embodiment in which a cam selectively engages one of two pawls to alternately engage peripheral teeth of a toothed wheel to driveably rotate the toothed wheel in the appropriate direction (dependent upon which pawl engages the teeth).

From the foregoing description it is believed that the preferred embodiment achieves the objects of the present invention. Alternative embodiments and various modifications such as discussed herein and apparent to those skilled in the art, are considered to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims.