Trailer Hitch Lock Enclosure for Mounting Bracket Theft Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current trailer hitch locks are easily bypassed, allowing thieves to steal large trailers weighing between 25,000 lbs. and 50,000 lbs. by attaching additional hitches or removing and replacing mounting brackets, providing inadequate security for expensive equipment left unattended.
Innovation Solution
A trailer hitch lock design that encloses the mounting bracket and nut-bolt pairs with a hitch connector enclosure, using a puck lock to secure the trailer hitch, preventing access to mounting holes and blocking additional hitch connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a simple trailer hitch lock is used, then the lock structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the security is inadequate as thieves can bypass it by attaching additional hitches or removing mounting brackets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing the hitch lock inside the hitch receiver tube, and the hitch ball inside the lock mechanism. The lock encloses the ball and mounting bracket interface, creating nested protective layers that prevent thieves from accessing or manipulating the mounting hardware to bypass the security system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension of security by not only locking the hitch ball but also enclosing and securing the mounting bracket to the trailer frame. This multi-dimensional approach prevents both ball removal and bracket tampering, addressing the bypass methods that simple locks fail to prevent.
2Reliability
If the lock only secures the hitch ball, then the lock mechanism remains simple, but thieves can remove the ball hitch and attach additional hitches to the mounting bracket
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ball security function with the mounting bracket security function into a single integrated lock system. The lock simultaneously secures both the hitch ball and the mounting bracket to the trailer frame, preventing thieves from removing the ball and installing additional hitches, while maintaining a unified installation process rather than requiring separate security devices.
3Reliability
If the mounting bracket is left accessible, then installation and removal of hitches is easy, but thieves can remove and replace mounting brackets to bypass security
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the mounting bracket from the accessible zone by enclosing it within the lock mechanism. The lock physically captures and secures the bracket to the trailer frame, removing it from the thief's reach and preventing removal or replacement operations, while the bracket itself remains a simple standard component that does not require special manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
A trailer hitch lock includes a hitch connector enclosure having an enclosure top element coupled to an enclosure bottom element by a pair of opposing enclosure side walls and an enclosure front element. The enclosure front element is coupled between the enclosure top element and enclosure bottom element along the pair of long edges and coupled to the pair of opposing enclosure side walls along the side edges. A pair of matching T-shaped cutouts in the top plate and the bottom plate is centered along a back edge for surrounding the mounting bracket coupled to the trailer hitch. A removable lock secures the trailer hitch lock to the trailer hitch when the trailer hitch is within the trailer hitch enclosure and the trailer hitch enclosure covers a portion of the mounting bracket where the trailer hitch connector is coupled to the mounting bracket by one or more mounting devices.