US-20260124865-A1 - LOCKING PIN COVER APPARATUS

US20260124865A1US 20260124865 A1US20260124865 A1US 20260124865A1US-20260124865-A1

Abstract

A locking pin cover assembly for preventing theft of hitch pins. The locking pin cover assembly is used with a hitch assembly and includes a hitch pin cover structure and a lock and may include a retaining clip. The hitch pin cover structure is suitable to fit against the hitch assembly and is extendable in covering relationship over the ends of the hitch pins. The hitch pin cover structure includes features to abuttingly receive the ends of the hitch pins. The lock is advanceable between a locked position wherein the hitch pin cover structure is fixedly secured to the hitch assembly to obstruct access to the hitch pins and an unlocked position wherein the hitch pin cover structure is removable from the hitch assembly to expose the hitch pins.

Inventors

Travis M. McCall
Austin Rasmussen

Assignees

B & W CUSTOM TRUCK BEDS, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251103

Claims (18)

1 . A pin cover assembly for preventing theft of hitch pins used with a hitch assembly, the pin cover assembly comprising: a hitch pin cover structure extendable in covering relationship over ends of the hitch pins; a lock extending into the hitch pin cover structure, the lock advanceable between a locked position and an unlocked position; in the locked position, the hitch pin cover structure fixedly secured to the hitch assembly to obstruct access to the hitch pins; and in the unlocked position, the hitch pin cover structure removable from the hitch assembly to expose the hitch pins.
2 . The pin cover assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the lock comprises a lock barrel and a latch, the lock barrel extendable through a hole formed in a side beam of the hitch assembly, the latch projectable out of and retractable into the lock barrel.
3 . The pin cover assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the lock comprises a shaft including a ball detent, the ball detent projectable out of and retractable into the shaft.
4 . The pin cover assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the lock is extendable through a hole formed in a side member of the hitch assembly, the lock engaging an inner surface of the side member upon advancement of the lock to the locked position.
5 . The pin cover assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the hitch pin cover structure comprises first and second covering shells, the first and second covering shells defining respective interior spaces sized to receive the ends of the hitch pins.
6 . The pin cover assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the hitch pin cover structure includes a plurality of pin recesses configured to receive the ends of the hitch pins, each pin recess defined by a recessed surface and an overlay.
7 . The pin cover assembly as in claim 1 , wherein the hitch pin cover structure includes a lock receptacle for receiving a lock barrel of the lock.
8 . The pin cover assembly as in claim 1 , further comprising a retaining clip selectively engageable with a side member of the hitch assembly and having a lock receiving feature engaged by the lock upon advancement of the lock to the locked position, engagement of the lock and the lock receiving feature fixedly securing the hitch pin cover structure to the retaining clip.
9 . The pin cover assembly as in claim 8 , wherein advancement of the lock to the unlocked position disengages the lock from the lock receiving feature of the retaining clip, allowing separation of the hitch pin cover structure from the retaining clip.
10 . A locking cover assembly for a hitch assembly having one or more hitch pins extending through a side beam thereof, the locking cover assembly comprising: a pin cover configured to abut against an outer face of the side beam; a retaining clip engageable with the side beam and extendable into the pin cover; and a lock mounted to and extending within the pin cover, the lock advanceable between a locked position, wherein the lock is engaged with the retaining clip to fixedly secure the retaining clip and the pin cover to the side beam such that the pin cover extends in covering relationship over ends of the hitch pins to obstruct removal of the hitch pins from the hitch assembly, and an unlocked position, wherein the lock is disengaged from the retaining clip such that the retaining clip and the pin cover are removable from the side beam.
11 . The locking cover assembly as in claim 10 , wherein the retaining clip comprises a shank leg and a hook leg, the shank leg and the hook leg spaced apart from each other and connected by a cross-arm.
12 . The locking cover assembly as in claim 11 , wherein the retaining clip is configured to hook around a lower face of the side beam such that when the lock is in the locked position, the shank leg fits snugly against the outer face of the side beam and the hook leg fits snugly against an inner face of the side beam.
13 . The locking cover assembly as in claim 11 , wherein the shank leg is slidable into and out of an opening formed in the pin cover.
14 . The locking cover assembly as in claim 10 , wherein the retaining clip includes a slot through which a bolt of the lock extends, the slot permitting limited sliding movement of the retaining clip relative to the pin cover when the lock is in the unlocked position.
15 . The locking cover assembly as in claim 10 , wherein the retaining clip includes first and second shank legs and a hook leg connecting the first shank leg to the second shank leg, each of the first and second shank legs spaced apart from the hook leg to define a first groove extending between the first shank leg and the hook leg and a second groove extending between the second shank leg and the hook leg.
16 . The locking cover assembly as in claim 15 , wherein each of the first and second shank legs includes a bolt hole for receiving a bolt of the lock upon advancement of the lock to the locked position.
17 . A locking cover assembly for a hitch assembly having one or more hitch pins, the locking cover assembly comprising: a pin cover configured to abut against the hitch assembly and to extend in covering relationship over ends of the hitch pins; and locking means selectively securing the pin cover to the hitch assembly, wherein the locking means is advanceable between a locked position to fixedly secure the pin cover to the hitch assembly, thereby preventing removal of the hitch pins, and an unlocked position to remove the pin cover from the hitch assembly, thereby allowing removal of the hitch pins.
18 . The locking cover assembly as in claim 17 , further comprising retaining means for engaging with the hitch assembly to resist separation of the pin cover therefrom, the retaining means cooperable with the locking means.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/716,121 filed November 4, 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to locks for trailer hitch components, and in particular to a lock that covers trailer hitch pins. BACKGROUND Trailer hitch pins are commonly used to secure trailers to towing vehicles, providing removable connection points that enable attachment and detachment of the trailer to and from the towing vehicle. Trailer hitch pins are often exposed for easy accessibility, which is convenient to genuine users but also poses security risks. For example, a thief can quickly remove exposed trailer hitch pins to detach the trailer from the towing vehicle before stealing the trailer. Even when security measures such as alarm systems, chains, and other wheel locks are used to prevent theft of the trailer itself, thieves often steal the exposed trailer hitch pins resulting in inconvenience and frustration to genuine users. Various trailer hitch pin locks have been developed to address this issue. Known trailer hitch pin locks include padlock-style or U-shaped devices that fit around the trailer hitch pins to prevent their removal. Trailer hitch pins having lock mechanisms integrated or embedded therein have also been introduced. Such devices are often bulky or prone to rust and can be challenging to use in adverse conditions such as cold or wet weather. Further, many of the known devices lack sufficient security measures, and are easily overcome by bolt cutters or other tools. SUMMARY Embodiments of the invention are defined by the claims below, not this summary. A high-level overview of various aspects of the invention is provided here to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. In brief, this disclosure describes, among other things, a pin cover assembly that is removably and lockably securable to a hitch assembly and prevents theft of hitch pins used therewith. The pin cover assembly generally comprises a hitch pin cover and a lock. The hitch pin cover fits against a side beam of the hitch assembly and extends in covering relationship over ends of the hitch pins, which are received by features of the hitch pin cover and abut against or extend in closely spaced relation thereto. The lock is received by the hitch pin cover and is selectively engageable with a side beam of the hitch assembly or with a retaining clip configured to hook around the side beam of the hitch assembly. When the pin cover assembly is fixedly secured to the side beam, the features of the hitch pin cover cooperate with the ends of the hitch pins to prevent lateral displacement of the hitch pin cover from the side beam and the lock, or the lock and the retaining clip cooperatively, prevent outward displacement of the hitch pin cover from the side beam. In one embodiment of the pin cover assembly, the hitch pin cover comprises two covering shells that are oriented outwardly of the hitch pins to prevent removal of the hitch pins from the hitch assembly and engagement structures for receiving the ends of the hitch pins. A generally J-shaped retaining clip includes a shank leg with a slot formed therein and a tip leg spaced apart from the shank leg to form a groove. The shank leg extends through an opening formed in the hitch pin cover and is selectively slidable laterally relative to the hitch pin cover. When the pin cover assembly is secured to the hitch assembly,the retaining clip hooks around the lower face of a side beam of the hitch assembly with the shank leg fitting against an outer face of the side beam and the tip leg fitting against the inner face of the side beam. The lock is received by the hitch pin cover and includes a keyed lock barrel which extends into an interior space formed within the hitch pin cover and a bolt which extends from the lock barrel through the slot formed in the shank leg of the retaining clip. The lock is advanceable between a locked position wherein flats on the bolt engage with features of the shank leg to fix the position of the retaining clip and an unlocked position wherein the flats on the bolt disengage from features of the shank leg and the retaining clip is slidable into or out of the hitch pin cover. In use, the lock is advanced to the unlocked position with the flats of the bolt disengaged from the features of the shank leg and the retaining clip is slid downwardly until the bolt reaches an end of the slot. The pin cover assembly is moved toward the hitch assembly until the hitch pin cover fits against the outer face of the side beam and the ends of the hitch pins are received by the engagement structures. The retaining clip is then slid upwardly until it hooks