Various types of containers are used to receive and support delicate cargo such as electronic, computer, optical and other types of equipment. Example containers for such purposes may take the form of transit containers, rack-mount containers, tote containers or others. In some instances, containers of this type are used in military and commercial environments in which handling by persons or equipment may subject the containers to external forces from a variety of directions. Likewise, because the cargo may be valuable it is often useful to incorporate a lock or a means for locking the container. In some cases, containers of this type are designed to be stackable, and thus they may include stacking elements or features arranged in a desired pattern in order to restrict lateral movement of containers stacked atop other containers.
Security for such containers can be an essential attribute and, in order to allow the containers to be locked for restricted access, a lock of some form is often provided on the container in order to lock the lid of the container securely atop the lower container body. In some instances, the lock is formed as a part of the container clasp system, with an integrated key-lock that requires use of a key to unlock the clasps in order to open the lid. In other instances (or together with locking clasps), a separate removable padlock may be attached at a location that will hold the lid firmly against the lower container body, preventing the lid from being opened without first removing the padlock. For example, the lid and lower container may each have laterally-extending flanges that abut one another when the lid is in the closed position, with one or more aligned holes being formed in each of the mating lid and container flanges. The shackle of the padlock can then be passed through the aligned holes in the lid and container flanges so that the shackle can then be inserted into the padlock case to lock the lid against the container.
Current containers that provide a location for mounting a padlock do so in a way in which the padlock itself is exposed to abuse and is able to move through a large range of motion, allowing for potential damage to the lock and the portion of the case where the lock is attached. Depending on the severity of an external force applied to the case in the vicinity of the lock, the configuration of current structures may cause catastrophic damage to the lock or the case, thereby compromising the security of the case.