ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 5 -- United States Patent no. 12,241,287, issued on March 4.
"Guard apparatus for a latch" was invented by Kenneth Shelton (Claremore, Okla.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A guard apparatus for guarding a latch from tampering when a padlock secures it in a closed position includes a panel with a hole extending therethrough for receiving the padlock. The hole is shaped such that a perimeter edge of the hole engages a body of the padlock when a shackle of the padlock is received through the hole. The panel is positionable to cover the latch when the shackle is received through the hole and secured to the latch."
The patent was filed on Feb. 7, 2023, under Application No....