AU2004100832B4

AU2004100832B4 - Security device for lock mechanisms

Info

Publication number: AU2004100832B4
Application number: AU2004100832A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Kenneth Graeme Hickson; Robert James Schelbach
Original assignee: Australian Postal Corp
Current assignee: Australian Postal Corp
Priority date: 2004-10-01
Filing date: 2004-10-01
Publication date: 2006-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 2012-10-01
Also published as: AU2004100832A4

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Invention title: Security device for lock mechanisms The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: arsm M0111576941v2 305397414 2 o Security device for lock mechanisms Field of the Invention

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O The present invention relates to a security device for lock mechanisms, and particularly to a device to temporarily selectively disable use of lock mechanisms.

The device of the invention may be used to selectively prevent access to a resource by way of an allocated key, in situations in which the key holder is no longer authorised to access

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00 the resource. As an example, mailbox facilities are made available to businesses and Sindividuals by post offices (or by private organisations). Each mailbox holder leases a box to which mail can be directed, and is allocated a key to access the box. When a mail item arrives addressed to that lessee, a post office staff member places the item in the allocated mailbox, often by way of a separate access means such as a rear door or slot in a rear door. Post offices still generally.use lock-and-key systems, rather than alternative security measures such as electronic access systems.

Once a mailbox lease expires, or in situations in which the box holder fails to pay the due rental fee, the key should be returned to the post office and the mailbox no longer used.

However, in some cases the box holder will continue to attempt to access the mailbox despite the lease expiry or non-payment of fees, and/or not return the key to the post office. Even with barrel-type cylinder locks (which are typically designed to be readily replaceable), it is not economical to change the lock on the box every time this situation occurs. It would be advantageous to provide a device which allows the post office or owner organisation to selectively prevent access to the mailbox until the due rental fees are paid or the lease renewed.

In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date part of common general knowledge, orknown to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.

Summary of the Invention According to the invention there is provided a security device for lock mechanisms, including an elongated element having a leading end, a trailing end and a stop means, the element shaped and sized for insertion into a keyway of a lock mechanism from a front face of the lock mechanism, such that the stop means prevents, by interaction with the lock mechanism, movement of the device into the keyway beyond a prescribed position, arsm M0111576941v2 305397414 3 0 at which position the trailing end is located within the keyway and adjacent said front Sface.

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0 The device of the present invention allows a lock to be disabled by complete insertion into the keyway of the lock mechanism. The stop means prevents movement of the device beyond a certain position in the keyway, so that it cannot be pushed completely through the keyway by use of a key or other device introduced into the keyway, nor can it 00 be pushed beyond a point close to the front face of the lock, to ensure that the device can 0 be readily removed by authorised persons through use of a magnetic removal device, as defined hereinafter.

Preferably, the stop means includes a cutout portion in a longitudinal edge of the elongated element between the trailing and leading end, the cutout portion defining a transverse edge positioned to abut one or more detent elements of the lock mechanism within the keyway when the device is in said prescribed position. The detent elements are provided by the pins, tumblers or other operating elements of the lock mechanism.

Optionally, the leading edge may be inclined to the longitudinal direction of the elongated element for easy insertion into the keyway, and said cutout portion features a further inclined leading edge to enable the device to be removed from the keyway.

The security device of the present invention may be fabricated of ferromagnetic material and provided in combination with a removal device including a magnet element and a handle portion, such that the magnet element may be placed at said front face of the lock mechanism to attract the trailing end of the elongated element and may be manipulated by use of the handle portion to allow removal of the security device from the keyway.

The security device of the present invention may be used with a lock mechanism having both front and rear access to said keyway and in combination with a reverse-profile key insertable into said keyway from the rear of the lock mechanism, to allow a security device located within the keyway to be pushed through the keyway towards said front face.

Brief description of the drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a security device in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the device of Figure 1 inserted into a keyway of a lock mechanism that illustrates the interaction of the stop means with the lock mechanism; arsm MO111576941v2 305397414 4 O Figure 3 is a perspective view of a retrieval device used to remove the security device of (Ni SFigure 1 from a keyway; O

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Figure 4 illustrates the retrieval of the device of Figure 1 from the keyway; and Figure 5 is a side plan view of an alternative retrieval device.

Detailed description of the drawings 00 In Figure 1, a security device for lock mechanisms is illustrated. The device comprises a blanking slug 10, made from a flattened elongated piece of ferromagnetic material such as mild steel, with flat parallel faces, of a length selected in accordance with the particular type of lock with which the device is intended for use. The device has a lower edge 17 extending in the longitudinal direction as shown. The device has a leading tip 14 with an angled edge 18 extending from tip 14 as shown. Angled edge 18 meets a first upper edge portion 20 extending in the longitudinal direction, which meets a downwardly sloping angled edge portion 22, which in turn meets a recessed straight edge portion 24 extending in the longitudinal direction. Edge portion 24 meets at right angles a transverse abutment edge 27, which meets in turn a second upper edge portion 26 extending in the longitudinal direction, as shown in Figure 1. Transverse trailing edge 16, extends at right angles to the longitudinal direction and joins lower edge 17 to upper edge portion 26.

The dimensions of blanking slug 10 are such as to enable it to enter the keyway of the lock for which it is intended, usually a conventional cylinder lock. In use, the blanking slug is inserted leading tip first into the keyway 38 of the lock, with angled edge 18 facing upwards. Angled edge 18 allows the blanking slug to depress the lock mechanism tumblers or pins 40 located in the keyway, such that the pins or tumblers ride up over angled edge, first upper edge portion 20, down sloping angled edge portion 22, and along longitudinal edge portion 24. The blanking slug may be slid into the keyway until the lock mechanism pins or tumblers 40 meet transverse abutment edge 27, at which point it is prevented from sliding further into the keyway, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 2. The device is dimensioned such that, in this position, transverse trailing edge 16 is located just inside the keyhole entrance.

A device tested successfully by the applicant on standard post office mailbox units comprised a mild steel blanking slug 10 of overall length 24.5mm, width 4.5mm, and thickness 1.0mm, with an angled edge 18 at 330 from the longitudinal direction and a similar (opposite) angle of edge portion 22. Second upper edge portion was of length arsm M0111576941v2 305397414 0 7.0mm, longitudinal edge portion 24 of length 4.0mm, transverse abutment edge 27 of (-i Slength 2.0mm, and first upper edge portion 20 of length

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The location of the trailing edge within keyway 38 means that the blanking slug cannot be removed by an unauthorised person simply gripping and drawing the blanking slug out of the keyhole from the outside of the mailbox. Further, the engagement of the lock tumblers or pins 40 with transverse abutment edge 27 means that the device cannot be 00 pushed further into the keyway, or even out through the other end of the keyway using a key.

Accordingly, access to the keyway is prevented, the lock is essentially disabled, and the user (or any other unauthorised person with the correct key) cannot access the mailbox.

Blanking slug 10 may be readily removed by an operator (eg a post office staff member) by way of a special-purpose magnetic assembly 30 (Figure comprising a magnet element 32 connected to a handle 34, designed for easy gripping by the operator. In an embodiment tested by the applicant, a disc-shaped magnet element 32 of overall diameter 25mm and overall depth 8mm was connected by way of a threaded boss portion to a standard hook with an M5 thread forming the handle 34.

Removal is illustrated in Figure 4, showing magnetic assembly 30 gripped between the thumb and forefinger of an operator by way of handle 34 and placed over the keyhole.

The magnetic attraction between magnet element 32 and ferromagnetic material of blanking slug 10 allows the device to be pulled back out of the keyway. Magnet element 32 is designed to be of sufficient magnetic strength to attract the trailing edge 16 of the blanking slug, located slightly below the surface of the lock, as explained above.

Alternatively, the blanking slug may be removed from the keyway by use of a reverse key or key blank 35, as shown in Figure 5, inserted at the opposite end of keyway 38. The reverse key 35 need only be able to slide into the keyway and it is not required to be able to actually unlock the lock mechanism. Accordingly, it is not necessary to manufacture a unique reverse key for each and every lock mechanism. In use, an operator (eg a post office staff member) having access to the opposite end 39 of the keyway 38 (eg from within a post office mailbox), simply slides reverse key 35 into the keyway until it contacts the leading tip 14 of the blanking slug 10. The reverse key 35 is then pushed deeper into the keyway until a sufficient portion of blanking slug 10 projects out from the keyhole to be gripped and removed.

This is of course a more labour-intensive solution, requiring operators to have access to the back side of the mailbox door, and generally requiring two operators (one behind the arsm MO111576941v2 305397414 6 Smailbox door, to manipulate the key blank 35, and one in front of the mailbox door, to Sgrip and remove blanking slug 10), but can be used in situations where the blanking slug

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O becomes stuck in the keyway or is otherwise difficult to retrieve.

It will be realised from the above that a simple and effective security device for lock mechanisms is provided by the invention. Blanking slug 10 can be very inexpensively C manufactured in large numbers by conventional stamping techniques from sheet material.

00 In use, use of invention enables locks to be temporarily disabled so as to selectively restrict access to a mailbox, and further allows very simple removal as discussed above, in order to restore use the mailbox.

10 The above description refers to mailboxes, and particularly to official post office (Ni mailboxes. However, the skilled reader will readily appreciate that the device of the invention can be applied to other types of mailboxes, such as mailboxes in residential apartment blocks and other 'pigeon hole' systems. Further, the skilled reader will appreciate that the device of the invention can be readily applied to locks of any type and for any use, where temporary disablement may be required.

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Claims

2. The security device of claim 1, wherein the stop means includes a cutout portion Sin a longitudinal edge of the elongated element between the trailing and leading end, the O 10 cutout portion defining a transverse edge positioned to abut one or more detent elements of the lock mechanism within the keyway when the device is in said prescribed position.
3. The security device of claim 2, wherein the leading edge is inclined to the longitudinal direction of the elongated element for insertion into the keyway, and said cutout portion features a further inclined leading edge to enable the device to be removed from the keyway in the direction from which it has been inserted.
4. The security device of any preceding claim, fabricated from a ferromagnetic material, in combination with a removal device including a magnet element and a handle portion, such that the magnet element may be placed at said front face of the lock mechanism to attract the trailing end of the elongated element, and can be manipulated by a user to remove the security device from the keyway. The security device of any preceding claim for use with a lock mechanism having both front and rear access to said keyway, in combination with a reverse-profile key insertable into said keyway from the rear of the lock mechanism, to allow a security device located within the keyway to be pushed through the keyway towards said front face. Australian Postal Corporation 1 October 2004 arsm M0111576941v2 305397414