US1437878A - Key guide for locks - Google Patents

Description

G. W. ALDEEN.

' KEY GUIDE FOR LOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6,192].

1,437,878, Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

GEDQB ALDEEN, QB ROCKFQRD, IiLINOIS.

KEY GUIDE FOR LOCKS.

' Continuation of application Serial No. 23,496, filed April 23, 1915.

This application filed June 6, 1921.

Serial No.v 475,560.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEooR W. ALDEEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Key Guides for Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to locks, more particularly to the type commonly known as desk or cabinet locks, and has special reference tothe key-guide and the manner in which it is secured in position. The present application is a continuation of my application, Serial No. 23,496, filed April 23, 1915.

In locks of this general character as heretofore manufactured, thekey-guide which is customarily in the form of a cylinder, has been attached to or detachably connected with the lock case. Such constructions necessitated expensive and more or less complicated mechanism for locking the key guide or cylinder to the case for the purpose of maintaining the guide in position. Furthermore, the mortise or opening in which the lock case is set and the opening communicating therewith into which the key-guide project-s, must be accurately proportioned and properly positioned with respect to each other in order to dispose the case and keycylinder in proper relation to be locked together and to dispose the case in proper relation to the top of the drawer or other part in which the lock is supported. It also follows that in locks of thisgeneral character, the lock case andkey-guide are structurally dependent, so that one cannot be removed without necessitating removal of the other.

It is desirable to remove the lock case independently of the key-guide, and one of the chief objects of the present invention isv to provide a desk or cabinet lock in which the key-guide will be structurally independent of the lock case and will be held in position in cooperative relation to the case by means independent of the lock case. By reason of such an arrangement both the lock case and key-guide may be independently mounted or secured in operative position and the lock may be removed at any time independently of and without disturbing the key-guide. Furthermore, the cost of both producing and installing a lock of this kind is less than with prior. known constructions, by reason of the fact that it comprises fewer parts and does not require a fine degree of accuracy to secure the lock and key-guide in proper operative relation.

nother important phase of my invention is in producing a lock of this type at a comparatively low cost. In this particular field, there are two distinct classes of desk or cabinet locks, commonly known as barrel-key and flat-key locks. The barrel-key locks, so called by reason of the barrel shaped key, which is guided by a pin in the lock case itself, are generally recognized in the trade as an inferior and cheaper lock due to structural characteristics. The flat key-locks so called because of the fiat key employed, invariably comprises more parts and are more costly. These flat key locks are regarded in the trade as superior to the barrel-key locks and are invariably applied to the higher and more costly grades of furniture. One of the characteristics of a flat key lock is its r0- tatable ke guide, which appears at the face of the rawer or other lock-supporting part. As mentioned above, however, this key-guide or cylinder is either permanently or detachably connected to and consequently structurally dependent upon the lock case, thereby giving rise to the ob 'ectionable features already mentioned. nother object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide a flat key type of lock which may be produced and installed at practically the same or'less cost than the barrel key type of lock and which will have all of the advantages of and equal appearance to the flat key type of locks previously used, plus the advantages following from the structurally independent key guide and lock case.

Another object of my invention is to provide a key guide which will be simple in cdnstruction and cheap to manufacture and which can be quickly and easily secured in position regardless of the dimension between the front of the lock case and the face of the part in which the lock is set, and irrespective of the accurate formation and relative position of the lock mortise or opening and the key guide opening.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considofFig.2;

ered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fi re 1 is a sectional view of a lock embodylng my invention taken on the line 11 Fig. 2, is a front elevation of the lock shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, showing a modified form of key 'lock case 11, which is set therein and held in i position by a face plate 12 in the usual manner, and provided also with an opening 13 to receive the key guide. The lock proper arranged within the case 11 may be of any construction, and at present comprises the usual bolt 14 and other mechanism for operating and holding the same, which may be of any well known or preferred construction. It should be understood that my invention contemplates the forming of any suitable mortise or opening for the reception of the lock case, and ma be secured in such opening b any suitab e means, and further contemp ates the forming of a suitable opening 13 in ali cut with the keyopening in the lock an intersecting the lock-receiving opening.

The key guide in this instance is shown in the form ofa sheet metal cylinder 15 pro vided at its outer end with a radial flange 16 over which a sheet metal disk 17 is disposed and rotatably held in position by an inwardlfy projecting flange 18 loosely embracing the ange 16. The disk 17 is provided with the usual slot 19 through which the key is insorted into the lock.

g The key guide instead of being attached to or directlyconnected with the case 11, as has been customary heretofore, is simply set into the opening 13 in which it fits rather snugly and is then seurel fastened in positionby a plurality of re ial projections 21 formed after the guideis placed 1n position by forcing the metal of the walls outwardly, as shown in Fi 1. The spurs or projections 21 thus forme extend into the surrounding wood and securely hold the guide again dis lacement.

11 Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown a slightl dlfi'erent-form of key-cylinder 29 in whic the outer end is shaped to provide an inwardly holding in positions. slotted disk 32 formdisposed flange 31 overlying and ing the outer end of the cylinder. The retaining projections or spurs 21 are struck up in the same manner as those shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

' From the foregoing, it will be observed that I have provided a rotatable key-slot key-guide structurally independent of the lock case. It follows that the lock and keyguide may be secured in proper operative relation in any drawer or lock-supporting part regardless of the dimension between the face of the lock and the face of the drawer or such part; that the bolt end of the lock case may always be set flush with the top of the drawer or lock-supporting part regardless of absolu'tealignment of the hole 13 with respect to the key opening in the lock, this being due to the structural inde endence of the lock case and key-guide and the allowance between said guide and case for the key to properl accommodate itself to the lock; that the ock case may be removed at any time without disturbing, and entirely independent of, the key guide; that the keyguide by reason of its flanged outer end structure constitutes an escutcheon trimming the hole in which the guide sets; and that the key-guide is not merely an escutcheon but an essential part of the lock in. that it serves in itself to properly guide and hold the fiat key in operative relation to the lock for operating the latter. In regard to the flanged structure referred to, it should be noted that I do not consider this essential to my invention in its broadest sense, but do consider it as a preferred form of construction, as it produces an escutcheon efi'ect. Furthermore, in the particular example shown for purpose of illustration, the flanged structure constitutes a marginal abutment which limits insertion of the tubular member into the hole 13 and thereby properly defines and limits the position of the key guide.

Attention is now directed to the manner in which the key guide is secured in the body 8. As mentioned above, projections 21 are formed b ressin the metal of the walls of the tu'iiu ar mem er outwardly after said member is laeedin position. In other words, the tubu ar member is unperforated before being inserted into the hole 13 and the spurs are struck or forced out of the unperforated wall of the tubular member. This or the e uivalent may be done by in serting any sultable tool through the slot 19 and manipulating .such tool to cause sharpened edges thereof to perforate the tubular memberand rose the perforated edges outwardl ther y forming spurs and embedding t em in the wood This operation may be performed 1: say suitable tool and present isdone y' one (not shown) having pivotally connected jaws provided with oppositely disposed sharpened projections or punches, when the handles of the jaws are compressed are forced apart to form and embed the spurs. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is in no way limited to the use of this or any other tool for applying the key guide; but that my invention contemplates broadly the provision of any suitable means for supporting the rotatable key-slot key-guide member on the bod 8 independently of the lock case. It shou d also be understood that a keyguide as-claimed hereinafter may be formed of an suitable material.

It IS believed that the foregoing conveys a clear understanding of the objects refaced above, and while I have illustrat but practically a single embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that considerable change might be made in details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A key-guide, comprising a tubular member adapted to be inserted in an 0 ening formed in the part receiving the ock case with which the key-guide cooperates but structurally independent thereof, said member being supported by and secured within the wall of said opening and having a flange at its outer end, and a ke -slot disk rotatably supported upon said ange, the flange and disk structure formin a marginal abutment limiting insertion of the tubular member into said opening and trimming the same as an escutcheon.

2. A ke -guide, comprisin a tubular member apted to be inserte in an 0 ening formed in the part receiving the ock case with which the key-guide cooperates but structurally independent thereof, said member having a flange at its outer end, and a key-slot disk rotatably supported u on said flange, said member having outstanding securing elements pressed outwardly from said member into the Walls of said opening.

3. The combination with a wooden supporting member having a lock case opening and a key-guide opening, of a key-guide structural y independent of the lock case and adapted to be inserted in the second mentioned opening, comprising a tubular member equipped at its outer end portion with a rotatable key-slot disk and having, at its inner end portion, spurs struck out from the un rforated body of said member and embed ed in the body of the wooden supporting member.

4. The combination of a key-guide comprising a tubular member adapted to be inserted in an opening formed in the part receiving the lock case with which the keyguide co-operates but structurally independent thereof, a key-slot disk rotatably supported on the outer end of said tubular member at the face of said part, and means operating directly between said tubular member and the wall embracing it, for securing said member in fixed operative position in said part.

5. A key uide for a lock comprising a tubular merrier structurally independent of the lock, adapted to be inserted in an opening in the lock support, said member being retained against displacement from said support by the surrounding wall of said openmg, and a key-receiving slot disk rotatably secured to the outer end of said member.

GEDOR W. ALDEEN.

Certificate of Correction. Itis hereby certified thpt Letters Patent No. 1,437,878, granted Deoember 5, 1922, upon the application of Gedor W. Aideen, of Rockford, Illinois, for an -improvement in Key Guides for Locks, were erroneously issued to the inventor,

said Aldeen, whereas said Letters Patent should have been issued to National Lock 00., of Rockford, Illinois, a. Corporation of Illinois, said corporation being mignee of the entire interest in said invention, as shown by the records of assignments in this ofiice; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the reeord of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 9th day of January, A. 1)., 1923.

m KARL FENNING, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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