US2060626A - Lock and process of making the same - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 10, 1936. J LACH 2,060,626 I LOCK AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 22, 1953 INVENTOR E Law/d, Wm

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNlTED STATE PATEli FFHQE LOCK AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAM Application April 22, 1933, Serial No. 667,371

9 Claims.

This invention relates to cylinder lock plugs and to a particular method of manufacturing the same.

More particularly, my invention is concerned with an improved process for manufacturing a usual type of cast lock plug equipped with tumbler chambers, and is especially concerned with the formation of a longitudinal keyway in the plug arranged to traverse the tumbler chambers for guiding a key into contact with the tumblers.

More in detail, my invention relates to an improved type of die cast plug having a series of independently walled transverse tumbler chambers and a keyway formed therein by the piercing of the walls separating the tumbler chambers after the plug is cast, whereby the keyway will better guide a key inserted therein and will lend greater security to the lock.

For a description of my invention, I shall now refer to the drawing wherein Fig. 1 is an elevation of a usual type of sliding tumbler plug embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section along the lines 2-2 of Fig. l and Fig. 3 is a section along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a front view of the plug illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a plug after the chamber walls have been pierced. Fig. 6 is a sectional View along the lines '66 of the plug of Fig. 5. Fig. '7 is a diagrammatical view illustrating the manner of cutting the keyway in the walls separating the tumbler chambers. Fig. 9 shows a tool used in the process of Fig. 7, while Fig. 8 is a sectional View along the lines 88 of Fig. '7.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, reference numeral I0 illustrates a usual type of die cast plug having a camming pin I l, a head l2, and a series of tumbler chambers l3. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that in accordance with the teachings of the prior art, there are only two ways of forming a keyway in a die cast plug of the type shown in Fig. 1. One of the methods involves the casting of the plug with a core the shape of the keyway inserted into the front end of the plug in the direction of the arrow M. The use of this type of core will necessarily require the use of upper and lower cores for the forming of the tumbler chambers I3. These upper and lower cores must envelop the keyway core and mesh very closely and accurately therewith. It is quite obvious that this method of coring involves considerable difficulty and is not at all desirable.

Another method which is now generally used commercially, involves the use of upper and lower cores, which between them, form the tumbler tumbler spring is adapted to ride.

chambers and also the usual key guiding lugs which protrude from the keyway. However, these upper and lower cores must necessarily form diametric openings on opposite sides of the diameter of the plug to permit their withdrawal, and therefore, leave no bottom portion, such as portion l5 of the keyway ll: as is illustrated in Fig. 6. Actually, the keyway as formed by this last method will have nothing more than lugs, such as the lugs ll for supporting or guiding the key. There will be no keyway such as is conventionally used in pin tumbler locks, in which the keyway is sinuous in character and therefore controls the contour of the key inserted therein, and also hinders picking.

By the method of manufacture which I prefer to utilize, the tumbler chambers 53 are formed by individual cores which leave transverse walls l8 between the various chambers. Fig. 2 shows a cross section through one of the tumbler chambers I 3 illustrating the formation thereof, and the adjacent chamber I9 in which the usual type of Fig. 3 illustrates a section along the lines 3-3 of Fig. l and shows a wall 18 present between each of the tumbler chambers.

Each of these walls is formed relatively thin so that it may be pierced by a tool 20 shown in Fig. 7, the cross section of which is the same as the key to be used eventually, and is illustrated in Fig. 8. This piercing tool is guided in its piercing operation by a series of tools 2| illustrated in Fig. 9, each of which has a cutout portion 22 of the same contour as the tool 2i] and the key which is to fit the lock. These individual guiding tools 2! are placed in each of the tumbler chambers 13 as is illustrated in Fig. '7, and when the tool 20 descends downwardly in the direction of the arrow 23 it will pierce the walls l8 and form therein a keyway IE to have guiding lugs I! and the supporting bottom l5. It will be interesting to note that when I utilize the series of guiding tools 2!, there is no way for the cut-out portions of the separate walls to escape. Actually, only the first cut-out part is cut by direct contact with the tool 2i]. The second piercing is made by the first cutout portion as the tool forces that cut-out portion against the second wall. The second piercing in turn cuts the next tumbler wall etc.

It seems quite clear that by my invention, I am thus able to have a series of independent tumbler chambers, and a key Way formed in the plug in such manner as to properly support and guide the key into the tumbler chambers. Also, by my invention, I have been able to dispense with the use of complicated dies, such as were required in the prior art. While I have shown one method of forming my plug, it should be understood that variations of the same will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and that I consider my invention to be of broad and sweeping scope, and do not wish to be limited in any monopoly which I may obtain except as may be required by the state of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A tumbler plug having a series of tumbler chambers separated by walls, and a pierced opening in each of said walls adapted to support and guide the key for said plug, said pierced openings forming in effect, the keyway for said plug.

2. The method of forming a tumbler plug which consists in first forming said plug with a plurality of tumbler chambers separated by walls, and then piercing said walls to form the keyway of said plug.

3. A tumbler plug having a series of transverse tumbler chambers separated from each other by walls, tumblers in each of said chambers, and a series of pierced openings through each of said walls forming in efiect a longitudinal keyway for said plug, each of said pierced openings being of such contour as to guide the key and control the contour of the key to be entered into the keyway.

4. The method of forming a plug which consists in first casting said plug with a series of tumbler chambers completely separated by walls, and then piercing said walls to form a longitudinal keyway in effect, each of said piercings to be of such nature as to guide the key and to control the contour of the key to be inserted into the keyway.

5. The method of forming a key plug which consists in first casting said plug with a series of tumbler chambers completely separated by walls, inserting a series of guide members in said chambers, each of said guide members being pierced in a predetermined design conforming to the keyway to be formed in said plug, and then piercing the first wall with a tool formed like the piercings of said guide members and thereby forming in said first wall a keyway opening, the metal cut-out of said wall being operable thereafter when forced downwardly by said tool to pierce the next wall and so on.

6. The method of forming a plug which consists in first casting said plug with a series of tumbler chambers completely separated by relatively thin walls, and then piercing each of said walls to form a longitudinal keyway in effect, each of said piercings to be of such nature as to guide and support the key in predetermined relation to said tumbler chambers.

"I. The method of forming a plug of the sliding tumbler type in which the key traverses openings in the individual tumblers and is unsupported and unguided in the plane of said tumblers, which consists in first casting said plug with a series of tumbler chambers completely separated by relatively thin walls, and then piercing each of said Walls to form a longitudinal keyway in effect, each of said piercings to be of such nature as to guide and support the key in predetermined relation to said tumbler chambers.

8. The method of forming a tumbler plug in which the key is completely unsupported and unguided in the planes of the tumblers, which consists in first casting said plug with a series of tumbler chambers completely separated by relatively thin walls, and then piercing each of said walls to form a longitudinal keyway in effect, each of said piercings to be of such nature as to guide and support the key in predetermined relation to said tumbler chambers.

9. A tumbler plug having a series of transverse tumbler chambers. separated from each other by walls, tumblers in each of said chambers, and an opening substantially rectangular in form in each of said walls and completely enclosed by portions of said walls, said openings being aligned to form a, keyway and of such contour as to guide the key through said plug and to control the contour of the key.

JOSEPH F. LACH.

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