US2087423A - Code finding key - Google Patents

Description

July 20, 1937. H. ABRAMSl 2,087,423

' 'CODE FINDING KEY Filed June 195e 2 sheets-sheet 1 34 l 34"'1 3] {mijl-3 '55 a l raiz j j .n i A LL- U H |-I l Ii ,Vy/7M 6. 37 33 IN VENTOR. BY bbw/,4R0 ABH/QMS ATTORNEY.

JulyZO, 1937. H. ABRAMS CODE FINDING KEY Filed June 27, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NHG ATTORNEY.

Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATES FATENT FICE CODE FINDING KEY Application June 27, 1936, Serial No. 87,759

11 Claims.

This invention relates to master keys having indicia thereon for indicating the code of keys for cylinder locks, and particularly to keys having at least one at side unbroken by longitudinal grooves or ridges.

One ofthe objects of this invention is to provide an apparatus that can be easily and speedily manipulated to open a cylinder'lock without its key when the code of the lock is not otherwise discernible.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of the above mentioned character which will indicate they code of a cylinder lock so that a key can be made from the code thus ascertained.

A further object is to provide an implement of the character mentioned that will be accurate, dependable, and which will not damage or break the lock. These and other features of my invention are more fully set forth hereinafter', reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated by like reference characters, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a cylinder lock.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a key suitable for the type of lock shown in the Figure 1.

l Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section of the key taken along the lines III-III of the Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of the lock taken along the lines IV--IV of the Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a vertical section of the same lock with the key of Figure 2, inserted therein.

Figure 6 is a side view of the device with portions broken away to show construction and assembly.

Figure '7 is a side View of the barrel.

Figurer8 is a rear end view of the barrel.

Figure 9 is a front end view of the barrel.

Figure 10 is a side view of the barrel holder.

Figur-e 11 is an end view of the barrel holder showing code indicia.

Figure 12Y is a side view of the code pointer and pointer sleeve.

Figure 13 is an end view of the code pointer and sleeve. l

Figure 14 is a side sectional view of the elongated nut.

Figure 15 is a side View of the slide.

Figure 16 is a front view of the shim and shim adapter.

Figure 17 is a side view of the shim and shim its initial engagement with a cylinder lock.

Figure is an end view of theapparatus showing the code pointer designating the code of th rst tumbler. Y

Figures 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28, are views similar to those of Figures 19 and 20, illustrating the subsequent steps in the operation of the device. Y

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of my invention, it may at this point be noted that locksmiths are frequently called upon to t a key to a cylinder lock-operating mechanism and according to certain past practice such fitting of a new key has been all too greatly facilitated by the fact that the lock mechanism itself has in many instances been stamped with the code numbers of the corresponding keys. While this has facilitated the work of the locksmith, it has at the same time made all too readily available to unauthorized persons the exact information from which a key to fit that particular lock can be reproduced inasmuch as it is a relatively simple matter to cut the necessary depths of notches in a cylinder key where the code nurnber for that key is known. This deficiency has particularly made itself felt in the automobile eld.

In accordance with certain features of my invention, I avoid the necessity of having to stamp the key code number on the lock mechanism itself and I have provided a method and apparatus for determining the key code number from the lock mechanism so that the flagrant display of the code number on the lock mechanism itself is not at all necessary. In case a new key has to be provided, my invention provides a convenient method and apparatus for determining the code number of the key to suit that lock. However, when a key is merely temporarily unavailable or when a new key is not needed my device will also open the lock without the interjection or use of additional apparatus.

Referring to the drawings there is shown in ythe Figures 1, 4, and`5, the type of cylinder lock to which my device is applicable. In these views I show a door 3i, in which a lock case 32 is attached. Within the case 32, is a cylinder 33, which is revolvable when all of the tumblers 34, are set in a certain predetermined formation or alignment by a correctly tting key. The tumblers 34, are severable at various points and are made up of pins known as the upper or drive pins, and lower pins'. Each tumbler is pressed downward in the caseI 32, and into the cylinder 33, by a small coil spring. The Figure 4. shows the pins or tumblers 34, out of alignment; that is, their approximate positions when the lock is closed, or when a non-fitting key is inserted into the key slot 35.

When a correctly fitting key such as the one shown in Figure 2, is inserted the tumblers 34, take the positions indicated in Figure 5, and the breaks between the upper and lower pins are in line with the periphery of the cylinder 33, and come within the space between the case 32, and the cylinder 33, indicated by character 55.

The key shaft 31, is ordinarily divided into five stations as indicated in Figure 2. The shaft 31, at each station is cut to a different depth so as to raise or lower the tumbler pins to different levels in accordance With the code of the particular lock. In the drawings Figure 2, the rst station is coded to the level four in order to raise the tumbler 34a to the position shown in Figure 5. The second station is coded to the level two in order to raise the tumbler 3413, to the position indicated. Similarly the third, fourth and iifth stations of the shaft 31, are coded to correspond with the code of the tumblers 34o, 34d, and 34e, respectively.

Figure 3, is an enlarged View of a section of the key shaft 31, as viewed along the lines III-III, of Figure 2. In this View the key shaft is shown as having one flat side, and this is the type of key for which my device can be substituted.

Having thus described the type of lock operable by my invention I shall now proceed to describe the apparatus constituting the invention which will open a lock similar to the one shown in Figures 1 and 4, without the use of a key, and which device will also at the same time reveal the code of the lock thus opened.

Figure 6, shows the apparatus with certain parts cut away. In this view there is shown a barrel 1; a holder ID, attached to the barrel 1, by the set screw 4| an elongated nut I4 within the barrel 1; a hat slide I5, within the nut I4; a pointer I2, and pointer sleeve I3, attached to the nut I4, and a shim I8, and shim adapter I6, slidably attached to the barrel 1.

The barrel 1, is made of a tubular piece of metal and has a recess or bore 38, in one end; a guide 3S, at the end opposite the recess; a longitudinal slot 4D, extending from the recess 38, to the guide 39,and indicia A marked on the outside of the barrel. The guide 39, is L-shaped, has a tapered or pointed end 42, and is also L-shaped in crosssection as indicated in the Figures 8 and 9.

rl'he holder I0, is a knurled knob drilled to receive the unthreaded end of the nut I4, and has a recess or bore 43, for engaging the bored end of the barrel 1. The flat. circular face of the holder I9, is marked as indicated in the drawings Figure 11, with indicia B.

The pointer I2, and the pointer sleeve I3,.are rmly fastenedtogether, or are made of one piece of metal. The two parts together are attached to the nut I4, by a pin or set screw so that the nut I 4,7,may be revolved inside the barrel 1, by turning the sleeve I3. The pointer I 2, is adjacent to the flat face ofthe holder I0, and readable on the indicia B. A portion of the sleeve I3, is knurled to facilitate handling and manipulating by the operator of the device. f

The elongated nut I4, is preferably made of tubular brass. lIt consists of a threaded section 35, with a rather Vwide pitch and thread at one end, a small collar 44, which nts into the counter-bore 45, of the barrel 1, and an aperture 46, through which the stem 41, of the slide I5, moves.

Y The slide I5, is a ilat piece of metal preferablyV made of hardened steel. Its shape is substantially the same as that shown in the Figure 15. It consists of a stem 41, having indicia C, at the extreme right end; a plurality of teeth 48, which are actuated or engaged by the threaded end 35, of the nut I4; a stop 49, projecting upwardly from the end of the stem 41, opposite the indicia C; a narrow extension or nger 50, extending forward below the stop 49, andslightly lower than the stem 41, but parallel thereto. The end of the finger 59, has a small triangular tip or pick 5I, -the slanting sides of which actuate the tumblers 34, oi the lock.

The pick 5I, slides in the slot 40, and on the guide 39, of the barrel 1. By the forward or backward manipulation of the pick 5 I, within the keyhole slot 36, the tumblers 34, are consecutively raised or lowered to points where the breaks between the upper and lower pins are directly in line with the space 55, between the case 32, and cylinder 33, of the lock.

The top of the pick 50, indicated as point 5Ia, in the Figure 15, corresponds with the level of code one of station ve of the key shown in thel Figure 2; the point indicated as 5Ib, corresponds with the level of code two, station two; the point indicated as 5Ic, corresponds with the level of code three, station four; the point indicated as 5Id, corresponds with the level of code four, station one, and the bottom of the incline or point 51e, corresponds with the level of code ve, station three. It will be thus seen that when, by manipulating the tumblers 34, by the pick 5I, and raising them to the points a, b, c, d, or e, as the code of the particular tumbler requires each tumbler may be individually set at its open or break line position.

Inasmuch as all the tumblers 34, are required to be set at the open position at the same time, and which the pick 5I, by itself can not do, there is provided a shim I8, and a shim holder I5, to accomplish this purpose.

The shim I8, is a piece of hard, stiff steel .001 of an inch in thickness. It is somewhat T-shaped in design and fits into the adapter IB, with its narrow end 52, projecting outward. The narrow end 52, is slightly curved to conform to the space 55. The shim I8, has a small hole 53, which fits over a small pin 54, inside the adapter I6. The shim adapter I6, is slidable on the barrel 1, andthe shim I8, can therefore be moved forward into the space 55, of the lock and as each tumbler 34, is raised to its open position the narrow end 52, of the shim is progressively inserted between` the upper and lower pins of the particular tumbler. In this manner each of the tumblers 34a, 34h, 34o, 34d, and 34e, are consecutively unlocked and held in the open position until the cylinder 33, is ready to be turned. Upon the pick 5I, reaching the last tumbler 34e, the lock can be opened without moving the shim I8, between the pins, for at that tumbler the pick 5I, acts as a key.

The stop 49, on the slide I5, when barred by the pin 54, in the adapter I6, prevents the pick 5I, from moving outwardly of the lock. 'This is necessaryV to prevent the lower pins of the tumblers 34, from damaging or puncturing the end 52, of the shim.

The pin 54, in the adapter I5, serves several purposes. It retains the shim I8, within the adapter I6, it acts as a bar for the stop 49, and also slides within the groove or slot 40, longitudinally and prevents the shim adapter I6, from turning on the barrel 1.

To operate the `device the pointer I2, is turnedl tok on the barrel 1, until it is on the quadrant of indicia B and designating code one, and the end 'I, of the sleeve I3, is on the section one of indicia C. The side 58, of the adapter I6, will then read on section Zero of indicia A. Next, the guide 39, together with the pick 5 I, is inserted into the keyhole 36, so that the forward end of the barrel l, is in close contact with the :face of the lock case 32. The shim adapter I5, is moved forward so that the curved shim I8, slides into the space 55, and stops at the rst tumbler 34a, which tumbler bars its further insertion. At this stage the lower part of the bottoml pin o the tumbler 34a, rests on the point a, of the pin 5I. The pointer I2, is then turned clockwise on the indicia B, to the second quadrant which turning causes the screw thread 35, of the nut I4, and the teeth 4B, of slide I5, to propel the pick 5I7 slightly forward so that the bottom of the tumbler rests upon point b, of the pick 5I, and as the shim I8, is still barred to further insertion the pointer I2, is turned to the third, and then to the fourth quadrant as indicated in the Figure 20, at which latter point the shim I8, will divide the tumbler 34a, and slide between the upper and lower pins of this tumbler until stopped by the next tumbler 34o. The tumbler 34a., at that time rests upon point d, of the pick 5I. The operator then knows by noting the indicia C, that pick 5I, is touching the tumbler 34a, or is at the first station; by noting the indicia B, the operator then knows that the first station has a four depth or code, and by noting the indicia A, that the rst station is unlocked.

'I'he operator then turns the pointer I2, in the same clockwise direction to the line of indicia B, marking the first quadrant, and repeats the process; that is, the pointer l2, is turned clockwise to the second quadrant as indicated in Figure 22, dropping the tumbler 36h, to the point h, on the pick 5 I and as this second tumbler 34h, in station two is coded to a two unit depth' the break in the tumbler 32h, will be in line with the space 55, and the end 52, of the shim will slide between the upper and lower pins of the tumblers 34a., and 34h, until stopped by the tumbler 34e. Similarly the operator then knows from indicia C, that the pick is at the station two, that the code of the station two is two units, and that the end of the shim is between the first and second tumblers.

The aforementioned steps are repeated for each of the tumblers 340, 34d, and 34e, in consecutive order until all of the tumblers are held in the open position by the shim I8, at which time the cylinder may turn in the case 32. The Figures 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28, illustrate the subsequent three stages of the operation forunlocking and decoding the lock simultaneously.

In the event a new key is desired to be tted to the lock, the operator merely notes the code of each station as he manipulates the apparatus and with the code thus ascertained a blank key can be cut to correspond therewith.

It will be noted in Figure 11, that the code indicator or indicia B, has one and the same quadrant line for designating code depths one and ve. This is for the reason that one complete revolution of the pointer I2, will propel the pointer 5I, under a, particular tumbler the distance from point 5m, to point 5Ie.

Now if for some reason, such as a lock being new and the tumbler pins hard to operate with the shim I8, and a particular tumbler is not picked the rst time at some one of the five levels during one complete revolution of the pointer I2,

the pointer I2 must then be turned backwards or Y counterclockwise and the shim I8 gently pushed forward until a faint click is heard or the breaking point of the tumbler felt by the operator, at which time by careful manipulation, the end 52 of the shim can be moved forward as in .the regular manner. If the pointer I2, in such instance is not turned back or counterclockwise, but is turned clockwise instead, the pick 5I, will then move forward in an attempt to decode the next tumbler without having unlocked or decoded the one previous. However, the operator by keeping the indicia A and the indicia C, in corresponding adjacent positions this error can be avoided.

It will now be clear that I have provided a tool of the character described which will accomplish the objects of the invention hereinbefore stated. It is to be understood that the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is merely illustrative and is not to be considered in a limiting sense as various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. It is, therefore, understood that the device may be modified to accommodate locks having more or less than five tumblers, and which may be opened by keys having more or less than ve levels or code depths. It is, therefore, further to be understood that the invention is to be limited only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. An opener for cylinder locks comprising in combination, a supporting means engageable with a cylinder lock, means attached thereto for consecutively manipulating individual tumblers of the said lock, and a shim slidably attached'to the said supporting means and progressively movable with respect to the said manipulating means whereby the said tumblers are severed.

2. An opener for cylinder locks comprising in combination, a supporting means engageable with a cylinder lock, a pick movably attached thereto for consecutively manipulating the individual tumblers of the said lock, and means slidably attached to the said supporting means for progressively retaining| the tumblers in the position previously set by the said pick.

3. An opener for cylinder locks comprising in combination, a supporting means engageable with a cylinder lock, a pick movably attached to the said supporting means for consecutively manipulating the individual tumblers of the said lock, and a shim slidably attached to the said supporting means and progressively movable with respect to the said manipulating means whereby the said tumblers are severed.

4. A code finder for cylinder locks of the multiple tumbler type, comprising in combination a barrel having a guide engageable with a cylinder lock, a pick movable on the said guide for gauging the code of an individual tumbler, indicia on the said pick for designating its station within the said lock, and indicia on the said barrel for designating the code of the individual tumbler manipulated by the said pick.

5. A code nder for cylinder locks of the multiple tumbler type comprising in combination, a barrel having a guide engageable with a cylinder lock, means on said barrel for consecutively manipulating the individual tumblers of the lock, indicia on the said manipulating means for designating the tumbler station, indicia on the said barrel for designating the code of the tumbler, and a shim slidably attached to the said barrel progressively movable with respect to the said means, and consecutively severing the said manipulated tumblers designated by the said indicia.

6. A code finder for cylinder locks of the multiple tumbler type comprising in combination, a barrel having a guide engageable with a cylinder lock, a pick movably mounted in the said barrel for consecutively manipulating rthe individual tumblers of the lock, indicia on the said pick for designating a tumblerr station, indicia on the said barrel for designating the code of the tumbler manipulated by the said pick, and means attached to the said barrel progressively movable with respect to the said pick for progressively severing the manipulated tumblers designated by the indicia whereby the lock may be opened and its code simultaneously determined.

'7. A code nding key for cylinder locks of the multiple tumbler type comprising in combination, a barrel having a portion insertable into the key slot of a cylinder lock, a slide supported by and movable with respect thereto in a direction along the line of the tumblers in said lock, a pick having points on the said slide engageable with the said tumblers, a shim slidably mounted on the said barrel for consecutively severing the tumblers, the said shim being progressively movable with respect to the said pick, indicia on the said slide for indicating the tumbler station of the pick Within the said lock, indicia on the Y said barrel for designating the point on the pick a severed tumbler is then engaging, and indicia on the said barrel for indicating the station of the last tumbler thus severed whereby all the tumblers in the lock may be opened and coded simultaneously.

8. A code nding key comprising in combination, a barrel, the said barrel having a recess therein, a guide thereon, a slot therethrough eX- tending from the recess to the guide, and indicia thereon; a nut inside the barrel, the said nut having a threaded section at one end, an aperture at the opposite end and a collar between the said ends; a holder, the said holder attached to the barrel and having a ilange for retaining the said nut revolvably within the barrel at the collar, the said holder having indicia thereon; a slide, the said slide movably engageable with the threaded end of the nut and having indicia thereon projecting outwardly through the aperature of the nut, the said slide having a stop and a pick on the end opposite the indicia and movable in the said guide; a pointer attached to the said nut and readable on the holder indicia, the said nut having a sleeve readable on the indicia of the slide; a shim adapter slidably mounted on the said barrel. readable on the indicia of the said barrel and having a pin for checking the stop of the slide; and a shim removably mounted in the said adapter, whereby the individual tumblers of a cylinder lock may be consecutively and progressively opened and their codes simultaneously determined.

9. In a device of the character shown and described, an opener for cylinder locks, indicia thereon for methodically revealing the code of a tumbler lock, and means for simultaneously opening the lock thus coded.

l0. In a code ilnding key, a slide consisting of a stem, indicia on one end of the stem, a Stop on the other end of the stem opposite the indicia,

a nger extending forward of the stem below the said stop, and a pick having asurface embracing key code points on the end of the said inger.

l1. In a code nding key, a slide consisting of a stem, a pick for manipulating tumblers of a lock, and indicia on the said stem for designating the tumbler being picked.

HOWARD ABRAMS.

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