US2126063A

US2126063A - Permutation lock

Info

Publication number: US2126063A
Application number: US77676A
Authority: US
Inventors: James P Van Dine; Helmar E Van Dine
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1936-05-04
Filing date: 1936-05-04
Publication date: 1938-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 1955-08-09

Description

Aug. 9, 1938. J. P. VAN DINE ET AL PERMUTATION LOCK Filed May 4, 1936 I five/Zions Patented Aug. 9, 1938 r I UNITED STATES PERMUTATION LCOCK James P. Van

Dine and Helmar E. Van Dine, Cambridge, Mass.

Application May 4, 1936, Serial No. 77,676

5 Claims.

The present invention relates broadly to permutation locks, sometimes termed combination locks, and is applicable generally to looks of the type mentioned irrespective of their intended 5 use: it is herein disclosed, for purposes of illustration, in the form of a permutation padlock.

' The principal object of this invention is to provide a permutation lock wherein the locking action is effected .through the cooperation of the housing of the locking mechanism and the shackle, when one end of the shackle is held fixed within and relative to the housing by the locking mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to provide a permutation lock wherein the movement, within the housing of the locking mechanism, of one end of the shackle is controlled by the locking mechanism. I I

Another object of this invention is to provide a, permutation lock wherein the permutation locking mechanism is alterable only when the permutation lock is in the opened or unlocked state.

Another objectof this invention is to provide a permutation lock wherein the permutation locking mechanism cannot be manipulated in any manner revelatory of the settings to be made to efl'ect the opening of the permutation lock.

These, and other, objects are fully realized in the present invention which consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and immediately illustrated in the accompanying drawing disclosing the preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein I Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the permutation padlock when in the closed or locked state;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the permutation padlock when in the opened or unlocked state;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, on enlarged scale, of the permutation padlock in the closed or locked state with the rear face of the locking mechanism housing removed to disclose the locking mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation, on enlarged scale, of the permutation padlock in the opened or unlocked state with the'rear face of the locking mechanism housing removed to disclose the locking mechanism, but with only a portion of the shackle shown;

Fig. 5.is a sectional view of a portion of the locking mechanism, taken along the line 5, 5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to the view (Cl. "Ia-29) anism, save that the permutation padlock is in the closed or locked state, as shown in Fig. 3.

Throughout the drawing, similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A casing I0, provided with two lateral apertures l2 and lll, and a cover plate (not shown) secured to the casing In by the rivets Hi When, the permutation padlock is completely assembled, form a housing for the locking mechanism of the permutation padlock. Mounted pivotally, in and. within this housing, upon the hub I8 is a three-arm spider 20, each of whose arms is provided with an arcuate dog 22 and a detent arm 2 the respective purposes and uses of which will be set forth presently. To one of the arms of; the spider 20 is pivotally attached, by means of the stud 2B, the shackle 28' at the end of its longer arm, which extends through the aperture H2 in the casing in from without the housing: when the spider 2|] may be rotated in the direction of the detent arms 24, (counterclockwise in Figs. 3 and 4) the longer arm of the shackle 28 may be forced into the housing and, in consequence of the shape of the shackle 28, the end of the shorter arm thereof is caused to register with the second aperture I l in the casing in and then to enter therethrough into the housing, so that the shackle 28 assumes the position shown in Fig. 3. 1

Three tumblers 30, provided with flanges 32, are mounted rotatably in the face of the casing in and are maintained in position by the coaction of the face of the casing m, the flanges 32, the

, dial plates 34, the expanding springs 36 seated in the recesses of the tumblers 30, and the bolts 38, hearing stop means M and threaded into the dial plates M. Each of the tumblers 30 is provided with a series of holes 42, circularly distributed upon the emergent face of the tumbler, and each of the dial plates 3% is provided with a pin M adapted to engage in any one of the holes M of its respective tumbler. Springmembers t6, t8 and. 5|], supported on the rivets iii, are bent to make, at their free ends, contact yieldingly with the inner faces of the flanges 32, enabling the free ends of the spring members to ride in and an arcuate slot 54 adapted to receive one of the arcuate dogs 22 at a definite position, defined a'ngularly, of the tumbler 30: when not less than all of the three tumblers 30 are in such definite positions, defined anguiarly, the arcuate dogs 22 can enter into the arcuate slots 54, thus permitting rotation of the spider 20 and resulting in the opening or unlocking of the permutation padlock. In the closing of the permutation padlock, the arcuate dogs 22 are simultaneously and completely withdrawn from the arcuate slots 54,

' and any displacement from position, by rotation,

arcuate dog 22 in the arcuate slot 54.

of any one or more of the tumblers 30 will render rotation of the spider 20 impossible oi accomplishment, thus maintaining the permutation padlock in the closed or locked state.

The construction of the tumblers 30, as shown in Figs. and 6, is designed to permit variation in the angular relation between the dial plates 34 and the arcuate slots 54, and hence to permit the changing of the settings of the dials for the opening of the permutation padlock, when, but only when, the permutation padlock is in the opened or unlocked state. Thus, when the permutation padlock is in the opened or unlocked state, as 'is shown in Fig. 4, the dial plate 34 can be pulled forward by means of its knob 52 against the action of the expanding spring 35, thus disengaging the pin 44 from the particular one of the holes 42 wherein it was engaged, and the dial plate 34 can then be rotated into a new position relative to its tumbler 30, and the pin 44 may then be permitted to engage in another one of the holes 42: during these operations, the tumbler 30 is maintained in position fixed against rotation by the engagement of the In this manner, the angular relation between the dial plates 34 and the arcuate slots 54 can be varied and the settings of the dials for the opening of the permutation padlock can be changed. But

Since the complete penetration, throughout their lengths, of the arcuate slots 54 by the arcuate dogs 22 is required in order that the lock may open, the settings of the dials must be made with considerable exactness. And the

spring members

46, 48 and 50, restricting the movement of the tumblers 30 to rotations in one direction,

eliminate the possibility of feeling out thesettings by manipulations of the dials.

The present invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiment herein disclosed for the purpose of illustration, but must be regarded as embracing all modifications and variations within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a permutation lock of the character described, in combination, a housing, a rotatable 'member pivoted in the housing, a tumbler mounted rotatably in the housing, a bolt rotatable within the tumbler, a dial plate and stop means carried by the bolt at its opposite ends, expanding spring means borne by the bolt and interposed between the tumbler and the stop means and a detent arm borne by the rotatable member and interposable between the stop means and the tumbler by rotation of the rotatable member.

2. In a permutation lock of the character described, in combination, a housing provided with two apertures, a rotatable spider pivoted in the housing and having a plurality of arms each one of which bears a circumferentially disposed arcuate dog, a shackle one arm of which passes .through one of the apertures in the housing and is pivoted at its end to one arm of the rotatable spider and the other arm of which is adapted to pass through the other aperture in the housing upon rotation of the rotatable spider, a plurality of tumblers disposed equi-distantly from the axis of rotation of the rotatable spider, each tumbler being mounted rotatably in the housing and having an arcuate slot adapted to admit and to receive one of the arcuate dogs upon rotation of the rotatable spider when the tumbler is in a given position,.rotationally determined, relative to the housing.

3. In a permutation lock of the character described, in combination, a housing provided with two apertures, a rotatable member pivoted in the housing, a shackle one end of which passes through one of the said apertures and is pivoted to the pivoted rotatable member and the other end of which is adapted to pass into the housing through the other aperture, and hand operable tumblers cooperating with the pivoted rotatable member for locking and unlocking against rotatory movement the pivoted rotatable member when both ends of the shackle are positioned within the housing.

4. In a permutation lock of the character described, in combination, a housing provided with two apertures, a rotatable member pivoted in the housing, a shackle one end of which passes through one of the said apertures and is pivoted to the pivoted rotatable member and the other end of which is adapted to pass into the housing through the other aperture, an arcuate dog borne by the pivoted rotatable member, and a tumbler rotatable in the housing and provided with an arcuate slot adapted to admit and to receive the arcuate dog upon rotation of the pivoted rotatable member.

5. In a permutation lock of the character described, in combination, a housing, a rotatable member pivoted in the housing, a tumbler mounted rotatably in the housing and provided with a series of holes circularly distributed upon 'its external face, a boltrotatable within the tumbler, a dial plate and stop means carried by the bolt at its opposite ends, a pin carried by the dial plate and adapted to engage in any one of the series of holes in the external face of the tumbler, expanding spring means borne by the bolt and interposed between the tumbler and the stop means, and a detent arm borne by the rotatable member and interposable between the stop means and the tumbler by rotation of the rotatable member.

JAMES P.'VAN DINE. HELMAR E. VAN DINE.