US2375488A - Padlock - Google Patents

Description

c. E. OLSON May 8, 194 5.

PADLOCK Filed Aug. 22, 1942 BY I M ATTORNEYS I VENTOR Patented May 8, 1945 -2,s75,4ss. rAnLooK N, Charles E. 0lson,.Bridgepo1-t, Conn. I V Application Augustlze, 194,2,"se'ria1m; 455,695 (Cl-.-7051) j 12 Claims.

This invention relates. to padlocks and tolattachments therefor for preventing water and dirt from accumulating. in and about the apertures in the body of the lock and the portionsof the legs of the shackle which extend into the same.

In the use of padlocks. outdoors, particularly inthe colder climates, it frequently happens that when the lock is to be opened .it is found. that water, which has accumulated inzandabout the shackle-receiving apertures .and the legs ofthe shackle, has frozen, and thatthe-lockcannot be opened until the ice has been melted. It has also been found, especially with the type of pad lock in which the free end of the shacklevextendsinto'a blind hole, that the accumulation of dirt and other foreign matter in this hole prevents the; shackle from being moved to locked;

position, and this necessitates cleaning-out the:

blind holewith a screwdriver or the like.

To avoid these troubles and. inconveniences,

the present inventionprovides resilient shields on the legs of the lock shackle so positioned that; when the shackle isclosed the end ofcithe shields will. firmly engageand make watertight contact with the margins of the aperturesin the body of. the look through which the legs extend.

These resilient shields, according: to this invention in the form at present preferred, are in:

the form of. collars of rubber orrubber-like ma-. terial carried bythe legs of theshackleandpo- ..sitioned thereon so that the ends of the. collars adjacent the body of the lock will be held, under pressure against the margins of the leg-receiw.

ing. apertures and thus maintain watertight c.ontact with the body of the lock. According to the presentv invention, the rubber collar may beprovided with an undersize axial hole through which the leg of the shackle mayabe threaded so that the collar will embrace the leg of the shackle resiliently with sufficient.

firmness to prevent casual or operational displacement of. the collar from adjusted position onthe leg, of the'shackle. l

. Preferably, the body-engaging end of the collar is made quite flexible, as by reducing its crosssectional area, so that it will. yield-more readily than the other end which grips the shackle leg.

.Atpresent, it is preferred to do this by providing anenlarged bore in the collar at the body-rem gaging end, since this produces a flexible skirt portion which is spaced fromthe shackle leg and which may be bowed outwardly upon engagement with the body as the shackle is'being closed-and spring back somewhatxwhile maintainingflrm contact with the body as the shackle l ber, rubber,

moves, award slightly afterbeing tau ht by,

the lock mechanism.

The provisionof the skirt portion on...the rubber collar ,isadvantageous also for theqreason that should there be a coating or-accumulation' of ice at thepointof engagement of the rubber collarwithrthe lock body, this may usuallybe crackedand broken. with. comparative ease by manually applying pressure on the skirt portion of the shield causing itto flex inwardly and the lock to which the shields of the present invention are to be applied is of! unusually small;

cross-section, they may be; secured ,-in place against casual or operational displacementby. a

suitable adhesive, such as shellac.

.Withmostlocks, it is thebetter practice to provide the shield of thepresent invention'on both legs of the shackle, but in other locksthis may not; be necessary, and itv should be understood that the shield of the, present invention may be applied to either, or, both legs of, the

shackleasdesiredsl I It shouldbe understood, that in the specification and claims the wor.d rubber is used as a convenient. term intended to embrace all rubrials.

Other .features and ..advantages will hereinafter appear. v1

In the accompanyingdrawing:

.E'igni'e 1 is' a front. elevation of. ..a padlock showing the shields of the present invention applied tohthe .legs'ofthe shackle, .the shackle being. shown in unlockedposition.

2 is a similar view showing the shackle inlocked position. v l i Fig. 3" is a horizontal sectional view taken.

through the bowedskirt portion of the device.

Fig. is an elevation of the shield. of the present. invention. i The padlock shown herein to. illustrate the present invention'comprises a bodyv m and a shackle H having legs1'2' and I3. The...shackle is: movable longitudinallyfrom. the open .or unlocked position shown in'Fig. lto the *closed .or

locked position shownin 'Fig. 2, the jlegskof' the substitutes, and rubber-like mateshackles being slidably mounted inapertures I4 in the body of the lock. In some instances, the

shackle pivots about the leg I2 to permit access to the loop of the shackle.

The legs of the shackle have notches I5 adapted shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 which are moved from operative to inoperative positionsby a keyform a watertight connection around the aperture I4. To improve the making of this watertight connection I have found that the body- 110 to be engaged by keepers I6 diagrammatically shown in Fig. l to closed position shown in Fig. 2' 7 controlled tumbler mechanism I! also diagrame j matically illustrated in dotted lines in Fig.2; Due to lost motion in the lock parts, particularly 1 between the keepers I6 and the notches I5, it is 1 usual in padlocks that when the shackle 'isf pressed home to be caught it is capable of some H slight outward movement, and usually does have such movement under the influence of a spring not shown which causes the shackle'to move out 1 automatically when the lock is unlocked."

. In the'use of padlocks, particularly outdoors:v in colder climates, it frequently occurs that ice 1 forms in and about the leg-receiving apertures I4 and :the adjacent portions of the legs due toan accumulation of rain freezing therein or due be caught by the keeper until the accumulation screw driver or 1 to sleet or snow. This formation of ice interferes f with the operation of the lock, and many times j prevents the lock from being opened until the 3 1 ice has been melted either naturally or artifi- 1 I cially as by a blowtorch. This causes a great deal 1 of inconvenience and trouble. In. some padlocks. the free leg I3 of the shackle enters into a blind 1 hole in the body which is liable to become clogged I with dirt or other foreign matter so-that the I. j. shackle cannot be pushed home sufficiently far to i The device of the present invention obviates the difilculties above referred to not only by preventing water from entering in and about the shackle-receiving apertures in the'body but also preventing dirt from entering the lockthrough these apertures.

' .In the form of the invention illustrated herein as exemplary thereof, this is accomplished by j providing on either or both legs of the shackle,

1 depending upon the construction of the lock, resilient shields I8. 'Iheseshields preferably are j in the formof cylindrical resilient rubber'collars I3 and I2 of the shackle may be threaded.

In the example shown in the accompanying the leg I2 and the. collar forthe leg I3 is pushed onto that leg. The hole I9 is preferably under- I having an axial hole I9 through which the legs size (considering the diameterlof the shackle legs) so that the collar "will be under slight I I resilient distortion andthusbe fir'mly gripped receiving apertures Iliwhenxthe lock is closed to cross-section, this maybe done by the use of suitable adhesive such as shellac.

The collar I8 is located on the-leg of the in cases where the shackle is of unusual small 1 shackle in such position that its lower end encir- 5 cles and firmly engages the margin 20 of the legengaging end of the collar may advantageously be made as a resilientskirt 2I. This may be done by providing an enlarged bore 22 in the collar, preferably tapered, so that the skirt 2I becomes more flexible toward its bottom and is spaced from the portion of the leg which it surroundss when the collars are so made and are properly adjusted on the legs of'the shackle, movement of the shackle from open position causes the skirt to bow outwardly and be placed under pressure so that its end firmly engages the margin 20 of the aperture I4. When the shackle is manually released so that ,it may move outwardly until the keepers I6 engage the notches I5, the bow in the skirt 2| straightens out slightly but continues to maintain close water-I proof contact with the body of the lock.

Thefiexible skirt 2I has the further advantage that it permits relative movement between itself andthe leg of the shackle, and this greatly assis'ts the breaking and cracking of a layer of ice which may accumulate around the collar and adjacent parts ofthe lock body. This could not be done with such ease if the body-engaging end of the collar snugly embraced the portion ofthe shackle which it surrounds.

Variations and modifications,may be made within the scopeof this invention and portions" of the improvements may be used without others.

:1. A padlockhaving a-body; a shackle having leg's slidably' mounted in apertures in the body to open and close the lock; and resilient means encircling the legs of the shackle and carried thereby in position to engage the margins of said:

ing legs slidably mounted in apertures in the body to open and close thelock; and resilient means encircling the legs of the shackle and carried thereby in position to engage the margins f of said apertures and be placed under pressure thereagainst when the shackle is moved to-closed position, the portion of the resilient meansengaging the margin being deformable to form a seal therearound and prevent foreign matter from settling in and about saidapertures and the portions of the legs entering the same, said resilient means being adjustably mountedonthe legs of the shackle. I

3. A padlock having a body; a shackle having a leg slidably mounted in an aperture in the body to open and close the lock; and a rubbercollar encircling said leg of the shackle and resiliently embracing the same to maintain a desired adjusted position on the leg, said rubber collar hav-- ing a compressible end portion positioned to en-. gage the margin of the aperture'and be placed under pressure theragainst when the shackl is moved to. closed position, said compressible end portion deforming and forming a seal to prevent water from settling in and about said aperture and theaportion of the leg entering the same. .2

- 4. A padlock having a body; alock mechanism;- a. shackle having a leg slidably mounted in: an

aperture in the body to open and close the lock; and a rubber collar encircling said leg of the shackle and resiliently embracing the same to maintain a desired adjusted position on the leg,

water from settling in and about said aperture the same, the body-engaging end of the collar having a flexible skirt spaced from the shackle leg-so that it may be manually flexed to break any coating or accumulation of ice that may be formed over the collar and adjacent portions of the body. I n j 9. A padlock having a body; a lock mechanism; a shackle having legs slidably mounted in apertures in the body to open and close thelock; and rubber collars encircling the legs of the shackle and positioned thereon, said collars having end to open and close the lock; and a rubber collar I encircling said leg of the shackle and resiliently embracing the same to maintain a desired adjusted position on the leg, said rubber collar having an end portion positioned to engage the margin of the aperture and be placed under pressure thereagainst when the shackle is moved to closed position to prevent water from settling in and about said aperture and the portion of the leg entering the same, the body-engaging end of the collar being recessed to provide a flexible skirt portion spaced from the shackle leg so that it may be manually flexed to break any coating or accumulation of ice that may be formed over the collar and adjacent portions of the body.

6. A padlock having a body; a shackle having a leg slidably mounted in an aperture in the body to open and close the lock; and a rubber "collar encircling said'leg of the shackle and having at least a portion thereof which is readily compressible and deformable, the collar being positioned thereon so that an end portion engages the margin of the aperture and is placed under pressure thereagainst when the shackle is moved to closed position to cause the compressible portion to form a seal thereabout and to prevent water from settling in and about saidaperture and the portion of the leg entering the same. v

7 A padlock having a body; a lock mechanism; a shackle having a leg slidably mounted in an and a rubber collar encirclingsaid leg of the shackle and positioned thereon so that an end portions which are more compressible than the body thereof, said end portions engaging the margins of theaperturesand being compressed and placed under pressure thereagainst to form a seal therearound when the shackle is moved to closed position to prevent water from settling in and about said apertures and the portions of the legs entering the same..

10. A padlock having a body; a lock mechanism; a shackle having legs slidably mounted in apertures in the body to open and close the lock; and. rubber collars encircling the legs of the shackle and positioned thereon so that end portions engage the margins of the apertures and are placed under pressure thereagainst when the shackle is moved to closed position to prevent water from settling in and about said apertures and the portions of the legs entering the same, the body-engaging ends of the collars each havportion and maintain a watertight contact therewith when the shackle moves outwardly slightly due to lost motion between it and the lock I mechanism.

11. An attachment for a padlock having a shackle forming legs'slidably mounted in apertures in a lock-body to open and close the lock,

portion engages the margin of the aperture and T is placed under pressure thereagainst when the shackle is moved to closed position to prevent" 8. A padlock having a body; ashackle having a leg slidably mounted in an aperture in the body to open and close the lock; and a rubber collar encircling said leg of the shackle and positioned thereon so that an end portion engages the margin of l the aperture and is placed under pressure thereagainst when the shackle is moved to closed position to prevent water from settling in andabout c said aperture and the portion of the leg entering comprising resilient means having a hole therethrough through which one leg of the shackle may be passed to position said means thereon so that an end portion may engage the margin of one aperture in the body of the look when the lock is closed, said body-engaging, end portion havin a flexible skirt spaced from the surface of the shackle leg and adapted to be placed under pressure to prevent water from settlingin and about said aperture and the portion of the leg entering the same when the shackle is moved to closed position.

12, An attachment for a padlock having a shackle forming legs slidably mounted in aper j be pushed, said hole being undersiz so t the v collar resiliently embraces the shackle leg and thereby remains against casual or operational displacement in adjusted position on the leg with theend of thecollar positioned to engage the margin of one aperture in the body of the look when the lock is closed, said body-engaging end portion having a bore largerthan said hole portion and a skirt spaced from the shackle leg and adapted to flex and maintain watertight contact with the body when the shackle is moved to closed p s io cHARLEs E. OLSON.

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