US2747397A

US2747397A - Keyhole shutter for pin tumbler lock

Info

Publication number: US2747397A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edward N Jacobi
Original assignee: Briggs and Stratton Corp
Current assignee: Briggs and Stratton Corp
Priority date: 1952-06-11
Filing date: 1952-06-11
Publication date: 1956-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-29

Description

May 29, 1956 E. N. JAcoBl 2,747,397

KEYHOLE SHUTTER FOR PN TUMBLER LOCK Filed June 11, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l 5b Z Z4 May 29, 1956 E. N. JAcoBl v 2,747,397

' KEYHOLE SHUTTER FOR PIN TUMBLER Locx Filed June 11, 1952 vs sheets-sheet 2 May 29, 1956 E, N` JACOBl 2,747,397

KEIYHOLEIA SHUTTER FOR PIN TUMBLER LOCK Filed June l1, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent O KEYHOLE SHUTTER FR PIN TUMBLER LOCK Application `lune 11, 1952, Serial No. 292,838

16 Claims. (Cl. 70-4S5) This invention relates to lock devices of the type generally used on the doors and rear compartment covers of automobiles and the like and refers more particularly to the provision of a weather seal for the exposed fronts of such locks, incorporating a shutter for closing the key entrance of the lock.

Lock devices of the type here under consideration comprise a key actuated cylinder rotatably mounted in a forwardly opening bore in a case or lock body. The cylinder has an axial key slot opening to its front, and the necessity for adequately closing the mouth of the key slot as well as for sealing the mouth of the bore in the lock body is quite apparent, especially to any motorist who has experienced the misfortune of having a door lock freeze as a result of moisture entering the exposed front of the lock mechanism.

Heretofore such locks were often provided with dust covers of the type which engaged over the entire front of the lock body to close the mouth of the casing bore and the keyhole in the cylinder, the dust cover being pivotally connected to the body either for edgewise swinging motion in a plane normal to the axis of rotation of the lock cylinder or for atwise motion toward and from the front of the lock body. While dust covers helped to keep water and other foreign matter out of the lock mechanisms, they had a serious disadvantage in that they had to be swung out of the way when the key was to be inserted into the key slot, and this extra motion was somewhat annoying, especially to a motorist who had to work in darkness or who had his arms burdened with packages. Moreover, such dust covers, while better than no protection at all, did not completely seal the lock mechanism against the entry of foreign matter.

A more satisfactory expedient for closing the front of a lock mechanism has been one including an internal shutter type of keyhole closure, such as that shown in the copending application of Edward N. Jacobi, Serial No. 268,300, tiled January 25, 1952, now Patent No. 2,680,965, dated lune 15, 1954, in which the front of the cylinder is covered and the joint between it and the lock body is sealed by a bright metal cap having a keyhole aligned with the mouth of the key slot in the cylinder, and a hinged shutter or ap behind the cap is biased to swing toward a position of engagement with the rear face of the cap covering the keyhole aperture therein. Insertion of a key into the keyhole swings the shutter out of the way, and upon withdrawal of the key the shutter swings back into place to seal the key entry to the lock mechanism.

This type of keyhole closure has proved satisfactory on those locks on which it has been installed, such as locks having a side-bar mechanism, where the front of the cylinder can be made sufficiently large to permit the formation therein of a cavity affording a sort of chamber in which to accommodate the shutter, as in the aforesaid copending application. In a pin tumbler lock, however, the cylinder is extremely small relative to the size of the key by means of which it is actuated, and conse- ICC quently the internal shutter type of closure has not heretofore been used on locks of the pin tumbler type because of the apparent impossibility of mounting a swinging shutter on the front of the cylinder. The problem will be more readily appreciated when it is realized that the cylinder in an average pin tumbler type of auto mobile door lock has a diameter of less than one-half an inch, and the key slot in the cylinder occupies so much of its cross-sectional area as to leave almost no additional cylinder cross-section which could be cut away to make room for a shutter to swing, even assuming it were practicable to mount one directly on the cylinder.

The problem of providing such a shutter type closure for a pin tumbler lock is solved by the present invention.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a weather seal of the internal shutter `type which is espe cially suitable for closing the entrance to the key opening in a lock device having a pin tumbler mechanism.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a simple and inexpensive combination of parts, in the nature of a sub-assembly, which may be mounted on the front of a lock cylinder in a lock device of the character described to provide an internal shutter type closure for the key slot of the lock but which will not necessitate any enlargement of the diameter of the front end portion of the lock cylinder itself and which will therefore be especially adaptable to lock mechanism of the pin tumbler type.

Still another object of this invention resides inthe provision of a subassembly comprising a front trim cap, a carrier plate, a shutter, and a spring, which subassembly may be installed as a unit on the front of a lock cylinder to provide an internal shutter type closure for the key slot in the cylinder and a seal for the bore in which it is received.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a key slot shutter for a lock device of the type wherein there is an annular bezel at the front of the lock case and an apertured trim cap or sealing disc directly behind the bezel and covering the face of the lock cylinder, which shutter will have a swinging flap portion that is biased into engagement with the rear of the trim cap to close the keyhole aperture therein by means of a single spring which also biases the trim cap forwardly into sealing engagement With the bezel.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and Vmore particularly defined by the appended claims, it being nnderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate two complete examples of the physical embodiments of the invention constructed according to the best modes so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a lock device embodying a pin tumbler mechanism, portions of the front thereof being cut away to illustrated detail;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 2-2 in Figure l;

Figure 2a is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken through Figure l substantially along the line 2 but showing the shutter swung open;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary -top`view of the lock device of Figure 1, with portions broken away to show details;

Figure 4 is a group perspective view of the members comprising the closure or weather seal of this invention;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional View taken on the plane of the line 5 5 in Figure l, but with the bezel removed;

u Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure il but illustrating the weather seal of this invention applied to a pin tumbler lock of the push button type; and

Figure 7 is a group perspective view of the components of the Weather seal employed in Figure 6. i

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral designates lgenerally a lock device of the type used in automobile doors and rear compartment lids and comprising a body or case 6 having a forwardly opening bore 7 in which a cylinder 8 of substantially uniform diameter is rotatably mounted. It will be understood that the drawings are made to a greatly enlarged scale, and that in practice the diameter of the lock cylinder is on the order of 0.4 inch. s

A key slot 9 in the cylinder opens to the front and one side thereof and extends substantially its entire length and diametrically across it to within a short distance of the side of the cylinder opposite that to which the slot opens. At the front portion of the cylinder the key slot actually does extend entirely across the cylinder, and it is widened to provide an enlarged mouth 10 for a purpose to be described later.

As is well known, small cylindrical tumblers are endwise slidably mounted in bores which exten-d radially from the longitudinally disposed bottom 11 of the key slot to the adjacent side of the cylinder. The construction and operation of this pin tumbler mechanism .is so familiar to those skilled in the art as to need no further description here. Sufnce it to say that insertion of a proper key into the key slot cams the tumbler mechanism toa position in which the cylinder may be freely rotated by means of the key. It should be noted, however, that such a key substantially fills the key slot in the cylinder, occupying a very substantial proportion of the cross sectional area of the cylinder. Hence, even though the key slot were not enlarged as at 10, there would be practically no space on the front of the cylinder for mounting an internal swinging shutter as has been done in the past -where the front of the cylinder has a larger diameter.

The shutter and sealing mechanism of this invention is, therefore, mounted ahead of the cylinder, in a substantially cylindrical chamber 12 at the front of the lock body having a diameter materially larger than that of the cylinder. This chamber is conjointly defined by a counterbore 13 in the front of the lock case into which the front end portion of the cylinder projects, and by an annular, somewhat cup-shaped, bezel 14 which ts over the front of the case and in effect provides a forward extension of the case. In this connection it will be observed that the front end portion of the case itself is slightly enlarged in diameter, as at 15, thereby enabling the counterbore to be substantially larger than the cylinder diameter and also providing a rearwardly facing shoulder 16 around which the rear marginal edge portion of the bezel is clinched or rolled, as at 17, to secure the bezel to the case.

Preferably the bezel is made of bright metal, and provides an ornamental trim for the enlarged front end portion of the lock body which projects ahead of the front surface of a door panel 18 or the like in which the lock device may be mounted.

In order to accommodate the key, the aperture 19 in the bezel must be at least as large in diameter as the cylinder and coaxial therewith so as to allow the key to be rotated freely as the cylinder is turned toward and from its locked position. This aperture in the bezel is closed from the rear by a bright metal cap or disc 20, which overlies the front face of the cylinder and thus complements the bezel ,in trimming the front of the lock mechanism. The trim cap or disc 20 is connected to a carrier plate 22, behind it, and which is in turn splinedly connected to the cylinder in a manner to be described presently. The trim cap, of course, has a keyhole 23 i which is aligned with the mouth of the key slot .in the cylinder to admit the key thereto. This keyhole in the trim cap is closed from the rear by an internal shutter 24 mounted on the carrier plate.

It should be noted that the rim portion of the trim cap is olset forwardly of the body thereof and is rounded as at 20' to nest in a correspondingly shaped annular pocket formed .in the bezel outwardly of the aperture 19 therein. These nesting portions of the bezel and cap tend to hold the cap coaxial with the bore of the lock body and against shifting laterally with respect to the cylinder axis.

While the configurations of the trim cap and bezel are such that the front face of the trim cap intimately flatwise engages the rear face of the bezel, the shutter, in turn, has a ap portion 25 which is shaped to conform closely to the rear face of the cap, around the keyhole therein, so that the shutter, cap, and bezel, when biased into snug ilatwise engagement with one another, cooperate to seal the front of the lock device against the entry of foreign matter into the mechanism. Hence, the cap or disc 20 may be considered as providing an outer seal member for sealing the casing bore, while the shutter may be considered as providing an inner seal member for sealing the key entrance to the lock mechanism.

The carrier plate 22 is a substantially hat disc, preferably stamped from sheet metal and having a diameter substantially corresponding to that of counterbore 13 in the lock case and hence substantially larger than the diameter of the lock cylinder. A pair of rearwardly extending tongues 26 on the cap or sealing disc 20, at opposite sides thereof, engage in notches 27 in the opposite edges of the carrier plate to provide a splined connection between the carrier plate and the cap. The tongues on the cap project into the counterbore 13 and guidingly engage the side wall thereof to provide further assurance against lateral shifting of the cap in the chamber 12. Thus the lock body, through the trim cap and the splined connection between the cap and the carrier plate, materially contributes to the support of the carrier plate in the chamber 12. Axial separation of the cap and carrier plate is prevented by inwardly strucktangs 28 on the tongues 26, overlying portions of the rear face of the carrier plate adjacent to the bottoms of its notches 27.

The carrier plate also has an irregularly shaped aperture 29, somewhat larger than the ap portion 25 of the shutter to enable the ap portion to pass therethrough. Three finger-like driving projections 30, comprising forward axial extensions of the cylinder at opposite sides of the key slot therein, are received in notches 31 in the carrier plate which open to the main area of the aperture 29 therein, thus providing a splined driving connection between the cylinder and the carrier plate. Hence, the lock cylinder provides an additional or internal support for the carrier plate, and in cooperation with the cap and lock body, precludes lateral shifting of the carrier plate in the chamber 12. It will also be observed that the finger-like projections on the cylinder lie within the diameter of the body of the cylinder and consequently they cannot interfere with insertion of the cylinder into the case from the rear thereof.

Moreover, the splined connection between the` cylinder and the carrer plate, provided by these finger-like projections and the notches 31 in the carrier plate, enables the carrier plate to be installed on the cylinder (before the bezel is set in place) by simple rearward insertion.

The rearmost position to which the carrier plate can slide on its connection with the cylinder is defined by forwardly facing shoulders 35 thereon at the bases of the projections 30, which shoulders lie in a common plane and abut the rearv face of the carrier. plate adjacent to the notches 31. In this rearmost position of the carrier plate it is spaced far enough forwardly on the front of the cylinder to permit the flap portion of the shutter to be swung rearwardly through the aperture in the plate to an open position projecting into the enlarged mouth 10 of the key slot in the cylinder.V l

The shutter is mounted on the carrier plate for such swinging motion by means of a pair of lug-like coaxial trunnions 38, integral with a rearwardly directed longitudinal flange 39 on the shutter at one side edge thereof, and bent inwardly of the plane of the ange to be parallel to one another. These trunnions are carried in integral hook-like bearing portions defining forwardly opening sockets 40 in the carrier plate, the bearing portions being bent rearwardly out of the plane of the plate adjacent to the remote ends of the aperture 29 therein. It will be seen that the disposition of these sockets is such that the trunnion axis of the shutter is located at one longitudinal side of the aperture in the carrier plate and substantially in line with one side of the enlarged mouth of the key slot in the cylinder; and the shutter can therefore swing about an axis lying substantially in the plane of the carrier plate and normal to the cylinder axis in such a manner as to carry its liap portion forwardly into snug atwise sealing engagement with the rear of the cap, or it can be swung rearwardly through the aperture in the carrier plate, to one side of the key as it is inserted into theslot, with its edge portions remote from the trunnionaxis accommodated in the mouth of the cylinder in this open position.

The shutter is biased to its closed position of sealing engagement with the back of the sealing disc or cap by means of a coiled torsion spring 41 which is also mounted on the carrier plate to react between it and the shutter. To hold the spring in place with its coils coaxial and disposed on an axis as nearly parallel as possible with that about which the shutter swings, the carrier plate has an integral spring holder 43 formed thereon. This spring holder is in effect a forwardly opening pocket formed by indenting rearwardly a portion of the carrier plate along the longitudinal edge of the aperture 29 therein which is adjacent to the flanged edge of the shutter. The axis of this indentation or pocket 43 is nearly parallel to the shutter trunnion axis and the depth of the spring pocket is such as to receive the rear halves of the coils of the spring and to hold the convolutions confined edgewise between the bottom of the pocket and the back of the sealing disc or trim cap 2t).

The upper free end portion 45 of the spring is curled and hooks into a notch 46 in the carrier plate, just above the spring holder, while the lower free end portion 47 of the spring is substantially straight and atwise overlies the medial portion of the shutter ap at it's back, being held centered thereon by means of a medially dimpled rib 48 at the center of the flap, bumped rearwardly ont of the plane thereof. The end 47 of the spring, of course, is loosely received in a notch 49 in the shutter flange.

It will be observed that the reaction of the spring against the carrier plate tends to urge the plate rearwardly into engagement with the shoulders 35 at the bases of the linger-like projections 30 and that the opposite reaction of the spring against the shutter not only seats its flap portion snugly against the rear of the cap to thus seal the keyhole therein but also, through this bias upon the shutter, urges the cap forwardly to bring its front face into firm sealing engagement with the rear face of the bezel, thereby precluding any possibility of foreign matter entering the lock body through the aperture in the bezel or the keyhole in the sealing disc or cap 20.

The splined connections between the carrier plate and the cap, of course, facilitate relative axial movement of these parts to effect the sealing function; and attention iS directed to the fact that the sockets 40 which receive the shutter trunnions, because they open toward the front, permit the spring to urge the entire shutter bodily forwardly to bring its Hap portion into self adjusting and firm sealing engagement with the cap, even though the cap may be spaced some distance forwardly of t'ne trunnion axis normally defined by these sockets when the shutter is seated therein. During spring propelled closure of the shutter, therefore, the shutter is substantially iloatingly t 6 suspended from the carrier plate, being held against any appreciable motion parallel to its axis by the remote edges 29 of the aperture 29 which overlie the outer sides of the trunnion flaps 38. Hence, there is little or no friction between the trunnions and their sockets which might intertere with the desired self-adjusting motion of the shutter against the back of the sealing disc, or which would interfere with complete closure of the shutter. In this respect, the sockets and the edges 29 of the aperture in the carrier plate merely loosely guide the swinging motion of the shutter to its closed position. When a key is inserted through the keyhole 23 in the sealing disc 20, the nose of the key engages the front face of the shutter liap carrying the shutter bodily rearwardly (against bias of the spring) the slight distance necessary to seat the trunnions in their sockets, and thereafter swinging vthe ap portion of the shutter rearwardly through the aperture in the carrier plate and into the mouth 10 of the key slot in the cylinder to the position indicated by construction lines in Figure 2a. Thus the key in effect cams the shutter to its open position as it is inserted into the key slot in the cylinder.

To allow space for the lower free end portion of the spring to swing rearwardly with the shutter, a slit-like recess 50 is formed in the front of the cylinder and into the key slot. Attention is also directed to the fact that the keyhole in the trim cap always remains aligned with the month of the key slot because of the splined connec tion between the cylinder and the trim cap.

With very little change, the weather seal of this invention can be used on the push button type of pin tumbler lock mechanism shown in Figures 6 and 7. As there illustrated, both the lock casing and the cylinder 56 therein are mounted in a substantially tubular lock body S7 for endwise depression as a unit. The casing, as is customary, has a splined connection with the lock body provided by the engagement of longitudinal ribs 58 on the exterior of the casing in grooves 59 in the lock body. This splined connection constrains the casing to axial sliding motion in the bore of the lock body, and the casing and cylinder are yieldingly held in a forward position in the body by the customary push button return spring (not shown) confined between the casing and the lock body in the rear portion thereof (not shown).

A bright metal push button cap 60, in this case, corresponds to the bezel 14 of the previously described embodiment of the invention. The cap 60 has a cylindrical side wall encircling the front end of the casing and projecting forwardly therefrom through the aperture in a bezel 6l clinched over a slightly enlarged head 62 on the front of the tubular lock body. An outwardly turned ange 63 on the push button cap, at its rear, engages behind the bezel adjacent to the aperture therein to preclude forward displacement of the cap, and a rubber sealing gasket is preferably interposed between the flange 63 and the rear side of the bezel to seal the aperture in the bezel in a manner similar to that shown and described in the copending application of Edward N. Jacobi, Serial No. 127,596, filed November 16, 1949, now Patent No. 2,660,046, dated November 24, 1953.

The push button cap 60, of course, encircles the projecting front end portion of the lock cylinder in spaced relation thereto. so as to define a chamber 12 in which the weather sealing means of this invention is received. At its front, the cap 60 has an inner rearwardly directed annular flange 64 terminating in a radially inwardly bent annular sealing ledge 65. The Bange 64 preferably converges from the front of the cap to the ledge 65 so as toI provide a substantially funnel shaped key guide facilitating insertion of a key through the aperture 66 defined by the sealing ledge 65.

The weather sealing means also comprises a carrier plate 68 seated on the front portion ofthe cylinder and splined thereto as in the previous embodiment of the invention, a sealing disc 69 ahead of and splined to the carrier plate and having a keyhole 70 therein registering with the key slot 9' in the cylinder, and a shutter 71 mounted on the carrier plate for swinging motion toward and from a closed position in sealing engagement with the rear of the sealing disc and in which it is yieldingly held by a torsion spring 72. The sealing disc, however, is confined between the sealing ledge 65 and the front of the lock cylinder so that the push button return spring Vacting through the cylinder urges the concave front face .sion spring 72 similar to the pocket 43 of the previously Adescribed embodiment of the invention. The flange 75, of

course, is spaced from the flange 76, being struck forwardly from the periphery of the plate, while the flange `76 is bent forwardly from portions of the plate along the adjacent longitudinal edge of the aperture 29' in the plate.

The splined connection between the sealing disc and the plate also differs slightly from that disclosed in the previous embodiment of the invention in that the tongues 26 on the sealing disc are received between pairs of tabs 7S on the plate bent outwardly from the flanges 73 thereof. These tongues are provided with forwardly facing shoulders 79 on their opposite side edges to engage behind the tabs 78 and thus hold the sealing disc unitarily assembled with the plate.

The shutter 71, in this case, has its trunnions Si) rolled up into tubular shape from the blank from which the shutter is formed. The trunnions, of course, are coaxial, and loosely engage in the bearing notches 74 of the carrier plate to oatingly confine the shutter between the plate and the back of the sealing disc. Motion of the shutter lengthwise of its axis relative to the carrier plate is limited by reason of the fact that the remote edge portions of the shutter ap are loosely received between the flanges 73 on the plate.

From the foregoing description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that this invention provides a weather seal or closure for a lock mechanism of the character described, which weather seal is of the internal swinging shutter type and which, moreover,

is especially applicable to lock mechanisms of the pin tumbler type. It wiil also be seen that in the closure device of this invention the spring which biases the shutter to its closed position also biases the cylinder sealing disc into secure sealing engagement with the bezel which trims the front of the lock mechanism, thereby effectively sealing the entire lock mechanism against the entry of foreign matter.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In a lock device of the type including a bored case and a lock cylinder rotatable in the case and having an axial key slot opening to its front, means for closing the mouth of the key slot, comprising: a carrier plate substantially larger than the front of the cylinder and having an aperture substantially larger than the mouth of the key slot; cooperating locating means on the front of the cylinder and on the carrier plate, supporting the carrier plate in front of the cylinder substantially normal to the cylinder axis, with its aperture in line with the mouth of the key slot and constraining the carrier plate to rotate -with the cylinder; a cap having a diameter large enough to overlie said carrier plate and having a keyhole to admit a key by which the cylinder may be actuated; cooperating locating means on the cap and on the carrier plate, supporting the cap in front of the carrier plate, with the key- 8 hole inthe cap aligned with the aperture in the carrier plate and with the key slot in the cylinder, and constraining the cap to rotate with the carrier plate but leaving the cap free for limited axial motion with respect thereto; an annular bezel on the front of the case overlying said cap, said bezel and the cap being snugly llatwise engageable around the inner marginal edge portion of the bezel; a shutter having a ilap portion large enough to close the key hole in the cap; cooperating trunnion means on the shutter and on the carrier plate mounting the shutter for swinging motion to carry its llap portion to a closed position in which it flatwise overlies the rear surface of the cap, closing the keyhole therein, and to an open position in which said flap portion extends rearwardly through the aperture in the carrier plate; and spring means reacting between the carrier plate and the shutter to bias the flap portion of the shutter forwardly into sealing engagement with the rear face of the cap, and through the shutter biasing the cap forwardly to bring its front face into sealing engagement with the rear face of the bezel.

2. ln a lock device of the type having a lock cylinder with an axial key slot opening to its front rotatable in a forwardly opening bore in a case, means for closing the key slot opening, comprising: a carrier plate substantially larger than the front of the cylinder and having an aperture substantially larger than the mouth of the key slot; cooperating locating means on the front of the cylinder and on the carrier plate, said locating means including axially extending fingers holding the carrier plate spaced forwardly of the front of the cylinder, normal to the axis thereof, with the aperture in the carrier plate in line with the mouth of the key slot; a front trim member for the lock device having a diameter substantially larger than that of the cylinder and an aperture to admit a key for actuating the cylinder; means on the lock device securing the trim member in front of the carrier plate with the aperture in the trim member aligned with the mouth of the key slot in the cylinder; a shutter having a llap portion llatwise engageable with the rear surface of the trim member around the aperture therein, said flap portion being large enough to cover said aperture in the trim member but small enough to swing ilatwise through the aperture in the carrier plate; cooperating trunnion means on the shutter and on the carrier plate mounting the shutter on the carrier plate for swinging motion of the shutter whereby its tlap portion is carried toward and from ilatwise engagement with the rear surface of the trim member closing the aperture therein; and spring means on the lock mechanism reacting against the shutter to bias it toward a position of atwise engagement of its tlap portion with the trim member.

3. Means for sealing the mechanism of a lock of the type having a key actuated cylinder with an axial key slot opening to its front rotatable in a forwardly opening bore in a case, said sealing means comprising: an annular bezel fixed on the front of the case with its rear surface spaced from the front of the cylinder; a cap having a front face which is snugly engageable with the rear face of the bezel and having a keyhole which will admit a key for actuating the cylinder; a carrier plate substantially larger than the front of the cylinder; means on the front of the cylinder connecting the carrier plate to the cylinder with the plate substantially normal to the cylinder axis and constrained to rotate with the cylinder; cooperating spline means on the carrier plate and the cap, holding the cap with its keyhole aligned with the key slot in the cylinder and constraining the cap to rotate with the carrier plate but permitting the cap to move back and forth axially, toward and from a position in which its front face is engaged with the rear face of the bezel; a shutter having a flap portion which can snugly ilatwise overlie the rear surface of the cap, closing the keyhole therein; cooperating trunnion means on the carrier plate and on the shutter mounting the shutter for swinging motion of its flap portion between a sealing position in which said ap portion overlies the rear face of the cap, covering the keyhole therein and an open position, with the Hap portion swung away from the cap through an aperture in the carrier plate, which aperture is in line with the mouth of the key slot in the cylinder to also admit a key thereto; and a spring reacting between the shutter and the carrier plate to bias the shutter to its sealing position, pressure of the shutter against the cap also biasing the cap forwardly into snug sealing engagernent with the bezel.

4. A key slot closure for a lock device of the type comprising a cylinder with an axial forwardly opening key slot rotatable in a forwardly opening bore in a case, said closure comprising: a carrier plate having an aperture substantially larger than the mouth of the key slot in the cylinder, carried on a projection extending forwardly from the front of a lock cylinder with its aperture aligned With the key slot to admit a key thereto; a trim cap Substantially larger than the front of the cylinder cooperating with another part on the case to close the mouth of the bore in the case, and having a keyhole to admit a key by which the cylinder may be actuated; a connection between said carrier plate and the cap, holding the cap in front of the carrier plate with the keyhole in the cap aligned with the aperture in the carrier plate; a shutter having a ap portion which can snugly atwise overlie the rear surface of the cap and close the keyhole therein; cooperating trunnion means on said carrier plate and on the shutter, mounting the shutter between the carrier and the cap for swinging movement of the shutter to carry its ap portion between a closed position in which it flatwise overlies the rear surface of the cap and an open position in which it extends through said aperture in the carrier plate; and spring means carried by the carrier plate and reacting against the shutter to bias the shutter toward said closed position.

5. in a lock device of the type having a cylinder with an axial key slot opening to its front rotatable in a forwardly opening bore in a case, means for sealing the mouth of the key slot to preclude the entry of foreign matter into the lock mechanism, comprising: means. on the case defining an annular extension thereof extending ahead of the lock cylinder, substantially coaxially therewith, and having an inside diameter larger than the diameter of said cylinder; a carrier plate rotatably mounted in said extension on the case and larger than the front of the cylinder, said carrier plate having an aperture aligned with the key slot in the cylinder and being supported in a position lying in front of the cylinder substantially normal to the axis thereof; an apertured trim member at the front of said annular extension on the case cooperating with a part on the case to close the mouth of the annular extension and having its rear face spaced from the front face of the cylinder and its aperture aligned with the key slot in the cylinder for admittance of a key to the key slot; a shutter having a ilap portion snugly flatwise engageable with the rear` surface of said trim member, around the aperture therein, to close said aperture; cooperating trunnion means on the shutter and on the carrier plate mounting the shutter on the carrier plate for swinging motion of the shutter toward and from a position in which its flap portion is flatwise engaged with the rear surfaces of said trim member, covering the apertures therein; and spring means reacting between the carrier plate and the shutter to bias` the shutter toward `said position.

6. In a lock device of the type having a lock cylinder with an axial key slot opening to its front rotatable in a forwardly opening bore in a case, means for closing the front of the device to prevent the entry of foreign matter into the mechanism, comprising: an annular bezel cooperating with the front portion of the case to define a substantially cylindrical chamber in front of the cylinder substantially coaxial therewith and having an inside diam- 10 eter larger than the diameter ofthe cylinder; projections on the front of the cylinder, at each side of the mouth of the key slot, extending forwardly into said chamber; a carrier plate in said cylindrical chamber substantially larger than the front of the cylinder and having a central aperture, larger than the mouth of the key slot, through which said projections on the cylinder extend to provide a splined connection between the cylinder and the carrier plate; a cap in said cylindrical chamber, between the bezel and the carrier plate, having a keyhole to admit a key by which the cylinder may be actuated and having a front surface snugly atwise engageable with the rear surface of the bezel, around the aperture therein; rearwardly projecting tongues on the sides of said cap engaged in notches in the carrier plate to provide a splined connection between the cap and the carrier plate, holding the cap with its keyhole aligned with the mouth of the key slot; a shutter having a ap portion flatwise engageable with the rear surface of the cap, around the keyhole therein, to close said keyhole; a pair of coaxial trunnions on the shutter; means on the carrier plate defining sockets in which said trunnions are carried to mount the shutter for swinging motion to carry its flap portion to a closed position flatwise engaged with the rear surface of the capv and an open position extending through said aperture in the carrier plate; a spring reacting between the carrier plate and the shutter to bias the shutter toward its closedposition; and cooperating shoulders on the carrier plate and on .said projections on the cylinder to define a rearmost limit of axial motion to which the carrier plate is urged by reaction of said spring thereon, to enable the iiap portion of the shutter to be swung through said aperture in the carrier plate toward the front of the cylinder, and to enable reaction of the spring against the shutter to urge the latter into sealing engagement of its flap portion with the cap and thereby also urge the iiap forwardly into sealing engagement with `the bezel.

7. In a lock mechanism of the type comprising a case having a bore opening to the front thereof and a l'ock cylinder having an axial key slot opening to its front rotatable in the bore: means providing a weather seal for the front of the lock mechanism and including a trim member mounted on the lock mechanism and extending across the front of the cylinder a fixed distance forwardly thereof, said tr-im member having an aperture providing access to the key slot in the cylinder; a shutter having a flap portion snugly atwise engageable with the rear surface of the trim member to close the aperture therein; a projection extending` forwardly from the front face of the lock cylinder; a carrier plate having an aperture large enough to permit said ap portion of the shutter to swing llatwise therethrough, in which aperture saidv projection on the cylinder is engaged to hol'd the carrier plate in front of the cylinder, spaced from its front face and with said aperture in the` carrier plate aligned with the key aperture; cooperating trunnion means on the shutter and the carrier plate mounting the shutter for swinging movement to carry its flap portion forwardly to a closed position flatwise engaged with the rear surface of the trim member land rearwardly away from the same throughsaid aperture in the carrier plate; and a spring carried by the carrier plate and reacting against the shutter to swing'it toits closed position.

8. In a lock mechanism of the type comprisingI a case having a bore opening to the front thereof and a lock cylinder having an axial key slot opening' to its front rotatable in the bore: means providing a Weather seal for the front of the lock mechanism and includinga trim member mounted' on the lock mechanism and extending across the front ofr the. cylinder a fixed distance' forwardly thereof, said trim member having an aperture providing access4 to. the. key slotY in the cylinder;r axial projections on the front of the cylinder, on each side of the key slot, extending forwardly toward the trim member; a shutter having a ap portion adapted to flatwise overlie the rear face of said trim memberto close the aperture therein; coaxial trunnions on said shutter, at one side of the ilap portion thereof; a carrier plate between thefront face of the cylinder and the trim member, said carrier plate being substantially larger than the front of the cylinder and having an aperture through which said projections on the cylinder extend to carry the carrier plate and constrain it to rotate with the cylinder; coaxial hook-like portions curved out of the plane of the carrier plate, adjacent to one side of the aperture therein, providing sockets in which said trunnions on the shutter are journaled to mount the shutter for swinging motion whereby its ap portion is carried toward and from engagement with the trim member, the aperture in the carrier plate being large enough to permit the flap portion of the shutter to swing atwise therethrough as it is swung away from engagement with the trim member; and bias means reacting between the shutter and another part of thc lock mechanism to yieldingly urge the shutter to its closed position.

9. The closure of claim 8, further characterized by the fact that said bias means comprises a coiled torsion spring; and further characterized by an integral holder for said spring on said carrier plate comprising a portion of the carrier plate adjacent to said aperture therein at said side thereof and between said hook-like portions, curved around an axis which is parallel to the shutter trunnion axis and spaced forwardly of the carrier plate, said spring having its coils partially embraced by said holder at the rear thereof and having one of its free end portions engaging the carrier plate and its other free end portion engaging the shutter at the rear of the ap portion thereof to bias the ap portion of the shutter forwardly into engagement with the trim member.

l0. -ln a lock device of the type including a bored case and a lock cylinder rotatable in the case and having an axial key slot opening to its front, means for closing the mouth of the key slot, comprising: means on the front of the device including an apertured trim member having a front portion spaced forwardly of the front of the cylinder to delne a chamber ahead of the cylinder, substantially coaxial with the cylinder and larger than the front thereof; shutter means in said chamber behind the front portion of the trim member for closing the aperture therein; a carrier plate in said cylindrical chamber substantially larger than the front of the cylinder and having a key receiving aperture therein; cooperating mounting means on the shutter means and the carrier plate, movably mounting the shutter means on the carrier plate, behind the trim member, and guiding the shutter means for movement to and from a position closing said aperture in the trim member; and spring means reacting between the shutter means and the carrier plate to bias the shutter means toward said closed position.

l1. In a lock mechanism of the character described: a casing having a bore opening to its front; a lock cylinder rotatable in the casing `bore with its front end por* tion projecting slightly therefrom and no larger in diameter than said bore, the cylinder having an axial key slot therein opening to its front: a sealing disc ahead of the lock cylinder, said sealing disc having a diameter larger than that of the lock cylinder and having a key opening therein registering with the key slot in the cylinder; means on the front of the lock mechanism having an annular portion extending over the periphery of said sealing disc and engaging the front thereof adjacent to the periphery of the disc to establish an outer weather seal for the joint between the cylinder and casing; a connection between the sealing disc and the lock cylinder constraining the same to rotate in unison with the sealing disc substantially coaxial with the cylinder; a bearing member on the front portion of the cylinder, behind the sealing disc, said bearing member having a hole therein substan- 12 tially larger than the 'key' opening in the sealing disc and registering therewith, and having a pair of bearings thereon disposed at substantially diametn'cally opposite sides of the cylinder axis and spaced a distance radially outwardly from the sides lof the cylinder at its front end portion; a shutter pivotally supported by said bearings andhaving a flap portion movable toward and from engagement with the back of said sealing disc to close the key opening therein and thereby provide an internal weather seal for the lock mechanism; and spring means acting on the shutter to yieldingly bias the flap portion thereof into sealing engagement with the back of the sealing disc.

12. The lock mechanism set forth in claim 11 wherein the key slot in the lock cylinder is enlarged at the front of the cylinder to provide an enlarged mouth for the key slot opening to the front of the cylinder and to opposite sides of the front end portion of the cylinder near the bearings of said bearing member; and wherein said bearing member encircles the front end portion of the cylinder and holds the shutter with the iiap portion thereof substantially in the entrance of the mouth of the key slot, and with the shutter projecting beyond the opposite sides of the cylinder and swingable rearwardly through the hole in the bearing member and into the enlarged mouth of the key slot to an open position in consequence of insertion of a key into the lock mechanism.

13. The lock mechanism set forth in claim 11 wherein said connection between the sealing disc and the lock cylinder comprises interengaging means on the sealing disc and the bearing member engaged with one another near the periphery of the sealing disc so that the latter is connected to the lock cylinder through the bearing member.

14. The lock device of claim l0, further characterized by the fact that said cooperating mounting means on the shutter means and the carrier plate comprise cooperating coaxial trunnions journaled in socket-line bearings enabling the shutter to move bodily forwardly in response to the bias of said spring means, into snug tlatwise engagement with the rear of the trim member, and permitting the shutter to be swung rearwardly about the trunnion axis, against its bias, by a key inserted into the aperture.

15. The lock mechanism of claim 1l further characterized by the fact that said bearings on the bearing member comprise forwardly opening sockets which permit the shutter to have bodily forward motion so that its ap portion can snugly flatwise overlie the back of the sealing disc in sealing engagement therewith.

16. The lock mechanism of claim 8 further characterized by the fact that said bias means comprises a coiled torsion spring; and further characterized by means integral with said carrier plate, comprising a portion of said carrier plate adjacent to said side thereof, for holding said spring with the axis of its coils parallel to the shutter trunnion axis and spaced radially outwardly (with respect to the cylinder axis) from the shutter axis and forwardly thereof, said spring having one of its free end portions engaging the carrier plate and its other free end portion engaging the shutter at the rear of the ilap portion thereof to bias the flap portion of the shutter bodily forwardly into engagement with the trim member.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 676,450 Schwartz June 18, 1901 952,643 Roche Mar. 22, 1910 V1,965,942 Jacobi July 10, 1934 2,036,738 Zygmunt Apr. '7, 1936 2,261,472 Hurd Nov. 4, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 605,547 Great Britain July 26, 1948