US3352134A

US3352134A - Multiple-combination safety lock

Info

Publication number: US3352134A
Application number: US491799A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lett Guy
Original assignee: Fichet SA
Current assignee: Fichet SA
Priority date: 1964-10-07
Filing date: 1965-09-30
Publication date: 1967-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 1984-11-14
Also published as: ES318176A1; FR1425311A; BE670498A; DE1553463A1

Description

Nov. 14, 1967 cs. LETT 3,352,134

MULTIPLE-COMBINATION SAFETY LOCK Filed Sept. 30, 1965 5 Sheets-Shet 1 H r rys.

NOV. 14, 1967 I T 3,352,134

MULTIPLE-COMBINATION SAFETY LOCK Filed Sept. 30, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 G. LETT Nov. 14, 1967 MULTIPLECOMBINATION SAFETY LOCK 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 30, 1965 firrvs.

United States Patent 6 3,352,134 MULTIPLE-CQMBINATION SAFETY LOCK Guy Lett, Paris, France, assignor to Societe Fichet, Societe Anonyme, Paris, France, a corporation of France Filed Sept. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 491,799 Claims priority, application France, Oct. 7, 1964,

90,597 4 Claims. (Cl. 70-362) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE The present invention relates to multiple-combination safety locks and is more particularly directed to a safety lock of the kind comprising a cylindrical barrel rotatably mounted in a body known as a Bramah or pump body under the control of a suitable key, the said barrel being angularly lockable in the said body by a blocking cotter radially movable in the barrel against the force of elastic restoring means, between a blocked position in which it passes into a housing formed for that purpose in the said body and a released position at which it escapes from the said housing, the said blocking cotter being controlled by a plurality of control members movably mounted in the barrel transversely with respect to the direction of introduction of the key, in opposition to elastic restoring means and in response to the contour of the longitudinal ridges of the said key, between a prohibitive position in which they maintain the blocking cotter in the locking position and a withdrawn permissive position in which the cotter can move into the released position, the said barrel being provided on one of its transverse faces with an actuating foot mounted in an eccentric position on this face and projecting therefrom, adapted to actuate a bolt or other member of the lock.

The present invention has for its object a number of improvements in locks of this type, ensuring that they are at the same time burglar-proof and of simple and economical construction.

The lock according to the invention is characterized in that the control members are identical and are divided into two separate series, the control members of one of the said series having their respective permissive positions located at the right-hand side of an axial plane of the barrel, while the control members of the other series have their respective permissive positions located on the left-hand side of the said axial plane, in combination with a key having two active longitudinal ridges provided with cuts each arranged between two slots, each cut ensuring, when the key is in position, the displacement of one of the control members towards its permissive position. These two series are preferably interleaved one with the other, advantageously following an alternate arrangement.

By this means, the eventual picking of a lock of this kind would necessitate the simultaneous use of two hooks,

the actions of which would cancel each other by reason of the alternate arrangement of the control members.

There is provided a member for the longitudinal locking of the barrel in the pump body, the said locking member being movably mounted in the barrel, in response to the introduction of the key. In accordance with a preferred form of construction, this longitudinal locking member is constituted by one of the control members.

It is thus impossible to force the lock by cutting-oif the nose of the pump body in order to remove the barrel from it; in fact, due to the longitudinal locking of the barrel in the pump body, the extraction of this barrel can only be effected with the key. An arrangement of this kind is also advantageous during the fixing of the lock on the door; it prevents the barrel escaping from the pump body and thus avoids any risk of accidental dismantling and loss of parts.

According to the invention, an individual elastic restoring means is associated with each control member so that each of these members acts independently.

The present invention has also for its object a particular form of construction of such a lock, according to which in particular, the web of the key associated with it has a transverse section in the form of a W, so that the corresponding entrance of the barrel advantageously forms a bafiie preventing the introduction of a hook. The construction of the lock according to the invention lends itself to the production of a barrel of high precision, of great strength, having a large number of control members in view of its dimensions, and possessing for this reason a very high degree of safety. There is no risk of halfopening the lock and the whole of the possible combinations of a given number of control members can be employed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one form of construction of the lock according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the barrel after removal of the front plate, the pump body being shown diagrammatically in dotted lines round the barrel, partly in crosssection.

FIG. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the barrel, taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1 with parts broken away locally, the pump body being shown diagrammatically in chain-dotted lines round the barrel.

FIG. 3 shows in perspective a control member according to the invention, assumed to be in the prohibitive position, the permissive position of this member being shown diagrammatic-ally in chain-dotted lines in the drawing.

FIG. 4 represents in perspective and to a different scale, a further partof the lock according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a view of a key looking from above.

FIG. 6 is an end view of the same key.

FIG. 7 is to the same scale as FIG. 1 and shows a front view of another constituent part of the barrel according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the part shown in FIG. 7. In accordance with the form of construction shown in these drawings, a multiple-combination safety lock according to the invention comprises a barrel 10 housed 6 and 7), a bore 21 for the passage of an abutment shaft 22 (see FIG. 2) arranged longitudinally and symmetrically with respect to an axial plane of the barrel 10, and three drilled holes 23 for the passage of the pins 15. Each plate 12 also comprises a main radial slot 24, flanked parallel and symmetrically by two narrower so-called guiding slots 25 which cut across the groove 18, perpendicular to this latter. It further comprises two small grooves 26 per face, which are in line with each other and start from the periphery of the plate to terminate close to the bore 21. Each plate 12 is finally provided on one face with three positioning lugs 27 and on the other face three blind holes 28, corresponding to the lugs 27 for engagement with the lugs of the next adjacent plate 12. These lugs may advantageously be frusto-conical.

The front plate 13 is similar to the plate 12, but it is thicker and further comprises two radial bores 29 each centered on a slot 25. The rear plate 14 is similar to the front plate 13, but does not comprise any diametral groove 18. On the other hand, the flanks 30 of its guiding passage 19 are oblique and it is provided with a hole for fixing an actuating foot 31 in an eccentric position on the outer face of the rear plate. This foot 31 is in contact with a bolt or other lock member, so as to actuate this latter (not shown).

The front end-plate 16 comprises a guiding passage 19, drilled holes 23 for the pins, blind holes 28, and two slots 30 facing the aligned notches 25 of the plates 12, 13 and 14. The rear end-plate 17 is similar, but instead of a guiding passage, it comprises a bore 71 for the passage of the base of the actuating foot 31.

When the barrel is mounted in position, the guiding slots 25 of the constituent plates are aligned in two series, and in each series is arranged a catch 36 which rests at each extremity on a spring 37 housed in one of the holes 29 drilled in the front and rear plates. The extremities of the catch 36 (see FIG. 4) having a small transverse size, are engaged in the slots 30 of the front and rear endplates 16 and 17; on the facing extremities of two catches 36 rests a support 38 having the general shape of a V, in the hollow of which rests a cylinder 39 lying longitudinally to the periphery of the barrel in the main slots 24 of the plates of this barrel. The cylinder 39 forms a blocking cotter in co-operation with a longitudinal groove 40 formed in the pump body 11. This groove has a triangular transverse section open towards the cylinder 39, the opening of this section being preferably greater than 90".

In each groove 18 of the plates is mounted a sliding fitting or control member, which, according to the invention has the form of a cut-out plate 32. The plate 32, seen alone in FIG. 3, is limited laterally on the one hand by two straight edges 33 having the same dimensions as the associated groove and on the other hand by two curved edges 34 having the curvature radius of the barrel but spaced apart by a distance less than the diameter of the barrel, that is to say of the associated plate, so that each small plate 32 has a sliding play in the groove 18 of this plate. Each small plate or fitting 32 has a substantially rectangular central opening 35. For the small cut-out plate 32A associated with the plate 12 nearest to the rear plate 14, the largest dimension of the cut-out part 35, that is to say that in the direction of sliding, is greater than the corresponding dimensions of the openings in the other small plates. Facing this small plate, the pump body 11 is cut-out in a circular groove 46; the pump body 11 is also provided with a passage 60 for the introduction of the key.

With each small cut-out plate 32, there is associated a restoring spring 50 arranged inside the cut-out portion 35 parallel to the straight edges 33 and supported on the one hand against the inner transverse edge 51 outermost of the cut-out portion 35 and on the other hand on the bottom of the groove 26 of the associated plate, this groove, in co-operation with the similar opposite groove carried on the adjacent plate forms a housing for the spring 50. The springs are arranged alternately on each side of the diameti'al plane of the barrel which passes through the axes of the main slots 24, so that the small plates 32 are in two separate series, urged in the prohibited position towards the exterior of the barrel, alternately on each side of this plane.

In this movement, they abut by the innermost internal transverse edge 52 of their openings 35 against the abutment shaft 22 which passes through all the small plates inside their openings.

Because of its special dimensions, the small plate 32A located opposite the groove 46 of the pum body passes into this latter in the external prohibitive position, for locking the barrel in the axial direction in the pump body.

In addition, the corresponding key, shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a W-shaped web 20, the longitudinal edges of which are both operative, that is to say they comprise cutout portions in relief 41 between two hollow notches 42. There are as many teeth 41 as there are cut-out plates, and each tooth 41 is located at a well-defined distance or height with respect to the axis of the web 20. One of the straight edges 33 of each small plate 32 comprises two parallel slots 55 adapted to permit, each for its part, the reception of one of the catches 36 in co-operation with the slots of the other small plates or fittings, respectively on the left-hand side for some of these latter and on the right for the others, depending on the catch. As will be seen later, the position of each slot 55 on the edge 33 is determined by the height of the corresponding tooth 41 on the key.

When the correct key is inserted in the barrel through the passage of the pump body until the extremity 61 of this key comes into abutlnent against the oblique sides 30 of the guiding passage of the rear plate 14, the small plates 32' are displaced in turn from their outer prohibitive positions A and move towards a more internal per' missive position B in which they are supported against the corresponding tooth 41 of the key; the position B is shown n chain-dotted lines in FIG. 3. This permissive position B in such that the various slots 55 are aligned in two series facing the catches 36. If a turning force is applied to the key, the cylinder 39 tends to slide on the sides of the groove 40 of the pump body and, through the intermediary of the supports 38, applies a force on the catches 36. By reason of the permissive position of the cut-out small plates 32, the catches 36 become engaged in the slots 55 of these small plates, and the cylinder 39 can therefore escape from the groove 40. The barrel 10 rotates iincii the action of the foot 31 controls the opening of the If the key is not correct, the catches 36 cannot be engaged 1n the slots 55 and hold back the supports 38; the latter in their turn hold back the cylinder 39 which cannot therefore be withdrawn towards the centre and remains imprisoned in the groove) of the pump body, thus preventing any rotation of the barrel 10, either to the right or to the left.

During the closure of the lock, the springs 37 push back the catches 36 which escape from the slots in the small plates 32 when the cylinder 39 is again opposite the groove 40. After removal of the key, the small plates 32 return to the prohibitive position in which they hold the catches 36 and therefore the cylinder 39 in the blocked position.

It will have been noted that, in order to unlock the barrel longitudinally with respect to the pump body, it is necessary to use the key in order to permit the corresponding small plate 32 to escape from the groove 46 in the pump body. 7

It should be observed that the slots 55 provide the possibility of numerous alternative forms of keys. This arrangement permits in particular several types of keys to be employed: master keys, standard keys, individual keys. It is also to be noted that the lock produced in this way eomprises a number of identical parts and its production is therefore simple and economical.

It will of course be understood that the present invention is not limited to the form of embodiment described above by way of example and without limitation, but includes all the alternative forms of construction, combination, or utilization of its various parts. The number of small cut-out plates for example may be as large or small as desired.

What I claim is: I

1. A multiple combination safety lock of the kind comprising a cylindrical barrel rotatably mounted in a socalled pump body under the control of an appropriate key having longitudinal ridges, said barrel being adapted to be angularly locked in said body by a blocking cotter radially movable in said barrel in opposition to elastic restoring means, between a blocked position in which it passes into a housing formed for that purpose in said body and a released position in which it escapes from said housing, said blocking cotter being controlled in dependence on a plurality of control members movably mounted in said barrel transversely to the direction of introduction of the key in opposition to elastic restoring means and in response to the contour of said ridges of said key, between a prohibitive position in which they hold said blocking cotter in the blocked position and a withdrawn permissive position in which said cotter can move into the released position, said barrel being provided on one of its transverse faces with an operating foot arranged in an eccentric position on and projecting from said face and adapted to actuate a lock member, characterized in that all the said control members have a generally similar contour and are divided into two separate series, the control members of one of said series having their respective permissive positions located to the right of an axial plane of said barrel while the control members of the other series have their respective permissive positions located to the left of said axial plane, said barrel being constituted by a stack of first plates clamped .by longitudinal pins between a front end plate and a rear end plate of the same diameter as said first plates, one of the faces of each plate, with the exception of one of the outer plates, having a diametral groove in which is slidably mounted a small cut-out plate having a central opening and forming one of said control members, and a restoring spring associated with each small cut-out plate, said spring being disposed inside the opening cut in said small plate and being supported, on the one hand, on the outermost inner edge of said opening and, on the other hand, on the bottom of a fixed housing formed at least in part in the associated plate, said springs being alternately arranged on each side of the same axial plane of said barrel, in combination with a key provided with two active longitudinal ridges provided with teeth, each of said teeth being disposed between two notches and ensuring the movement of one of said control members towards its permissive position, when said key is inserted in the lock.

2. A multiple combination safety lock of the kind comprising a cylindrical barrel rotatably mounted in a socalled pump body under the control of an appropriate key having longitudinal ridges, said barrel being adapted to be angularly locked in said body by a blocking cotter radially movable in said barrel in opposition to elastic restoring means, between a blocked position in which it passes into a housing formed for that purpose in said body and a released position in which it escapes from said housing, said blocking cotter being controlled in dependence on a plurality of control members movably mounted in said barrel transversely to the direction of introduction of the key in opposition to elastic restoring means and in response to the contour of said ridges of said key, between a prohibitive position in which they hold said blocking cotter in the blocked position and a withdrawn permissive position in which said cotter can 6 move into the released position, said barrel being provided on one of its transverse faces with an operating foot arranged in an eccentric position on and projecting from said face and adapted to actuate a lock member, characterized in that all the said control members have a generally similar contour and are divided into two separate series, the control members of one of said series having their respective permissive positions located to the right of an axial plane of said barrel while the control members of the other series have their respective permissive positions located to the left of said axial plane, said barrel being constituted by a stack of first plates clamped by longitudinal pins between a front end plate and a rear end plate of the same diameter as said first plates, one of the faces of each plate, with the exception of one of the outer plates, having a diametral groove in which is slidably mounted a small cut-out plate having a central opening and forming one of said control members, said blocking cotter being a cylinder lying longitudinally at the periphery of the barrel opposite a slot formed longitudinally in said body and being carried at each extremity in the hollow of a V-shaped support having two arms, each of said arms resting on a catch lying parallel to the blocking cotter over the whole length of the barrel, said catch resting on two springs housed respectively in the front plate and the near plate of said barrel, each catch being guided by slots each of which is formed transversely to the periphery of the plates and end plates of the barrel and in alignment with each other, the slots of one plate opening into the associated groove, in combination with a key provided with two active longitudinal ridges pro- 7 vided with teeth, each of said teeth being disposed between two notches and ensuring the movement of one of said control members towards its permissive position, when said key is inserted in the lock.

3. A lock as claimed in claim 2, in which each small cut-out plate is provided on one of its edges with two parallel slots, each adapted to permit, for its part, the reception of one of the catches, the position of each slot on the associated ridge being dependent on the permissive position of the small cut-out plate, that is to say on the height with respect to the axis of the key of the corresponding tooth on said key.

4. A multiple combination safety lock of the kind comprising a cylindrical barrel rotatably mounted in a socalled pump body under the control of an appropriate key having longitudinal ridges, said barrel being adapted to be angularly locked in said body by a blocking cotter radially movable in said barrel in opposition to elastic restoring means, between a blocked position in which it passes into a housing formed for that purpose in said body and a released position in which it escapes from said housing, said blocking cotter being controlled in dependence on a plurality of control members movably mounted in said barrel transversely to the direction of introduction of the key in opposition to elastic restoring means and in response to the contour of said ridges of said key, between a prohibitive position in which they hold said blocking cotter in the blocked position and a withdrawn permissive position in which said cotter can move into the released position, said barrel being provided on one of its transverse faces with an operating foot arranged in an eccentric position on and projecting from said face and adapted to actuate a lock member, characterized in that all the said control members have a generally similar contour and are divided into two separate series, the control members of one of said series having their respective permissive positions located to the right of an axial plane of said barrel while the control members of the other series have their respective permissive positions located to the left of said axial plane, said barrel being constituted by a stack of first plates clamped by longitudinal pins between a front end plate and a rear end plate of the same diameter as said first plates, one of the faces of each plate, with the exception of one of the outer plates, having a diametral groove in which is slidably mounted a small cut-out plate having a central opening and forming one of said control members, and a web formed on said key and having a W-shaped transverse section, the plates of said barrel being pierced with a guiding passage corresponding to said section, together with the front end plate, While the guiding passage of the rear plate of said barrel is provided with oblique lateral sides for the abutment of said key, each plate of said barrel being provided on at least one of its faces with a positioning lug and on at least the other face with a blind-positioning hole corresponding to said lug, in combination with a key provided with two active longitudinal ridges provided with teeth, each of said teeth being disposed between two notches and ensuring the movement of one of said control members towards its permissive position, when said key is inserted in the lock.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Donahue 70407 X Raymond 70364 X Jacobi et a1 70364 Shinn 70369 X FitzGerald 70362 Falk 70369 Keil 70364 Honger 70364 X Young et al. 70366 Diesel 70366 Spain 70421 15 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

P. TEITELBAUM, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A MULTIPLE COMBINATION SAFETY LOCK OF THE KIND COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL BARREL ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN A SOCALLED PUMP BODY UNDER THE CONTROL OF AN APPROPRIATE KEY HAVING LONGITUDINAL RIDGES, SAID BARREL BEING ADAPTED TO BE ANGULARLY LOCKED IN SAID BODY BY A BLOCKING COTTER RADIALLY MOVABLE IN SAID BARREL IN OPPOSITION TO ELASTIC RESTORING MEANS, BETWEEN A BLOCKED POSITION IN WHICH IT PASSES INTO A HOUSING FORMED FOR THAT PURPOSE IN SAID BODY AND A RELEASED POSITION IN WHICH IT ESCAPES FROM SAID HOUSING, SAID BLOCKING COTTER BEING CONTROLLED IN DEPENDENCE ON A PLURALITY OF CONTROL MEMBERS MOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BARREL TRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTION OF INTRODUCTION OF THE KEY IN OPPOSITION TO ELASTIC RESTORING MEANS AND IN RESPONSE TO THE CONTOUR OF SAID RIDGES OF SAID KEY, BETWEEN A PROHIBITIVE POSITION IN WHICH THEY HOLD SAID BLOCKING COTTER IN THE BLOCKED POSITION AND A WITHDRAWN PERMISSIVE POSITION IN WHICH SAID COTTER CAN MOVE INTO THE RELEASED POSITION, SAID BARREL BEING PROVIDED ON ONE OF ITS TRANSVERSE FACES WITH AN OPERATING FOOT ARRANGED IN AN ACCENTRIC POSITION ON AND PROJECTING FROM SAID FACE AND ADAPTED TO ACTUATE A LOCK MEMBER, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT ALL THE SAID CONTROL MEMBERS HAVE A GENERALLY SIMILAR CONTOUR AND ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO SEPARATE SERIES, THE CONTROL MEMBERS OF ONE OF SAID SERIES HAVING THEIR RESPECTIVE PERMISSIVE POSITIONS LOCATED TO THE RIGHT OF AN AXIAL PLANE OF SAID BARREL WHILE THE CONTROL MEMBERS OF THE OTHER SERIES HAVE THEIR RESPECTIVE PERMISSIVE POSITIONS LOCATED TO THE LEFT OF SAID AXIAL PLANE, SAID BARREL BEING CONSTITUTED BY A STACK OF FIRST PLATES CLAMPED BY LONGITUDINAL PINS BETWEEN A FRONT END PLATE AND A REAR END PLATE OF THE SAME DIAMETER A FRONT END PLATE AND A REAR OF THE FACES OF EACH PLATE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE OF THE OUTER PLATES, HAVING A DIAMETER GROOVE IN WHICH IS SLIDABLY MOUNTED A SMALL CUT-OUT PLATE HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING AND FORMING ONE OF SAID CONTROL MEMBERS, AND A RESTORING SPRING ASSOCIATED WITH EACH SMALL CUT-OUT PLATE, SAID SPRING BEING DISPOSED INSIDE THE OPENING CUT IN SAID SMALL PLATE AND BEING SUPPORTED, ON THE ONE HAND, ON THE OUTERMOST INNER EDGE OF SAID OPENING AND, ON THE OTHER HAND, ON THE BOTTOM OF A FIXED HOUSING FORMED AT LEAST IN PART IN THE ASSOCIATED PLATE, SAID SPRING BEING ALTERNATELY ARRANGED ON EACH SIDE OF THE SAME AXIAL PLANE OF SAID BARREL IN COMBINATION WITH A KEY PROVIDED WITH TWO ACTIVE LONGITUDINAL RIDGES PROVIDED WITH TEETH, EACH OF SAID TEETH BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN TWO NOTCHES AND ENSURING THE MOVEMENT OF ONE OF SAID CONTROL MEMBERS TOWARDS ITS PERMISSIVE POSITION, WHEN SAID KEY IS INSERTED IN THE LOCK.