US3604227A - Padlocks - Google Patents

Abstract

A padlock having a caselock including a tumbler locking mechanism and keyway in the body thereof, and a spring-pressed shackle longitudinally and rotationally arranged in the body. A key-controlled gear bolt is located in the caselock for rotation with the locking mechanism and engagement with and opposite transverse movement of a pair of spaced parallel toothed locking dogs into and out of locking position with the shackle to lock the latter in both open and closed positions.

Description

United States Patent [72] lnventor Michael Tom Athanason 13113 Parkland Drive, Rockvllle, Md. 20853 [21 1 Appl. No. 852,790 [22] Filed Aug. 25, 1969 [45] Patented Sept. 14, 1971 [54] PADLOCKS 2 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 70/38 A [51] Int. Cl E05b 67/22 [50] Field of Search 70/38, 38 A, 44, 40, 46, 47, 38 B, 38 C, 43, 41, 42, 386; 292/142, 160, 172

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,719,637 7/1929 Wexner 70/386 1,222,545 4/1917 Gross 70/38 Primary ExaminerStephen .1. Novosad Assistant ExaminerEdward J. McCarthy Attorney-W. Britton Moore ABSTRACT: A padlock having a caselock including a tumbler locking mechanism and keyway in the body thereof. and u spring-pressed shackle longitudinally and rotationally arranged in the body. A key-controlled gear bolt is located in the caselock for rotation with the locking mechanism and engagement with and opposite transverse movement of a pair of spaced parallel toothed locking dogs into and out of locking position with the shackle to lock the latter in both open and closed positions. 7

zze/ I 12525 27 5 ll t 4 H 24 I3 PATENTEU SEPMIQYI 3.604227 s 28 l3 FIG. 10 INVENTOR MICHAEL T. ATHANISON l-Q MR A TTO RNE Y v PADLOCKS This invention relates to an improvement in locking dogs or bolts and the cylinder cam for use in connection with pin tumbler, disc tumbler, wafer and lever-type padlocks.

I-Ieretofore, it has been the practice to provide padlocks with a cylinder or cog cam to operate the locking mechanism. As the locking dog thereof is generally spring locked, the sheckle is pushed into closed position so that a spring on one side of the bolt forces the bolt into a recess in the shackle. Thus, the locking mechanism may be bypassed by using a sneaker or lock pop to push the spring-loaded locking dog free from the shackle recess to enable the shackle spring to function to open the padlock.

One object of the present invention is to provide a locking device for a padlock which will only function when the cylinder of the lock is rotated by a key to eliminate the possibility of the locking mechanism being bypassed.

Another object is to increase the effectiveness of and security afforded by a padlocks locking mechanism by the addition of a pair of locking dogs respectively engageable with recesses in the shackle toe and heel to provide a springless dead bolt which may only be actuated by key rotation of a gear bolt or cylinder cam.

A still further object is the provision of novel locking dogs which function as a dead bolt to lock the shackle in open position and eliminate the possibility of manually locking the padlock without use of a proper cut key to operate the tumbler mechanism. The virtue of having the locking mechanism operate as a dead bolt when the padlock is in the locked or unlocked positions is that it increases the practical usage and general security afforded by the padlock.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly in cross section of a unitary casing padlock provided with the improved locking dogs or gear bolts;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a horizontal view of one of the two gear bolts;

FIG. 5 is a vertical view of the gear bolt shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal view of the second gear bolt utilized in my improved padlock mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a vertical view of the second gear bolt shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a vertical view of the gear shaft which engages and operates the two gear bolts;

FIG. 9 is a from vertical view of a shackle showing the rectangular recesses which receive the gear bolts; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of a padlock of laminated construction showing the gear bolt mechanism engaged in the shackle in open locked position.

While I have illustrated and described my invention as applied to a padlock, it is to be understood that its use is not so restricted, but may be used with other type locks wherein pin or disc tumblers, and wafer or lever locking mechanisms are utilized.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein similar .reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, for purpose of illustration, the padlock in which "the principle embodiment of my invention is utilized is basircally comprised of a caselock or casing, which may be of uni- ;tary construction 11, as in FIG. 1, or of laminated flat metal plates '11, as in FIG. 10, both casings of which are provided with suitably shaped cavities to accommodate the padlocks mechanisms which include a shackle 12, and a suitable locking cylinder 13, e.g., a pin tumbler type, the conventional details of which are not shown. As the shackle locking mechanism is essentially the same regardless of the type of .casing employed, only that shown in the unitary form of FIG. 1

will hereinafter be described.

The padlock includes a generally U-shaped shackle 12 embodying a curved shaft of bend with one end or heel 12' being of greater length than the other end and attachedto the caselock or casing 11 which contains the locking mechanism 13. When the locking mechanism is rotated in the usual manner by a proper cut key, not shown, the shackle may be released to permit its rotation to the open and locked position of FIG. 10, or unlocked from this open position to permit of its return to the locked position of FIG. 1 and the removal of the key from the locking cylinder.

Caselock 11 is provided with the usual spaced vertical shackle recesses 22-23 of greater diameter than the diameter of the shackle 12 to facilitate smooth movement of the shackle in and out of the casing in an obvious manner. As best shown in FIG. 1, the shackle includes an elongated heel portion 12' and a shorter toe portion 12" spaced therefrom. The lower end of the heel engages with a suitable spring 24 which facilitates release of the shackle and rotation thereof to open position. Inasmuch as spacing is required between the heel and toe portions and the shackle recesses to permit release and locking movements of the shackle, in conventional padlocks of this type, it is usually possible to insert a tool, known as a shim, into the spacing therebetween and force the usual spring-loaded locking dog, not shown, out of its recess 18 in the toe portion 12" and open the padlock without the use of a proper cut key.

In order to avoid the possibility of the padlock locking mechanism being bypassed and the shackle released, as aforesaid, the usual single locking dog is replaced by a pair of elongated, generally rectangular, parallel gear bolts or locking dogs l414 arranged for opposite transverse sliding movement in a chamber 15 in the upper end of the caselock 11. The inner faces 2020' of the bolts are provided with teeth 21 to receive and mesh with the elongated teeth 25' on a gear shaft 25 mounted on the upper end of the padlock locking cylinder 13. Gear shaft 25 extends vertically through a bore 16 in the caselock and into and through chamber 15. With the shackle 12 in the fully housed or closed position of FIG. 1, the outer ends 17-17 of the gear bolts, when actuated transversely by clockwise rotation of gear shaft 25 (viewing FIG. I) to their fully extended positions, will respectively project into recesses 18 and 19 formed in the opposing sides of the toe 12" and heel 12' of the shackle, as best shown in FIG. 9, to thereby retain the shackle in locked position. Thereafter, the key may be removed from the locking cylinder 13.

When it is desired to release the shackle and open the padlock, the key is reinserted in the locking cylinder and the latter is rotated in the opposing or counterclockwise direction (viewing FIG. 1) to move the gear bolts I4l4' oppositively inwardly into positions, not shown, within the chamber 15. This action withdraws the ends 17-17 of the gear bolts from the recesses 18-19 and releases the shackle, whereupon spring 24 exerts upward pressure against the lower end of the heel 21 and forces the shackle upwardly until the toe I2" clears the upper end of caselock recess 23. The caselock recess 22 accommodating the shackle heel 12' is provided with an internal annular flange 26 which coacts with an enlarged head 27 on the terminus of the shackle heel l2 and serves to prevent the shackle from being disengaged or entirely removed from the caselock when in open position.

In the extended open position of the Shackle with the toe 12" thereof removed from the recess 23, the shackle is rotatable 180 until the toe is on the opposing side of the caselock, as best shown in FIG. 10. When so positioned, a second recess 28 in the shackle heel 12 spaced below and in the side thereof opposite that of recess 19, will be aligned with the gear bolt 14. Thus, rotation of the locking cylinder 13 and gear shaft 25 will move the gear bolts 14-14' outwardly and cause the former to interengage recess 28 and, hence, lock the shackle in the open position. The key is then removed from the cylinder which precludes use of the padlock without use thereof.

I claim:

l. A padlock comprising a case having spaced parallel end opening bores on respectively opposite sides thereof, said case having a transversely extending recess in communication with said bores, a shackle having a long leg mounted in one of said bores and a short leg adapted to be received in the other of 5 gear teeth on the upper end thereof, said shaft being interposed between said locking dogs with the teeth on said shaft meshing with the teeth on each of said dogs whereby key rotation of said cylinder and shaft will respectively move said dogs into and out of locking position with the upper recess in the long leg and the recess in the short leg of said shackle to retain said shackle in closed locked position, and one of said dogs into the lower recess in said long leg to retain said shackle in open locked position.

2. In a padlock according to claim 1 wherein the locking dogs are generally rectangular.

Claims (2)

1. A padlock comprising a case having spaced parallel end opening bores on respectively opposite sides thereof, said case having a transversely extending recess in communication with said bores, a shackle having a long leg mounted in one of said bores and a short leg adapted to be received in the other of said bores when in locked position, vertically spaced upper and lower recesses in said long leg, and a recess in said short leg, a pair of spaced parallel locking dogs slidably arranged in said transverse recess, teeth on the opposing inner sides of said dogs, a centrally arranged vertical chamber in said case communicating with said transverse recess, a rotatable keycontrolled locking cylinder in said chamber having a shaft with gear teeth on the upper end thereof, said shaft being interposed between said locking dogs with the teeth on said shaft meshing with the teeth on each of said dogs whereby key rotation of said cylinder and shaft will respectively move said dogs into and out of locking position with the upper recess in the long leg and the recess in the short leg of said shackle to retain said shackle in closed locked position, and one of said dogs into the lower recess in said long leg to retain said shackle in open locked position.

2. In a padlock according to claim 1 wherein the locking dogs are generally rectangular.

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