Patent Application
20140051057
The present application relates to a disposable and recyclable combination lock having flat geometry, and more particularly, a disposable and recyclable combination lock having flat geometry that can be integrated with, attached to, or assembled on a disposable and recyclable article such as a box, a mailer, an envelope, a container, a book, or product packaging.
Combination locks are used in a variety of applications including, for example, high-security safes, luggage, and various gates and doors. A sequence of numbers or symbols are used to unlock the combination lock in order to open a corresponding locked container or box that the combination lock is attached to.
While most combination locks are directed at applications where high security is required, inexpensive combination locks that are produced with disposable and recycled materials are in demand. This application presents a solution to the above-noted problem.
A disposable and/or recyclable combination lock is a lock that is made mainly of materials that can be disposed and/or recycled to provide an advantage of cheap manufacturing and short-term durability. For example, the majority of materials that are used to manufacture the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock are made of disposable and recyclable material. For example, 50% or more, preferably 80% or more, and even more preferably 90% or more of the materials that are used to manufacture the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock are made of disposable and recyclable materials. The disposable and/or recyclable combination locks are suitable for a single use, use over a period of few months, or depending on the care and handling, for long term use, after which it is recycled or is disposed of as solid waste. The disposable and/or recyclable combination locks are different from conventional combination locks that last indefinitely and are designed for high security purposes. The disposable and/or recyclable combination lock is mostly aimed towards applications where security is not a major concern, e.g. a user is not concerned to protect the locked materials with what are commonly considered as high security measures. On example of such an application, is providing an item within packaging that utilizes the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock to provide an element of fun and amusement to the consumer by challenging the consumer to unlock the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock. Another exemplary application of the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock is providing boxes of toys or rewards to children and challenging them to unlock the combination lock to open such boxes.
According to some aspects of the present application, the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock can be integrated with a box, package, container and similar articles that are made from disposable and/or recyclable materials.
It is an object of this application to provide a planar and flat combination lock that can be made with cutting sheets of disposable and/or recyclable materials.
It is an object of this application to provide methods to use the combination locks that are manufactured with a simple and low-cost die cutting procedure.
It is an object of this application to manufacture packaging with recyclable and disposable combination locks assembled to them.
It is an object of this application to manufacture packaging with recyclable and disposable combination locks assembled on them and that each combination dial provides a clue for unlocking the next combination dial.
According to some aspects of the present application, a disposable and/or recyclable combination lock comprises: a plurality of combination dials that lock or unlock the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock, each one of the plurality of combination dials having a corresponding unlocking dial position and being rotatably adjustable to its corresponding unlocking dial position; and a locking latch plate including a plurality of locking latches that is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position when all of the plurality of combination dials are in their corresponding unlocking dial positions, and is fixed and non-movable in a locked position when at least one of the plurality of combination dials is in its corresponding unlocking dial position, wherein the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock is attached to a disposable and/or recyclable lockable article including a plurality of locking latch plate holes, an interior region, and a lockable lid, the plurality of locking latches of the locking latch plate in the locked position are engaged with the plurality of locking latch plate holes and prevent the lockable lid from being opened to gain access to the interior region, and the plurality of locking latches of the locking latch plate in the unlocked position are not engaged with the plurality of locking latch plate holes and allow the lockable lid for being opened to gain access to the interior region, the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock has a substantially flat geometry, and the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock is made of recyclable and/or disposable materials.
According to some aspects of the present application, the locking latch plate further includes a plurality of combination disc cuts that provide a plurality of empty spaces on the locking latch plate and a plurality of tongues on the locking latch plate.
According to some aspects of the present application, the combination lock further comprises: a plurality of combination discs, each one of the plurality of combination discs having a notch is placed inside its corresponding combination disc cut and is connected to its corresponding combination dial from the plurality of combination dials such that a rotation of each one of the plurality of combination dials rotates each corresponding combination disc simultaneously and in synchrony; a locking latch plate knob that is used as a handle to move the locking latch plate between the locked position and the unlocked position; an outer case that provides an axial path for the locking latch plate to move between the locked position and the unlocked position and retains the locking latch plate in the axial path; and a spring element between the outer case and the locking latch plate that forces the locking latch plate into the locked position, wherein in the unlocking dial position the notch of each one of the plurality of combination discs fits into the tongue of each corresponding combination disc cuts when the locking latch plate is moved to the unlocked position, and in positions other than the unlocking dial position the tongue of the each of the plurality of combination disc cuts prevents the locking latch plate from moving to the unlocked position.
According to some aspects of the present application, the combination lock further comprises a back cover plate that sandwiches the locking latch plate, the plurality of combination discs, the outer case, and the spring element between the lockable lid and the back cover plate, wherein the outer case is fixed between the back cover plate and the lockable lid, the locking latch plate is movable between the locked position and the unlocked position in the axial path, and each of the plurality of combination discs freely rotates around each of a plurality of combination disc holes.
According to some aspects of the present application, the locking latch plate, the plurality of combination dials, the plurality of combination discs, and the outer case are made of recyclable and/or disposable materials and are of a same predetermined thickness.
According to some aspects of the present application, the combination dials have a substantially circular geometry.
According to some aspects of the present application, each of the plurality of combination dials are connected to corresponding combination disc with a rotating shaft.
According to some aspects of the present application, the unlocking dial position of at least one of the plurality of combination dials provides a clue for another unlocking dial position of another combination dial of the plurality of combination dials.
According to some aspects of the present application, a disposable and/or recyclable combination lock comprises: a first layer including: a locking latch plate having a plurality of locking latches and a plurality of locking latch plate cuts, a plurality of combination discs, an outer case, and a spring element; a second layer including: a front cover plate having a plurality of front cover plate holes and a front cover slot; and a third layer including: a back cover plate, wherein the first layer is sandwiched between the second layer and the third layer, the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock is attachable from the second layer to a lockable lid of an article having a plurality of locking latch plate holes and an interior region that is accessed by removing the lockable lid, each one of a plurality of combination dials are connected to its corresponding combination disc via each one of a plurality of rotating shafts, the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock has a substantially flat geometry, and the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock is made of recyclable and/or disposable materials.
According to some aspects of the present application the locking latch plate, the plurality of combination dials, the plurality of combination discs, and the outer case are of a same predetermined thickness.
According to some aspects of the present application, the unlocking dial position of at least one of the plurality of combination dials provides a clue for another unlocking dial position of another combination dial of the plurality of combination dials.
According to some aspects of the present application, a method for accessing a plurality of items in the interior region of the disposable and/or recyclable lockable article locked with the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock comprises: providing the disposable and/or recyclable lockable article locked with the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock that includes the plurality of items in the interior region to a user; providing a book or a plurality of flash cards to the user; finding a plurality of clues by the user in the book or the plurality of flash cards; adjusting the plurality of combination dials to the unlocking position based on the plurality of clues; opening the lockable lid of the disposable and/or recyclable article; and accessing the plurality of items in the disposable and/or recyclable lockable article.
The foregoing and additional objects and advantages of the invention, together with the structure characteristics thereof, which were only briefly summarized in the foregoing passages, will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which follows in this specification, taken together with the illustrations thereof presented in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that “plurality” is defined as “one or more” throughout this application.
Further features and advantages of the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock as disclosed in this application will become apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
With reference to the drawings,
The disposable and/or recyclable combination lock comprises of a locking latch plate 104 that includes a plurality of locking latches 109, a plurality of combination disc cuts 108, a lock status label 103, and a locking latch plate knob 110. The combination lock as described in this application is illustrated in an exemplary embodiment having three combination discs 105. However, the functionality of the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock as described in this application is independent of the number of the combination discs 105. As such, the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock having three combination discs 105 as explained in this application is exemplary and non-limiting. Therefore, the disposable and/or recyclable combination locks having various numbers of combination discs 105 are also in the scope of this application. The combination lock having one to twenty, preferably two to ten, preferably three to five, preferably one to forty, or more preferably, one to one hundred combination discs 105 is also in the scope of this application. Further, it should be noted that each combination disc 105 requires one combination disc cut 108 on the locking latch plate 104. Additionally, the three square-shaped locking latches 109 are described in this application as one exemplary embodiment. The shape or the number of the locking latches 109 can be modified without changing the functionality of the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock as described in this application.
Each combination disc cut 108 is made by cutting the locking latch plate 104 that provides a tongue 107 on the locking latch plate 104. The cutting can be performed by die cutting or similar methods of cutting. Inside the empty area that is made by each combination disc cut 108, a combination disc 105 having a notch 111 is placed that can rotate freely around a combination disc hole 106. The notches 111 and the tongues 107 may have complementary shapes that can fit into each. Other combinations similar to the notches 111 and the tongues 107 that do not have complementary shapes may also be used, for example, half-circular notches 111 with half-oval tongues 107. It should be noted that the half-oval notches 111 and the tongues 107 are exemplary illustrations in this application. But, they can have a half-circular shape, a square shape, or similar shapes that can perform the same functionality of fitting into each other when aligned by sliding and shifting the locking latch plate 104.
An outer case 101 surrounds the locking latch plate 104 to provide an axial path for the locking latch plate 104 to move forward (locked position) and backward (unlocked position) and retains movement of the locking latch plate 104 in a fixed axial position (parallel to the surface of the planar combination lock) to prevent the dislocation of the locking latch plate 104. A spring element 102 is attached to the outer case 101 that forces the locking latch plate 104 forward (locked position). The locking latch plate 104 can move forward and backward within a fixed distance that is limited by the spring element 102 in a fully pressed status and/or movement of the combination disc 105 inside of the combination disc cuts 108. It should be noted that although the outer case 101 provides an axial path for the locking latch plate 104, similar methods, such as providing a plurality of grooves on the locking latch plate 104 (not shown here) can also be used to limit the movement of the locking latch plate 104 to a single axial position or a route (as in drawers) parallel to the substantially flat surface of the combination lock.
The combination discs 105 can be fixed in the combination disc holes 106 using a plurality of rotating shafts 302 to allow a free rotation the combination discs 105 around the combination disc holes 106. The rotating shafts 302 can be eyelets, two part eyelets, prong eyelets, grommets, grommets with teeth, self-piercing grommets, two-piece grommets or similar pieces that can perform the same function. The unlocked position of the combination lock is achieved when each notch 111 of each combination disc 105 is aligned with each corresponding tongue 107 of the locking latch plate 104 and the locking latch plate 104 is moved to the unlocked position where each notch 111 is fitted to its corresponding tongue 107 as illustrated in
The combination lock having the front cover plate 002 and the back cover plate 001 can be integrated with and/or assembled on a lid or a main body of various types of containers, boxes, and envelopes as described later in this application. It should be noted that the front cover plate 002 is not necessarily required for the combination lock to be functional and it only provides a convenience of separate manufacturing of the combination lock (i.e., as original equipment manufacturer or OEM and pre-made combination lock) and easy assembly on various boxes and containers later on. Another advantage it provides is that the combination lock can be assembled on and can be adapted to various types and sizes of packaging and boxes.
It should be noted that in the exemplary embodiments that are described in this application, the combination lock is assembled on the lid of a container, box, mailer or similar packages, and the locking latch holes 601 are provided on the container, box, mailer or similar packages, respectively. However, similarly, the combination lock can be assembled on the container, box, mailer or similar packages, and the locking latch holes 601 can be made on the lid of the container, box, mailer or similar packages, respectively.
Further, it should be noted that the planar components of the combination lock as disclosed in this application, for example, outer case 101, locking latch plate 104, combination discs 105, combination disc holes 106, combination disc die cuts 108, locking latches 109, and combination dials 301 can be preferably manufactured by die cutting flat sheets of disposable and/or recyclable material. However, similar methods, for example, rotary die cutting, clinking, cutting plotters, laser cutters, utility knives, and/or scissors, can be also used as the functionality of the combination lock is independent of the production method. For example, if plastic is used as the recyclable material, plastic molding procedures can also be used to produce the components of the combination lock that have flat geometry.
Examples of disposable and/or recyclable materials are provided in McGraw-Hill Recycling Handbook, 2nd Edition By Herbert Lund (2001) which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Cardboards sheets, compressed papers sheets, processed papers sheets, paper board sheets, chip board sheets in various colors and sizes can be used to make the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock. Examples of paper-based materials are provided in the Handbook of Paper and Board (H. Holik), Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim, FRG (2006) which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Recyclable metal sheets having flat geometry can also be used to make the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock. Recyclable wood sheets, either processed or unprocessed, can also be used to make the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock. Further, transparent disposable and/or recyclable material can also be used.
The thickness of the sheets that are used to fabricate various layers of the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock are between 0.1 mm to 2 mm, preferably from 0.1 mm to 3 mm, and more preferably from 0.1 mm to 5 mm. The sheets of disposable and/or recyclable materials can be made from a single type of disposable and recyclable material or they can be made from a combination of disposable and recyclable materials. For example, the sheet of disposable and/or recyclable material may have different layers including different disposable and/or recyclable materials. Examples of such multi-layered sheets of disposable and recyclable material include, but are not limited to, plastic coated paper, plastic coated cardboard, PET coated papers, aluminum foil coated paper, or sheets of paperboard and cardboard with various types of coatings (i.e., UV coating, water resistance coating, or similar coatings) to protect printed materials on them.
The disposable and/or recyclable combination lock can be used in various applications. Some exemplary methods for using the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock are described in the following. It should be noted that the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock can be used in similar applications and the provided examples are not aimed to limit the methods for which the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock can be used.
A product for sale can be provided in a package with the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock such that for opening the packaging, a consumer needs to adjust the plurality of combination dials 303 to unlock the combination lock. In this exemplary method, the combination of indicia that unlock the combination lock can be related to the brand name of the design, or manufacturing company. For example, as shown in
Additionally, letters or important documents can be delivered inside an envelope secured with the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock using a carrier that is barred from accessing the content of the envelope (adding tamper evidence to the envelope or packaging). In order to access the content of the envelope, a carrier needs to know the combination to the combination key or tear the envelope to access the content which can result in evidence of tampering. The unlocking combination to unlock the combination key can be communicated between a sending party and a receiving party via a phone conversation or another mode of communication.
In particular, a plurality of rewards, a plurality of toys, and/or a plurality of child-related items such as arts and crafts items for a child can be provided in a package or a box with the disposable and/or recyclable combination lock such that for unlocking the package or the box, a child needs to adjust the combination lock to a combination that unlocks the combination lock. The unlocking clues for the combination lock can be provided in an educational book that accompanies the package or the box. In a preferred method, a box with the combination lock is provided to a child and the child is encouraged to read a book provided with the box with the combination lock in order to unlock the box and access a plurality of items in the box. Further, a series of flash cards can be used instead of the book to provide clues for unlocking the combination lock that is attached to the box.
In another embodiment, each combination dial that is positioned in the unlocking position can provide a clue to position the next combination dial in the unlocking position. For example, the combination lock having five combination lock dials can be unlocked by starting to unlock the first combination dial and unlocking the second combination dial based on the indicia that the unlocked first combination dial provides, the third combination dial based on the second combination dial, the fourth combination dial based on the third combination dial, and the fifth combination dial based on the fourth combination dial. Accordingly, the combination lock can be unlocked by sequentially unlocking each combination dial based on a clue obtained by a previous combination dial. For example, the first external lid label 205 can provide a question (2+2=?). The answer to unlock this combination dial is 4. The child can place the first combination dial on 4. The second external lid label 205 can provide a question (the answer to the first question+2=?). The correct answer to unlock the second combination dial is 6. However, the child need to first find the correct answer to the first combination dial before being able to unlock the second combination dial.
It is believed that the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is sufficient in detail to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention without undue experimentation. However, it is expressly understood that the detail of the elements comprising the embodiment presented for the foregoing purpose is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way, in as much as equivalents to those elements and other modifications thereof, all of which come within the scope of the invention, will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification. Thus, the invention is to be broadly construed within the full scope of the appended claims.
