Patent Grant
10443272
The present invention relates to a padlock having a dual locking system.
The current market has many Transportation Security Administration (“TSA”) luggage locks that are able to let a TSA agent open the lock with an overriding key mechanism. The benefits of this approach include that the lock does not need to be cut open by a TSA agent if inspection of the luggage is desired.
The present invention provides a padlock that has a shackle with a long leg and a short leg, and a spindle with an extended member, wherein the extended member is engaged with the long leg of the shackle for movement together.
Thus, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a padlock which is operable in a locked mode, an opened mode and a reset mode, the padlock comprising:
a shackle comprising a heel and a toe,
a lock body comprising a first side, an opposing second side, a toe hole on the first side, the toe hole dimensioned to receive the toe, and a heel channel dimensioned for placement of the heel;
a spindle located inside the lock body, movable along a first direction substantially parallel to the heel channel, the spindle connected to the heel of the shackle for movement together in the first direction relative to the lock body;
a plurality of clutches arranged to form a clutch stack, each of the clutches having an opening dimensioned to receive the spindle;
a plurality of dials engageable with the plurality of clutches to form a combination code; and
a cylinder arranged for a key operation, the cylinder having a cylinder wall arranged to contact the clutch stack when the padlock is operated in the locked mode, the opened mode and the reset mode, wherein the lock body further comprises a cylinder hole located on the second side of the lock body and a body chamber located near the cylinder hole, the cylinder hole dimensioned to receive the cylinder so as to allow the cylinder to move along the first direction, the body chamber dimensioned for placement of the clutch stack, and wherein the padlock can be unlocked to change from the locked mode to the opened mode by the combination code or by the key operation, and
wherein, wherein, when the padlock is unlocked by the combination code, the spindle is engaged with the clutch stack for movement together along the first direction, and
wherein, wherein, when the padlock is unlocked by the key operation, the spindle is disengaged from the clutch stack, allowing the spindle to move in the first direction relative to the clutch stack.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the dials is arranged to engage with a different one of the clutches to form a dial-clutch pair, and each of the clutches comprises a cylindrical surface and a plurality of protrusions around the cylindrical surface, and each of the dials comprises a plurality of teeth dimensioned to receive the protrusions of the clutch in the dial-clutch pair, wherein when the padlock is operated in the locked mode and in the opened mode, the teeth of the dial are arranged to engage with the protrusions of the clutch in the dial-clutch pair, preventing the dial from rotation relative to the clutch in the dial-clutch pair.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the body chamber comprises a plurality of blocking edges, each blocking edge corresponding to a different one of the clutches, and wherein each of the clutches further comprises an opening slot on the cylindrical surface, the opening slot dimensioned to receive the corresponding blocking edge, wherein when the opening slot is misaligned with the blocking edge, the clutch is prevented from moving in the first direction, and when the padlock is unlocked by the combination codes, the opening slot of each of the clutches is aligned with the corresponding blocking edge, allowing the clutch stack to move in the first direction along with the spindle to change the padlock from the unlocked mode to the opened mode.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the spindle comprises a first spindle end and an opposing second spindle end, the first spindle end adjacent to the first side of the lock body, the spindle further comprising an extended member at the first spindle end, the extended member connected to the heel of the shackle for the movement together in the first direction, while allowing the heel to rotate in the heel chamber relative to the extended member.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the spindle further comprises a spindle protrusion at the second spindle end, the spindle protrusion arranged to engage with the cylinder for causing the clutch stack to move together with the spindle and the cylinder in the first direction when the padlock is unlocked by the combination code, and when the padlock is unlocked by the key operation, the spindle protrusion is disengaged from the cylinder, allowing the spindle to move in the first direction relative to the clutch stack.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the padlock is operated in the locked mode, the toe of the shackle is engaged with the toe hole of the lock body, preventing the heel of the shackle from rotating relative to the lock body, and when the spindle is moved in the first direction toward the first side of the lock body together with the heel of the shackle to change the padlock from the locked mode to the opened mode, the toe of the shackle is disengaged from the toe hole of the lock body, allowing the shackle to rotate relative to the lock body.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the heel channel comprises a passage slot and a reset slot on the first side of the lock body, and the heel of the shackle comprises a reset notch located near the first side of the lock body, wherein when the padlock is operated in the locked mode, the reset notch is located inside the lock body between the passage slot and the extended member of the spindle, and when the padlock is unlocked by the combination code or by the key operation, the heel of the shackle can be caused to move in the first direction and the reset notch is moved through the passage slot to locate outside the lock body to change the padlock from the locked mode to the opened mode.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the padlock is operated in the opened mode and the reset notch of the heel is aligned with the passage slot of the heel chamber, the shackle can be caused to move in a second direction opposite to the first direction to engage the toe of the shackle with the toe hole for changing the padlock from the opened mode to the locked mode.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cylindrical surface of each of the clutches has a surface portion for disposing the plurality of protrusions, wherein when the padlock is operated in the locked mode and in the opened mode, each of the dials is located adjacent to the surface portion of the clutch in the dial-clutch pair and the teeth of each of the dials are engaged with the protrusions of the clutch in the dial-clutch pair, and wherein when the padlock is operated in the opened mode and the shackle has been rotated to cause the reset notch on the heel to align with the reset slot of the heel chamber, the shackle can be caused to move together with the spindle, the clutch stack and the cylinder in a second direction opposite to the first direction for relocating each of the dials away from the surface portion of the clutch in the dial-clutch pair so as to disengage the teeth from the protrusions in the dial-clutch pair.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the teeth of the dial in each of the dial-clutch pairs is disengaged with the protrusion of the clutch in each of the dial-clutch pairs, the dial can be rotated relative to the clutch in the dial-clutch pair for changing the combination code.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder comprises a first cylinder end and an opposing second cylinder end, the second cylinder located near the second side of the lock body, the first cylinder end comprising the cylinder wall and a tip extended from the cylinder wall, the tip arranged to engage with the spindle protrusion when the padlock is operated in the locked mode, wherein the cylinder further comprises a key slot at the second cylinder end, the key slot dimensioned to receive a key to rotate the cylinder in the cylinder hole relative to the lock body so as to disengage the tip from the spindle to unlock the padlock by the key operation.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder further comprises a pointer and the cylinder hole comprises an edge-groove arranged to receive the pointer for rotation therein when the cylinder is caused to rotate relative to the lock body.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder hole further comprises a track in communication with the edge-groove, the track arranged to receive the pointer when the cylinder is caused to move in the first direction along with the spindle when the padlock is unlocked by the combination code to change the padlock from the locked mode to the opened mode and wherein when the pointer is located in the track, the cylinder is prevented from rotation relative to the lock body.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the padlock further comprises a latch and an indicator member, the latch having a latch opening and a latch fork adjacent to the latch opening, the indicator member having an indicator end and a cutout section positioned in relationship to the latch, and the lock body further comprises a latch slot and an indicator chamber, the latch slot made in the cylinder hole, the indicator chamber dimensioned for placement of the indicator member, the indicator chamber having a chamber hole extended to the second side of the lock body, wherein when the padlock is operated in the locked mode, the cutout section of the latch is located in the latch fork, preventing the indicator end from moving outside the lock body through the chamber hole.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the cylinder is caused to rotate relative to the lock body to unlock the padlock by the key operation, the pointer is arranged to move the latch toward the indicator member, causing the cutout section of the indicator member to move out of the latch fork into the latch opening, wherein when the cutout section of the indicator member is moved out of the latch fork into the latch opening, the indicator end of the indicator member is allowed to move outside the lock body through the chamber hole.
The present invention will become apparent upon reading the description in conjunction with
The present invention provides a padlock 10 which has a spindle 50 and a shackle 40 with a heel 42 and a toe 41. As seen in
Locked Mode (
As seen in
As seen in
As seen in
As seen in
As seen in
As seen in
As seen in
According to the present invention, the wall 83 of the cylinder 80 is arranged to contact with the stack of clutches 70 and the spindle 50 is placed in the clutch opening 74 of each of the clutches 70. The shackle-receiving-hole 51 on the extended member 53 of the spindle 50 is dimensioned to receive the heel 42 of the shackle 40, allowing the shackle 40 to rotate relative to the lock body 20/30. The heel 42 is connected to the spindle 50 by two C-clips 110 inserted into the neck-area slots 44 so that a linear movement of the heel 42 along the heel channel 22/32 always transfers to the spindle 50. As the spindle protrusion 52 of spindle 50 is engaged with the tip 81 of cylinder 80, the upward or downward movement of spindle 50 also transfers to the cylinder 80. The dials 60 are arranged around the stack of clutches 70 to form a plurality of dial-clutch pairs. When the padlock is operated in the locked mode and the opened mode, the teeth 61 of each of the dials 60 are engaged with the protrusions 71 of the clutch 70 in a dial-clutch pair, preventing the dials 60 from rotating relative to the clutches 70. In other words, the rotational movement of each of the dials 60 transfers to the clutch 70 in the dial-clutch pair. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the blocking edges 24 in the body chamber 28/38 are positioned in relationship of the clutches 70 and the opening slot 72 on each of the clutches 70 is dimensioned to receive a corresponding blocking edge 24. Each of the blocking edges 24 is arranged to control the vertical movement of a corresponding clutch 70 such that only when the opening slot 72 on each of the clutches 70 is aligned with the corresponding blocking edge 24, the stack of the clutches 70 can move upward or downward relative to the lock body 20/30.
When the padlock 10 is operated in the locked mode, at least one of the clutches 70 is misaligned with the corresponding blocking edge 24. As such, the stack of clutches 70 that sits on top of the cylinder 80 prevents the cylinder 80 from moving upward. Furthermore, as the spindle 50 is engaged with the cylinder 80 and the heel 42 is connected to the spindle 50, the shackle 40 cannot be pulled upward to open the padlock. Moreover, without a key to engage with the cylinder 80 to unlock the padlock 10, the cylinder 80 does not rotate relative to the lock body 20/30.
Unlocked by a Combination Code (
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the indicia 62 of the plurality of dials 60 are used to form a combination code. When the padlock 10 is unlocked by the combination code, the dials 60 are rotated to cause the opening slots 72 on all the clutches 70 to align with the blocking edges 24 of the body chamber 28/38. Thus, the clutches 70 are not prevented by the blocking edges 24 from moving upward. As such, the shackle 40, together with the spindle 50, the clutches 70 and the cylinder 80, can be caused to move upward to release the toe 41 from the toe hole 21/31. Accordingly, each of the blocking edges 24 is received into the opening slot 72 of the corresponding clutch 70. While part of the heel 42 remains in the heel channel 22/32, the shackle 40 can be caused to rotate relative to the lock body 20/30 to change the padlock 10 from the unlocked mode to the opened mode. Even when the clutches 70 are caused to move upward, the teeth 61 of the dials 60 are still engaged with the protrusion 71 of the corresponding clutch 70. A rotating movement of the dial 60 transfers to the clutch 70 in the dial-clutch pair. However, because each of the blocking edges 24 is located inside the opening slot 72 of the corresponding clutch 70, all the dials 60, along with the clutches, are prevented from rotation relative to the lock body 20/30.
As the cylinder 80 is caused to move upward when the shackle 40 is pulled upward, the pointer 82 of the cylinder 80 is moved into the upper track 34 of the body chamber 28/38 as shown in
When the padlock 10 is unlocked by the combination code, the latch 90 is urged toward the cylinder 90 by the spring 99 as shown in
Unlocked by Key Operation (
When the padlock 10 is operated in the locked mode, the stack of clutches 70 that sits on top of the cylinder 80 prevents the cylinder 80 from moving upward, and the shackle 40 is also prevented from moving upward.
If a correct key 120 is inserted into the cylinder 80 to unlock the padlock 10, the cylinder 80 can be rotated and the pointer 82 is moved along the edge groove 26 on the body chamber 28/38, away from the upper track 34 and the lower track 37. Because of the pointer 82 being located in the edge groove 26, the cylinder 80 cannot move upward or downward relative to the lock body 20/30. As the cylinder 80 is rotated, the stack of the clutches 70 remains in contact with the cylinder wall 83 of cylinder 80 and cannot move downward. Thus, the relative position between the clutches 70 and the dials 60 does not change. The teeth 61 of each of the dials 60 remain engaged with the protrusion 71 of clutch 70 in the dial-clutch pair.
Once the spindle protrusion 52 is disengaged from the tip 81 of cylinder 80, the shackle 40 can be pulled upward along with the spindle 50 to change the padlock 10 from the locked mode to the opened mode as shown in
It should be noted that, when the padlock 10 is operated in the opened mode as shown in
Reset Mode (
In order to change the combination code to reset the padlock 10, each of the dials 60 must be moved to the upper part of the clutch 70 in the dial-clutch pair so that the teeth 61 are disengaged from the protrusion 71. Thus, the clutches 70 are able to move further downward relative to the dials when the padlock 10 is operated in the opened mode.
When the padlock 10 is unlocked by the key operation to change to padlock 10 from the locked mode to the opened mode, the cylinder 80 cannot move upward or downward relative to the lock body 20/30 because the pointer 82 of cylinder 80 is located in the edge groove 26/36 of lock body 20/30. Furthermore, the clutches 70 cannot move further downward relative to the dials 60 to release the teeth 61 from the protrusion 71. Thus, when the padlock 10 is unlocked by the key operation, the padlock 10 cannot be reset.
When the padlock 10 is unlocked by the combination code, the opening slot 72 of each of the clutches 70 is aligned with the corresponding blocking edge 24 in the body chamber 20/30. Thus, when the padlock 10 is operated in the opened mode, the dials 60 cannot rotate relative to the lock body 20/30 but the clutches 70 can be caused to move downward. Furthermore, when the padlock 10 is unlocked by the combination code, the pointer 82 of cylinder 80 is located in the upper track 34 as shown in
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the protrusions 71 of each clutch 70 are disposed on the lower part of the outer surface of clutch 70 as shown in
After the padlock 10 is reset, the shackle 40 can be pulled upward until the reset notch 43 is located outside the lock body 20/30. The shackle 40 can be rotated until the reset notch 43 is aligned with the passage slot 29/39 as shown in
In summary, the padlock 10, according an embodiment of the present invention, is operable in a locked mode, an opened mode and a reset mode. The padlock has a shackle 40 having a longer leg or heel 42 and a shorter leg or toe 41. The padlock 10 has a lock body 20/30, the lock body 20/30 having a toe hole 21/31 on the first side of the lock body to receive the toe 41, a heel channel 22/32 dimensioned for placement of the heel 42, a cylinder hole 25/35 on the second side dimensioned to receive a cylinder 80. The padlock 10 also has a spindle 50 located inside the lock body 20/30, movable along a first direction substantially parallel to the heel channel 22/32, the spindle 50 connected to the heel 42 of the shackle 40 for movement together in the first direction; a plurality of clutches 70 arranged to form a clutch stack, each of the clutches 70 having an opening 74 dimensioned to receive the spindle 50; and a plurality of dials 60 engageable with the plurality of clutches 70 to form a combination code. The cylinder 80 is arranged for a key operation, the cylinder having a tip 81 arranged to contact the clutch stack when the padlock is operated in the locked mode, the opened mode and the reset mode. The cylinder 80 can be moved in the cylinder hole 25/35 along the first direction when the cylinder 80 is engaged with the spindle 50. The cylinder 80 can also be rotated relative to the spindle 50 by a key 120. The lock body 20/30 also has a body chamber 38/38 dimensioned for placement of the clutch stack. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the padlock can be unlocked to change from the locked mode to the opened mode by the combination code or by the key operation, and wherein, when the padlock 10 is unlocked by the combination code, the spindle 50 is engaged with the clutch stack for movement together along the first direction, and wherein, when the padlock 10 is unlocked by the key operation, the spindle 50 is disengaged from the clutch stack for movement in the first direction relative to the clutch stack.
This patent application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/501,274, filed May 4, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
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