Padlocks are used in a variety of applications, including, for example, with enclosures such as lockers, storage sheds, and various gates and doors, to secure two or more hasps, latches or other structures together to restrict access to an item or enclosure. A conventional padlock includes a shackle having two ends secured within a lock body by one or more locking members when in a locked condition, with the locking members being disengageable from the shackle in the unlocked condition to allow movement of the shackle to separate one end (or leg) of the shackle from the lock body. Some padlocks include key operated arrangements in which insertion of a proper key in a keyway permits rotation of a key cylinder to release or disengage one or more locking members from the shackle. Other padlocks include a combination (or permutation) dial operable to rotate a plurality of tumbler discs to an unlocking orientation, in which the tumbler discs permit disengagement of one or more locking members from the shackle.
While many different locking arrangements may be employed in a padlock, in one embodiment, a padlock may include a pivoting rocker with a sliding latch that is secured in engagement with a corresponding notch in a short leg of a U-shaped shackle when the padlock is locked. When the padlock is unlocked, the rocker and latch are pivotable out of engagement with the shackle notch to permit withdrawal of the short leg of the shackle from the lock body. Examples of such padlocks are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,563,067 and 4,055,972, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, to the extent that they are not conflicting with the present application.
The present application describes padlocks utilizing a pivoting rocker-style latch assembly for locking engagement with the padlock's shackle. According to an exemplary aspect of the present application, a latch assembly may be configured to be provided as a self-contained subassembly, for example, for ease of manufacture.
Accordingly, in an exemplary embodiment, a padlock includes a lock body, a shackle, a locking mechanism, and a latch assembly. The shackle includes long and short legs receivable in corresponding first and second shackle openings extending from an upper surface of the lock body and axially moveable between a retracted position and an extended position. The short leg is withdrawn from the lock body when in the extended position. The locking mechanism is disposed in the lock body and includes a plurality of tumbler discs and a user operable dial configured to selectively rotate each of the plurality of tumbler discs to an unlocking orientation. The latch assembly is disposed in the lock body and includes a rocker pivotably mounted to a post secured to the lock body, and a latch member extending from the pivotable rocker. When the plurality of tumbler discs are pivoted to the unlocking orientation, the pivotable rocker is permitted to pivot from a first position to a second position to move the latch member out of locking engagement with a recess in the short shackle leg. The latch assembly further includes a torsion spring having first and second legs and a center coil portion between the first and second legs and assembled over the post. The first leg engages an inner surface of the lock body, and the second leg engages the rocker to bias the rocker toward the first position. The rocker further includes at least one spring fastening member securing the torsion spring to a spring retaining surface of the rocker against movement away from the rocker along the post.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present application, a latch assembly for a padlock includes a rocker having a central through bore and a tongue extending from an outer periphery of the rocker. A latch member is slidably disposed in a cavity in the rocker, and is spring biased toward an extended position. A torsion spring is assembled to a spring retaining surface of the rocker and includes first and second legs extending from a center coil portion positioned around the through bore. The first leg extends beyond the outer periphery of the rocker, and the second leg terminates inward of the outer periphery of the rocker and engages a portion of the rocker to apply a biasing force against the rocker when the first leg is in a spring-loaded condition. The rocker comprises at least one spring fastening member securing the torsion spring to the spring retaining surface of the rocker.
According to another exemplary aspect of the present application, a method of manufacturing a padlock latch assembly as a self-contained subassembly is contemplated. In one exemplary method, a latch member is assembled into a cavity of a rocker to extend from an outer periphery of the rocker, such that the latch member is slideable between an extended position and a retracted position. A torsion spring is placed on a spring retaining surface of the rocker such that a central coil portion of the torsion spring is positioned around a through bore in the rocker, a first leg extending from the central coil portion extends outward of the outer periphery of the rocker, and a second leg extending from the central coil portion opposite the first leg is positioned adjacent a projection extending from the spring retaining surface of the rocker. The projection is deformed to secure the torsion spring to the spring retaining surface of the rocker.
Features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the drawings, wherein:
This Detailed Description merely describes embodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. Indeed, the invention as claimed is broader than and unlimited by the preferred embodiments, and the terms used in the claims have their full ordinary meaning.
The present application contemplates various inventive features associated with a spring and rocker arrangement for a combination padlock. According to an aspect of the present application, a rocker and torsion spring assembly may be adapted for simplicity of manufacture, ease of assembly, minimization of wear, and consistency of operation.
The rocker 120 is pivotally biased (about post 111) into a locking orientation by a torsion spring 130 assembled with the rocker 120 and bearing against an inner surface of the lock body 110. In this locking orientation, as shown in
The exemplary rocker 120 and torsion spring 130 assembly are more closely shown in
For ease of manufacture, the torsion spring 130 may be provided with straight first and second end portions or legs 134, 133 and a single-looped center coil portion 132. As a further aspect of the present application, the rocker 120 and spring 130 may be pre-assembled together as a self-contained subassembly to facilitate simplified or automated final assembly, or to accommodate storage or shipping of these preassembled parts. While many different arrangements may be utilized to secure the torsion spring to the rocker, in one embodiment, the rocker may be provided with one or more spring fastening members that secure the torsion spring against a spring retaining surface of the rocker. In the illustrated embodiment, a spring retaining surface 121 of the exemplary rocker 120 (see
In an exemplary method of manufacturing a latch subassembly for a rocker-style combination padlock, a latch member 140 and a latch member biasing spring 141 are assembled into a cavity 122 of a rocker 120 to extend from an outer periphery of the rocker, such that the latch member 140 is slideable between an extended position and a retracted position, and is biased toward the extended position by the spring 141. A pin 148 is press-fit into an aperture in the rocker in alignment with a recess 143 in the latch member to secure the latch member within the cavity 122 of the rocker 120. A torsion spring 130 is placed on a spring retaining surface 121 of the rocker 120 such that a central coil portion 132 of the torsion spring is positioned around a through bore in the rocker, a first leg 134 extending from the central coil portion extends outward of the outer periphery of the rocker, and a second leg 133 extending from the central coil portion opposite the first leg is positioned adjacent a projection 125 extending from the spring retaining surface 121 of the rocker 120. The projection 125 is deformed to secure the torsion spring 130 to the spring retaining surface 121 of the rocker. In one such exemplary method, latch installation, latch pin press-fitting, spring placement, and spring retention staking may all be performed using a single automated apparatus, thereby reducing production times, manual assembly steps, and related production costs.
Other components, arrangements, and operation of the lock 100 may, but need not, be consistent with the components, arrangements, and operations of the padlocks of incorporated U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,563,067 and 4,055,972.
While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the inventions may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts and features of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, circuits, devices and components, software, hardware, control logic, alternatives as to form, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present inventions even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present disclosure; however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of an invention, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific invention. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/382,974, entitled “LATCHING ARRANGEMENTS FOR A PADLOCK” and filed Sep. 15, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, to the extent that they are not conflicting with the present application.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61382974 | Sep 2010 | US |