Patent Application
20100064738
One aspect of the present invention generally relates to locks, including padlocks, luggage locks, zipper locks and any other types of locks which use a combination locking mechanism in which component hardware may be integrated into a housing and thereby reduce the number of component pieces, simplify assembly and reduce cost. Another aspect of the present invention, also involving locks, utilizes one or more locking mechanisms, including combination actuated locking mechanisms, key actuated locking mechanisms or other lock mechanisms which locking mechanisms are integrated into a housing structure comprising inner and outer housings for purposes of providing aesthetic variety to a single locking mechanism to also simplify assembly and reduce cost.
Manufacturers of locks, including various types or embodiments of locks always seek ways to reduce costs and simplify manufacturing and assembly of their lock products. If the price of manufacturing the component pieces of a lock can be reduced and the costs related to the assembly of the lock components into a final lock product can also be reduced, the manufacturer will achieve savings, resulting in increased profits for the manufacturer and/or lower costs for the consumer. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,174,756, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a padlock having dual, independently operated locking mechanisms. The combination locking mechanism includes a plurality of numbered annular dials, each concentrically positioned about a complementary sleeve or lock cylinder through which a leg of a shackle is positioned. Additionally, an alignment or spring is associated with each dial for purposes of stabilizing the position and movement of each dial and provides tactile feedback to the user of the lock as the dials are moved. A compression spring is also typically associated with the lock cylinders to allow the lock cylinders to move relative to the dials and also to bias the position of the lock cylinders to a particular position. Similarly, a compression spring is also used as part of the key lock mechanism to bias the position of the key lock mechanism relative to the housing. Other lock types have similar mechanical structures comprising numerous component pieces. In every case, the numerous manual pieces must be individually made and manually assembled. As a result, reducing the number of component pieces will reduce manufacturing and assembly costs.
In addition, it is often expensive to vary the exterior appearance or aesthetics of a lock. For example, if a lock manufacturer desires to market a combination lock to different consumers by altering the appearance of the lock, the manufacturer will typically need to change the tooling or molds for making the respective housings of the different locks have a different exterior appearance. However, changes to the housing may require changes to the locking mechanism in order to accommodate the changes to the housing. Thus there is also a need in the industry to reduce costs when changing the exterior appearance of lock while simultaneously reusing existing locking mechanisms without change.
The present invention satisfies a long-felt need to simplify the manufacturing and assembly processes associated with mechanical locks. In one embodiment of the present invention, what were once separate component pieces are now integrally formed as part of an internal housing for the lock. For example, leaf springs for positioning and providing tactile feedback in the movement of the individual dials of a combination lock are formed integral with the housing. Similarly, compression springs used with both combination and key locks may be formed integral with the housing. For example, a spring for maintaining the position of the dials relative to corresponding lock cylinders while also permitting separation of the lock cylinders from the dials for purposes of resetting the combination also may be formed integral with the housing. Other components may also be formed integrally with the lock housing as would be appreciated by those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. Additionally, the housing with these integral components may be made from plastic. As a result, the number of component pieces required for manufacture of a lock is reduced and the assembly process is simplified. This results in a lower cost product.
A further aspect of some embodiments of the present invention is that the concept of integrally incorporating component pieces into a lock housing may be implemented with an inner housing and an outer housing. Alternatively, the concept may be employed in a lock having a single housing. It is also contemplated that a housing, as that term is used herein, may have more than two constituent parts even though the specific embodiments illustrated herein show each housing made from two pieces.
Another aspect of the present invention includes providing a second or outer housing or shell over an inner housing. The outer housing may be made of plastic, metal or a combination of both. The outer housing provides the manufacturer with the opportunity to change and vary the aesthetic look of a lock while maintaining the internal components identical from one lock to the next. Thus, manufacturers may provide consumers with a choice of differently appearing locks while reducing inventory and manufacturing costs by utilizing the same internal components.
Several drawings have been developed to assist with understanding the invention. Following is a brief description of the drawings that illustrate the invention and its various embodiments.
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and that in certain instances, the disclosure may not include details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention, such as conventional details of fabrication and assembly, by those of skill in the art. Also, while the present disclosure describes the invention in connection with those embodiments presented, it should be understood that the invention is not strictly limited to these embodiments.
A lock 10 incorporating features of the present invention is shown in
Turning to
The combination operated locking mechanism 14 controls the axial movement of the second leg 20 of the shackle 16. The combination operated locking mechanism 14 comprises three annular dials 22. The outer surface of the dials 22 includes a series of raised surfaces 24, each containing a different number. Here, the numbers are 0-9, but it should be appreciated that other numbers or symbols may be used instead. Each raised surface 24 is separated from the adjacent raised surfaces by a groove or notch 26. With reference to
The long leg 18 of the shackle 16 passes through the interior of the lock cylinders 32. The shackle leg 18 has four protrusions or tabs 38 extending outwardly, the lower most three of which interact with the lock cylinders 32 to prevent axial movement of the shackle relative to the lock cylinders 32. As is known to those of skill in the art, an axial groove or notch is formed in the interior of each lock cylinder 32 such that when all of the grooves are axially aligned, the shackle 16 may be lifted to an unlocked position. Conversely, if any one of the notches is not properly aligned with its corresponding tab 38, the shackle 16 cannot be raised and the shackle 16 cannot be unlocked. The grooves in the interior of the lock cylinders 32 are moved relative to the shackle 16 by rotation of the dials 22 which causes rotation of the lock cylinders 32.
The key operated locking mechanism 12 secures the first or short leg 20 of the shackle 16. The key operated locking mechanism 12 generally comprises a latching tube 40 and a stop member 42. A recess 44 is formed in the stop member 42 and receives the end of the short leg 20 of the shackle 16. As shown in
Referring primarily to
An outer housing 64 is also illustrated in
Turning to
To move the padlock back to a locked state, a user rotates the second end 20 of the shackle 16 to align with the recess 44 in the stop member 42. The key is then pushed upward to move the block 50 along the longitudinal slot 80 and the latching tube 40 upward until the stop member 42 captures the second end 20 of the shackle 16. The key is then turned to move the block 50 until it reaches the first end 78a of the transverse slot 78 and then the key is withdrawn. It should be appreciated that the latching tube 40 and stop member 42 of the illustrated embodiment may be configured in other ways. For example, the stop member 42 may include a slot formed at its distal end that permits the second leg 20 of the shackle 16 to rotate out of the stop member 42 without the stop member 42 being lowered. Instead, the stop member rotates between a first position and a second position with rotation of the key. In the first position the shackle is unable to rotate, but in the second position the slot formed in the distal end of the stop member 42 is aligned with the path of rotation of the shackle 16 such that the second leg 20 may rotate through and out of the stop member 42 without retracting the latching tube 40 and stop member 42. Such a mechanism is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,174,756, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4-6, three leaf springs 84a, 84b and 84c are visible. The leaf springs 84 are aligned with the slots 62 formed in the inner housing 54 for accommodating the dials 22. In the illustrated embodiments, and as also shown in
Turning to FIGS. 4 and 7-9, a second feature of the present invention is shown. A compression spring 88 and seat 90 are formed integrally with the inner housing 54a and 54b. The compression spring 88 and seat 90 as illustrated are designed for operation in association with the combination lock mechanism 14. The integral spring 88 is formed in two generally semi-circular or semi-cylindrical portions due to the inner housing 54 being formed with two halves 54a and 54b. A semi-circular seat 90 is formed integral with a plurality of biasing members or legs 92 which, in turn are formed integrally with the two halves 54a and 54b of the inner housing 54. The biasing members 92 are designed to retain their shape and to impart an expansive force when compressed. As seen in
The compression spring 88 also assists in the resetting of the combination of the combination lock 14. In such an operation, the dials 22 must be axially separated from the associated locking cylinder 32 to allow the numbers or symbols on the dial 22 to be shifted relative to the locking cylinder 32. In the embodiment of
Yet another aspect of the present invention is the ability to utilize differently appearing outer housings 64 with the same inner housings 54. Accordingly, the outer surfaces 102 of the inner housing 54 and the inner surface 104 of the outer housing 64 must be compatible for assembly purposes. For example, the outer housing 64 must include slots 106 to permit access to the dials 22. Otherwise, the exterior surface 108 of the outer housing 64 may vary and lock manufacturers may provide aesthetically different locks that utilizes the same inner housing and lock mechanisms. Inner housings and lock mechanisms may be preassembled and outer housings added and assembled with customer orders. This allows the lock manufacturers to reduce the number of different component parts used in making locks, affording the manufacturer additional savings.
Although this invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, the principles involved are susceptible for use in numerous other embodiments that will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. For example, aspects of the invention may use a biasing spring to bias the key operated locking mechanism either in an open or closed position or to integrally incorporate other components from biometric, magnetic or electronic locking mechanisms into a housing for the lock. Further still, a separate biasing spring could be associated with each dial of a combination lock. Any need for a biasing action, lever arm, etc. could be satisfied with an integrally formed biasing member. This invention is, therefore, to be construed only as indicated by the scope of the claims and not limited to the embodiments described herein.
The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing description for example, various features of the invention have been identified. It should be appreciated that these features may be combined together into a single embodiment or in various other combinations as appropriate for the intended end use of the band. The dimensions of the component pieces may also vary, yet still be within the scope of the invention. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, though the description of the invention has included description of one or more embodiments and certain variations and modifications, other variations and modifications are within the scope of the invention, e.g. as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.
The present invention, in various embodiments, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various embodiments, subcombinations, and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the present invention after understanding the present disclosure. The present invention, in various embodiments, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various embodiments hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of implementation. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of any single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.
