Patent Application
20100242553
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to locks and more specifically, to a locking device that can be fastened to a door for protecting a door lock.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional locks generally include two types, i.e. a key controlled type, which needs a correct key to unlock it, and a combination controlled type, which needs a correct permutation of numbers or symbols to unlock it.
The key controlled lock is generally used on a front door of a house. When coming back home, a householder can insert a key into the lock, and then rotate it to open the front door. However, some people may inject super glue or instant glue into a keyhole of the lock impishly to clog the keyhole on purpose, such that the householder has to break the lock to open the front door and needs to change the broken lock to a new one, causing the householder great vexation. In addition, malicious people may inject quick-drying chemical glue into the keyhole to copy the key after the quick-drying chemical glue is turned into solid, such that these people can enter the house to steal valuables, resulting in huge loss for the family.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above-noted circumstances. It is therefore one objective of the present invention to provide a locking device, which can be fastened to a door for protecting a key hole of a door lock from being clogged by an unknown adhesive.
To achieve this objective of the present invention, the locking device comprises a housing and a combination lock set. The housing includes a front shell and a rear shell pivotally connected with the front shell to define an accommodation chamber therebetween and provided with a retaining portion and a retaining hole for retaining a door lock. The combination lock set is mounted to the front shell of the housing and received in the accommodation chamber and provided with a plurality of wheels, a movable plate controllable by the wheels to be moveable between a first position and a second position, and a latch engageable with the retaining portion of the rear shell.
When the wheels show a correct number permutation, the moveable plate is moved to the first position where the latch is disengageable from the retaining portion of the rear shell such that the front shell is pivotally moveable away from the rear shell, allowing the door lock to be exposed outside. When the wheels show a wrong number permutation, the moveable plate is moveable to the second position where the latch is blocked by the moveable plate and engageable with the retaining portion of the rear shell such that the front shell is locked on the rear shell, causing the door lock to be covered by the front shell.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
As shown in
The housing 20 has a front shell 22 and a rear shell 24 pivotally connected with the front shell 22 so as to define an accommodation chamber 26 therebetween for accommodation of a memo, a note or small items. The front shell 22 has four openings 221 communicated between the accommodation chamber 26 and the outsides, and the rear shell 24 has a retaining hole 242 for retaining of a door lock 42, as shown in
As shown in
By means of the aforesaid design, when a householder comes back home and rotates the combination wheels 36 to show the correct number permutation for unlocking the locking device 10, the movable plate 36 is pivotally moved to allow the latches 34 to be movable toward each other such that the householder can pull the front shell 22 away from the rear shell 24 to open the accommodation chamber 26 and expose the door lock 42, as shown in
When leaving home, the householder can open the accommodation chamber 26 to lock the door lock 42, and then close the front shell 22 on the rear shell 24. Thereafter, the householder can rotate the combination wheels 36 to show a wrong number permutation respectively such that the movable plate 38 is stopped against the latches 34 to force the insertion ends 342 of the latches 34 to be engaged with the insertion grooves 248 of the rear shell 24. As a result, the door lock 42 can be hidden in the accommodation chamber 26 without exposure to the outsides, as shown in
The shackle 60 has a pivotal portion 62 and a hook portion 64 integrally connected with the pivotal portion 62. The pivotal portion 62 is pivotally connected with the rear shell 52, and axially moveable and pivotable relative to the rear shell 52. The hook portion 64 has a free end insertable into the rear shell 52 by means of the axial movement of the pivotal portion 62, and a recess 642 at the free end.
The retaining plate 70 is fastened to the rear shell 52, and provided with an elongated groove 72.
The switch 80 is movably mounted to the elongated groove 72 and stopped by a spring member 86, having a tab 82 and a retaining block 84 with a retaining end 842 that is engagable with the recess 642 of the hook portion 64 of the shackle 60.
It can be seen that the locking device 50 can be used as a conventional padlock. When wanting to unlock the shackle 60, a user can rotate the combination wheels 56 to open the accommodation chamber 54, and then move the switch 80 rightwards through the tab 82 to force the retaining end 842 of the retaining block 84 of the switch 80 to be disengaged from the recess 642 of the hook portion 64 of the shackle 60, as shown in
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.
