U.S. patent number 3,722,240 [Application Number 05/109,395] was granted by the patent office on 1973-03-27 for cylinder lock.
Invention is credited to Roy N. Oliver, Roy C. Spain.
United States Patent |
3,722,240 |
Spain , et al. |
March 27, 1973 |
CYLINDER LOCK
Abstract
A cylinder lock having tumblers movable within a key plug in
response to the insertion of a bitted key whereby the tumblers both
translate and rotate to present discretely located operating
elements, or cavities, to cooperating elements, or projections,
carried by a fence normally retaining the key plug from rotation in
its cylinder shell to release the fence and permit the plug to be
rotated; i.e., the projections of the fence normally bearing
against the surfaces of the tumblers out of registration with the
aforesaid discretely located elements until matching cavities are
engaged to bring about release of the fence.
Inventors: |
Spain; Roy C. (Salem, VA),
Oliver; Roy N. (Salem, VA) |
Family
ID: |
22327438 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/109,395 |
Filed: |
January 25, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
70/494; 70/419;
70/378 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05B
27/0082 (20130101); E05B 27/0039 (20130101); E05B
27/0053 (20130101); Y10T 70/7701 (20150401); Y10T
70/761 (20150401); Y10T 70/7932 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
E05B
27/00 (20060101); E05b 015/14 (); E05b
027/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;70/364A,378,406,409,419,421 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wolfe; Robert L.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cylinder lock having a cylindrical shell, a key plug rotatably
operable in said shell to form a shear line therewith, a spring
urged fence normally extending into said shell across said shear
line from said plug to prevent its rotation, a plurality of
tumblers in said plug, said tumblers being translatable and
rotatable under control of a key having its bits formed therein at
different levels and angles, at least one of said tumblers having a
hole in its lateral surface at a preselected location, and a
projection on said fence extendable into said hole to release said
fence to permit said plug to be rotated in said shell when said key
translates and rotates said tumbler to present said hole to said
projection.
2. The invention of claim 1 wherein an additional hole is provided
in said tumbler's lateral surface at another preselected location
at the same translation level but at a different angle of rotation
of said tumbler for releasing said fence by said key.
3. The invention of claim 1 wherein an additional hole is provided
in said tumbler's lateral surface at another preselected location
at the same angle of rotation but at a different translation level
of said tumbler for releasing said fence by said key.
Description
This invention is directed to a cylinder lock and more particularly
to a cylinder lock of a master key system.
Conventional master key systems wherein a plurality of tumblers are
reciprocally mounted in a key plug, the key plug being rotatable in
the cylinder shell, make use of wafers to permit operation of one
lock by more than one key. A system of this kind is described in
U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,303 issued Mar. 10, 1970. Limitations in master
key systems of this type arise in requiring the addition of wafers
to a selected number of tumblers for each master key, thereby
reducing the number of potential master keys per lock. The number
of "change" keys which can be used with a master key in a lock of
this type is also limited since the spline in the tumbler requires
that the bitting in the master key be of the same angular
displacement as that of the change key. Consequently, a master key
used with two tumblers of a lock requires that the angular
displacement of those two tumblers be the same throughout all the
locks of the system.
This invention provides a solution and an improvement in cylinder
locks wherein for each different key a discrete element is
diametrically located on the tumbler for cooperation with a
coacting element on the fence of the cylinder lock. The principal
feature of this invention resides in the advantage that both the
level of tumbler displacement and the angular displacement of the
tumbler may vary from key to key for the same lock.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 illustrates as arrangement of tumblers according to the
invention showing in perspective the operation of a lock cylinder
of a "change" key.
FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 illustrating the operation of the lock
under control of a master key.
FIG. 3 is a further illustration similar to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2
showing operation of the lock under a different master key, which
may also be a master key for another system; i.e., a "grand" master
key, for example.
FIG. 4 is a simplified version of the illustrations of FIGS. 1 - 3
showing operation of a so called "side bar" lock according to the
invention.
FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of a cylinder lock into which
the elements of FIGS 1 through 4 may be adapted wherein a key plug
a cooperating with a fence member b having a projection c and a
spring h under control of tumblers d urged by springs e and
confined in plug a by a spring cover f inserted into a shell g.
Referring to FIG. 1, a key (not shown) may have six V-bit levels as
indicated by the dashed lines 11 - 16. Three tumblers 17, 18 and 19
rest on level lines 11, 15 and 16, respectively, corresponding to
the first V-bit, the fifth V-bit and the sixth V-bit to allow
operation of the lock by rotation of a key plug 21 within a
cylinder shell 23. The lock illustrated is of the master key type
wherein the normal tumblers 17 through 19 are augmented by wafers
17a, 17b and 17c for cooperation with three corresponding drivers
17b, 18b and 19b, as illustrated in previously mentioned U.S. Pat.
No. 3,499,303.
In the present invention in order to operate the lock proper
rotation of the tumblers, in addition to their translation to a
proper level, is required. A fence 27 is urged by springs (not
shown herein but illustrated in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,302)
in a position removed from the tumblers 17 through 19 into a groove
(not shown) in the cylinder shell 23 so that the key plug cannot be
rotated independently of the bit level of the tumblers. Under this
condition any attempt to rotate the key plug 21 tends to urge the
fence 27 into the tumblers. The fence 27 is provided with
projections 29, 30 and 31 for cooperation with cavities, or holes,
33, 34 and 35, respectively, provided diametrically in the tumblers
17 through 19.
When alignment of the holes 33, 34 and 35 and projections 29, 30
and 31, respectively, is established, insertion of the projections
into the holes is effected allowing the fence 27 to clear the
shearline between the plug 21 and the shell 23. It is to be noted,
however, that the tumblers must also be at the correct V-bit level,
as explained in the previously mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,302.
Specifically with reference to FIG. 1, V-bit rotations of the key
are represented by lines 41, 42 and 43 and the levels of the
tumblers are as initially stated above. In addition to the holes 33
through 35 additional holes may be provided in the tumblers for
utilizing master key control of the lock. For example, tumbler 17
may include another hole 37 and at the same V-bit level still
another hole 39, as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings.
In FIG. 2 tumblers 17 through 19 are shown for master key
operation, which has raised tumbler 17 to the third V bit level 13
causing the shearline 25 to be aligned with the separation 17d
between driver 17b and wafer 17a and V-bit rotation is clockwise
(see line 41). Similarly tumbler 18 is at the second V-bit level 12
causing the separation 18c between tumbler 18 and wafer 18a to be
aligned with shearline 25 and V-bit rotation is counter clockwise
(see line 42). Tumbler 19 is similarly positioned to the sixth
V-bit level and rotated clockwise (see line 43).
Referring now to both FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be noted that tumbler
17 rests at a lower V-bit level for the master Key (FIG. 2) than
for the regular, or change, key (FIG. 1). In other words, an
alignment is obtained of the shearline 25 with a different
separation.
Referring again to FIG. 2, in order to move fence 27 from the
groove (not shown) in the cylinder shell 23 a hole 37 is provided
in tumbler 17 to permit insertion of projection 29. Since the V-bit
angle of both the change key (FIG. 1) and the master key (FIG. 2)
is the same, the hole 37 is located directly above hole 33 at a
distance equal to the difference in V-bit levels of tumbler 17.
Similarly tumbler 18 has an additional hole 51 to be aligned with
projection 30. Tumbler 19 is operative by both the change key and
master key at the same V-bit level and angle.
Referring now to FIG. 3 tumbler 17 is at V-bit level 13 so that the
separation 17d is aligned with shearline 25 and the V-bit rotation
is counter clockwise causing hole 39 to be aligned with projection
29. Tumbler 18 is at the same V-bit level and is rotated clockwise
casuing a hole 52 to be aligned with projection 30. Tumbler 19
rests at the sixth V-bit lebel (level 16) and is rotated clockwise
aligning projection 31 with hole 35. Consequently, with the holes
39, 51 and 35 now having projections 29, 30 and 31, respectively,
inserted, the fence 27 is retracted from the groove (not shown) in
the cylinder shell and the key plug is free to be rotated.
A practicable example of the utility of the invention may be
understood by considering a two floor establishment where the locks
of one floor are each operated by a change key, all locks of each
floor being operated by a master key. The individual locks on the
other floor are each operated by a change key also, all of these
locks being operated by another master key -- the master keys of
each floor not being interchangeable. The change keys of each floor
also use different V-bit levels.
Let it be assumed that the locks of each floor each include 5
tumblers and that the tumblers are arranged for operation by a
master key and also by a grand master key having the same V-bit
levels, as for example in FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein the rotation of the
tumblers is the only difference between the master key and the
grand master key. Let it be assumed further that the master key for
the first floor has V-bit angles as follows:
Tumbler Number 1 2 3 4 5 Key Angle CCW CW CCW CW CW Tumbler Angle
both both CCW CW CW
also the master key for the second floor has V bit angles as
follows:
Tumbler Number 1 2 3 4 5 Key Angle CW CW CW CW Tumbler Angle CW CCW
both CW CW
(cw is indicative of clockwise rotation of the tumbler, and CCW is
indicative of counter clockwise rotation of the tumbler).
Obviously the master key for the second floor can not operate locks
of the first floor since the third tumbler of the first floor locks
requires counter clockwise rotation whereas the second floor master
key is bitted for clockwise rotation of the third tumbler.
Similarly the master key for the first floor can not operate locks
of the second floor since the first and second tumblers,
respectively, require clockwise and counter clockwise rotation
whereas the first floor master key is bitted oppositely.
A grand master key, however, may have V bit arrangements as
follows:
Tumbler Number 1 2 3 4 5 Key Angle CW CCW CCW CW CW
This grand master key will be capable of operating the locks of
each floor since tumbler No. 1 of the first floor locks operates
with either counter clockwise or clockwise and tumbler No. 1 of the
second floor locks operates with clockwise rotation, and since
tumbler No. 2 of the first floor locks operates with either
clockwise or counter clockwise rotation and tumbler No. 2 of the
second floor locks operates with counter clockwise rotation, and
since tumbler No. 3 of the first floor locks operates with counter
clockwise rotation and tumbler No. 3 of the second floor locks
operates with either clockwise or counter clockwise rotation, the
tumblers No. 4 and No. 5 on all locks operating with clockwise
rotation.
From the above example it is quite obvious that further master,
grand master, etcetera, keys can be utilized in the manner
illustrated.
Attention is directed also to FIG. 4 which illustrates the
invention as applied to a so called "side bar" lock. Here a tumbler
71 is shown resting on a V-bit level 12 of several levels 11
through 16. The side bar type of lock requires no wafers or
drivers, the tumblers being urged downward (as in FIG. 4) within a
key plug 73 by a spring, or springs, (not shown). A fence, or side
bar, 75 normally is urged by springs (not shown) into a groove in
the cylinder shell 77, only clearing the groove to permit rotation
of the key plug when the fence clears the shearline 79. Such
clearance is brought about by a projection 81 on the fence becoming
aligned with a diametrically located hole 83 in the tumbler 71, the
V-bit level of the key being such as to raise the tumbler to a
predetermined level (see FIG. 4), and the V-bit angle of the key
being such as to rotate the tumbler to a predetermined angle (see
FIG. 4 as indicated by line 82); i.e., the key must translate and
rotate the tumbler to the required level and angle. Under such
conditions the fence 75 (FIG. 4) will cause projection 81 to become
inserted into hole 83, clearing the fence from shearline 79 and
permitting the key plug to be rotated.
Master key control may be obtained in a similar manner; i.e., by
providing as shown in FIG. 4 a V-bit level, fifth level (see dashed
line 15) and counter clockwise rotation (see line 84) for the
master key and a hole 85 in tumbler 71 whereby projection 81 of the
fence becomes inserted in hole 85. If a higher order master key is
required an additional hole 87 may be located in the tumbler 71,
the key being V-bitted for the fifth level (see line 15) and
clockwise rotation, similar procedure may be followed to secure
higher orders of master keys accordingly.
* * * * *