CYLINDER LOCK

• US 3,855,829 A
• Filed: 05/17/1973
• Issued: 12/24/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Paul Lipschutz
• Original Assignee: Paul Lipschutz
• Inventors: Lipschutz, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolfe, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US05/361,109
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 70/362,357,364R,365,366,377,376
• US Class Current: 70/490
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 29/00 Cylinder locks and other locks with plate tumblers which are set by pushing the key in fastening of cylinders, rotors, plugs or cores E05B9/084; with magnetic tumblers E05B47/0044; with electromagnetic control E05B47/0611
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7588 Rotary plug
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7599 Transverse of plug
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7689 Tumblers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7695 Plate

Abstract

A cylinder safety lock the plug of which carries a plurality of longitudinally extending parallel resiliently flexible blade like elements arranged in a substantially cylindrical squirrel cagelike fashion and engageable in their free unstrained rest position in the absence of a key with corresponding grooves of an inner coaxially positioned core portion of the cylinder of the lock to hold said plug against rotation; said blade-like elements being engageable with an inserted key for being deflected radially outwards either into an annular space left between said cylinder and core for unlocking said rotor when the key is correct or beyond said intermediate space into corresponding grooves of said stator to still lock said rotor when the inserted key is incorrect.

Claims

1. A safety cylinder lock comprising a hollow cylinder, a keyresponsive inner cylindrical plug member rotatably mounted within said cylinder and rotatable by a removable key formed with notches and insertable into said plug member, and key-operated locking means carried by said plug member and releasably engageable with said cylinder, wherein the improvement consists in that said cylinder comprises an outer cylindrical casing portion and an inner substantially cylindrical core portion at least partially co-extensive in coaxial relationship with said outer casing portion to leave therebetween an intermediate annular space, the lateral peripheral surface of said inner core portion being formed with a number of circumferentially spaced grooves whereas said locking means comprise resiliently flexible strips made fast with said rotor member and extending in generally parallel relation to the longitudinal axis of said lock and to said grooves, said strips being arranged according to an at least approximately cylindrical configuration coaxially surrounding said cylinder core portion and fitted with clearance in said annular intermediate space to be rotatable therein, said strips being circumferentially distributed in spaced relationship to be on the one hand removably engageable in their free unstrained rest positions with at least some of said grooves provided in said cylinder core portion to hold said plug member against rotation when said key is removed, and on the other hand located in their resiliently radially outward deflected positions in a same substantially cylindrical surface within said intermediate annular space in a given rotary postion of said rotor member to be disengaged from said cylinder core portion and allow free rotation of said plug member, each strip being formed with a radially inward projecting catch element engageable with said key in the fully inserted position of the latter for moving said strips out of and into said grooves.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said key has a substantially cylindrical shank portion formed with said operative notches.

3. A device according to claim 1, whererin said key has a shank portion of a substantially cruciform cross-sectional contour.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall of said outer cylinder casing portion is formed with longitudinally extending, circumferentially distributed spaced grooves registering with corresponding grooves, respectively, of said cylinder core portion and adapted to receive said strip means therein when deflecTed radially outwards by an inserted wrong key to hold said plug member against rotation.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein each one of said strips is integrally formed with a free radially inward bent end portion forming said catch element.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said strips are of differing lengths.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein said catch elements are positioned at different locations in the longutidinal direction of said strips.

8. A device according to claim 1, comprising a squirrel-cage like holder for said strips which are connected endwise with one end portion of said cage and located between the cage bars, respectively, said cage being secured to said plug member.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein each one of said strips is integrally endwise with the cross brace portion of a pitch fork-shaped part secured with the ends of its prong-like side legs to said plug member.

10. A device according to claim 1, wherein said rotor is formed endwise with a non-cylindrical open recess for accommodating a complementarily shaped tip portion of said key in the inserted position of the latter for operative connection and driving engagement with said rotor member.