Cycle lock

• US 4,620,429 A
• Filed: 11/12/1985
• Issued: 11/04/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John D. Quillen
• Original Assignee: John D. Quillen
• Inventors: Quillen, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolfe, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US06/796,773
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 70/365-366, 70/377, 70/382-383, 70/406, 70/411, 70/419, 70/421
• US Class Current: 70/383
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 21/06 Cylinder locks, e.g. protector locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 35/083 with changeable combination E05B35/125 takes precedence; for cylinder locks E05B27/005, E05B29/004
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7633 Transverse of plug
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7695 Plate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7734 Automatically key set combinations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7864 Cylinder lock type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7893 Permutation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7944 Guard tumbler

Abstract

A cycle lock having at least one plurality of disc-like tumblers loosely mounted on a shaft parallel with the axis of rotation of the key rotated lock cylinder. Each tumbler has a two spaced lobes which, in the neutral state of the tumbler, contact the arcuate surface of the cylinder but one of the lobes may drop into the key slot in the cylinder if not occupied by a high segment on the key. A key is initially inserted into the lock at a special location at which all tumblers are in their neutral state, and the rotation of the key to its normal position of insertion and removal will set the lock tumblers according to the key coding. In one embodiment particularly useful for hotels, etc., two sets of tumblers are employed: one set for transient or guest keys, a second set for service personnel keys, and a third key, a grand master key, operates the second tumbler set and can reset both sets of tumblers for accepting new keys with different codings thereon.

Claims

1. A cycle lock comprising:

a housing;

a cylindrical plug rotatably mounted in said housing and having a key-receiving slot therein that opens out to the cylindrical surface, said cylindrical plug having a first end and a second end; and

a plurality of flat disc-like tumblers, each tumbler in said plurality having an elongated central hole, said plurality being loosely mounted for compound rotational and radial movement on a tumbler shaft engaging each of said elongated holes and secured to said housing parallel with the rotational axis of said cylindrical plug, each of said plurality of tumblers having on its periphery a pair of spaced lobes, said tumblers being in a neutral state when both lobes on a tumbler are in contact with the surface of said cylindrical plug, each of said lobes being configured to enter the key-receiving slot in said plug in the absence of a high segment on a key in said key-receiving slot.

2. The cycle lock claimed in claim 1 further including lock code changing means enabling the insertion of a key into said key-receiving slot at a location where all of said tumblers are in said neutral state, the rotation of said key and said cylindrical plug to a normal key removal location operating to rotate only those tumblers that enter said plug key-receiving slot and are thus rotated from their neutral state on said tumbler shaft to thereby set said plurality of tumblers to a code in accordance with the specific pattern on said key.

3. The cycle lock claimed in claim 2 further including spring means individually biasing each tumbler in said plurality toward the surface of said cylindrical plug.

4. The cycle lock claimed in claim 3 wherein said spring means is a comb-like spring having teeth contacting the edge surface of each of said tumblers in said plurality, the teeth of said spring having a common base secured to a spring shaft supporting an adjustable torque providing second spring for adjusting the bias of said leaf spring.

5. The cycle lock claimed in claim 1 wherein a key insertable into the key slot of said cylindrical plug has high and low key segments at locations that correspond to the locations of the tumblers on said tumbler shaft.

6. The cycle lock claimed in claim 1 further including a tumbler bridge rotatably mounted on said tumbler shaft and overlying said plurality of tumblers, said tumbler bridge being rotated in response to rotation of at least one tumbler in said plurality, the rotation of said tumbler bridge forcing a spring biased pawl into a position to intercept a stop on said cylindrical plug for blocking further rotation of said plug.

7. The cycle lock claimed in claim 6 wherein said spring biased pawl is biased by a resilient torsion spring afixed at one end to said housing.

8. The cycle lock claimed in claim 1 wherein the exterior front face of said housing contains a circular aperture for receiving said cylindrical plug, said aperture having therein an annular key-retaining ring having radial key gate openings at positions defining locations at which keys may be inserted and withdrawn from said key-receiving slots.

9. The cycle lock claimed in claim 8 further including an entrance plug rotatably positioned in the front face of said housing and bearing against said annular key-retaining ring, said entrance plug and the first end of said cylindrical plug being rotatably secured together on each side of said key-retaining ring and thus secured within said housing by a screw longitudinally extending through said cylindrical plug and into said entrance plug.

10. The cycle lock claimed in claim 9 including first and second pluralities of tumblers, each plurality loosely mounted upon first and second parallel tumbler shafts secured to said housing.

11. The cycle lock claimed in claim 10 wherein the interior of said housing is formed to permit the rotation of a tumbler in said first plurality in only a first direction from a neutral state, and a tumbler in said second plurality in only a second direction from its neutral state.

12. The cycle lock claimed in claim 10 further including discriminator means secured to said lock, said discriminator means having a central hole coaxial with said cylindrical plug and having means associated with said central hole for limiting the amount and the direction of rotation of various types of keys insertable into said cylindrical plug.

13. The cycle lock claimed in claim 12 wherein said discriminator means comprises a plurality of plate members attached to said lock and normal to the axis of said cylindrical plug, each of said plurality of plate members having a central hole configured to cooperate with at least one type of key for limiting the amount and direction of rotation of said key.

14. The cycle lock claimed in claim 12 wherein said various types of keys include a permissive key for operating a first plurality of tumblers and normally insertable and removable only at one position and rotatable with said cylindrical plug in a first direction, a service master key for operating a second plurality of tumblers and normally insertable and removable on at said one position and rotatable with said cylindrical plug in a second direction, and a grand master key for operating said second plurality of tumblers and for resetting both first and second pluralities of tumblers to a neutral state for receiving new keys with different codes thereon, the ends of each of said key types having a unique key code alignable with said discriminator plates for cooperation with at least one of said plates.

15. The cycle lock claimed in claim 14 wherein said cylindrical plug has a longitudinal groove on the surface opposite the open key-receiving slot, the plurality of tumblers in said lock being reset by inserting a grand master key in said key slot, rotating said plug in a first direction so that said longitudinal groove engages the lobes of those tumblers in their neutral state and rotates them from their neutral state, counterrotating said cylindrical plug in a second direction to the point of removal of said grand master key whereby the lobes of all tumblers engage said longitudinal groove to return all tumblers in the plurality to their neutral state.

16. The cycle lock claimed in claim 9 wherein said lock includes a single plurality of tumblers for actuation by an active key insertable into said cylindrical plug, and further includes a release pin that longitudinally passes through said cylindrical plug, the first end of said release pin extending from the exterior face of cylindrical plug, the second end of said release pin extending through said plug and forming an L that engages a stop member secured to the back of said housing.

17. The cycle lock claimed in claim 16 wherein the tumbler coding of said lock is changed by the steps of:

inserting the active key into the cylindrical plug key slot at the normal point of insertion and removal, rotating said key and plug in a first direction until stopped by the operation of the second end of said release pin against said stop member at which point all tumblers in said plurality will have been rotated into their neutral state, depressing the first end of said release pin to release the second end thereof from said stop member, further rotating said key and plug to a point at which said active key is removable from said plug, removing said active key and inserting a new key with different coding thereon, and rotating said different key in a second direction to its normal point of insertion and removal thereby setting the tumblers in said plurality from their neutral state to the key code of said different key.