Combination padlock

• US 5,125,248 A
• Filed: 08/07/1991
• Issued: 06/30/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chong-Kuan Ling
• Original Assignee: Chong-Kuan Ling
• Inventors: Ling, Chong-Kuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke, Renee S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BARRETT, SUZANNE LALE DINO
• Application Number:
  US07/741,312
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 70/22-26, 70/312-318, 70/323
• US Class Current: 70/25
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 37/0058 by axial disengagement between hub and rim of tumbler discs or rings
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 37/025 in padlocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/424 Sliding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7305 Manually operable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7367 Tumbler structure and position

Abstract

A combination padlock includes a plurality of dials longitudinally rotatably mounted in a central portion of a casing having two opposite secant peripheries of each dial protruding frontwardly and rearwardly from the casing for a firm rotating dialing operation by a user'"'"'s two fingers disposed on a front and a rear side of the casing for ensuring a precise lock opening or closing operation and for preventing an unexpected impact or damage of the lock caused by an external force or object.

Claims

1. A combination padlock comprising:

a casing comprised of two half-shell portions combinable for forming said casing having two wide-surface side portions respectively disposed on a front and a rear side portion of said casing;

a shackle generally U shaped having a long leg member pivotally secured in a shackle hole formed in a right side portion of said casing and a short leg member operatively engaged in a shackle socket formed in a left side portion of said casing, said long leg member of the shackle formed with a neck portion annularly recessed from a cross section of a lower portion of the long leg member, a shackle head portion formed on a lowest end portion of the long leg member adjacent to the neck portion, and a shackle projection longitudinally formed in the long leg member engageable with a first projection socket recessed in a first upper portion of the casing communicated with the shackle hole when the short leg member is locked in the shackle socket, and rotatably engageable with a second projection socket recessed in a second upper portion of the casing deviated from the first projection socket;

a plurality of dials longitudinally rotatably mounted in a central portion of said casing along a longitudinal axis formed in a center of said casing having each said dial transversely protruding frontwardly and rearwardly from the two wide-surface front and rear side portions to form two secant dial peripheries disposed on said two front and rear side portions of said casing;

a plurality of sleeves each said sleeve rotatably engageable with each said dial and rotatably secured in said casing; and

a locking bolt means normally engageable with said sleeves for locking purpose and operatively disengaged from said sleeves for unlocking purpose, said locking bolt means including;

a locking bolt generally cylindrical shaped engageable with a central bolt hole formed in each said sleeve, a head portion formed on an upper portion of the locking bolt secured with a connecting lever rotatably coupled with the long leg member of the shackle, a plurality of bolt projections longitudinally formed on the locking bolt, each said bolt projection normally retained under a lower shoulder portion of each said sleeve when the padlock is locked, and operatively passing through each opening slot formed in each said sleeve when the padlock is unlocked and a shackle retaining spring retained in the casing normally urging the long leg member of the shackle for coupling the connecting lever of the locking bolt means with said shackle, said connecting lever protruded sidewardly to form a bifurcated shackle retainer defining a notch recessed in the shackle retainer for rotatably engaging the shackle head portion with the shackle retainer and engaging the neck portion of the shackle with the notch of the connecting lever, the shackle head portion resiliently urged by a free spring end of the shackle retaining spring for a stable coupling of the shackle with the locking bolt means.

2. A combination padlock according to claim 1, wherein each said half-shell portion of said casing includes:

a plurality of rectangular windows formed in each said half-shell portion for protruding each said dial therethrough, and a plurality of half bush extensions protruding upwardly from each said half-shell portion, each said half bush extension being juxtapositonal to each said window and every two said half bush extensions combinably defining a sleeve bush in the two corresponding half bush extensions for rotatably mounting each said sleeve therein.

3. A combination padlock according to claim 2, wherein each said half-shell portion is formed with a shallow arcuate recess in an outer surface of said half-shell portion for protruding each said dial having a marking extension longitudinally formed in a central portion of the half-shell portion for indicating a correct opening combination of the dials.

4. A combination padlock according to claim 2, wherein an uppermost bush extension of said half bush extensions is formed a bush shoulder portion for limiting an uppermost sleeve, and an upper bolt hole formed in said bush shoulder portion for passing said locking bolt means therethrough.

5. A combination padlock according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of positioning slots are longitudinally projectively formed in the plurality of sleeve bushes formed in the casing.

6. A combination padlock according to claim 1, wherein each said dial is rotatably secured in the casing along the longitudinal axis formed in the center portion of the casing and transversely protruding frontwardly and rearwardly through two corresponding rectangular windows formed in a front side portion and a rear side portion of the casing and includes an outer ring having a plurality of numerals annularly formed in the outer ring with every two neighbouring numerals separated by a longitudinal groove notched in the outer ring, an inner ring formed on an upper portion of the dial inside the outer ring having a plurality of inner teeth annularly formed in the inner ring, and a dial-sensing spring plate retained in the casing having a plurality of spring pawls longitudinally formed in the dial-sensing spring plate for clickingly engaging the grooves of the dial.

7. A combination padlock according to claim 1, wherein each said sleeve is formed as a cylindrical collar rotatably engageable with each said sleeve bush formed in said casing and includes:

a central bolt hole formed through the sleeve, a plurality of outer teeth circumferentially formed on an outer cylindrical surface of the sleeve and engageable with the inner teeth of the dials, a positioning tooth formed on the outer cylindrical surface of the sleeve engageable with the inner teeth of the dial and slidably engageable with the positioning slot formed in the casing, an opening slot longitudinally recessed in the central bolt hole, and a lower enlarged hole diverging downwardly from the central bolt hole to form a lower shoulder portion between the bolt hole and the enlarged hole.

8. A combination padlock according to claim 7, wherein a sleeve retaining spring is formed near a bottom portion of the casing having an upper retaining surface for normally urging the sleeves upwardly to be limited by the bush shoulder portion for engaging each said sleeve with each said dial.

9. A combination padlock according to claim 1, wherein a bolt shoulder portion is formed between the head portion of said locking bolt and the locking bolt for operatively depressing the sleeves for changing a combination of the padlock.