Computer equipment lock

• US 5,327,752 A
• Filed: 09/09/1993
• Issued: 07/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ACCO Brands Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kensington Microware Limited
• Inventors: Carl, Stewart, Myers, Gary L., Zarnowitz, Arthur H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boucher, Darnell M.
• Application Number:
  US08/119,314
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• Field of Search: 70/57, 70/58, 70/14, 70/18, 70/30, 70/49, 70/232, 70/491, 248/551, 248/553, 248/505
• US Class Current: 70/58
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 27/083 of the split-pin tumbler type
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 73/0005 using chains, cables or the like chain- or cable-locks of the padlock type E05B67/003; lockable clothing hangers or hanger racks E05B69/006
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 73/0082 for office machines, e.g. PC's, portable computers, typewriters, calculators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/40 Portable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/50 Special application
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5009 For portable articles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7593 Sliding tumblers

Abstract

An axial pin tubular lock for use in securing portable computers and other devices having spindle-accepting ports. The lock is bade up of an outer shell attached to a cable, an inner shell, a rotatable driver sleeve, a stationary tumbler sleeve, a rear scuff plate held in place by a combination of an adhesive and cooperative geometric engagement with the outer shell, a locking spindle extending through the driver and tumbler sleeves, a retaining plate and an anti-rotation extension which may be integrally formed with the retaining plate. The rotatable driver sleeve is equipped with an internally disposed detent which engage a groove on the spindle, thereby providing proper axial and radial alignment between the spindle and the driver sleeve. The internal surface of the stationary tumbler sleeve has an indented support surface, thus providing spindle support while permitting passage of the spindle head through the tumbler sleeve during assembly. The tumbler sleeve is held in place by a pin which engages a slot located on the sleeve'"'"'s outer perimeter and by the retaining plate which is disposed against the sleeve'"'"'s rearward face. The retaining plate is, in turn, held in place by both a spring and the spline detail of the inner shell. The spindle itself incorporates a curved surface design which distributes forces more evenly across the spindle surface, thereby reducing the potential for spindle failure.

Claims

1. An improved lock construction for use in securing portable devices equipped with lock-accepting ports, said lock comprising, in combination:

an outer shell having forward and rearward ends, said outer shell including receiving means for accepting cable means, said rear end of said outer shell comprising a body portion and a protective rear plate portion,

an inner shell housed within said outer shell,

a rotatable driver sleeve telescoped into the forward portion of said inner shell,

a stationary tumbler sleeve disposed rearward of said rotatable driver sleeve in face-to-face relation with the rear end of said rotatable driver sleeve,

a locking spindle extending through, and rotatably mounted in, said stationary tumbler sleeve, said spindle comprising a body portion, a neck portion and a head portion, said head portion engageable with said lock-accepting portion on said device,

anti-rotation extensive means engageable with said lock-accepting port on said device, said extensive means precluding rotational manipulation of the lock following engagement between said spindle and said lock-accepting port,

means for translating rotation of said driver sleeve to said spindle,

driver and tumbler pins slidably mounted in axially extending and angularly spaced holes defined in said stationary tumbler sleeve and said rotatable driver sleeve and normally operable to prevent rotation of said spindle with respect to said stationary tumbler sleeve,

retaining means disposed in face-to-face relation with the rearward end of said tumbler sleeve, said face-to-face relation between said retaining means and said tumbler sleeve maintained by spring means disposed between said retaining means and the rearward portion of said outer shell.

2. The lock construction of claim 1 wherein said anti-rotation extensive means are integrally formed with said retaining means.

3. The lock construction of claim 1, wherein said head and neck portions of said locking spindle form a substantially T-shaped structure lockingly engageable with slotted ports on said device.

4. The lock construction of claim 3 wherein the greatest cross sectional dimension of said spindle head portion is greater than the greatest cross sectional dimension of said spindle body portion.

5. The lock construction of claim 4 wherein the smallest cross sectional dimension of said spindle head portion is equivalent to the diameter of the spindle neck portion.

6. The lock construction of claim 1, wherein said protective plate portion of the rear end of said outer shell is retained in place by adhesive means as well as by cooperative geometric engagement between said plate portion and said body portion of the rear end of said outer shell.

7. An apparatus for inhibiting theft of equipment having an external wall with a rectangular slot with preselected dimensions, the improvement comprising

an attachment mechanism including a housing, a spindle including a first portion rotatably mounted with the housing, a shaft fixed to the first portion and extending outwardly from the housing, and a crossmember conforming closely to the preselected dimensions of the slot and abutment means emanating from the housing and located on opposite sides of the shaft intermediate the housing and the crossmember, the abutment means and the shaft having cross-sectional dimensions closely conforming to the dimensions of the slot so that the crossmember, the shaft and the abutment means are insertable into the slot with the crossmember aligned with the abutment means to a position in which the crossmember is inside the external wall and the abutment means and the shaft occupy the slot, the spindle is rotatable 90 degrees by a locking mechanism to misalign the crossmember with the slot and the abutment means to attach the attachment mechanism rigidly to the external wall;

wherein the housing additionally includes a spring for biasing the housing against the external wall upon attachment of the attachment means to the equipment, and a cable connected to an immovable object and secured to the housing to inhibit theft of the equipment.