Combination padlock

• US 7,293,439 B1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jin Tay Industries Co.
• Original Assignee: Jin Tay Industries Co.
• Inventors: Miao, Tony
• Primary Examiner(s): BARRETT, SUZANNE LALE DINO
• Application Number:
  US11/701,592
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 70/21, 70 25- 28, 702/84, 702/85, 703/12
• US Class Current: 70/21
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 37/0034 actuated by either
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 37/025 in padlocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/415 Combination and/or key-controlled
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/424 Sliding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7141 Combination and key
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7305 Manually operable

Abstract

A combination padlock has a housing, a dial core, a connector, a key core and a shackle. The housing has a cavity. The dial core is mounted in the cavity and has multiple dials and a shaft extending through the dials and having a bottom end. The connector is mounted in the cavity and has a cylinder and a lateral arm. The cylinder has a through hole, an open slot and a slid pin extending through the open slot. The lateral arm abuts the bottom end of the shaft. The key core is mounted rotatably in the through hole and has a rail slot holding the slide pin. The combination padlock can be unlocked by either operating the dial core or inserting a corresponding key into the key core so using the combination padlock is convenient.

Claims

1. A combination padlock comprising:

a housing having

a top;

a bottom;

a cavity defined in the housing and having an inner surface;

a bottom hole defined in the bottom and communicating with the cavity;

a top hole defined in the top and communicating with the cavity;

multiple windows defined through the housing, communicating with the cavity and arranged in a row; and

a locking hole defined in the top and communicating with the cavity;

a dial core mounted in the cavity and having

multiple dials being annular, mounted rotatably in the cavity, corresponding respectively to and partially exposed respectively out of the windows and each dial having an outer edge, a central hole defined through the dial and multiple numerals mounted on the outer edge; and

a shaft mounted in the cavity, aligned with the locking hole, extending through the central holes in the dials, selectively sliding upward and having a bottom end;

a connector mounted slidably in the cavity, selectively pressing the shaft to slide upward and having

a cylinder mounted slidably in the cavity and having a top edge, a through hole defined longitudinally through the cylinder and aligned with the top hole and the bottom hole in the housing and an open slot defined longitudinally in the top edge and communicating with the through hole; and

a lateral arm formed on and protruding transversely from the cylinder and abutting the bottom end of the shaft;

a key core mounted rotatably in the through hole in the cylinder and having

a top end;

a bottom end;

a mounting hole defined in the top end and aligned with the top hole in the housing;

a rail slot defined spirally and radially in the key core, communicating with the mounting hole and having a lower inside end and an upper inside end; and

a slide pin mounted through the open slot in the cylinder, mounted slidably in the rail slot in the key core and having an outside end and an inside end; and

a shackle being U-shaped, mounted in the cavity in the housing and having

a mounting end mounted rotatably and slidably in the mounting hole in the key core;

a locking end engaging selectively with the locking hole; and

an annular recess defined radially in the shackle adjacent to the mounting end and receiving and holding the inside end of the slide pin.

2. The combination padlock as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a spring mounted around the shackle between the top edge of the cylinder and the inner surface of the cavity in the housing and biasing the connector downward.

3. The combination padlock as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the open slot in the cylinder of the connector has an inner surface and an inner lip being U-shaped and formed on and protruding inward from the inner surface; and

the slide pin further has an enlarged head formed on the outside end and abutting the inner lip.

4. The combination padlock as claimed in claim 3, wherein the shackle further has a mounting groove defined radially in the shackle above the annular recess and a C-clip mounted in the mounting groove and abutting the inner surface of the cavity adjacent to the top hole.

5. The combination padlock as claimed in claim 4, wherein the dial core further has a retaining tab mounted securely on the bottom end of the shaft and a spring mounted around the shaft between a lowest dial and the retaining tab and biasing the shaft downward.