Combination padlock with secondary opening mechanism

• US 8,776,556 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Sun Lock Company Ltd.
• Original Assignee: The Sun Lock Company Ltd.
• Inventors: Lai, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrett, Suzanne
• Application Number:
  US13/671,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20130118215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 70/21, 70/25, 70/26, 702/84, 702/85, 70/38.A, 70/38.B, 70D/IG.63, 70D/IG.71
• US Class Current: 70/21
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 37/0034 actuated by either
• 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 70/415 Combination and/or key-controlled
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/424 Sliding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/459 Both legs engaged
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/461 Short leg engaged
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7141 Combination and key
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7147 Combination or key

Abstract

A padlock that can be locked and unlocked by both dials and a secondary opening mechanism, the padlock including a lock body, a shackle with a long leg and a short leg where the shackle can move between a locked configuration in which the short leg is secured in the lock body and an opened configuration in which the short leg is removable from the lock body. The padlock includes a combination mechanism, including a plurality of clutches mounted around the long leg of the shackle and corresponding dials mounted in the lock body each having teeth configured to engage with an extended fin of one of the clutches and a top cap seal configured to prevent the combination mechanism from being pulled apart from the lock body. A cam having a hole formed therein is configured to allow a key-user to decode a code used to unlock the padlock.

Claims

1. A padlock, comprising:

a lock body;

a shackle having a long leg and a short leg, wherein the shackle is movable between a locked configuration in which the short leg is at least partially surrounded by the lock body, and a unlocked configuration in which the short leg is removed from the lock body;

a combination locking mechanism comprising at least one clutch mounted around the long leg of the shackle and configured for rotation about the long leg of the shackle, and at least one rotatable dial operatively engaged with the at least one clutch and configured to impart rotational motion upon the at least one clutch;

a tool operated locking mechanism comprising a cam and a cylinder operatively engaged with the cam, wherein the cam comprises an off-centered hole formed therein, and wherein the tool operated locking mechanism is movable between a blocking configuration in which the off-centered hole is not aligned with the short leg of the shackle and an open configuration in which the off-centered hole is aligned with the short leg of the shackle;

wherein the shackle is further movable to a combination reset configuration at least when the tool operated locking mechanism is in the open configuration, and in the combination reset configuration the at least one rotatable dial is disengaged from the at least one clutch so that the at least one rotatable dial is free to rotate without imparting rotational motion upon the at least one clutch.

2. The padlock according to claim 1, wherein the at least one clutch comprises an extended fin radially extending from an outer surface of the at least one clutch, and wherein the at least one rotatable dial comprises a plurality of teeth configured to engage with the extended fin of the at least one clutch so that rotational motion of the at least one rotatable dial is transferred to the at least one clutch.

3. The padlock according to claim 2, wherein the lock body comprises a first bore dimensioned to receive at least part of the long leg of the shackle and the at least one clutch, and at least one cutout portion positioned substantially perpendicular to the first bore and dimensioned to receive the at least one rotatable dial;

and wherein the at least one cutout portion comprises an upper surface and a lower surface, and the upper surface having an upper notch and a plurality of faulty-notch zones, and the lower surface having a lower notch substantially aligned with the upper notch.

4. The padlock according to claim 3, wherein the upper notch and the lower notch are dimensioned so as to allow at least the extended fin of the at least one clutch to pass therethrough when the extended fin is aligned with the upper notch or the lower notch;

and wherein the shackle is movable to the unlocked configuration when the extended fin is aligned with the upper notch.

5. The padlock according to claim 4, wherein the at least one rotatable dial comprises a plurality of faces, and each face of the plurality of faces comprises an indicia thereon;

and wherein one of the indicia on the plurality of faces provides an indication when the extended fin is aligned with the upper notch.

6. The padlock according to claim 4, further comprising a top cap seal at least partially inserted into an end of the first bore and having a first alignment notch formed therein;

wherein the shackle further comprises a protrusion extending from the long leg and configured for alignment with the first alignment notch of the top cap seal when the shackle is movable to the unlocked configuration.

7. The padlock according to claim 6, wherein the shackle is configured for rotation about the long leg when the shackle is in the unlocked configuration;

and wherein the top cap seal further comprises a second alignment notch configured for alignment with the protrusion in order to align the shackle into the combination reset configuration and thereby disengaging the at least one clutch from the at least one rotatable dial.

8. The padlock according to claim 7, wherein when the second alignment notch is aligned with the protrusion the shackle is movable in a direction towards the lock body, and such movement is configured to move the extended fin of the at least one clutch into the lower notch and thereby disengage the extended fin from the plurality of teeth of the at least one rotatable dial.

9. The padlock according to claim 3, wherein the cylinder is configured to receive a tool configured to move the tool operated locking mechanism between the blocking configuration and the open configuration;

wherein the tool is configured to rotate the cylinder and the cam so that the off-centered hole is aligned with the short leg of the shackle.

10. The padlock according to claim 9, wherein the cylinder comprises a fork configured to contact the cam such that movement of the cylinder is directly transferred to the cam.

11. The padlock according to claim 9, wherein the cylinder and the cam are comprised of a single piece construction.

12. The padlock according to claim 9, wherein the cylinder comprises a lock cylinder, and the tool comprises a correct-cut key configured to operate the lock cylinder.

13. The padlock according to claim 9, wherein when the off-centered hole is aligned with the short leg of the shackle the short leg of the shackle is configured for movement into the off-centered hole and the shackle is configured for movement in a direction towards the lock body.

14. The padlock according to claim 13, wherein when the shackle is moved in the direction towards the lock body the extended fin of the at least one clutch will either contact the lower surface of the cutout portion or engage with the lower notch if a correct indicia for the at least one rotatable dial corresponding to the at least one clutch has been set.

15. The padlock according to claim 14, wherein when the extended fin of the at least one clutch contacts the lower surface of the cutout portion, the rotatable dial may be rotated until the extended fin engages with the lower notch in order to determine the correct indicia for the at least one rotatable dial.

16. The padlock according to claim 14, wherein when the extended fin of the at least one clutch engages with the lower notch the shackle may continue to be moved in the direction towards the lock body and into the combination reset configuration in order to disengaged the extended fin of the at least one clutch from the plurality of teeth of the at least one rotatable dial.

17. The padlock according to claim 9, wherein the lock body further comprises a second bore dimensioned to receive the cam and the cylinder, and a third bore opening into the second bore and dimensioned to receive at least a portion of the short leg of the shackle.

18. The padlock according to claim 17, wherein the off-centered hole of the cam is configured for alignment with the third bore when the tool operated locking mechanism is in the open configuration, and wherein when the tool operated locking mechanism is in the open configuration the short leg of the shackle is positioned so as to enter the third bore and the off-centered hole of the cam.

19. The padlock according to claim 1, further comprising a top cap seal configured to prevent the combination mechanism from being pulled apart from the lock body.

20. The padlock according to claim 1, wherein the combination locking mechanism is configured for entry of a combination configured to permit movement of the shackle into the unlocked configuration.

21. The padlock according to claim 6, wherein the shackle is only movable to the combination reset configuration when the tool operated locking mechanism is in the open configuration.