Lock apparatus and method
First Claim
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1. A recodeable lock operable by an authorized key, the lock comprising:
- a housing defining a longitudinal axis;
a lock cylinder positioned within the housing and rotatable with respect to the housing about the longitudinal axis;
a sidebar that moves radially with respect to the housing between a locked position, in which at least a portion of the sidebar is engaged with the housing to prevent rotation of the lock cylinder relative to the housing, and an unlocked position, in which the sidebar is disengaged from at least one of the lock cylinder and the housing to allow rotation of the lock cylinder relative to the housing;
a plurality of code blocks positioned within the lock cylinder, the plurality of code blocks moving from an uncoded state to a coded state by insertion of the authorized key into the lock cylinder, the plurality of code blocks being securable with respect to the sidebar by a codebar, wherein the codebar is moveable radially with respect to the housing between a code block securing position and a code block releasing position; and
a plurality of tumblers positioned within the lock cylinder, each of the plurality of code blocks engaging a corresponding each one of the plurality of tumblers.
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Abstract
Lock assembly and method of coding and recoding locks. Some embodiments of a lock include a housing, a lock cylinder, a plurality of tumblers, a plurality of codebars, and a sidebar. Some embodiments of a lock include a housing, a lock cylinder, a plurality of tumblers, a plurality of code blocks, a sidebar, and a codebar.
418 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A recodeable lock operable by an authorized key, the lock comprising:
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a housing defining a longitudinal axis; a lock cylinder positioned within the housing and rotatable with respect to the housing about the longitudinal axis; a sidebar that moves radially with respect to the housing between a locked position, in which at least a portion of the sidebar is engaged with the housing to prevent rotation of the lock cylinder relative to the housing, and an unlocked position, in which the sidebar is disengaged from at least one of the lock cylinder and the housing to allow rotation of the lock cylinder relative to the housing; a plurality of code blocks positioned within the lock cylinder, the plurality of code blocks moving from an uncoded state to a coded state by insertion of the authorized key into the lock cylinder, the plurality of code blocks being securable with respect to the sidebar by a codebar, wherein the codebar is moveable radially with respect to the housing between a code block securing position and a code block releasing position; and a plurality of tumblers positioned within the lock cylinder, each of the plurality of code blocks engaging a corresponding each one of the plurality of tumblers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A recodeable lock operable by an authorized key, the lock comprising:
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a housing defining a longitudinal axis; a lock cylinder positioned within the housing and rotatable with respect to the housing about the longitudinal axis; a sidebar that moves radially with respect to the housing between a locked position, in which at least a portion of the sidebar is engaged with the housing to prevent rotation of the lock cylinder relative to the housing, and an unlocked position, in which the sidebar is disengaged from at least one of the lock cylinder and the housing to allow rotation of the lock cylinder relative to the housing; a plurality of code blocks positioned within the lock cylinder, the plurality of code blocks moving from an uncoded state to a coded state by insertion of the authorized key in the lock cylinder, the plurality of code blocks being securable with respect to the sidebar by a codebar; and a plurality of tumblers positioned within the lock cylinder, each of the plurality of code blocks engaging a corresponding each one of the plurality of tumblers; wherein the plurality of code blocks are moveable from the coded state to the uncoded state by movement of the codebar from a code block securing position to a code block releasing position, which disengages at least one of the plurality of code blocks from the codebar.
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12. A recodeable lock comprising:
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a housing defining a longitudinal axis; a lock cylinder positioned within the housing and selectively rotatable with respect to the housing about the longitudinal axis between a locked orientation and a recoding orientation; a plurality of tumblers positioned within the lock cylinder and engageable with an authorized key inserted in a keyway of the lock cylinder for movement of each of the plurality of tumblers to an unlocking position; a housing engaging element engageable with the housing when the lock cylinder is in the locked position to prevent rotation of the lock cylinder relative to the housing, and a plurality of tumbler engaging elements each engageable with a corresponding one of the plurality of tumblers, such that the housing engaging element is movable to disengage from the housing when each of the plurality of tumblers is in the unlocking position, thereby permitting rotation of the lock cylinder from the locked orientation to the recoding orientation; wherein when the lock cylinder is in the recoding orientation, the plurality of tumbler engaging elements are movable with respect to the housing engaging element to selectively change the unlocking positions of the corresponding tumblers. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification