Locks – Special application – For portable articles
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-23
2001-03-13
Barrett, Suzanne Dino (Department: 3627)
Locks
Special application
For portable articles
C070S014000, C070S057000, C248S551000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06199413
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to security devices, and in particular to locks for portable articles such as laptop and notebook computers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Portable electronic devices such as laptop and notebook computers are too large to be worn or carried continuously, yet are readily stolen when momentarily unattended. Accordingly, specialized locking mechanisms have been developed to prevent theft without impairing convenience of use. These frequently involve engagement with a standardized, dedicated locking port or aperture within the body of the equipment. The locking aperture is so located that the equipment may still be operated when secured.
A typical locking arrangement includes a lock and a flexible but sturdy cable emerging from the lock. The cable, which may terminate in a loop, is drawn around a convenient stationary fixture. The lock is passed through the cable loop and then secured to the equipment through the locking port.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,752 describes a tubular lock with a key-operated, rotable T-shaped spindle that emerges from an end face of the lock body. The spindle is inserted into the locking port of an item to be protected; the locking port is asymmetric with dimensions slightly larger than those of the spindle head. After the spindle head clears the interior surface of the wall, it may be rotated, using a properly fitting key inserted in the opposite face of the lock. A 90° rotation secures the spindle head behind the interior wall surface.
To prevent the lock from simply being rotated and the spindle removed from the locking port, the tubular lock of the '752 patent contains two additional features. First, a pair of “anti-rotation arms” flanking the spindle are inserted, along with the spindle, into the locking port; forming an off-round configuration, the spindle neck and the flanking arms cannot be rotated within the asymmetric port. Second, the entire lock is urged against the exterior surface of the article to be secured by a spring mechanism. As the spindle and arms are passed through the locking port, the lock is pressed against the article to be secured and the key used to rotate the spindle head into the locked position. The lock is then released, the spring mechanism keeping it biased against the article surface.
This type of lock is disadvantageous both in requiring a spring bias, which reduces the convenience of use while increasing the cost of manufacture, and in the need for an asymmetric locking port.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Objects of the Invention
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved locking system for portable articles.
A further object of the present invention is to facilitate locking of portable articles without the need for spring loading or other bias against the article.
Another object of the invention is to provide a locking system for portable articles that does not require a specifically shaped locking port.
Other objects will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter. The invention accordingly, comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the following detailed description and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
Brief Summary of the Invention
In accordance with the present invention, a locking arrangement configured to secure portable equipment includes a tubular lock adapted for use with, for example, a looped cable. The lock is generally in the form of a cylindrical body that contains keying and tumbler components, and which is surrounded by a collar. A sleeved steel cable emerges from the collar and terminates in a loop. A circular key, inserted into a recess within one end face of the lock body, operates a pair of locking arms projecting from the opposite face of the body. An elastomeric pad may be affixed to the face of the body that makes contact with the article to be secured, i.e., the face from which the locking arms project.
Each locking arm has a shank portion and a wing portion, the wing portion extending from the end of the shank at a right angle thereto. Each wing has a substantially flat surface. The locking arms are disposed adjacent to one another, and in the unlocked configuration, the wings of both arms are in parallel opposition such that their flat surfaces substantially meet. Each wing is only about half as thick as the shank from which it extends, so that the opposed wings reside within the envelope defined by the outer surfaces of the shanks. As a result, the locking arms can be inserted into a locking port having dimensions approximating those of the envelope.
The locking port is an aperture through the wall of the article to be secured. The length of the shanks is chosen such that the wings clear the interior surface of the article wall as the elastomeric face pad of the lock contacts the exterior surface of the wall. A properly cut key received within the tumbler mechanism may be rotated with respect to the stationary exterior of the tubular body, and rotation of the key causes the locking arms to simultaneously rotate in the same direction. This rotation draws the wings in opposite directions, causing them to separate, and after 90° of rotation the wings are parallel to each other but extend in opposite directions outside the envelope. This opposite orientation of the wing members prevents the lock from being withdrawn through the locking port. Moreover, if the two shanks are seated within a port whose dimensions closely match those defined by the shanks themselves, rotation of the lock will be substantially prevented.
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Berrocal William
Fiegener John D.
McDaid Cornelius
Twarog Peter
Barrett Suzanne Dino
Kryptonite Corporation
Testa Hurwitz & Thibeault LLP
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