Locks – Portable – Padlocks
Reexamination Certificate
2003-11-25
2004-10-05
Gall, Lloyd A. (Department: 3676)
Locks
Portable
Padlocks
C070S049000, C070S284000, C070S285000, C070S312000, C070S446000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06799445
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dual-use lock, which can be changed in the unlocking numeral combination, and whose unlocking numeral combination can be traced after having been forgotten.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Combination locks are usually used on suitcases, cable locks etc. There are many kinds of combination locks that are suitable for use with cables, among which combination locks there are those capable of being changed in the combination.
Referring to
FIG. 6
, a conventional changeable combination lock includes:
a male member
90
, which has an insertion rod
901
having several aligned engaging teeth
902
equidistantly spaced along it;
a spindle
95
, which has a rod portion, and a head portion wider than the rod portion; the rod portion has a trench
951
, and several protrusions
952
equidistantly spaced along it; the head portion has a holding space
953
, and a locating gap
9531
;
a pad
954
having a through hole
9541
, and posts
9542
; the pad
954
being movably positioned in the holding space
953
of the spindle
95
with the through hole
9541
being aligned with the trench
951
, and with the posts
9542
being inserted through the head portion of the spindle
95
;
a pressing block
955
having a through hole
9551
, and engaging projections
9552
; the pressing block
955
being movably held in the holding space
953
of the spindle
95
with the through hole
9551
being aligned with the trench
951
such that the pressing block
955
will be pressed against the pad
954
to make the posts
9542
further project out from the head portion of the spindle
95
when it is pressed;
several dials
91
arranged one next to another; each of the dials
91
has numerals spaced out on an outer side, an inserting hole
911
on the middle, several flat portions (not numbered) of equal size on the annular inward side thereof, equidistantly spaced teeth
912
next to respective ones of the flat portions, and holding spaces
913
between the teeth
912
;
several tooth dishes
92
, each of which has an inserting hole
921
, a gap
923
on an inner side, and a convex tooth
922
on an outward side thereof;
several locating elements
93
, each of which has a through hole
931
, and has an elastic element
932
fitted thereto; the tooth dishes
92
and the locating elements
93
being arranged in respective dials
91
while the rod portion of the spindle
95
is inserted in the holes
911
,
921
, and
931
;
a spring
94
biasing the tooth dishes
92
and the locating elements
93
towards the head portion of the spindle
95
so that the convex teeth
922
of the tooth dishes
92
are held in the holding spaces
913
of the dials
91
;
the elastic elements
932
come into contact with the flat portions of corresponding dials
91
; in case the pressing block
955
is not pressed, the convex teeth
922
of the tooth dishes
92
will be held in the holding spaces
913
of the dials
91
for the tooth dishes
92
to be turnable together with the dials
91
; in case the pressing block
955
is pressed to push the pad
954
, the convex teeth
922
will be separated from the holding spaces
913
, and in turns, the tooth dishes
92
can't turn together with the dials
91
;
a protecting ring
956
connected with the head portion of the spindle
95
to surround the pad
954
, and the pressing block
955
; the protecting ring
956
having a protrusion
9561
fitted in the locating gap
9531
of the spindle
95
; and
a female member
97
securely connected with a tail end of the rod portion of the spindle
95
; a connecting pin
96
is inserted in a fitting hole
971
of the female member
97
as well as the rod portion of the spindle
95
.
Therefore, the male member
90
will be secured to the spindle
95
with the teeth
902
thereof being stopped by the tooth dishes
92
after it is inserted in the trench
951
, and after the dials
91
is turned away from the unlocking orientation; the gaps
923
will be aligned with the teeth
902
, and the male member
90
can be separated from the spindle
95
after all the dials
91
are turned to the unlocking orientation. And, unlocking numeral combination of the lock can be changed after the pressing block
955
is pressed, the dials
91
turned to change the numerals that correspond to the gaps
923
of the tooth dishes
92
, and the block
955
released.
However, the above changeable combination lock has a disadvantage, which is common to most changeable combination locks, that it can't be unlocked in case the user has forgotten the unlocking numeral combination. Consequently, the user will have to break the lock or the chain used with the lock otherwise the object locked with the lock can't be released.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a dual-use lock to overcome the above disadvantage.
The dual-use lock includes a toothed male member, a female member, a spindle for connecting the male member to the female member, several dial assemblies arranged around the spindle, and an auxiliary lock. Each dial assembly includes both a dial with numerals thereon, and a tooth dish releaseably engaging the dial to turn together with the dial. The male member is allowed to separate from the spindle when the dials are turned to an unlocking orientation. The male member can't separate from the spindle when the dials are turned away from the unlocking orientation. The auxiliary lock is fitted to the female member for releaseably securing the spindle to the female member, and is operated with a key. Thus, an object locked with the present dual-use lock still can be released even if the user has forgotten the unlocking numeral combination of the dials. The tooth dishes are made such that the unlocking numeral combination of the dials can be easily traced with the help of a probe after separation of the spindle from the female member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 148451 (1874-03-01), Hall
patent: 972171 (1910-10-01), Dupont
patent: 1384390 (1921-07-01), Judycki
patent: 1688208 (1928-10-01), Amedeo
patent: 1755521 (1930-04-01), Smith
patent: 5636539 (1997-06-01), Tsai
patent: 6386005 (2002-05-01), Kuo
patent: 6422051 (2002-07-01), Kuo
patent: 6539761 (2003-04-01), Yang
patent: 6708534 (2004-03-01), Ruan
Gall Lloyd A.
Jaeyou Co., Ltd.
Rosenberg , Klein & Lee
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