Locks – Special application – For control and machine elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-04
2002-01-01
Gall, Lloyd A. (Department: 3627)
Locks
Special application
For control and machine elements
C070S298000, C070S299000, C070S327000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06334346
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a numeral lock for a door, and the like, and particularly to a numeral lock mechanism, which has pin number capable of being changed according to a user's demand.
One of the purposes to use a numeral lock is to lock and unlock the door lock without having to use a key, eliminating the risk of losing the key after locking the lock.
One kind of popular numeral lock has several push buttons, each of which has a corresponding numeral. When the correct ones of the push buttons are depressed by the user, i.e. the corresponding numerals of the depressed push buttons are the same as the preset pin number, the door lock can be unlocked.
Furthermore, one main purpose of devising a numeral lock with resettable feature is to prevent a thief to become aware of the pin number by means of observing the push buttons to tell the correct ones from other irrelevant to the pin number; because the correct push buttons are constantly depressed by a user's finger, and thus have more polished surface than the irrelevant ones. Therefore, it is very important to develop a kind of numeral lock with resettable feature to overcome the above said disadvantages and to provide homes and offices with more security.
Referring to
FIG. 10
, a numeral lock with resettable feature is devised by the inventor of the present invention prior to the present invention; the prior art numeral lock comprises a housing
10
, a plurality of locking pins
20
, a confining plate
30
, an engaging plate
40
, a locating plate
50
, and a bottom plate
60
as the main parts; the housing
10
has holes each receiving a push button connected to a respective one of the locking pins
20
for the locking pins
20
to be capable of being depressed by a user's fingers; each of the locking pins
20
has a first engaging protrusion
201
and a second engaging protrusion
202
arranged in opposite direction; the engaging plate
40
has locking holes
401
receiving the first engaging protrusions
201
of the locking pins
20
; each locking hole
401
has an engaging portion
402
as shown in FIG.
11
. The confining plate
30
is fixed to the housing
10
and has holes for receiving the second engaging protrusions
202
of the locking pins
20
. The locating plate
50
and the engaging plate
40
are movably received within the housing
10
. Both the locating plate
50
and the bottom plate
60
have holes for other ends of the locking pins
20
to be passed through, and into, respectively. When the first engaging protrusions
201
′ of the locking pins
20
′ face inwardly of the housing
10
, they will engage the engaging portions
402
of the locking holes
401
of the engaging plate
40
and thus stop the engaging plate
40
from moving. Locking pins
20
′ of such inward facing first engaging protrusions
201
′ have to be depressed in order to separate such protrusions
201
′ from the locking holes
401
for the corresponding second protrusions
202
′ to be moved into the locking holes
401
; such second protrusions
202
′, facing outward, will not stop the engaging plate
40
from moving.
When the engaging plate
40
is not stopped from moving by any of the engaging protrusions
201
,
202
, i.e. the correct locking pins
20
are depressed, a handle associated with the engaging plate is capable of being turned to open the door.
A user can turn the locking pins
20
to change the direction of the protrusions
201
according to his predetermined pin number from top turning slots (not numbered)of the locking pins
20
with a screwdriver.
The above mentioned numeral lock is fixed to a door with bottom plate
60
contacting the door so the numeral lock has to be first removed from the door for permitting the locking pins
20
to be turned through the holes of the bottom plate
60
, making the resettable process very inconvenient.
So, it is a main object of the present invention to devise a numeral lock that can be reset more easily and conveniently, not having to remove the entire lock from the door.
SUMMARY
A numeral lock with resettable feature of the present invention has lock pins each associated with a respective press button, the press buttons being arranged on a housing for a user to press to unlock the numeral lock. The locking pins each has a first and a second engaging protrusion opposing each other; the first engaging protrusions are received with locking holes of an engaging plate, and will engage the locking holes to stop engaging plate from moving when facing inwardly of the housing. Locking pins having such inwardly facing engaging protrusions have to be depressed for such protrusions to separate from the locking holes in order to unlock the lock.
The locking pins are associated with the press buttons such that they can turn along with the press buttons for permitting a user to reset the numeral lock with a new pin number. The corresponding numerals of those locking pins having inwardly facing first engaging protrusions constitute the pin number.
Furthermore, to simplify the resetting procedure of the numeral lock, a sliding plate is provided; the sliding plate has shaped holes each connected to a respective one of the locking pins. The shaped holes each has a round hole portion and a rectangular hole portion; when the sliding plate is moved such that the round hole portions thereof connect the locking pins, the locking pins are capable of turning for permitting a user to rest the numeral lock; on the other hand, when the rectangular hole portions connect the locking pins, the lockings are incapable of turning, preventing the locking pins from being unwarily turned. The sliding plate is further protected from being unwarily moved by a box shape cover capable of being locked up by another lock device.
Thus, it can be understood that the numeral lock of the present invention can be reset very easily.
REFERENCES:
patent: 472868 (1892-04-01), Féret
patent: 1092733 (1914-04-01), McCarthy
patent: 2920473 (1960-01-01), Hansen
patent: 3009346 (1961-11-01), Check
patent: 3680336 (1972-08-01), Schendel
patent: 4191035 (1980-03-01), Hatch
patent: 4640110 (1987-02-01), Fish et al.
patent: 4827743 (1989-05-01), Kim
patent: 4936894 (1990-06-01), Larson et al.
patent: 2530717 (1984-01-01), None
patent: 9268 (1889-06-01), None
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