Locks – Portable – Padlocks
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-15
2004-11-09
Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3676)
Locks
Portable
Padlocks
C070S020000, C070S031000, C070S035000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06813913
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to padlocks, cylinder locks and other locks In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of the common general knowledge or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.
Padlocks, cylinder locks are well known types of locks. Furthermore, there are many patents and patent applications relating to locks such as, for example, AU 51912/93 and AU 52587/93.
AU 52587/93 describes a padlock having an extra deep recess for a second ball to enable shackle removal. The shackle is specifically described as a conventional shackle having notched locking recesses. The padlock includes a flat between the second locking recess and peripheral recess, as is common. The locking recesses and flat as described and depicted in AU 52587/93 are produced by notching—more correctly called broaching—which is a process quite different from machining. One of the problems associated with this type of padlock is that it is weakened by the amount of material removed during manufacture.
AU 51912/93 prelates to a padlock having a float, free movement between the cylinder barrel and an optional part between the barrel and cam to eliminate the float and convert between a Type 1 and Type 2 padlock. Furthermore this padlock has a stop on the barrel to limit its rotation.
The padlocks of both 52587/93 and 51912/93 employ triangular shoulders projecting from the end of the barrel and end of the cam to mate with free movement with each other unless the ‘play-take-up bridge’ is positioned between the two sets of shoulders.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a padlock, including a shackle having a short leg with a first locking recess and a longer leg having an opposed second locking recess, said longer leg being connected by a longitudinally elongated recess or flat to a peripheral recess disposed towards the end of the longer leg,
and a casing having a short and a longer recess extending into the casing from a first end surface to accept the short and longer shackle leg respectively, a central recess extending into the casing from an opposed second end surface, an offset recess extending into the casing from the opposed second end surface and intersecting the central recess, the intersection defining a first and a second longitudinally elongated cusp portion, said short, longer and central recesses being intersected by a transverse recess extending into the casing from a first side of the casing,
a cylinder having a key operable barrel characterised by an undisplaced position enabling key removal,
two opposed balls supported within the transverse recess; a first ball able to protrude into the short recess and first locking recess and a second ball to protrude into the longer recess and second locking recess,
a cam to control the balls, and a coupler to facilitate operable coupling between the cam and the cylinder,
the coupler being mountable within the body to provide a Type 1 padlock characterised by an unlocked, open configuration where short leg is free of the casing, the longer leg is supported in the casing and the key is removable,
the coupler being mountable within the body to provide a Type 2 padlock characterised by an unlocked, open configuration where the short leg is free of the body, the longer leg is supported in the body casing and the key and barrel cannot be rotated to the undisplaced position to enable key removal.
According to the invention there is further provided a padlock, including a shackle having a short leg with a first locking recess and a longer leg having an opposed second locking recess, said longer leg being connected by a longitudinally elongated recess or flat to a peripheral recess disposed towards the end of the longer leg,
and a casing having a short and a longer recess extending into the casing from a first end surface to accept the short and longer shackle leg respectively, a central recess extending into the casing from an opposed second end surface, an offset recess extending into the casing from the opposed second end surface and intersecting the central recess, the intersection defining a first and a second longitudinally elongated cusp portion, said short, longer and central recesses being intersected by a transverse recess extending into the casing from a first side of the casing,
a cylinder having a key operable barrel characterised by an undisplaced position enabling key removal,
two opposed balls supported within the transverse recess; a first ball able to protrude into the short recess and first locking recess and a second ball to protrude into the longer recess and second locking recess,
a cam to control the balls,
the angular disposition of the cam in the locking and unlocking configurations being determined by a stop comprising a disc-like member supported coaxially with and relative to the cam, and being angularly displaceable relative to the cam, and having a stop shoulder which protrudes into the offset recess, said stop having a first operative configuration where the stop shoulder abuts the wall of the offset recess adjacent the first cusp and a second operative configuration where the stop shoulder abuts the opposite wall of the offset casing adjacent second cusp, the padlock being characterised by:
a closed, locked configuration corresponding to the stop being in the first operative configuration, the short and longer legs being supported in the casing and restrained from displacing relative to the casing, the cam being in a locking configuration and retaining the first ball partly within the first locking recess and the second ball being partly within the second locking recess,
the cam and stop member being rotatable in an unlocking direction by the cylinder to displace the padlock to an unlocked configuration, and
an open, unlocked configuration corresponding to the stop being in the second operative configuration, the short leg being free of the casing, the longer leg being supported in the casing, the cam being in an unlocking configuration and retaining the second ball partly within the longitudinally elongated recess or flat or partly within the peripheral recess.
The shackle of the present invention differs in many respects from padlocks such as those described in prior art document AU 51912/93 including the fact that the present invention is stronger because less material need be removed during manufacture of the padlock of the present invention.
Furthermore, the padlock of the present invention differs from padlocks such as those described in AU 52587/93 because the present invention only requires inversion of a coupler to convert between Type 1 and Type 2 padlocks. The present invention does not limit the rotation of the barrel and therefore is applicable to interchangeable core where commonly the barrel has pin holes and is unrestrained.
Preferably, the cam includes a first cam portion comprising a substantially cylindrical portion defined by a peripheral, side, curved surface and having a longitudinal axis coaxial with the cam axis of rotation and which is parallel with and between the longitudinal axii of the short and longer recess in the casing,
said cam in a locking configuration presenting the curved surface to each ball to retain the balls in the locking recesses,
said cam in the unlocking configuration presenting a longitudinally elongated, side, first unlocking recess to the first ball and a longitudinally elongated, side, second unlocking recess to the second ball to enable the first ball to be removed from the first locking recess and the second ball to be partly removed from the second locking recess and be retained partly within the longitudinally elongated recess or the flat or partly within the peripheral recess.
Preferably the first cam portion is integrally con
Lugo Carlos
Stodola Daniel P.
Yarra Ridge Pty., Ltd.
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