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US 12,359,461 B2Granted
Key capture lock
AssigneeUnited States Postal Service
InventorsDonald Eugene Irwin, William Albert Tartal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lock assembly includes a bolt movable between a first position and a second position, a rotating body rotatable between a first position and a second position, and a pawl member rotatable between a first position and a second position. Rotation of the rotating body from the first position to the second position is configured to cause the bolt to move from the first position to the second position. The pawl member is configured to prevent rotation of the rotating body from the first position to the second position when the pawl member is in the first position and the rotating body is in the first position.
Claims16
A lock assembly comprising:
- a housing having one or more first faces extending in a first direction, one or more second faces extending from the one or more first faces in a second direction orthogonal to the one or more first faces, and a longitudinal axis parallel with the one or more first faces, wherein the one or more first faces and the one or more second faces define a perimeter of the lock assembly;
- a bolt movable along a linear path between a first position and a second position, wherein the bolt is positioned within the perimeter of the lock assembly in the first position of the bolt and extends beyond the perimeter of the lock assembly through one of the one or more first faces of the housing in the second position of the bolt;
- a first rotating body rotatable about a first rotational axis between a first position and a second position and comprising a first arm extending radially from the first rotational axis, and pivotably attached to the bolt, wherein a longitudinal axis of the first arm intersects the first rotational axis and rotation of the first rotating body from the first position to the second position is configured to cause the bolt to move from the first position to the second position along the linear path;
- a pawl member rotatable about a second rotational axis between a first position and a second position, the pawl member comprising:
- an engagement member extending in a first direction;
- and
- a pawl configured to engage the first rotating body, the pawl extending in a second direction opposite the first direction;
- wherein:
- the pawl member is configured to prevent rotation of the first rotating body from the first position to the second position when the pawl member is in the first position;
- and
- a longitudinal axis of the pawl member is parallel to the first direction and the second direction;
- and
- a second rotating body rotatable about a third rotational axis between a first position, a second position, and a third position, the second rotating body comprising:
- a second arm comprising a first surface and a second surface orthogonal to the first surface;
- and
- a protrusion configured to contact the engagement member and cause the pawl member to rotate from the first position of the pawl member to the second position of the pawl member;
- wherein:
- in the first position of the second rotating body, the protrusion does not contact the pawl member, and a first portion of the second arm extends beyond the perimeter of the lock assembly and engages a securement feature of a storage receptacle such that the first surface and the second surface are non-parallel to the one or more second faces of the housing;
- in the second position of the second rotating body, the second surface of the second arm is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the housing, the protrusion directly contacts the pawl member, and a second portion of the second arm extends beyond the perimeter of the lock assembly and engages a securement feature of the storage receptacle such that the first surface is parallel with the one or more second faces of the housing;
- and
- in the third position of the second rotating body, the protrusion does not contact the pawl member, and the second arm disengages from the securement feature and does not extend beyond the perimeter of the lock assembly;
- and
- wherein the first rotational axis, the second rotational axis, and the third rotational axis are longitudinally displaced and linearly aligned along a longitudinal axis of the lock assembly.
20 more elements
A method for operating a lock assembly, comprising:
- rotating a pawl member comprising an engagement member extending in a first direction and a pawl extending in a second direction opposite the first direction about a second rotational axis from a first position to a second position, wherein the pawl member is configured to prevent rotation of a first rotating body from a first position to a second position when the pawl member is in the first position;
- rotating the first rotating body about a first rotational axis between the first position and the second position, wherein the first rotating body comprises a first arm extending radially from the first rotational axis and pivotably mounted to a bolt, wherein rotation of the first rotating body from the first position to the second position is configured to cause the bolt to move along a linear path from a first position to a second position;
- and
- rotating a second rotating body about a third rotational axis in a first direction from a first position to a second position, the second rotating body, having a second arm comprising a first surface and a second surface orthogonal to the first surface, and a protrusion, wherein a first portion of the second arm extends beyond a perimeter of the lock assembly and engages a securement feature of a storage receptacle in the first position such that the first surface and the second surface are non-parallel to a longitudinal axis of the lock assembly and a second portion of the second arm extends beyond the perimeter of the lock assembly and engages a securement feature in the second position such that the second surface is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the lock assembly;
- directly contacting the protrusion of the second rotating body with the engagement member of the pawl member as the second rotating body is rotated from the first position to the second position, thereby causing the pawl member to rotate in a second direction from the first position of the pawl member to the second position of the pawl member;
- rotating the second rotating body in a second direction from the second position to a third position thereby causing the second arm to disengage from the securement feature, and when the second rotating body is in the third position the second arm does not extend beyond the perimeter of the lock assembly and the protrusion does not contact the pawl member;
- wherein the first direction is different from the second direction;
- wherein the bolt is positioned within a perimeter of the lock assembly in the first position of the bolt and extends beyond the perimeter of the lock assembly in the second position of the bolt;
- wherein the first rotational axis, the second rotational axis, and the third rotational axis are longitudinally displaced and linearly aligned along the longitudinal axis of the lock assembly.
6 more elements
A lock assembly comprising:
- a bolt movable along a linear path between a first position and a second position, wherein the bolt is positioned within a perimeter of the lock assembly in the first position of the bolt and extends beyond the perimeter of the lock assembly in the second position of the bolt;
- a first rotating body rotatable about a first rotational axis between a first position and a second position and comprising a first arm pivotably attached to the bolt, wherein rotation of the first rotating body from the first position to the second position is configured to cause the bolt to move from the first position to the second position along the linear path;
- a pawl member rotatable about a second rotational axis between a first position and a second position, the pawl member comprising:
- an engagement member extending in a first direction;
- and
- a pawl configured to engage the first rotating body, the pawl extending in a second direction opposite the first direction;
- wherein:
- the pawl member is configured to prevent rotation of the first rotating body from the first position to the second position when the pawl member is in the first position and the first rotating body is in the first position;
- a longitudinal axis of the pawl member is parallel to the first direction and the second direction;
- and
- a second rotating body rotatable about a third rotational axis between a first position, a second position, and a third position, the second rotating body comprising:
- a second arm comprising a first surface and a second surface orthogonal to the first surface;
- and
- a protrusion configured to directly contact the pawl member when the second rotating body is rotated between the first position to the second position to cause the pawl member to rotate from the first position of the pawl member to the second position of the pawl member;
- wherein:
- the first surface and the second surface are arranged at an angle to a longitudinal axis of the second arm;
- the longitudinal axis of the second arm is parallel with a longitudinal axis of the lock assembly in the first position such that a first portion of the second arm is configured to extend beyond a perimeter of the lock assembly and engage a securement feature of a storage receptacle when the second rotating body is in the first position;
- the second surface of the second arm is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the lock assembly in the second position such that a second portion of the second arm is configured to extend beyond a perimeter of the lock assembly and engage a securement feature of the storage receptacle when the second rotating body is in the second position, and
- the second arm is configured to disengage from the securement feature when the second rotating body is in the third position;
- and
- wherein the first rotational axis, the second rotational axis, and the third rotational axis are longitudinally displaced and linearly aligned along the longitudinal axis of the lock assembly.
18 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.