Key cutting machine
OwnerDarrel Cockroftinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for producing copies of keys comprises a pair of vertically spaced clamps, one of which clamps the key to be duplicated and the other of which clamps the key blank to be cut. A movable carriage carries, in vertically spaced relationship, a stylus for tracing the contours of the key being duplicated and a driven cutter for cutting the key blank. A drive mechanism drives the carriage through a working stroke carrying the stylus and cutter, respectively, along the length of the key and key blank so as to cut the key blank into the shape of the key, and a cam arrangement thereafter displaces the carriage laterally so that the drive mechanism returns the carriage through a return stroke while maintaining the stylus and cutter out of contact with the keys.
Claims11
Appparatus for producing copies of cut keys, the apparatus comprising:
- cut key clamping means for clamping a cut key which is to be copied during use of the apparatus;
- uncut key clamping means for clamping an uncut key which is to be cut;
- a stylus engageable with the contours of the cut key held by said cut key clamping means;
- a power driven cutter engageable with the uncut key held by said uncut key clamping means;
- a carriage coupling the stylus and power driven cutter together for movement in unison;
- a driving mechanism operable to drive the carriage and thereby drive the coupled stylus and cutter through a working stroke along the length of the cut and uncut keys respectively, and then drive the coupled stylus and cutter through a return stroke;
- mounting means mounting the carriage to permit movement of the coupled stylus and cutter transversely of the cut and uncut keys respectively during the working stroke;
- and displacement means which acts on the carriage on commencement of the return stroke to move the stylus and cutter laterally clear of the cut and uncut keys respectively.
An apparatus for cutting a blank key into a cut key so as to duplicate a master key comprising:
- first clamping means for releasably clamping a master key which is to be duplicated;
- second clamping means spaced-apart from said first clamping means for releasably clamping a blank key which is to be cut;
- and means for tracing the contour of the master key and simultaneously effecting cutting of the blank key so as to produce a cut key whose contour duplicates that of the master key comprising a stylus engageable with the master key for tracing the contour thereof, a driven cutter engageable with the blank key for cutting the same into a cut key, a movable carriage having said stylus and cutter mounted thereon in spaced-apart relationship, means mounting said carriage for reciprocable movement through a working stroke along the length of the master and blank keys to effect simultaneous tracing of the master key by said stylus and cutting of the blank key by said cutter and through a return stroke and for transverse movement in a direction transverse to said working and return strokes so as to move said stylus and cutter out of contact with the master and blank keys, drive means for driving said carriage through said working and return strokes to thereby effect cutting of the blank key into a cut key having a contour which duplicates that of the master key, and means for effecting transverse movement of said carriage during its return stroke so as to move said stylus and cutter out of contact with the master key and cut key.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.