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US 4,111,019 AGranted
Pickproof lock
AssigneeHall & Myers
InventorJacob Rabinow
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention describes a pickproof lock consisting of a rotating cylinder provided with two sets of opposing tumblers. The tumblers permit a very thin key to be inserted between them. The key is made of a ribbon material of the order of one-hundredth of an inch thick and the tumblers are displaced in both directions from the center so that manipulation of a lockpicking tool becomes very difficult, since the tool must be as thin as the key and each set of tumblers must be in the correct position for the cylinder in turn.
Claims22
A lock, and a key for the lock, comprising:
- a casing,
- a rotatable cylinder in said casing, said cylinder having an axis,
- said cylinder including means which is adapted to receive a complementary key and which will permit the complementary key to rotate said cylinder, and
- tumbler means for preventing rotation of said cylinder without a complementary key,
- a key for said lock,
- said tumber means including a plurality of sets of tumblers, each set of tumblers including two front tumblers at least partially located in said cylinder and at least two rear tumblers, said front tumblers each having a rear end engaging a rear tumbler, the front tumblers of each set approaching different sides of said key,
- characterized by:
- said key being a strip having two faces, said strip having a thickness of much smaller dimension than its width, said strip having a curvature, in a plane perpendicular to the faces of the strip, that is characterized by a series of bends in opposite directions to displace different tumblers different distances away from the axis of said cylinder so that the rear ends of said front tumblers align with the inner wall of said cylinder to permit the lock to be opened, said key being so shaped that it contains no longitudinal portion that is a straight line for the entire length of the key.
5 more elements
A lock and key comprising:
- a casing,
- a rotatable cylinder in said casing,
- said cylinder including a front end defining an opening for receiving a complementary key,
- said cylinder also including means which will permit a complementary key to rotate the cylinder, and
- tumbler means for preventing rotation of said cylinder in absence of a complementary key,
- characterized by:
- said key being a strip having lateral deformations to provide surfaces to engage said tumbler means, at least some of said lateral deformations being greater than the thickness of the strip,
- said tumbler means including several pairs of tumblers in said rotatable cylinder, said tumblers of each pair having forward ends which must closely approach each other so that said forward ends must form a tortuous passage through the cylinder conforming to said key surfaces in order for the cylinder to be free to rotate, said tortuous passage impairing passage of a lock-picking tool between said tumblers.
5 more elements
A lock together with its complementary key comprising:
- a casing,
- a rotatable cylinder in said casing.
- means, covering the front open end of said cylinder and defining an opening into which said key may enter, for enabling the key to rotate the cylinder,
- tumbler means for preventing rotation of said cylinder except with said complementary key,
- said tumbler means including opposing sets of tumblers at each of a series of predetermined locations along the path of the key,
- said complementary key comprising a strip adapted to be inserted in said opening and pass between said opposing sets of tumblers, said strip having a curvature in a plane perpendicular to the sides of the strip resulting in deformations away from a flat plane at, at least a plurality of said predetermined locations along said path of said key,
- each set of opposing tumblers being positioned along a diameter of the cylinder and having a rear tumbler and a front tumbler on each side of the key with the two front tumblers having front ends engaging opposite sides of the key, said front tumblers also having rear ends, said rear tumblers having front ends pressing against the rear ends of the front tumblers,
- each of said front tumblers having a length extending from said complementary key to the inside wall of the cylinder so that when the key is turned the front tumblers will remain wholly inside said cylinder and the rear tumblers will be outside said cylinder,
- said tumbler means including means biasing said rear tumblers toward said complementary key.
6 more elements
A lock and key comprising:
- a casing,
- a rotatable cylinder in said casing,
- said cylinder including means which is adapted to receive a complementary thin key and which will permit the complementary thin key to rotate said cylinder,
- tumbler means for preventing rotation of said cylinder without a complementary key
- characterized by:
- said key being a strip having a thickness much smaller than its width, and
- said tumbler means including (a) inner tumblers extending along diameters of said cylinder, said inner tumblers having two free forward ends engaging opposing side walls of said key, said inner tumblers also having free rear ends, and said key departing laterally from a flat strip by distances greater than the thickness of the key for at least some of the positions where said front tumblers engage the key when the key is in a position to open the lock.
4 more elements
A lock comprising:
- a casing,
- a rotatable cylinder in said casing,
- said cylinder including a front end defining an opening for receiving a complementary key,
- said cylinder also including means which will permit a complementary key to rotate the cylinder, and
- tumbler means for preventing rotation of said cylinder in absence of a complementary key,
- characterized by:
- said tumbler means including several pairs of opposing tumblers, each pair of tumblers having forward ends that always remain closely adjacent to each other and which when in a position permitting the lock to open includes at least one tumbler intercepting any straight path through the cylinder.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.