Combination lock

In a lock having a lock housing, a lock mechanism contained in said housing, a bolt for selectively maintaining the door of an enclosure in a closed and locked condition, said lock mechanism controlling movement of said bolt between locked and unlocked positions allowing said door to open in response to predetermined manipulations of said lock mechanism, the improvement comprising bolt mode selection means including:

• a bi-positional lock cover attached to said lock housing to encase said lock mechanism, said lock cover being mounted on said housing in one of two alternative positions, said lock mechanism having a first mode of bolt operation whenever said lock cover is mounted in the first alternative position;
• bolt mode selection structure contained on the interior surface of said lock cover for engaging said lock mechanism and causing it to have a second mode of bolt operation whenever said lock cover is mounted in the second alternative position;
• and
• means on an outer surface of said cover for indicating the mode of bolt operation selected by the positioning of such cover in one of said first and second positions.

An improved gate ring for use with an inner drive member to form one of multiple tumbler wheels of a combination lock contained within a lock housing, and having a changeable combination, said improved gate ring comprising;

• an annular ring;
• mounting means integral with said annular ring for rotatably mounting said annular ring about the periphery of and concentric with said inner drive member;
• and
• gripping means integral with said annular ring resisting rotation of said annular ring relative to said inner drive member by engaging the periphery of said inner drive member, said gate ring and said inner drive member having a first mode of operation by which said gripping means preserves the rotational orientation of the gate ring relative to the inner drive member;
• and a second mode of operation by which the resistance of rotation of the gripping means is overcome and said gate ring rotates relative to said inner drive member;
• wherein said gripping means includes at least one gripping strap portion of said annular ring tensioned between two angularly displaced locations on said gate ring and tangentially contacting the periphery of said inner drive member for resisting relative rotation.

An outer ring for a combination lock tumbler wheel rotatably mounted about the periphery of an inner drive ring of the tumbler wheel, said outer ring having means cooperable with a pawl for unlocking the lock in response to manipulations of the dial of the lock, and said outer ring having improved means for driving connection with said inner drive ring producing two anticipated normal modes of operation by providing a predetermined resistance to rotation of said outer ring relative to said inner ring, in a first mode of operation associated with performing the predetermined manipulations necessary to open the lock said predetermined resistance to rotation causing said outer ring and said inner ring to rotate in a unitary manner, and in a second mode of operation associated with changing the predetermined manipulations necessary to open the lock said predetermined resistance to rotation is overcome producing rotation of the outer ring relative to the inner drive ring, said means for driving connection including a resilient integral portion of said outer ring having contact teeth contacting the periphery of said inner drive ring and providing said predetermined resistance to rotation, and said resilient integral portion being provided so as to be a member in tension between two angularly displaced locations on the outer ring and tangentially contacts said periphery of said inner drive ring.