Rekeyable master and user lock system with high security features
OwnerJerry R. Smithinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for multiple level user and master key lock rekeying changes externally by the use of appropriately bidded level change keys. Several variations of methods and apparatus for removing user level change wafers to rekey user levels independent of master levels and to rekey master levels independent of user levels are disclosed. Some of the apparatus are suitable for locks wherein the cylinder is rotatable at 180.degree., and other embodiments are disclosed for locks wherein cylinder rotation is limited to less than 180.degree.. Further, apparatus for enhancing the security of such rekeyable locks are disclosed.
Claims79
In lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a plurality of pin chambers extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, driver pins slideably positioned in the housing portions of said pin chambers and service pins positioned in the cylinder portions of said pin chamber, the interface between said cylinder and said housing defining a shear plane through which said driver and service pin can extend to prevent rotation of said cylinder in said housing, the improvement of a multiple level rekeyable user and master key system comprising:
- removable first user level spacer means positioned in one of said common pin chambers between the driver and service pins therein;
- removable master first level spacer means positioned in another of said common pin chambers between the driver and service pins therein;
- a user key having bitting means thereon for positioning the bottom of the driver pin in said one common pin chamber at said shear plane and the top of the service pin in the other of said common pin chambers at said shear plane;
- a master key having bitting means thereon for positioning the top of the service pin in said one common chamber at said shear plane and the bottom of the driver pin in the other of said common pin chambers at said shear plane;
- removal means for removing said first user level spacer means from said one common pin chamber;
- removal means for removing said first master level spacer means from said other common pin chamber;
- and
- permanent master spacer means positioned in a third common pin chamber between the driver and service pins therein, and wherein said user key has bitting means thereon for positioning the top of the service pin in said third common pin chamber at said shear plane and said master key has bitting means thereon for positioning the bottom of the driver pin in said third common pin chamber at said shear plane.
In rekeyable lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein that opens to the peripheral surface of the cylinder, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into the side of said cylinder diagonally opposite said opening of the keyway in the peripheral surface of the cylinder to intersect said keyway inside said cylinder, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, the interface between said cylinder and said housing defining a shear plane through which said driver pin and said service pin can extend to prevent rotation of said cylinder in said housing, a removable pin wafer positioned in said pin chamber between said driver pin and said service pin, a key adapted for insertion into the keyway having bitting thereon cut to position said removable pin wafer in the housing portion of the pin chamber and a notch in the spine of the key transversely aligned with said bitting, the improvement comprising:
- camming means for camming the driver pin out of the notch and keyway.
In lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, and a plurality of pin wafers positioned between said driver pin and said service pin, the improvement comprising said pin wafers being attached together by an adhesive material in a common stack in such a manner that each of such pin wafers in the stack is immoveable in relation to the others.
In lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, and a plurality of pin wafers positioned between said driver pin and said service pin, the improvement comprising said pin wafers being attached together in a common stack in such a manner that each of such pin wafers in the stack is immoveable in relation to the others, wherein each of said pin wafers has an axial hole therethrough and an elongated core of solid, frangible material is positioned through said holes in said pin wafers.
In lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, and a plurality of pin wafers positioned between said driver pin and said service pin, the improvement comprising said pin wafers being attached together in a common stack in such a manner that each of such pin wafers in the stack is immoveable in relation to the others, including a sleeve of solid, frangible material with said pin wafers positioned in said sleeve.
In rekeyable lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, the interface between said cylinder and said housing defining a shear plane, and a pin wafer positioned between said driver and said service pins, the improvement comprising said housing having an ejection opening therein intersecting said pin chamber, a trough recessed into the peripheral surface of said cylinder adjacent the pin chamber in the cylinder, and a key having bitting means thereon for positioning said pin wafer in said pin chamber adjacent said ejection opening.
In rekeyable lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, the interface between said cylinder and said housing defining a shear plane, the improvement comprising:
- said cylinder having a capture hole extending therein from the peripheral surface thereof an angularly spaced distance from said pin chamber in said cylinder, which capture hole is smaller in diameter than said driver pin;
- a level pin wafer positioned in said pin chamber between said driver pin and said service pin, said pin wafer being of small enough diameter to be receivable into said capture hole;
- a blocking pin wafer larger in diameter than said capture hole and positioned in said pin chamber between said level pin wafer and said service pin.
The method of rekeying lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a plurality of pin chambers extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, driver pins slideably positioned in the housing portions of said pin chambers and service pins positioned in the cylinder portions of said pin chambers, the interface between said cylinder and said housing defining a shear plane through which said driver and service pins can extend to prevent rotation of said cylinder in said housing, the improvement of a multiple level rekeyable user and master key system comprising the steps of:
- positioning removable first user level spacer means in one of said common pin chambers between the driver and service pins therein;
- positioning removable master first level spacer means in another of said common pin chambers between the driver and service pins therein;
- positioning permanent master spacer means in a third common pin chamber between the driver and service pins therein;
- removing said first user level spacer means from said one of said common pin chambers by inserting a user key having bitting means thereon for positioning the bottom of the first user level spacer means in said one common pin chamber at said shear plane and the top of the service pin in the other of said common pin chambers at said shear plane and having bitting means thereon for positioning the top of the service pin in said third common pin chamber at said shear plane;
- ejecting said first user level spacer means from said one common pin chamber;
- removing said first master level spacer means from the other of said common pin chambers by inserting a master key having bitting means thereon for positioning the top of the service pin in said one common chamber at said shear plane and the bottom of the first master level spacer means in the other of said common pin chambers at said shear plane and having bitting means thereon for positioning the bottom of the driver pin in said third common pin chamber at said shear plane;
- and
- ejecting said first master level spacer means from said other common pin chamber.
In rekeyable lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein that opens to the peripheral surface of the cylinder, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into the side of said cylinder diagonally opposite said opening of the keyway in the peripheral surface of the cylinder to intersect said keyway inside said cylinder, a driver pin slidably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, the interface between said cylinder and said housing defining a shear plane through which said driver pin and said service pin can extend to prevent rotation of said cylinder in said housing, a removable pin wafer positioned in said pin chamber between said driver pin and said service pin, a key adapted for insertion into the keyway having bitting thereon cut to position said removable pin wafer in the housing portion of the pin chamber and a notch in the spine of the key transversely aligned with said bitting, the method of preventing disablement of the lock comprising the step of camming the driver pin out of the notch and keyway when the driver pin falls therein upon alignment with the notch and keyway after the removable pin wafer has been removed by bevelling the edge in said keyway where the keyway intersects the peripheral surface of the cylinder and turning the cylinder to cause the bevelled edge to apply an upward force vector on the driver pin.
In lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, and a plurality of pin wafers positioned between said driver pin and said service pin, the method of increasing security of the lock comprising the steps of releaseably fastening said pin wafers together by an adhesive material in a common stack in such a manner that each of such pin wafers in the stack is temporarily immoveable in relation to the others.
In lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, and a plurality of pin wafers positioned between said driver pin and said service pin, the method of increasing security of the lock comprising the steps of releaseably fastening said pin wafers together in a common stack in such a manner that each of such pin wafers in the stack is temporarily immoveable in relation to the others and including the steps of fastening said pin wafers together by providing an axial hole through each wafer and positioning an elongated core of solid, frangible material through said holes in said pin wafers.
In lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, and a plurality of pin wafers positioned between said driver pin and said service pin, the method of increasing security of the lock comprising the steps of releaseably fastening said pin wafers together in a common stack in such a manner that each of such pin wafers in the stack is temporarily immoveable in relation to the others and including the step of positioning said pin wafers in a sleeve of solid, frangile material.
In lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, the interface between said cylinder and said housing defining a shear plane through which said driver pin and said service pin can extend to prevent rotation of the cylinder in said housing, the method of increasing security of the lock comprising the steps of:
- providing a transverse slot in the top end of the service pin that interfaces with the driver pin, providing cotter means on the bottom of the driver pin for insertion into said slot in said service pin;
- opening said lock by rotating said service pin in said pin chamber to align said slot in said service pin to a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said cylinder;
- and
- camming said driver pin and cotter means out of the pin chamber in said cylinder.
In rekeyable lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, the interface between said cylinder and said housing defining a shear plane, and a pin wafer positioned between said driver and said service pins, the method of removing the pin wafer comprising the steps of providing an ejection opening in said housing intersecting said pin chamber, providing a trough recessed into the peripheral surface of said cylinder adjacent the pin chamber in the cylinder, positioning said pin wafer in said pin chamber adjacent said ejection opening, rotating the cylinder until the trough receives the pin wafer, and rotating the cylinder toward said ejection opening.
In rekeyable lock apparatus having a housing, a cylinder rotatably positioned in said housing with a longitudinal keyway therein, a pin chamber extending radially from said housing into said cylinder to intersect said keyway, a driver pin slideably positioned in the housing portion of said pin chamber and a service pin slideably positioned in the cylinder portion of said pin chamber, the interface between said cylinder and said housing defining a shear plane, the method of making the lock rekeyable comprising the steps of:
- providing a capture hole extending into the cylinder from the peripheral surface thereof an angularly spaced distance from said pin chamber in said cylinder, making said capture hole smaller in diameter than said driver pin;
- a positioning a removeable level pin wafer in said pin chamber between said driver pin and said service pin, making said pin wafer of small enough in diameter to be receivable into said capture hole;
- positioning a blocking pin wafer larger in diameter than said capture hole in said pin chamber between said level pin wafer and said service pin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.