Programmable lock apparatus and method

In a lock including a housing:

• a bore extending through said housing parallel to an axis;
• a plug having a cylindrical surface and being received in said bore;
• said housing and said plug defining a shear interface and each having a first set of axially aligned holes therein forming portions of and combining to form a plurality of pinways that are axially spaced and that are divided by said shear interface;
• said plug being rotatably received in said bore;
• a first tumbler stack including a first tumbler pin, a first active driver pin and at least one first master pin being received in a first of said pinways;
• said first master pin separating said first driver pin from said first tumbler pin;
• a second tumbler stack in a second of said second pinways and including a second driver pin and a second tumbler pin;
• and a keyway formed in said cylindrical surface of said plug;
• the improvement comprising:
• said plug having a second set of axially aligned and spaced holes therein that are angularly spaced from said first set of holes in said plug, said second set of holes being alignable with said first set of holes in said housing upon rotation of said plug in said bore;
• said plug having a slot extending axially therein and intersecting each hole of said second set of holes;
• at least one second master pin, said second master pin being inactive when received in one of said holes of said second set of holes in axial alignment with said second tumbler stack and being active when received in said second tumbler stack;
• and
• a first set member receivable in said slot, said member having at least one master pin position control surface thereon, said surface having one section for each hole of said second set of axially spaced holes, a first of said sections being axially aligned with said first driver pin and having a height relative to said shear interface so that said first master pin associated with said first driver pin is positioned in said hole of said second set of holes to render said first master pin inactive, one of said sections being axially aligned with said second driver pin and having a height relative to said shear interface so that said second master pin is positioned on said housing side of said shear interface adjacent said second driver pin so that upon rotation of said plug in said bore to reform said pinways said first master pin is inactive and not in said first tumbler stack and said second master pin is active in said second tumbler stack.

In an apparatuds for rekeying a standard pin tumbler lock for use with a randomly selected second change key and not with a first change key, said rekeying being by randomly relocating master pins between the pins in a plurality of pinways of said pin tumbler lock that has a shear interface that is not penetrated by any of said pins to enable the lock to be operated, at least one of said master pins initially being active and located between the driver and tumbler pins in a first of said pinways and being transferrable to inactive status out of said first pinway, a second of said master pins initially being inactive and out of a randomly selected second one of said pinways and being movable to an active position between the driver and tumbler pins in said second randomly selected one of said pinways in the rekeying of said lock, said pinways forming a first set of axially aligned pinways, said lock having a plug provided with means angularly spaced from said first set of pinways for receiving said inactive master pins, said plug being movable so as to align said receiving means with the driver pins of said pinways;

• the improvement comprising:
• means extending axially and intersecting said receiving means for selectively and randomly moving said master pins into and out of said receiving means to selectively and randomly position said master pins relative to said shear interface so that said active and inactive master pins are randomly positioned on one or the other side of said shear interface into either said active or said inactive position to render said lock usable with said randomly selected second one of said change keys and not usable with said first change key.

A method of randomly programming a lock that includes latch means controlled by said lock, a housing, means movable in said housing for operating said latch means, said housing and said movable means having therein first pinway means for forming a plurality of pinways intersected by a shear interface, first pin means received in said plurality of pinways for selective movement across said shear interface to prevent and permit movement of said movable means in said housing in response to use of first and second different, randomly selectable change keys, and second pinway means in said movable means for receiving master pins that are adapted for randomly selectable movement into said first pinway means of said housing;

• comprising the steps of:
• with said first pinway means formed, moving all if any, master pins therein into said first pinways means of said housing, said moving including moving at least a first master pin that was in a first of said pinways into said first pinway means of said housing;
• moving said movable means from an original position to move said second pinway means into alignment with said first pinway means of said housing while retaining said moved master pins in said first pinway means of said housing;
• moving at least one randomly selected master pin into a second of said pinways of said first pinway means of said housing and moving said first master pin into said second pinway means aligned with said first pinway to render said first master pin inactive;
• and
• moving said movable means back to said original position to position said one randomly selected master pin in said second pinway of said first pinway means to render said one master pin active and said first change key ineffective and to render said randomly selectable second change key effective to cause movement of said movable means in said housing to operate said latch means.

A method of rendering a standard pin tumbler lock randomly rekeyable for use with a plurality of different, randomly selectable change keys, said rekeying being without disassembling said lock each time said lock is rekeyed for a different one of said change keys, wherein said lock is initially designed so that the initially intended rekeying can be performed only upon disassembly of said lock;

• said lock including a housing;
• a bore extending axially through said housing to define a shear interface;
• a plug received in said bore;
• said housing and said plug having aligned holes therein forming at least first and second pinways that are axially spaced along said plug and that are divided by said shear interface;
• said plug being rotatably received in said bore, said method of rendering said lock integrally rekeyable comprising the steps of:
• removing said plug from said bore;
• forming a plurality of blind holes in the outer surface of said plug axially aligned with said pinways, the depth of each of said plurality of blind holes being sufficient to receive a master pin;
• forming a groove extending axially from the front of said plug axially and intersecting each of said blind holes;
• inserting at least one master pin in each said blind hole;
• providing a member adapted to be received in said groove and having a contour for randomly and selectively positioning one of said master pins on the housing side of said shear interface in one of said holes in said housing or on the plug side of said shear interface for being received in one of said blind holes;
• and
• replacing said plug in said bore.

A method of rekeying a lock for use with a plurality of different change keys and a single master key without disassembling the lock, said lock including a housing;

• a bore extending through said housing to define a shear interface;
• a plug received in said bore and having a keyway that extends therein from the outer surface thereof, said housing and said plug having aligned holes therein forming at least first and second pinways that are spaced it the direction in which said bore extends through said housing and that are divided by said shear interface;
• a groove formed in said outer surface of said plug angularly spaced from said first and second pinways and said keyway, a series of blind holes each having a depth and diameter sufficient to receive a master pin, at least one master pin being received in said blind hole aligned with said second pinway;
• said plug being received in said bore for rotation from a first position at which said aligned holes form said pinways to a rekeying position at which said blind holes are aligned with said holes in said housing;
• a first pin stack including a first tumbler pin, at least one master pin and a first driver pin received in said first pinway, and a second pin stack in said second pinway and including a second driver pin and a second tumbler pin;
• said method comprising the steps of:
• inserting into said keyway a master key having bittings for unlocking said lock and positioning said master pin in said housing hole;
• rotating said plug to said rekeying position;
• inserting into said groove a master pin transfer member, said member having sections thereon axially aligned with said blind holes, said sections having a given pattern for selectively transferring said master pins across said shear interface to insert a master pin in said second pin stack and remove said master pin from said first pin stack;
• rotating said plug back to said first position with said housing and plug holes in alignment and said master pin in said second pin stack;
• and
• removing said master key from said keyway to require use of said rekeyed lock with a second change key.

A lock comprising:

• a housing;
• a bore extending through said housing parallel to an axis;
• a plug having a cylindrical surface and being received in said bore;
• said bore of said housing and said cylindrical surface of said plug defining a shear interface;
• said housing having a single series of holes therein;
• said plug having first and second series of holes therein, said series of plug holes being angularly spaced from each other, said housing holes and said first series of plug holes being alignable and combining to form a plurality of pinways that are spaced in the direction of said axis and that are divided by said shear interface;
• said plug being rotatably received in said bore between a first locking position at which said pinways are formed and a second rekeying position at which said second series of holes aligns with said housing holes;
• a first tumbler stack including a first tumbler pin and a first driver pin being received in a first pinway;
• a second tumbler stack in a second pinway and including a second driver pin and a second tumbler pin;
• a keyway formed in said plug and extending from said first series of holes in said plug to said cylindrical surface of said plug;
• at least one master pin initially received in each said hole of said second series of holes in said plug;
• a slot extending in said plug in the direction of said axis and intersecting each said hole of said second series of holes;
• and
• an elongated member insertable into said slot and having a surface for selectably and randomly positioning one or more of said master pins on one side of said shear interface when said second series of plug holes is aligned with said series of housing holes so that said positioned master pin is an active pin stack pin in a selected housing hole for retention therein when said plug is rotated to said unlocking position, whereupon said active master pin is positioned between said tumbler and said driver pins of the pin stack in said pinway that contains said pin stack.