High-security flat key and lock therefor

A flat key having a blade formed with a pair of opposite edges, with a pair of opposite faces between the edges, and with an outer-end tip, the blade further being formed with:

• a pair of relatively shallow, outwardly open, and generally parallel but spaced grooves formed in at least one of the faces extending generally longitudinally in a nonstraight path from the tip;
• and p1 a relatively deep and outwardly open groove formed in the one face intersecting at least one of the shallow grooves and extending generally longitudinally in a nonstraight path from the tip generally nonparallel to the shallow grooves.

A flat key having a blade formed with a pair of opposite edges, with a pair of opposite faces between the edges, and with an outer-end tip, the blade further being formed with:

• a pair of relatively shallow, outwardly open, and generally parallel but spaced grooves formed in at least one of the faces extending generally longitudinally in a nonstraight path from the tip;
• and
• a relatively deep and outwardly open groove formed in the one face and extending generally longitudinally in a nonstraight path from the tip generally nonparallel to the shallow grooves, the grooves each having a plurality of control positions at which they extend substantially parallel to the blade and are inclined to the blade between the control positions, the control positions of the shallow grooves being transversely aligned and staggered relative to the control positions of the deep groove.