Security locking system for vehicle wheel nuts

A security locking system for lockably mounting with respect to a threaded structure and having a length in the axial dimension which is relatively small, said locking system comprising:

• a) a threaded retaining member for mounting to said threaded structure and which threaded member has a body with an interior bore,
• b) a groove also formed in the interior bore of said body,
• c) a sleeve extendable over said threaded retaining member and enclosing said threaded retaining member to an extent sufficient to preclude removal of the threaded retaining member from the threaded structure,
• d) a non-tumbler operated locking mechanism on said sleeve, said locking mechanism having a locking mechanism body with a key receiving opening and which locking mechanism may receive a key having the shape of said key receiving opening,
• e) a key having an elongate key shank for use with said locking system,
• f) a locking element forming part of said locking mechanism and being capable of extending outwardly from the body of said locking mechanism and into said groove to lockably hold said sleeve on said threaded retaining member,
• g) a combination of a plurality of irregularly and non-symmetrically arranged projections and similarly irregularly and non-symmetrically arranged recesses associated with the key and with the key receiving opening to enable a locking action and opening action of the locking system, said recesses and projections extending for only a relatively short distance along the axial dimension of the body of the locking mechanism and said key so as to provide a relatively short axial dimension to the locking mechanism, said key being enabled access to said key receiving opening and being permitted to rotate therein to cause movement of the locking element only if the recesses are oriented and aligned with the projections but which will not be enabled access and will not rotate in said key receiving opening and open said locking system if the recesses are not oriented and alignable with the projections to thereby control movement of the locking element, and
• h) means coacting between said key and said locking element to cause movement of the locking element independently of the projections and recesses if the recesses and projections are aligned and oriented.

A non-tumbler key operated locking assembly, said locking assembly comprising:

• a) a body having an opening therein,
• b) a locking element located in said body and capable of extending outwardly of said body through said opening into engagement with an external structure to create a locking action and said locking element capable of being moved back into said body to permit unlocking,
• c) a circularly shaped key receiving opening on said body to receive a key,
• d) a plurality of projections extending into said key receiving opening, said projections having the same size and shape and being irregularly and non-symmetrically spaced around the opening,
• e) a key provided for use with said locking assembly, said key having an elongate circularly shaped shank, a plurality of irregularly spaced recesses on the shank of said key and which recesses have the same size and shape, said recesses on said shank being sized and shaped to receive and allow the projections in said opening to be fitted into the recesses such that said key is enabled access to said key receiving opening to cause movement of said locking element if said recesses are oriented and aligned with the projections but which will not be enable access to said key receiving opening if the recesses are not orientable and alignable with the projections, and
• f) a tab located on said key and which is engagable with said locking element for movement of said locking element through a camming action when said key is inserted into the opening of said body.

A non-tumbler key operated locking assembly and having a length in an axial dimension which is relatively small, said locking assembly comprising:

• a) a body having a locking element opening therein,
• b) a locking element located in said body and capable of extending outwardly of said body through said opening into engagement with an external structure to create a locking action and said locking element capable of being moved back into said body to permit unlocking,
• c) an elongate circularly shaped key receiving opening extending axially into said body to receive a key,
• d) a plurality of projections extending into said key receiving opening, said projections having the same size and shape and being irregularly and non-symmetrically spaced around the opening, the projections only extending for a relatively short distance along the axial dimension of the body so as to provide a relatively short axial dimension to the body of the locking assembly,
• e) a key provided for use with said locking assembly, said key having an elongate circularly shaped shank, a plurality of irregularly spaced recesses on the shank of said key and which recesses have the same size and shape, the recesses also having a relatively short axial dimension relative to the axial dimension of the body so as to further enable the body and the locking assembly to have a relatively short axial dimension, said recesses on said shank being sized and shaped to receive and allow the projections in said opening to be fitted into the recesses such that said key is enabled access to said key receiving opening and is allowed to rotate in said opening to cause movement of said locking element if said recesses are oriented and aligned with the projections but which will not be enabled access to said key receiving opening and will not be allowed to rotate in said opening if the recesses are not orientable and alignable with the projections, and
• f) a tab located on said key and which is engagable with said locking element for movement of said locking element through a camming action when said key is inserted into the opening of said body, said tab causing movement of said locking element independently of the projections and recesses if the recesses have the same positioning and are arranged and sized to receive the projections which allows rotation of the key in the opening.

A security locking device for lockably mounting with respect to an externally threaded portion on a structure and having a length in the axial dimension which is relatively small, said locking device comprising:

• a) a threadedly mounted retaining member for threaded securement on the threaded portion of a said structure, said retaining member being comprised of:
• 1) a body having an interior bore,
• 2) a threaded section adapted for threaded engagement with the threaded portion of said structure,
• b) a sleeve-locking section extendable over a portion of said retaining member, said sleeve-locking section being comprised of:
• 1) a sleeve extendable over said retaining member,
• 2) a locking mechanism carried by said sleeve and located to be in a locking position with respect to said threadedly mounted retaining member for providing a locking action with said retaining member,
• 3) said locking mechanism comprising a body with an axial dimension and with an elongate key receiving opening extending axially into said locking mechanism body and which permits access by a key to said locking mechanism, said locking mechanism having a plurality of projections extending into said opening of said body, said projections also being irregularly and non-symmetrically spaced around the opening, the projections only extending for a relatively short distance along the axial dimension of the body so as to provide only a relatively short axial dimension to the body and the locking mechanism,
• c) a key for locking and releasing said locking mechanism, said key being comprised of:
• 1) a shank sized to extend into said key receiving opening and into said locking mechanism, and
• 2) a plurality of recesses on the shank of said key and which recesses are irregularly and non-symmetrically spaced around the periphery of the shank of the key, the recesses also having a relatively short axial dimension relative to the axial dimension of the body so as to further enable the body and the entire locking mechanism to have a relatively short axial dimension, said key being adapted to fit into said key receiving opening and open the locking mechanism if the recesses are arranged to be aligned with said projections during a portion of the axial movement of the shank when the shank is inserted into said opening and said key will not fit into said opening and will not operate said locking mechanism if the recesses on said key do not have the same radial positioning as and are not arranged and sized to receive and projections, and
• d) locking means actuated by said key independently of said projections and recesses if said recesses and projections have the same radial positioning and said recesses are arranged and sized to receive the projections which thereby allows the key to rotate in said opening and actuate said locking means to open or lock said locking mechanism.

A security locking system for lockably mounting onto a threaded structure, said locking system comprising:

• a) a threaded retaining member for mounting to said threaded structure and which threaded retaining member has a body with an interior bore,
• b) a groove also formed in the interior bore of said body,
• c) a sleeve extendable over said threaded retaining member and enclosing said threaded retaining member to an extent sufficient to preclude removal of the threaded retaining member from the threaded structure,
• d) a non-tumbler operated locking mechanism on said sleeve, said locking mechanism having a body with an arcuately shaped key receiving opening and which locking mechanism may receive a key having the arcuate shape of said key receiving opening, and
• e) a plurality of projections extending into said arcuately shaped key receiving opening, said projections also being irregularly and non-symmetrically spaced around the opening,
• f) a key having an arcuately shaped key shank for use with said locking system and having a plurality of recesses on the shank of said key, said recesses being irregularly and non-symmetrically spaced around the periphery of the shank of the key,
• g) a locking element forming part of said locking mechanism and being capable of extending outwardly from the body of said locking mechanism and into said groove to lockably hold said sleeve on said threaded member, and
• h) said key being enabled access to said key receiving opening to cause movement of the locking element only if the recesses on the shank are oriented and aligned with the projections but which will not be enabled access if the recesses are not oriented and alignable with the projections to thereby control movement of the locking element.

A security locking device for lockably mounting with respect to an externally threaded portion on a structure, said locking device comprising:

• a) a threadedly mounted retaining member for threaded securement on the threaded portion of a said structure, said retaining member being comprised of:
• 1) a body having an interior bore,
• 2) a threaded section adapted for threaded engagement with the threaded portion of said structure,
• b) a sleeve-locking section extendable over a portion of said retaining member, said sleeve-locking section being comprised of:
• 1) a sleeve extendable over said retaining member,
• 2) a locking mechanism carried by said sleeve and located to be in a locking position with respect to said threadedly mounted retaining member for providing a locking action with said retaining member,
• 3) an arcuately shaped key receiving opening in said locking mechanism which permits access by a key to said locking mechanism, said locking mechanism having a plurality of projections extending into said opening, said projections also being irregularly and non-symmetrically spaced around the opening,
• c) an arcuately shaped key for locking and releasing said locking mechanism, said key being comprised of:
• 1) a shank sized to extend into said key receiving opening and into said locking mechanism, and
• 2) a plurality of recesses on the shank of said key and which recesses are irregularly and non-symmetrically spaced around the periphery of the shank of the key, said key being adapted to fit into said key receiving opening and open the locking mechanism if the recesses are arranged to be aligned with said projections during a portion of the axial movement of the shank when the shank is inserted into said opening and said key will not fit into said opening and will not operate said locking mechanism if the recesses on said key do not have the same radial positioning as and are not arranged and sized to receive said projections.