Method and apparatus for use in picking and decoding sidebar locks

A lock picking and decoding apparatus for decoding a sidebar cylinder lock, the cylinder lock including a cylinder housing having means defining a notch in an interior wall thereof;

• a lock cylinder having a plurality of bores and a plurality of tumblers disposed within a respective one of the plurality of bores, each one of the plurality of tumblers further having means defining a V-notch therein;
• means defining a key slot having an opening, a top surface, and a right side;
• and a locking bar engagable with both the notch and the tumblers, said lock decoding apparatus comprising:
• a torquing tool, including a handle with an elongated strip on spring metal extending therefrom, said torquing tool being dimensioned and configured so as to be passed between the lock cylinder and the cylinder housing and to apply a biasing force against the locking bar to bias the locking bar out of the notch in the interior wall of the cylinder housing and to bias the locking bar against the tumblers,
• a picking device comprising a handle having an elongated member extending therefrom, said elongated member having a picking end and being dimensioned and configured so as to fit in the key slot and engage said picking end and each one of the plurality of tumblers, said picking device further comprising a plurality of notches disposed equidistantly apart along said elongated member, wherein
• when said picking device is inserted into the key slot, each one of said plurality of notches successively engage the opening of the key slot and with the engagement of each one a said plurality of notches with the opening of the key slot, said picking end is engagable with a respective one of the plurality of tumblers to pick the respective one of the plurality of tumblers,
• a decoding tool including a handle having an elongated element extending therefrom, said elongated element having an offset end and being dimensioned and configured so as to fit into the key slot and extend said offset end into the key slot to engage an innermost one of the plurality of tumblers,
• means for gauging a position of the tumbler, the position of the tumbler corresponding to a code for making a key cut, whereby
• said decoding tool is insertable into the key slot to engage one of the plurality of tumblers and said means for gauging the position of the tumbler provides an indication of the code for making a key cut.