Back to results
US 5,496,138 AGranted
Duplicating key machine and method of operating same
OwnerMordeki Droriinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A key duplicating machine and the method of operating the machine wherein one or more key cutters move linearly along an axis perpendicular to the rotation of the key cutters. The linear movement enables the cutters to precisely cut a single sided or double sided key blank to a profile corresponding to the key to be duplicated. In addition, the key to be duplicated and the key blank are clamped together in a single operation in one clamping unit with one clamping force.
Claims39
A key duplicating machine comprising:
- a chassis;
- a cutter unit having at least one cutter secured to said chassis, said cutter unit comprising:
- a shaft having a longitudinal axis extending therethrough mounted to said cutter unit so as both rotate about and reciprocate linearly with respect to said longitudinal axis, said shaft having first and second opposite ends, a first end of said shaft connected to a drive system for transferring rotational movement to said shaft for rotating said shaft around said longitudinal axis, and a second end of said shaft secured to said at least one cutter, said shaft and said at least one cutter secured thereon rotate together around said axis and move linearly along said axis;
- a spring biased element mounted on said key duplicating machine to bias said shaft in a linear direction along said longitudinal axis.
1 more element
A key duplicating machine comprising:
- a chassis;
- at least one cutter unit secured to said chassis, said cutter unit comprising:
- at least one shaft having a longitudinal axis extending therethrough wherein said shaft is adapted for connection to a drive system for transferring rotational movement to said at least one shaft around said longitudinal axis;
- and
- at least one cutter secured to said shaft whereby said cutter rotates around said longitudinal axis and reciprocates in a linear direction along said longitudinal axis;
- at least one spring biasing said at least one cutter;
- and
- at least one guiding unit for reciprocally moving said at least one cutter in a linear direction along said longitudinal axis in accordance with the grooves on a blade of a key to be duplicated.
5 more elements
A key duplicating machine comprising:
- a chassis;
- at least one cutter unit mounted on a support secured to said chassis, said cutter unit comprising:
- at least one shaft having a longitudinal axis extending therethrough and being adapted for connection at one end to a drive system for transferring rotational movement to said shaft about said longitudinal axis;
- and
- at least one cutter mounted to said shaft whereby said cutter rotates around and reciprocates in a linear direction along said longitudinal axis;
- and
- at least one guiding unit for reciprocally moving said at least one cutter in a linear direction along said longitudinal axis in accordance with the grooves of a key to be duplicated.
4 more elements
A key duplicating machine comprising:
- a chassis;
- at least one cutter unit mounted on a support secured to said chassis, said cutter unit comprising:
- at least one shaft from at least one part having a longitudinal axis extending therethrough and being adapted for connection at one end to a drive system for transferring rotational movement to said shaft around said longitudinal axis;
- and
- at least two cutters securely mounted on said at least one shaft to both rotate around said longitudinal axis and to reciprocate linearly along said longitudinal axis;
- at least one key clamping unit for securing a key to be duplicated and a blank key, said key clamping unit being mounted on said chassis for reciprocal movement in a perpendicular direction with respect to said longitudinal axis;
- at least two guiding units each being in communication with one of said at least two cutters, each of said guiding units being adapted for sliding engagement with grooves on the blade of said key to be duplicated for causing reciprocating movement of said cutter communicating thereto in a linear direction along said longitudinal axis;
- and
- at least one spring biasing at least one of said guiding units and a corresponding one of said cutters communicating thereto such that each of said cutters is moved linearly in one direction along said longitudinal axis by the bias, of said at least one spring and in the opposite direction by its corresponding guiding unit.
6 more elements
At least one clamping unit for clamping a blank key and a key to be duplicated mounted on a key duplicating machine having at least one cutter unit, said at least one clamping unit comprising:
- a clamping support having at least two spaced slots for receiving a key to be duplicated and a blank key;
- a compression unit connected to said clamping support for providing a compressive force to clamp said key to be duplicated and said blank key within said clamping support whereby said key to be duplicated and said blank key are clamped in said two spaced slots of said clamping support by said compressive force such that said key to be duplicated and said blank key are both clamped with said compressive force which presses substantially up to the center of both said key to be duplicated and said blank key;
- said compression unit including a compression handle which engages a compression element and provides said compressive force to jointly clamp said key to be duplicated and said blank key within said clamping support by the same operation of said compression handle and to jointly release said key to be duplicated and said blank key from said clamping unit by a release operation of said compression handle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.