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US 9,435,138 B2Granted
Modular lock plug
AssigneeSchlage Lock Company LLC
InventorsBrian Edward Walls, Jason Curtis Clifford, Scott Douglas Welsby
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plug assembly including, a plug, a sidebar movably mounted on the plug, and a plurality of rack pins seated in the plug. The sidebar is biased to an outer position in which the sidebar extends beyond an outer surface of the plug. Each rack pin is a single-piece unitary structure including a key-following leg, and a sidebar-engaging leg. The sidebar-engaging leg includes at least one true gate and a plurality of false gates. When a true gate of each rack pin is aligned with the sidebar, the sidebar is free to move radially inward to an inner position.
Claims25
An apparatus, comprising:
- a plug including a keyway extending along a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, a longitudinal channel formed in an outer surface of the plug, and a plurality of rack pin cavities, wherein each rack pin cavity includes a first runner connected with the keyway and a laterally-extending second runner connected with the longitudinal channel, wherein the keyway defines a boundary plane including the longitudinal axis and the lateral axis, and wherein each of the first runners extends laterally from the keyway along the boundary plane;
- a sidebar seated in the longitudinal channel and biased in a radially outward direction, the sidebar including a radially outer cam surface and a radially inner interference member, the sidebar having an outer position, an intermediate position, and an inner position;
- wherein, in the outer position, the cam surface extends beyond the outer surface of the plug;
- wherein, in the intermediate position, the cam surface extends beyond the outer surface of the plug and the interference member is partially received in the second runners;
- and
- wherein, in the inner position, the cam surface is received in the longitudinal channel, and the interference member is more fully received in the second runners;
- and
- a plurality of rack pins movably seated in the rack pin cavities, wherein each rack pin is a single-piece unitary structure including a key-following leg seated in the first runner and a sidebar-engaging leg seated in the second runner, wherein each sidebar-engaging leg includes a contact surface facing the interference member, and each contact surface includes a true gate and a plurality of false gates, wherein each false gate has a transverse depth less than a transverse depth of the true gate;
- wherein each of the rack pins is wholly received within the plug and is inoperable to extend beyond the outer surface of the plug;
- wherein each of the rack pins has an unlocking position in which the true gate is aligned with the interference member and a locking position in which the true gate is misaligned with the interference member;
- wherein, with each of the rack pins in the unlocking position, the sidebar is movable from the outer position to the inner position;
- and
- wherein, with at least one of the rack pins in the locking position, the sidebar is prevented from radially inner movement beyond the intermediate position.
10 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a plug including:
- a keyway extending along a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the longitudinal and lateral axes defining a boundary plane, wherein a first plug section is formed on a first transverse side of the boundary plane and a second plug section is formed on a second transverse side of the boundary plane;
- a first longitudinal channel extending into the first plug section from an outer surface of the plug;
- and
- a plurality of rack pin cavities, wherein each rack pin cavity includes a first runner connected with the keyway and a second runner connected with the first longitudinal channel, wherein each first runner extends from the keyway along the boundary plane in a first lateral direction, and each second runner is formed in the first plug section and extends in a second lateral direction opposite the first lateral direction;
- a first sidebar seated in the first longitudinal channel and biased radially outward, a radially outer side of the sidebar including a first cam surface, and a radially inner side of the sidebar including a first interference member, wherein the first interference member is defined by a wedge including a first wedge surface extending substantially perpendicular to the boundary plane and a second wedge surface extending at an oblique angle to the boundary plane, wherein the second wedge surface is offset from the first wedge surface in the second lateral direction;
- a plurality of rack pins movably seated in the rack pin cavities and biased in the second lateral direction, wherein each rack pin is a single-piece unitary structure including a key-following leg seated in the first runner and a sidebar-engaging leg seated in the second runner and extending from the key-following leg in the second lateral direction;
- wherein each sidebar-engaging leg includes a contact surface facing the first interference member, and a plurality of gates formed in the contact surface, wherein each of the plurality of gates is operable to receive a portion of the interference member;
- wherein the plurality of gates includes a plurality of false gates having a first transverse depth, and at least one true gate having a second transverse depth greater than the first transverse depth;
- wherein each of the at least one true gate is configured to receive the wedge, and is defined by a first true gate surface extending substantially perpendicular to the boundary plane and a second true gate surface extending at an oblique angle to the boundary plane;
- and
- wherein the second true gate surface is offset from the first true gate surface in the second lateral direction;
- wherein each of the rack pins has a first unlocking position in which one of the at least one true gate is aligned with the wedge and a first locking position in which none of the at least one true gate is aligned with the wedge;
- wherein, with each rack pin in the first unlocking position, the first sidebar is movable from a first outer position in which the first cam surface extends beyond the outer surface of the plug to a first inner position in which the first cam surface is received in the first longitudinal channel, and the wedge is received in the true gates;
- wherein, with at least one rack pin in the first locking position, the first sidebar is prevented from radial inward movement to the first inner position.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.