US1440459A - Key-lock mechanism - Google Patents

Description

El A WASQ 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 .3 m M A w m Jan, 2, 1923.

A E. GREFF. KEY LOCK MECHANISM. FILED JUNE 23. 1920.

Jan, 2, i

ANDRE EUGENE GREEK, O1? PARIS, FRANCE, .ASSIE'rNOR TO JEAN ARMAND HAURAT,

01E PARIS, FRAIJCE.

KEY-LOGK Mechanism.

Application filed June 23, 1920. erial No. 891,066.

(GRANTED "UNDER PROVISIONS OF THE A81 MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L, 1313.)

To all ir itant-natty com wt: adapted to revolve freely, but without play, Be it known that l, linear: EUGENE a cylinder 3 pierced diametrally with a rec- (lnurr, citizen of the Republic of France, rctangular aperture 4. of similar cross section sidin sr at 33 Rue des Pyrenees, Paris, in the to the aperture 2, opposite which latter it is Republic of France. have invented new and intended to be placed. useful Improvements in 'ey-Lock Mocha In this aperture 4, there are located parnisms (for which I have filed application allelly and at right angles to the axis of in France Jun. 97. .1919, Patent No. 505,?l'l), cylinder 3, a plurality of tumblers 5 of small of which the following: is specification. thickness but or the same width as the aper- This invention has for its object to proture at in which they are capable of moving ride an improved combin on key locking and which serves as a slide-way for them all. mechanipln applicable to all key locking llach oil -these tumblers is under the action toning such as all kinds ol loci i, padlm of a spring; 6 lodged in a cavity or" the cylbolts, etc. (hereinz lta-zr incliiuled in the term inder 3,

illll one end of which is engaged lei-k). The improved key lickinginechain a lateral notch of the tumbler, as is nisin has the following advantages clearly shown in the drawing.

Each key is *lfe to open only the lock for ach tumbler 5 is adapted to turn treely which it has been made; the locks may be inside the barrel 1, with one end rubbing grouped in series, a master-key being: able against Wall of the latter;

to open some or all of the locks of any one sponding spring 6 has the function of enseries, and. one or more master-keys being gag ng one end of the said tumbler 5 in one able to open a plurality of series of locks; of the aperture 2 of the barrel in uch a no key can be soaltered as to render it capaanner as to oppose the rotation ot the cylbio of opening any other look, any alteration mdel 3- nnitle in {1. key romleg-ing ugelggg; no mag EflCll tLHDlJlGJ is pierced Wltl). (l TGOULIIgH- {elf-key can b ng d as t render 11;. lar aperture 7 of lZlGlQt-lll'llllGCl height which pable of opening any other locks than those n'luy be different tor each tumbler or only for which it has been mad i; any alteration 'lor some of the tinnblors. The width is the made in a 1Tl2l3t81-l(6 y' hwinn' the result of $211116 01 all these apertures because it rendering it useless for a pc or the locks Serves for the passage of a common key 8 for which it has been made, or even f r nwhich is of rectangular-cross section but is dering it completely useless. not uniform in height, as shown in Fig. l.

in the accompanying {llftl.Vl11fSI At its inner end the cylinder 5 has at- Fig, 1 is a axial s cti n of a. l ck with tached to it an end plate 9; and at its outer its key constructed in accordance with this end it has cast integral with it an end plate i ve tion, 10. These two end plates embrace the bar- Fig. 2 is cross section of the preceding ml 1 and prevent the cylinder 3 from shiftligure the tumblers being seen in projection. ing longitudinally along the said barrel.

Fig. 3 is diagram necessary for explain- At one end, namely in the end plate. 10 the ing e principle upon which the invention cylinder 3 is pierced with an entrance 11 is based. which serves to admit the key.

lis a numerical tab e oi a group of By the locking operation each tumbler 5 combinations which canbe obtained; and is caused by the action of its respective 5 and 6 show a modified 'lorin ol? spring 6 to engage with one or the other end construction of the look. into one of the apertures 2 of the barrel,

The typical construction shown in Figs. whereby the cylinder 3 is locked on the l and 2 ii ill enable the nature of the inyenlatter. Butwhen the key S is inserted in the Mon to be clearly unnerstood. lock, it passes in succession through all the ne ili'o rowed key locking mechanism apertures '7 of the various tumblers, the comprises a filled barrel 1 pierced with two shape of this key being such that all those rectangular apertures situated diametrally tumblers 5 will more back completely into opposite each other. within which there i" the cylinder 3 which can then be caused position by the key to turn in the barrel 1. The end plate 9 which turns with the cylinder 3, is

provided with a central nib 12, or any other suitable device connected to the bolt in order to cause the latter to move and open the door- As shown in Fig. 1, thetumblers 5 are considerably less in height than the diame ter of the cylinder 3, so that if the biting or cam portions of the key should be higher than necessary to draw the tumbler ends within cylinder-3, it can nevertheless unblock the lock mechanism since the opposite ends of the tumblers will not be projected into the slot 2 of barrel 1; but it is quite unable to do this if its height is too small. This peculiarity is one of the essential and important characteristic features of the invention,because it is always easily possible to reduce the height of the key by means of a file or other means, whereas it is not an easy matter to increase its height and this renders the picking of the look much more difficult if not impossible.

Since the tumblers 5 are generally all different from one another, or some only of them are different, it will be readily understood that the key must comprise a certain number of notches situated at greater or smaller distance from theanis, in order to causethe respective tumbler to move tl'irough the requisite amount for disengaging it from the aperture 2 of the barrel in which it is engaged when at rest.

In order to still further increase the safety of the improved locking mechanism, there may be placed between the tumblers I or otherwise arranged, tumblers 13 similar to those tumblers, but of a determined height such that if the key is too large, one end of the tumblers will engage in one of the apertures 2 and block the cylinder 3. These tumblers are identically similar in all the locking. mechanisms, of one and the same series.

In the key which has been chosen as an example and illustrated in Fig. 3, there are four notches situated on lines 1, 2, 8, 4 parallel to the axis of the key and spaced a de termined distance apart. By varying the of the notches on these lines, a certain number of combinations will be produced each of which maybe indicated by a number that is formed by writing down in their order the numerals designating the depth of the notches. Thus the key illustrated in Fig. 3 may be indicated by the locking number 3124.

in the chosen example; it is possible to have a number of different combinations equal to 4*:256. By writing down all these combinations in a diminishing series to produce the table shown in 4, it will be perceived that, owing to the reason substantially set forth hereinabove, all the locking numbers that are horizontally underlined cannot open one another, and that all those struck through obliquely are opened by at least one of them. Consequently only the underlined locking mechanisms will be manufactured since they are independent of one another. I

The combinations that are neither struck through nor underlined are cap-able of opening all or part of the underlined locking mechanisms. Therefore it is amongst these that the master-key will be chosen.

F or instancez' 4414 opens 4411-4312 42134114 (1) and 3414 3424 opens 3421- 332232233124 (2) and 3414 and 2424. 2434 opens 2431-2332-2233-2134 and .2424 and 1434. 1444 opens 1441-1342 1248-1144 (4) and 1434. I

That is to say, there are four master-keys, each opening one of the series (1) (2) (3) (4); 3424 having a common locking 3414 with 4414, and one 2424 with 2484 which has likewise one 1434 in common with 1444 Further, 4424 opens the lockings opened by and 3424 and has a locking 4121 peculiar to itself. 3434 opens the lockings opened by 3424 and 2434 and has a locking 3131 peculiar to itself. 2444 opens the lockings opened by 2434 and 1444 and has a looking 2141 peculiar to itself. 4434 opens-the lockings opened by 4424 and 3434. .3444 opens the lockings opened by 3434 and 2444. 4444 opens all the lockings. l

if an attempt should be made to File or reduce a key with a fraudulent intent, the said key would become altered in such a manner as to correspond to a lock that has not been made, and consequently the said key would become useless. For instance: 2431 altered to 1431 or 2331 or 1331, etc., is incapable of opening any existing lock.

Similarly a master-key if altered in the same way, will be capable of opening fewer and. fewer locks until a point is reached where it becomes altogether useless. EX- ample 3424 altered to 3423 will open neither 3124 nor 2424.

This grouping principle is of course app'licable irrespectively of the number of the notches in the key and the variety of these notches.

It is obvious that modifications may be made in the apparatus described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the key 8 comprises two parallel se ries 14 and 15 of nicks acting upon necks of two rows of tumblers 5 lodged and guided in the cylinder 3 and acted upon by springs 6. The key 8 has the function of bringing the ends of these tumblers flush with the side of the cylinder 3 in order to allow the latter to turn inside the barrel 1- as in the preceding cases.

The juxtaposition of two rows of notches in the key increases considerably the number of combinations, and renders fraudulent opening still more diflicult.

Having now described my invention, what ll claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A key locking mechanism comprising a fixed barrel, a rotary cylinder in said barrel, operatively connected to the mechanism of the look, a key provided with steps and adapted to engage into the rotary cylinder and rotate therewith and spring controlled locking members adapted to slide radially in the rotary member and having an inner edge adapted to cooperate with a step on the key, said locking members being adapted vto engage with the fixed barrel and having a length smaller than the diameter of the rotary cylinder.

2. A key locking mechanism comprising a fixed barrel, a rotary cyinder in said barrel, operatively connected to the mechanism of the lock a key provided with two Series of juxtaposed steps and adapted to engage into the rotary cylinder and rotate therewith, spring controlled, locking members adapted to slide radially in the rotary memher and having an inner edge adapted to cooperate with a step on the key, said looking members being adapted to engage with the fixed barrel and havinga length smaller than the diameter of the rotary cylinder (Fig. 6).

3. A key locking mechanism comprising a fixed barrel, a rotary cylinder in said barrel, operatively connected to the mechanism of the lock, a key provided with steps and adapted to engage into the rotary cylinder and rotate therewith, spring controlled looking members adapted to slide radially in the rotary member and having an inner edge adapted to cooperate with a step on the key, said locking members being adapted to engage with the fixed barrel and having a length smaller than the diameter of the rotary cylinder and additional locking members identical in all of the locks of one and the same series slidably mounted in the rotary cylinder and adapted to engage with steps on the key for the purpose of locking the rotary cylinder to the fixed barrel if the corresponding steps of the key are too high.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ANDRE EUGENE GEEEE.

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