US1942328A - Padlock - Google Patents

Description

S. R. FRAIM Jan. 2, 1934.

PADLOGK Filed June 28, 1932 Patented Jan. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

My invention relates to certain improvements in padloks in which a spring acts as the means for retaining the shackle in the closed position and in which the key changes are made by locating the longitudinal grooves in the key and locating the stump in different positions.

One object of my invention isY to make the casing and cap plate of the lock as a die casting.

Another object of the invention is to make the mechanism within the lock of struck-up sheet metal.

AA further object of the invention is to locate the locking springin a spring housingI and to retain the locking spring in ,position between the casing and a lip on thebridge-piece.

Astill further object of the invention isgto provide an abutment collar for the coil spring which ejects the shackle from a split ring clamped in a groove in the shackle.

The inventionl also relates to other details of construction described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. .1 is aperspective .vieW'of myimproved padlock;

fFig.I 2 is a perspective View of one form of'key forthe lock showing one side;

Fig. 2a isa view of the other side ofthe key from that shownV in Fig. 2;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the lock;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line 4 4, Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectionalplan view on-the line 5--5, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the key housing, which includes the bridge-piece vand back plate;

Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views of the key bearing;

Fig. 9 is a detached view of the locking spring;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the blank bridge-piece before being bent into shape;

Fig. 11 is a view of the back plate;

Fig. 12 is a detached perspective view of the shackle, the spring andthe abutment collar detached from the shackle; l

Fig. 13 is a detached perspective view of the casing;

Fig. 14 is a detached perspective view of the cap plate;

Fig. 15 is a plan view of the blank of the key bearing before being bent into shape;

Fig. 16 is a sectional View of a modication of the spring housing; and

Fig. 17 is a View of a modification of the means for retaining the spring in the housing.

4Referring to the drawing, 1 is the casing of (Cl. 'l0-108) the lock, Aand 2 is the cap plate. The casing and cap plate are die castings.

The casing 1 has an integral bottom, and has a reduced flange at the open end which forms .a shoulder for the cap plate. v'This plate is reduced at the edge as shown at 4, and thevflange of the casing is turned upon the cap plate, permanently securing the plate to the casing.

Within the lock is a back plate 5, shown in detail in Fig. 11, which extends the full depth of the lock, and this backV plate has two notches 6 ateach edge for projections '7 on the-bridgepiece; 8,-Fig. 10, andgthese projections are peened over-the back plate so as to rigidly hold the bridgef-piece to the back plate and form the housing for the locking spring 9, which is shaped as shown in Fig 9. The spring is made of flat metal and is U-shaped in form and has a shortarm 12 and a long arm 13. The loop 10 of the spring is enlarged and extends to one side inthe present instance and is held against longitudinal move. ment by the inner wall of the casing and a tongue 11 on the bridge-piece.

The-short arm 12 of the spring-rests against theportion 5a of the back plate V5, .and the long arm 13 of the spring is bent as shown in Fig. 9 and is arranged to extend into anotch 14 in the shackle 15 land to lock the shackle in the closed position.

The longarm `ofthe shackle is grooved at 16 to receive a split lring 17, which .is clamped firmly in the groove. On the long arm of the shackle is a coiled ejecting spring 18, lwhich is -located between the ring 1'7, which forms an abutment, and the upper platefof the bridgepiece, through openings in which the shackle extends. This Vspring is the ejecting spring for raising the shackle when released from the control of the locking spring 9. The long arm of the shackle extends through an opening 19 in the cap plate 2, and the short arm of the shackle extends through an opening 20 in the said cap plate. The length of the short arm is such that, when the shackle is raised by the spring 18 and when the collar is in contact with the inner side of the cap plate, the end of the said short arm is above the cap plate, and the shackle can be turned so that the lock can be disengaged from the device to which-it is attached. When the shackle is in the raised position, the lower end of the long arm does not pass beyond the lower plate 21 of the bridge-piece. .When the shackle is turned so that the short arm is in line with the hole 20 in the cap plate and the shackle pushed into the lock, the long arm will be engaged by the locking p tion.

spring and held in the locked position against the pressure of the coiled spring 18.

Referring to Figs. 7, 8 and 15, 23 is the key bearing. This key bearing is made from a blank shown in Fig. 15. The circular portion 24 or" the key bearing ts an opening 25 in the bottom of the casing and rests on a shoulder 26. This circular portion has a key slot 27 and a projecticn 28a iits the grooves 29a in the key shown in Fig. 2a. The projection can be located at diierent points and the grooves in the key can also be located in different positions to make a number of key changes. On the opposite side of the slot 27 in the present instance are two projections 28 which iit in the grooves 29 of the key shown in Fig. 2. The circular portion 24 is connected by a neck 30a to the key guide 30, the blank being bent on the dotted lines, Fig. l5, so as to form the two walls of the guide shown in Figs. 7 and 8. On one of these side walls of the key guide is a lug 31 which when the parts are assembled extends intothe space between the two plates 21 and 22 of the bridgepiece, and contacts with the walls 32 and 33 of the slot 34, through which the key bearing extends, and limits the movement of the key bearing. The reduced end 35 of the key bearing extends through a circular opening 36 in the plate 22 of the bridge-piece, which forms the inner support for the key bearing. On the other wall of the key bearing are two lugs 37 and 38 in the present instance which extend into the longitudinal groove 29a on one side ol the key, and the position of these lugs can be changed to correspond with the location of the groove in the key to allow `for additional key changes.

When the key is in position inthe key bearing, it can be turned to press upon the long arm 13 of the spring to depress it, forcing the' arm out of the groove 14 in the long arm of the shackle, and as soon as the shackle is released the coiled spring projects it into the open posi- In the present instance a stump 39 is secured to the back plate and projects into the path of the key when it is turned, and by notching the key so that the stump will extend into one of the notches it allows the key to turn to release the shackle. The stump can be located at any point on the plate below the bridgepiece to make additional key changes, and in some instances two or more stumps may be used if found desirable. lIhe projections 40 on the side walls of the key bearing rest upon the circular portion 24 and act to rigidly support the key guide.

Bythe above description, it will be seen that the padlock can be made very cheaply and substantially, as the casing and cap plate are die castings and are very strong, and when the cap plate is secured to the casing it is almost irnpossible to gain access to the interior of the lock by the ordinary means. The mechanism of the lock within the casing consists of two parts, namely, the spring housing consisting of a back plate and bridge-piece which are rmly secured together, andthe key bearing. The locking spring is a comparatively heavy at spring which is of sulicient strength to prevent the withdrawal of the shackle by force, as it is conned between the upper and lower plates of the bridge-piece. The parts can be readily assembled as the plate of the spring housing ts against the back wall of the lock while the bridge-piece snugly fits the curved end walls. This construction insures perfect alignment of the spring housing with the key bearing, and when the parts are assembled and the cap plate secured in position the parts are held firmly in place. In order that the shackle may pass the locking spring without inserting the key in the key bearing when assembling the lock, the lower end of the long arm of the shackle is beveled as at 41, so the beveled portion will push back the spring, allowing the long arm of the shackle to pass the spring and extend through the openings in both plates 21 and 22.

A lock of this type cannot be readily picked, yet it is very simple in construction.

`While I have shown the spring housing made in two parts, namely, a back plate and a struckup member riveted thereto, in some instances the spring housing may be made as a single element, as shown in Fig. 16, the upper and lower sections ofthe back plate forming an integral part of the bridge-piece. f

While I have shown a tongue on the key housing to hold the spring in position, the tonguebeing on the connecting member, the tongue may be struck-up from either of the plates 2l or 22, or a separate piece may be either riveted or welded to the key housing, or a rivet may be inserted as shown in Fig. 17, as I wish to claim any means on the key housing for retaining the locking spring in position.

I claim:

1. The combination in a padlock, of a casing; a shackle mounted in the casing; a spring housing within the casing, consisting of a back plate and bridge-piece, the bridge-piece having perforated upper and lower plates through which the shackle extends; a locking spring mounted in the spring housing, the shackle being notched for the reception of the one arm of the spring; and a key bearing mounted between the bottom of the casing and the upper plate of the spring housing, and having guides for a key extending into the space between the upper and lower plates of the bridge-piece, the key when in position being guided substantially its full length by the key bearing, and when turned pressing upon the locking spring and forcing the spring out of engagement with the shackle, the key bearing turning with the key and coming in contact with the bridge piece, limiting the movement of said key.

2. The combination in a padlock, of a casing; cap plate; a shackle extending through the cap plate and into the casing; a back plate tting against the back of the lock; a bridge-piece secured to the back plate and fitting against the front of the lock, the bridge-piece having two plates spaced apart; alocking spring mounted in the space between the two plates, having a short and long arm connected by a loop, the shackle having a notch to receive the long arm of the locking spring; a spring for ejecting the shackle when releasedby the locking spring; a key bearing consisting of a formed sheet metal piece having a disk and key guides, the disk of the key bearing rltting against the bottom of the i bearing portion and two horizontal portions spaced apart, and having openings for one arm of a shackle and for the key bearing; a U- shaped locking spring located in the spring housing and having a short and long arm, the short arm of the spring bearing against the bearing portion of the back plate; and a shackle and a key bearing extending through the horizontal portions of the housing and engageable by the long arm of the spring.

4. The combination in a padlock, of a spring housing consisting of a back plate extending the full length of the lock and having a spring bearing portion; a bent sheet metal bridge piece having two horizontal portions spaced apart by a connecting member, said bridge piece being secured to the plate and forming a spring housing; a U-shaped locking spring located in the housing having short and long arms, the short arm of the spring bearing against the bearing portion of the back plate; and a shackle located so as to be engaged by the long arm of the spring.

5. A key bearing for a padlock made from a blank bent into shape and consisting of a circular portion adapted to t the key opening in the casing of a lock, and having two Walls forming a key guide, said circular portion being slotted and having projections to enter the grooves in the key, one of the Walls of the key guide having a projection which limits the rotary movement of the key guide, the other Wall having a projection arranged to extend into one of the grooves in a key.

6. The combination in a padlock, of a casing; a spring housing located Within the casing; a shackle having a long and a short arm, the long arm being notched; a U-shaped locking spring located in the housing having a long and a short arm, the long arm engaging the notched portion of the long arm of the shackle, the short arm bearing against the spring housing, the looped portion of the spring bearing against the inner Wall of the casing; and means on the spring housing for retaining the spring against the casing.

7. The combination in a padlock, of a casing; a shackle; a locking spring for the shackle; a housing in which the spring is located; a key bearing in the casing, the inner end of the key bearing extending into the spring housing, the key housing having stops to limit the rotative movement of the key bearing, the key bearing being open at one side to allow the key to engage the locking spring to release the shackle.

8. The combination in a padlock, of a casing; a shackle; a U-shaped locking spring; a housing in which the spring is located, said housing having openings for a key bearing; a key bearing in the casing, the inner end of the key bearing extending through the openings in the housing, the key bearing having Walls forming a guide for a key, one Wall having a projecting portion to limit the rotative movement of the key bearing in the housing.

9. The combination in a padlock, of a casing; a housing for a locking spring; a shackle having an arm extending into the casing and through the said housing; a U-shaped locking spring of flat metal arranged to engage the arm of the shackle, the loop of the spring being enlarged and extended to one side to t against the inner Wall of the casing, the spring housing having means bearing against the loop of the spring rmly holding the spring against the casing; and a key bearing in the casing for a key Which when inserted therein Will engage the locking spring.

SAMUEL R. FRAIM.

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