Abstract: A spindle assembly is provided for retracting a latch bolt of a lock set having separate independently rotatable inside and outside latch bolt-retracting hubs. The spindle assembly includes an inside spindle for operating the inside hub, an outside spindle for operating the outside hub, and a connection member for rotatably interconnecting the inside and outside spindles. The outside spindle includes an inner spindle portion for engaging the outside hub, an outer spindle portion for supporting a lever handle or the like, and a frangible portion interconnecting the inner and outer portions. The frangible portion is configured to transmit spindle-twisting torque from the outer spindle portion to the inner spindle portion in response to application of a torque in excess of a first predetermined amount.

Abstract: A cabinet push lock has a key plug held by a retaining pin engaged in a circumferential groove in the key plug and mounted in a bore coplanar with the pin tumbler bores. The pin tumbler stacks are held in their bores by an elongated cap mounted in a groove closed at the front and extending across both the pin tumbler bores and the retaining pin bore. The cap is held against endwise movement, as by interlocking with the sides of the groove. The groove side walls are staked at spaced areas to releasably retain the cap, and other areas are reserved for subsequent restakings. The retaining pin bore, an aligned diametric bore in the key plug, and a bottom opening in the lock body provide a passage for transmission of thrust to drive a portion of the cap out of the groove to permit cap removal. The diametric bore in the key plug contains a drive pin to block the key slot, and a key stop ahead of the drive pin blocks an additional portion of the key slot.

Abstract: A lock according to the present invention includes an interchangeable core including a core body, a core sleeve, and a key plug having a key slot. A sloping shoulder is provided on at least one of the tumbler pin passageways in the key plug to define an enlarged opening on the exterior surface of the key plug that is non-concentric with said passageway. A sloping shoulder can also be provided on at least one of the tumbler pin passageways in the core sleeve to define an enlarged opening on the exterior surface of the core sleeve that is non-concentric with said passageway.

Abstract: A keyed lever handle for a cylindrical lock comprises a handle body which is rotatably mounted by its neck on the knob sleeve of the lock and is removably held by a retainer and is connected for rotation with the sleeve by a driver which releases under excess torque, either yieldingly or by break-away of a driver lug. An outward-extending body shell telescopically receives and supports an outer handle shell integral with a handle lever. The outer shell has an inward-extending end flange spaced from the end face of the body shell to define therebetween an inward-opening groove which receives a retainer for an end face closure mounted in the cylindrical open end of the assembled shells. The retainer may be a separate snap ring or an integral flange on the closure. The closure member receives a key-operated and removable core, and its rotative mounting permits different orientations to suit the hand of the door, and also permits the lever handle to rotate when drive is released under excess torque.

Abstract: An improved lock cylinder assembly is mountable in a lock case and includes a lock body having an exterior side wall. The lock cylinder assembly is mountable in the lock case and fixable in a selected position therein by a rotation-blocking side setscrew, and a cylinder-anchoring hidden setscrew. The lock body is formed to include a cavity for the reception of an interchangeable lock core, at least one elongated channel having a longitudinal axis, the central including an opening in the exterior side wall for the reception of the side setscrew, and a bore having a longitudinal axis for the reception of a hidden setscrew. The bore extends between the lock body cavity and the exterior side wall to define an opening in the exterior side wall of the lock body. Each channel opening and the exterior bore opening are situated in circumferentially spaced-apart relation on the exterior side wall of the lock body.

Abstract: A utility cylindrical lock set having a series of pin tumbler bores accommodating a plurality of pin stacks and biasing springs is provided with an improved cap. The external surface of a cylindrical lock body includes a cap-receiving groove crossing the open upper ends of the pin tumbler bores. The sides of the groove are undercut to form overlying flanges. An elongated cap having a central portion to overlie the pin tumbler bores and edge portions offset downward from the central portion is receivable within the groove. The edge portions of the cap project oppositely outward to engage the side flanges of the groove to retain the cap in place in the groove. A small recess is formed in one side of the groove. The elongated cap includes a complementary side protrusion to engage the recess to locate the cap against longitudinal movement in the groove.

Abstract: An improved mortise lock is provided with spring means for independently returning each of the inside and outside lever handles from a rotated operating position. Inside and outside operating hubs are independently rotatably mounted in the case. A retraction lever extends from a pivot past the hubs and into retracting engagement with the tailpiece of the latch bolt. Rotation of one of the operating hubs causes a cam flange thereon to engage the retraction lever to pivot the retraction lever rearward to retract the latch bolt. In one embodiment, a complementary pair of inside and outside hub bias arms are pivotally mounted in the case in side-by-side relation. Each bias arm is biased against its companion hub to return the hub from a rotated lock-operating position. In another embodiment, a single hub bias arm is biased against either the inside or the outside hub.

Abstract: An improved mortise lock includes a case, a latch bolt including a tailpiece, and a retraction lever for retracting the latch bolt. The retraction lever includes a nose portion in engagement with the tailpiece to define a tailpiece contact point, a pivot portion pivotally mounted on a pivot in the case, and a mid-portion intermediate the nose and pivot portions. The mid-portion includes spaced apart side walls defining a yoke. Inside and outside operating hubs are mounted in the case for independent rotation and are aligned in coaxial relation. Each operating hub is rotatable in at least one direction toward a rotated position and is formed to include a hub camming surface. The mortise lock further includes a cam follower for riding on the hub camming surfaces during rotation of the hubs to cause the retraction lever to pivot and retract the latch bolt in response to rotation of either the inside or outside operating hub.

Abstract: A keyed lever handle for a cylindrical lock is rotatably mounted by its neck on the knob sleeve of the lock and is connected to rotate the sleeve by a driver having a drive lug which breaks away under a predetermined high torque so as to protect the lock mechanism from excess torque. The driver is mounted in two opposite slots in the sleeve and the drive lug projects radially through one of such slots into positive engagement with an inward-opening recess in the knob. The lug is preferably formed with an end recess which leaves two upstanding ears at the sides of the lug which are adapted to shear in the shear plane between the knob and sleeve under excess torque. The driver is preferably trapped in place in the sleeve by the knob, but for assembly and service purposes is also held by a resilient rubber ball or the like received in an opening in the driver and resiliently engaged with the edge of the opposite slot in the knob sleeve.

Abstract: A utility cylindrical lock set having a series of pin tumbler bores accommodating a plurality of pin stacks and biasing springs is provided with an improved cap. The external surface of a cylindrical lock body includes a cap-receiving groove crossing the open upper ends of the pin tumbler bores. The sides of the groove are undercut to form overlying flanges. An elongated cap having a central portion to overlie the pin tumbler bores and edge portions offset downward from the central portion is receivable within the groove. The edge portions of the cap project oppositely outward to engage the side flanges of the groove to retain the cap in place in the groove. A small recess is formed in one side of the groove. The elongated cap includes a complementary side protrusion to engage the recess to locate the cap against longitudinal movement in the groove.

Abstract: A cabinet push lock has a key plug held by a retaining pin engaged in a circumferential groove in the key plug and mounted in a bore coplanar with the pin tumbler bores. The pin tumbler stacks are held in their bores by an elongated cap mounted in a groove closed at the front and extending across both the pin tumbler bores and the retaining pin bore. The cap is held against endwise movement, as by interlocking with the sides of the groove. The groove side walls are staked at spaced areas to releasably retain the cap, and other areas are reserved for subsequent restakings. The retaining pin bore, an aligned diametric bore in the key plug, and a bottom opening in the lock body provide a passage for transmission of thrust to drive a portion of the cap out of the groove to permit cap removal. The diametric bore in the key plug contains a drive pin to block the key slot, and a key stop ahead of the drive pin blocks an additional portion of the key slot.

Abstract: An extended latch tube housing comprises a standard deep-drawn tubular shell having a front mounting flange and rear end wall, and a coaxial second deep-drawn shell of equal diameter with its end wall fixed to the end wall of the standard shell. The standard shell of the extended housing contains a conventional latch bolt and deadlocking mechansim, and this is actuated by tailpiece means which extends to the rear of the extended housing for connection with the retractor of a cylinder lock chassis. The rear of the extended housing carries ears for connection with such chassis, preferably as part of a back plate which also locates and guides the tailpiece means. With a short housing extension, the tailpiece means may be a lengthened standard tailpiece. With a longer extension, the standard front shell assembly includes a standard tailpiece, and a second standard tailpiece member is attached thereto by a rotatably engaged connector.

Abstract: A key-removable core of figure-8 cross section having increased pull resistance. A recess is formed in the pin tumbler lobe of the core body and opens both outward through the side of the body and downward toward the key plug lobe. A control sleeve in the key plug lobe has a wide longitudinal rib which carries a core-retaining lug which extends from such rib both circumferentially of the sleeve and radially outward thereof into said recess so as to substantially increase the effective cross section of the lug for increased pull resistance. Cores with thus enlarged lugs may be used in standard receptacles. Also, the plug may be in two segments providing two end faces for retaining engagement with two shoulders in the wall of the receptacle. The lug may be further enlarged by increasing its length, and the increased length accommodated by forming the core chamber with deeper clearances and wider lug-engaging shoulders.

Abstract: A door lock mechanism in which the outside knob is seamed against knob retainer, the retainer is diametrically slidable in the knob sleeve and has a specially shaped opening which defines a thrust-receiving edge for engagement by a spring which straddles a central area of the opening, and which has side borders which project toward each other and define blocker engaging surfaces between the legs of the spring. In a cylinder lock, a blocker plunger is preferably carried by a standard type bushing slidable in a standard supplemental cam sleeve, and the plunger is supported close to the retainer by the end wall of such cam sleeve. In a mortise lock, the plunger is similarly supported close to the retainer by a bushing in the knob sleeve.

Abstract: A doorknob has a large end face opening in which a face plate is fixedly but rotatably mounted. The face plate contains within itself a figure-8 or other non-circular opening for the reception of a removable key-operated core having a key plug housing and a radially extending pin tumbler flange or lobe. Te knob interior is formed with radially inward-extending portions which define diametrically opposite notches or grooves in which the pin tumbler flange or lobe of the core is optionally engageable as a spline to key the core and face plate to the knob in either of two opposite orientation to suit installations of the knob and its lock set in doors of different hand.

Abstract: A cylinder lock chassis is composed of three self-contained subassembly units, namely, a central retractor assembly and two "face assemblies" such as inside and outside knob assemblies or others prepared to provide various different "functions" for the lock. The retractor assembly has a retractor held and guided in a frame by guide means, preferably a pair of guide lugs on low-friction shoes riding in guide slots in spaced walls of the frame. The unitary retractor assembly is clamped between end plates of selected face assembly units and interlocked therewith so as to hold the face assemblies in coaxial relation with each other and the retractor unit. This permits selective assembly of various lock chassis from stocks of different self-contained and unitary subassemblies to facilitate original manufacture of locks with different functions, and allows interchange of unitary subassemblies in field service.

Abstract: A tool-loadable biasing spring for a knob retainer plate securing a doorknob on its knob sleeve. The plate is slidable transversely in the sleeve and has a central opening. The biasing spring has a bight with a hook for engagement behind the linear forward border of the opening and with an axial offset for transmitting thrust to such border. Spring legs extend unrestrained across the face of the plate into camming relation with forwardly diverging inner faces of the sleeve, so as to generate forward bias on the spring. The legs have axial offsets with out-turned fingers to lock behind the plate. For loading, the spring is held in resiliently contracted condition across the end of a holder tool, and the tool is inserted into the end of the sleeve until both the bight offset and leg offsets and fingers pass simultaneously through the retainer plate opening. The spring is then released for self-movement into interlocked relation with the plate.

Abstract: A key-removable core for a lock chamber of figure-8 cross section has a short cylindrical key plug housing fitting the lower lobe of the chamber and a pin tumbler housing containing a series of pin tumbler barrels, two of which are in an extension beyond the key plug housing. A key plug is contained in such housing and a control sleeve aligned with such housing beneath the extension and having pin tumbler bores aligned with said two barrels. Side faces on the pin tumbler housing and spaced from the chamber side wall provide clearance on one side for a retaining lug on the control sleeve retractable into such clearance from core-retaining engagement behind a shoulder in the chamber, and clearance on the other side for a stop lug. An operating key aligns tumblers in all barrels for shear movement at an operating shear line at the outer surface of the key plug.

Abstract: Increased knob pull resistance in a cylinder lock is obtained by providing the knob sleeve with an inner lug which engages in a bayonet slot in the key-actuated rollback cam sleeve so as to transmit knob pull to the cam sleeve and through such sleeve and its out-turned rollback cam to the fixed hub. Preferably, the resulting increased pull resistance is combined with that provided by forming the knob sleeve with a small stud which rides in a groove in the hub to transmit pull directly from the knob sleeve to the hub.