Abstract: An improved dust shutter assembly for locks includes a floating hinge point which decreases the amount of axial key force that is necessary to overcome the spring bias in the dust shutter mechanism. When engaged by a key, the spring retention pin (hinge point) of the dust shutter mechanism moves within the pin slots of the lock plug cavity until it bottoms out against the back of these slots. Pin translation is primarily axial, in the direction of key insertion, which partially unloads the spring and reduces the amount of key force that is required to open the shutter door. Since less key force is necessary, a narrower shutter door can be used. The chief advantage of a narrower shutter door includes a corresponding reduction in the size and length of the entire lock assembly.

Abstract: An axial pin tumbler lock for housing in an outer shell. The lock includes a shell and a rotatable driver sleeve telescoped into the shell. The driver sleeve has a bird-cage design including a front large inner diameter portion and a rear small-diameter inner portion and circumferentially arranged throughbores in communication with the inner diameters. A stationary tumbler sleeve is also telescoped in the shell, and in a facing relationship with the driver sleeve. The tumbler sleeve slot includes throughbores in communication with an inner diameter. A spindle extends through the sleeves and is rotatably mounted in the driver sleeve. The spindle includes a body portion and a neck portion with a curved transition zone between the two. Driver and tumbler pins mounted in the throughbores normally prevent rotation of the spindle and driver sleeve with respect to the tumbler sleeve.

Abstract: A combinating tumbler lock featuring zero clearance between the lock plug and mounting shell including: a mounting shell having a central throughbore with a front section having a first, greater diameter and including longitudinal locking grooves, a rear section having a second smaller diameter and including longitudinal stopping grooves, and a tapered transition section between the front and rear sections; a lock plug for selective rotation within the mounting shell and having three sections corresponding in diameter to the sections in the mounting shell, the lock plug front section including a tumbler receiving opening, the lock plug rear section including a cam-receiving structure and a first radial throughbore, the lock plug also including a second radial throughbore between the front section and the tapered section; a tumbler disposed in the lock plug for selective engagement with the longitudinal locking grooves of the shell; a spring loaded stop comprising two spherical balls actuated by a compression

Abstract: An improved refrigerator door-locking device is provided for locking a refrigerator door to a refrigerator body which may preferably be manufactured substantially of molded plastic parts. The locking device has an elongated first mountable casing which has an elongated opening, and a plunger member which has a projecting rod end and slotted outer rod end slidably fits within the opening. A bayonet connector is located at the projecting rod end of the plunger and a spring biases the plunger toward the projecting rod end. A bayonet receiver is located in a second mountable casing and interacts with the projecting rod end bayonet connector. The locking device provides a visual indication of when it is locked or unlocked.

Abstract: An easily assembled padlock with relatively few parts which include an outer casing, an insert shell having a pedestal with a lock plug bore for insertion into the casing, a U-shaped shackle, a lock bolt means actuated by a spring means and having an "assembly" position, a "locked" position and an "unlocked" position, a key operated lock plug for engaging and moving the lock bolt means in the insertable shell bore and a mutual engageable detent means for limiting movement of the lock plug and lock bolt means within the shell bore to only the locked or unlocked positions after assembly. Assembly of the padlock is relatively easy as the components are designed to fit together and be held in place with minimal assembly operations.

Abstract: A method and replacement plug for cylinder locks converts locks having special keyways requiring correspondingly warded key blanks into a universal keyway lock that can be properly operated by a multiplicity of differently warded keys.

Abstract: An improved combinating tumbler lock including a lock plug having snap-in self holding combinating tumblers. The biasing spring first is inserted into a combinating tumbler slot in the plug. The combinating tumbler then is tilted and pressed into the slot compressing the spring longitudinally and laterally until the combinating tumbler retaining detent passes over the retaining edge in the opposite slot wall. The combinating tumbler then snaps into the slot, held in the operating position by the spring. The combinating tumbler can be removed by the opposite operation, when desired.

Abstract: A pop-out handle lock assembly wherein the handle engagement and connecting means is a two part construction including a rotatable shaft having a head end with a transverse slot and a generally T-shaped holder member made of flat sheet material is pivotally held in the slotted head end of the shaft so as to eliminate binding or interference with the freedom of the handle to pop out or to be pushed into the locked retracted position.

Abstract: A tubular key and axial pin tumbler lock construciton with an annular keyway wherein the key shank has a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves positioned between the circumferential key cut receiving areas and the lock housing outer periphery of the key entry way is provided with corresponding shaped projections which allow the tubular key containing the grooves to pass into the entry way. The tubular key shank also includes a transverse annular recess spaced inwardly from the forward end of the key such that when the key is inserted to its lock operating position, the key grooves and housing projections are free of one another to allow the key to rotate within the lock.The tubular key construction can be utilized with conventional existing tubular lock constructions and the key grooves and housing entry projections may be varied in shape or locations so that they are combinated to permit only certain or select keys to be used with a certain lock or groupings of locks.

Abstract: An improved, highly pick-resistant tumbler lock construction incorporates at least one of the rear face of the driver sleeve or the front face of the tumbler sleeve with a plurality of notches. Each notch surrounds a driver or tumbler axial bore so as to provide at the trough of the notch a false shear plane while the crest of the notch portion of the tumbler and driver sleeve forms a plane to fixedly support two relatively thin discs which form the true shear plane. The discs include annularly spaced bores corresponding to the tumbler and driver sleeve bores. Thus when attempting to pick the lock, and the driver and tumbler pins are at the notched false shear plane, the driver sleeve will not be able to turn because the pins will be caught in the lower part of the notch.

Abstract: An improved, highly pick-resistant tumbler lock construction incorporates annular undercut portions on both the rotating spindle and the tumbler sleeve of the lock. The undercut portions define discontinuities along the axial bores of the spindle and the tumbler sleeve so as to provide the false feel of a shear plane when the driver pins are used to manipulate the tumbler pins in order to pick or decode the lock. Several of the driver pins and the tumbler pins are also provided with annular grooves which, in combination with the undercuts on the spindle and tumbler sleeve, accentuate the false feel effect in such a way that the false feel of the shear plane is provided at differently inwardly extending positions of the pins, thereby making it extremely difficult to determine when a particular tumbler pin has been precisely positioned at the shear plane.

Abstract: A key actuated tubular lock capable of a plurality of locking operations, each with switch operating capability, includes a substantially cylindrical outer barrel, key actuated locking spindle means, including a stationary sleeve and a rotatable sleeve, disposed within the barrel and a multiple operation switch operating assembly rigidly attached in a removable manner and adapted to be operated by rotation of the locking spindle through use of a proper key. The multiple operation assembly includes a switch subassembly, having a microswitch and a switch operating member associated therewith, positioned within a switch retention area in the rear end portion of the barrel in such a way that the operating member is contacted so as to turn the microswitch "off" when the locking spindle is in a first position and "on" when the spindle is key actuated to a second position.

Abstract: A retaining pin extends inwardly through the outer barrel and the tumbler sleeve of a resettable, axial pin tubular lock and projects into a circumferential groove formed around the locking spindle. A rearwardly facing shoulder defined by the forward wall of the groove engages the inner end portion of the retaining pin and prevents the spindle from being forcibly punched rearwardly within the tumbler sleeve. The retainer pin also holds the tumbler sleeve in a fixed position in the outer barrel.

Abstract: An improved locking device, useful in, for example, a key-operated slide fastener bag lock of a type having a housing presenting an anvil to underlie a slide of a slide fastener and a rotatable keeper arm movable between an aligned position with respect to the anvil for confining the slide and a rotated out of the way position, and a lock cylinder disposed within the keeper arm, utilizes an actuator member having a cam surface and spring finger that actuate a locking pin when the keeper arm is aligned with the anvil and the lock cylinder rotated from an unlocked to a locked position or the lock cylinder is in a locked position and the keeper arm is moved into alignment with the anvil. The actuator member can be formed of a one piece, molded synthetic material, is light weight, economical to manufacture, and eases assembly as well as occupying a minimum of space, and may also function to limit the rotation of the key-operated lock cylinder within predetermined limits.

Abstract: An electrical switch operating subassembly for a mechanical key-actuated lock which may be readily and easily incorporated into commonly utilized lock sizes and which may be likewise disassembled for rekeying and changing of switch contact elements, the essential components of which are two contact effecting interfitting members that are removably insertable in the lock cylinder and which coact with one another to make and break an electrical circuit upon rotation of the lock operating spindle with a proper key and also provide the rotational limits of the lock for switch-on and switch-off positions.