Abstract: A barrel lock and a key for locking and unlocking the barrel lock. The lock has a hollow barrel with a plunger that reciprocates within the bore of the barrel. The plunger is urged forwardly by a bottom spring, and a deterrent ring is urged forwardly against the plunger by a top spring. The plunger has a shallow axial blind bore at its rear end and the deterrent ring has a central aperture, the diameter of the plunger bore being larger than the diameter of the ring aperture.The key has four elongated outer expanding fingers and an inner expander rod. The expanding fingers are sized and shaped so that they can pass entirely through the central aperture of the deterrent ring. When the the key is inserted into the barrel lock and the key handle is operated, the fingers radially expand and grip the inner surface of the lock plunger blind bore. As the handle is operated further, the expanding fingers longitudinally retract and draw the plunger rearwardly permitting the lock to unlock.

Abstract: For use with an electric meter having a flanged receptacle for holding the meter works and a flanged glass bowl for covering the meter works, a locking ring assembly consisting of a two-piece circular locking ring having two substantially semicircular sections for locking the glass bowl to the receptacle. One of the semicircular sections has a hinge fitting at one end and a radially extending leg at the other end. The other semicircular section has a mating hinge fitting at one end and a radially extending mating leg at the other end. The fittings are hingedly attached so that the two sections can be pivotally spread apart about the hinge axis of the fitting. This hinged connection permits the sections to be manually spread apart and easily applied over and around the flanges of the meter receptacle and the glass bowl. The radially extending mating legs have circular openings which are in axial alignment when the legs are drawn towards each other for clamping the glass bowl to the receptacle.

Abstract: A high security barrel lock and a high security key with a movable external sleeve for maintaining the lock in an unlocked position. The lock has a cylindrical barrel with an axial bore. A hollow plunger and a center pin with an enlarged head are axially mounted in the bore. A pair of locking balls are constrained for limited movement between locked and unlocked positions in radial passageways formed in the barrel. The sleeve is fitted over the barrel and is constrained for movement between a locking ball holding position and a locking ball releasing position. In the holding position, the sleeve holds the locking balls in their unlocked position and, in the releasing position, the locking balls are released by the sleeve and free to move radially outward in the barrel passageways into their locked position. Thus, the installer does not require a key in order to install the lock.

Abstract: A high security spring lock and an associated key for locking and unlocking the lock. The lock has a cylindrical barrel with an axial bore. A main compression spring and a secondary compression spring are coaxially mounted in the bore and bear against each other and against opposite ends of the bore. A pair of locking balls constrained for limited movement in radially extending passageways are held radially outward in a locking position by the main compression spring.The key has elongated outer expanding fingers and an inner coaxially arranged center pin. When the key is fully inserted into the lock and the key handle is operated, the expanding fingers are initially radially expanded to grip the inner surface of the main compression spring and are then longitudinally retracted to draw the main compression spring rearwardly.

Abstract: A barrel lock has a cylindrical barrel with an axial bore. A compression spring and a center pin are coaxially mounted in the bore. A pair of locking balls mounted for limited movement in radially extending passageways are held radially outward in a locking position by the compression spring. When a key for locking and unlocking the lock is fully inserted into the lock and the key handle is operated, the compression spring is drawn rearwardly and the locking balls are permitted to move radially inward to an unlocking position.

Abstract: A high security lock and a high security key for locking and unlocking said lock. The lock has a resilient O-ring seated in the bore of a hollow plunger and a retainer sleeve fixed in the bore of the hollow plunger and bearing against the rear surface of the O-ring. A center pin with an enlarged forward head extends rearwardly through the bore of the plunger, the O-ring gripping the periphery of the center pin and yieldably resisting center pin reciprocal movement within the plunger bore. The key has elongated outer expanding fingers and an inner coaxially arranged center pin. When the key is fully inserted into the lock and the key handle is operated, the expanding fingers are initially radially expanded to grip the inner surface of the lock plunger bore, and are then longitudinally retracted to draw the plunger rearwardly. Simultaneously, the key center pin is prevented from retracting and holds the lock center pin stationary permitting the lock to unlock.

Abstract: A locking device to prevent unauthorized opening of a winged gas stop used to control the flow of gas to a residence from the lines of a utility company is disclosed. The device comprises a shroud which is shaped to fit snugly over the two wings of the gas stop when the gas stop is in a closed position and a barrel lock which is adapted to be inserted into the shroud and through holes in the wings to lock the wings in place and the shroud on the wings so that the wings cannot be moved relative to each other. The shroud includes a metal shell open at the bottom and at the rear, a thin metal sleeve, a metal locking plate and a metal end cap. The locking plate and end cap are both welded onto the rear of the shell and the sleeve is press fit into a hole in the front of the shell.

Abstract: A high security lock and a high security key for locking and unlocking said lock. The lock has a resilient O-ring seated in the bore of a hollow plunger and a retainer sleeve fixed in the bore of the hollow plunger and bearing against the rear surface of the O-ring. A center pin with an enlarged forward head extends rearwardly through the bore of the plunger, the O-ring gripping the periphery of the center pin and yieldably resisting center pin reciprocal movement within the plunger bore.The key has elongated outer expanding fingers and an inner coaxially arranged center pin. When the key is fully inserted into the lock and the key handle is operated, the expanding fingers are initially radially expanded to grip the inner surface of the lock plunger bore, and are then longitudinally retracted to draw the plunger rearwardly. Simultaneously, the key center pin is prevented from retracting and holds the lock center pin stationary permitting the lock to unlock.

Abstract: A bolt type lock puller for removing jammed bolt type locks from lock housings. This lock puller is necessary to correct situations in which a thief has tried to open a bolt type lock by driving a nail into the keyhole. The lock is usually distorted by the nail and jams in the locked position. Therefore, the lock cannot be removed by a security key. The lock puller utilizes split jaws with opposed teeth which progressively bite the head of the lock. A longitudinally extending stud is drawn axially to cause the split jaws to pull the clamped lock out of the lock housing.

Abstract: A front entry meter locking ring assembly for locking electric meters. A circular split locking ring has a U-shaped cross-section and two downturned parallel legs of equal length. A take-up fastener engages and draws the downturned legs towards each other. A lock receptacle having a hollow cylindrical portion is affixed to the interior of one downturned leg. A removable protective housing is fitted over the downturned legs and has a front aperture in axial alignment with the front opening of the lock receptacle. An unlocked conventional barrel lock is inserted into the front aperture of the housing. Then the barrel lock is locked. This radially extends the locking balls of the barrel lock into secure engagement with the lock receptacle. An elongated sealing tab is fixed within the housing by the take-up fastener. The sealing tab extends down through a narrow slot in the bottom of the housing where the tab is engaged by a tell-tale seal.

Abstract: A lock assembly for preventing the unauthorized disconnection of a gas line where it is connected to the gas meter. The lock assembly has telescoping male and female shrouds, a bolt type lock and an end cap inserted transversely through the side walls of the telescoped shrouds to lock the two shrouds together to securely enclose the gas line threaded connection, and two turned back ears on the male shroud closed end which cover the female shroud open end side edges to prevent the female shroud and the male shroud from being pried apart by a pair of screwdrivers or the like.

Abstract: A bolt type lock puller for removing jammed bolt type locks from lock housings. This lock puller is necessary to correct situations in which a thief has tried to open a bolt type lock by driving a nail into the keyhole. The lock is usually distorted by the nail and jams in the locked position. Therefore, the lock cannot be removed by the security key. The lock puller utilizes split jaws with opposed teeth which clamp around the head of the lock. A longitudinally extending stud is drawn axially to cause the split jaws to pull the clamped lock out of the lock housing.

Abstract: A barrel lock sleeve for snap-mounting in a keyway aperture of a door for use in lockably blocking the keyway for security purposes. The sleeve is fixed in the door aperture by the insertion and locking of a conventional barrel lock within the sleeve. The sleeve includes means for permitting the outside diameter of a forward portion of the sleeve to be resiliently compressed so that the sleeve can be snapped into the door aperture.

Abstract: A conventional tubular lock is made pick-resistant by the inclusion of a specially designed washer. The washer, which has a non-circular opening, is provided in the lock interior. The washer is preferably located between the helical compression spring and the rear face of the slidable plunger. The opening in the washer permits the insertion of a specially shaped expandable key, but does not permit the insertion of an old style expandable key, or a nail or other similarly round picking tool which has a sufficiently large diameter to wedge in the rear bore of the plunger. Therefore, the specially designed washer permits the lock to be opened only by an authorized key, but not by a nail or an unauthorized key.