Patents by Inventor Thomas E. Easley

Thomas E. Easley has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 4517746
    Abstract: A probe for manually decoding a lock of the wafer combination type having an elongate body to slideably engage the keyway, the body comprising at least two hollow tubular members. Within the hollow members are rotatably disposed detecting members which detect, by means of physical contact, certain identifying portions of wafers therein which form the combination of the lock. An indicator on the outside of the probe, responsive to the detecting members, indicates the presence, type, and orientation of the wafers. The same method may be practiced without the use of the probe by viewing the interior of the lock slightly off center with a pencil beam of light to determine the same characteristic wafer portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 1983
    Date of Patent: May 21, 1985
    Inventor: Thomas E. Easley
  • Patent number: 4489968
    Abstract: A selectively removable or retractable doorstop for converting double-acting, double or single doors to a single-acting, single door, for permitting control over traffic into and out of public premises at desired times. The doorstop includes an intercept portion which can be selectively removably or retractably inserted into the path of a double-acting door thereby restricting it to opening in one direction only. Different embodiments of the doorstop are provided respectively for temporary or permanent mounting on or in a doorjamb, or on or in the stile of a temporarily fixed-in-place door, thus giving a selection of options for any specific situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1981
    Date of Patent: December 25, 1984
    Inventor: Thomas E. Easley
  • Patent number: 4229959
    Abstract: A novel method and apparatus for opening a magnetic cylinder lock of the type having an outer cylinder, a rotatable inner cylinder disposed within the outer cylinder, one or more magnetic pins disposed within chambers of one of the cylinders for engaging the other cylinder to prevent the inner cylinder from rotating, and a keyway within the inner cylinder for insertion of a magnetic key to displace each pin and release the inner cylinder, thereby opening the lock. A probe is provided for insertion within the keyway to determine the presence and polarity orientation of each magnetic pin by detecting its magnetic field. An indexing arm within the probe abuts the lock and provides a signal representative of the position of each pin chamber. Sensor circuitry correlates a signal from the probe representative of the presence and polarity orientation of each pin with a signal from the indexing arm representative of the position of each pin chamber and displays the "combination" of the lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1979
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1980
    Inventor: Thomas E. Easley