AU477236B2 - Universal security lock - Google Patents

Description

66. 225 n4

The invention relates to card operated security locks and in particular to a card operated security lock in which a key card used to open the lock includes magnetic means to alter the position of magnets within the lock. The card operated security locks of the type referred to above are well-known, having a slidably mounted lock actua- ting member of non-magnetizable material with at least one magnet slidably mounted in the lock actuating member. With the lock actuating member in a locking position the magnet engages a hole in a stationary member of the lock. The stat- ionary member is also made of non-magnetizable material and hitherto each magnet has been retained in the hole by the action ofiravity. V.hen the magnet engages the hole, the lock actuating member is unable to move and therefore the lock cannot be opened. The lock is opened by inserting the key card containing magnetic spots corresponding to each of the abovementioned magnets. The polarity of each magnetic spot is such that when the key card is slid into the lock, thereby positioning each magnetic spot in the vicinity of the corresponding hole and magnet, the magnet is magnetically dis-engaged from the hole and the lock actuating member is therefore free to be moved. The above described lock suffers from the disadvantage that, as the magnets required to secure the lock actuating member in a locking position are retained in their corres- ponding holes by the action of gravity, each lock is requi- red to be mounted in the same position relative to the hor- izontal. In addition, the lock actuating member generally

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has the form of a plate which is horizontally mounted and contains a plurality of magnets. Such a lock has the dis- advantage that when so mounted, its horizontal dimensions therefore greatly exceed its vertical dimensions. The lock is difficult to mount in door frames and the like because of its large horizontal dimensions. a It is the object of the present invention to provide which card operated security lock of the above described type is able to be mounted in any plane. In particular it is desirable to be able to mount the lock so that the lock act- uating member, which has the form of a plate, is mounted vertically. Thus one of the horizontal dimensions of the lock are reduced thereby providing easier installation of the lock. For example such a vertically mounted lock may be con- tained in very narrow aluminium door frames and similar structures. Furthermore, it is a great advantage, from an installation point of view, if such a lock can be mounted in a door frame in preference to, for example, the concrete walls surrounding the door frame. Mounting the lock in a

door frame also eliminates the task of re-directing conduits in the walls around the locks. to the The abovementioned object is achieved according lock of the present invention by a card operated security member of non- type herein defined having a lock actuating one ma:net slid- magnetizable material lockable by at least into and ably mounted in said actuating member and movable out of engagement with a corresponding hole in a stationary

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66. 225 n4 lock member of non-magnetizable material to respectively magnetic means and release said actuating member, wherein a

is associated with at least one of said magnets to magnet- with said ically insert and retain said magnet in engagement magnetically coded in opposition hole and v:herein a key card, and said to said magnet, is insertable between said magnet re- corresponding magnetic means to overcome said magnetic engagement tention and magnetically move said magnet out of

with said hole. One embodiment of the present invention will now be

described with reference to the drawings in which:

a perspective view of the embodiment of the Figure 1 is in a lock to be described in detail, the lock being shown

horizontal rather than a vertical position, lock Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of the 1, shown in Figure 1 along the line 2-2 shown in Figure of the Figure 3 is a corresponding cross-sectional view in Figures 1 and key card required to operate the lock shown 2. As shown in Figure 1 the lock comprises a housing 1

having side walls 2 and 3. The lock is constructed from a 1. series of parallel layers contained within the housing a biasing As best seen in Figure 2 the side wall 2 includes

card 4 which is magnetically encoded with magnetic spots the The biasing card 4 is preferably slidably mounted within removed side wall 2 in order that the biasing card 4 may be

if desired once the lock has been installed. the A lower guide plate 6 is spaced above and parallel key side wall 2 in order to provide a cavity 7 in which the

card 8 4 477.23(

66.225 n4

Im- (Figure 3) which operates the lock may be inserted. mediately above the lower guide plate 6 is a locking plate plate 11 is 9 having a plurality of holes 10. An actuating

slidably mounted between the locking plate 9 and an upper

guide plate 12. Between the upper guide plate 12 and the 13 is insert- side wall 3 a magnetically coded program card

ed. of cylind- The actuating plate 11 contains a plurality magnets rical holes 18, arranged in rows, in which locking one end of 14 and 15 are slidably mounted. A flange 16 at plate 9 and the actuating plate 11 extends past the locking

lower guide plate 6 to the side wall 2. magnetic The program card 13 has a plurality of spaced magnets 14. spots 17 therein which attract corresponding mag- There are no magnetic spots in the program card 13 above spots nets 15 and these magnets are attracted by the magnetic of the magnetic in the biasing card 4. Under the influence 15 are inserted and spots 5 in the biasing card 4, magnets retained in the holes 10 in the locking plate 9 irresp- The motion ective of the plane in which the lock is mounted. of the of the magnets 15 is therefore entirely independent

direction of the gravitational force they experience. With magnets 15 engaging the holes 10 in the locking between the upper plate 9 the actuating plate 11 is secured guide plate 12 and the locking plate 9. As illustrated in cross-section in Figure 3 the key aligned card 8 has magnetic spots 19 arranged so as to be inserted into the with the magnets 15 when the key card 8 is

477,236

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the cavity 7. The polarity of the magnetic spots 19 repels

the magnets 15 thereby magnetically dis-engaging the magnets

from the holes 10 in the locking plate 9. 'ith the card

8 inserted into the cavity 7 the magnetic spots 19 are in- the terposed between magnets 15 and the magnetic spots 5 in

biasin- card 4. The influence of the magnetic spots 5 on

the magnets 15 is thereby completely overcome.

With the magnets 15 dis-engaged from the holes 10 in

the locking plate 9, the magnets 15 lie entirely within the

holes 18 in the acutsing plate 11. The actuating plate 11 is

therefore free to be moved from left to right as seen in

Figure 2. This movement may be accomplished by means of fur-

ther inserting the key card 8 into the cavity 7 thereby con-

tacing the flange 16 and pushing the actuating plate 11 to

the right. Such a movement of the actuating plate 11 is

utilised to actuate the conventional locking mechanism (not

shown) of the lock in known manner. Alternatively, the act-

uating plate 11 may be moved to the right as seen in Figure a han- 2 by some means, other than the key card 8, such as

dle (not shown). The actuating plate 11 will be returned

to the nosition shown in Figure 2 once the locking mechanism of the lock has been operated and the lock opened. This may

be accomplished by means of a return spring (not shown).

Once the locking mechanism has been operated the key

card 8 may be removed from the cavity 7. The use of the

en- program card 13 and a large number of magnets 14 and 15

ables locks having different combinations with corresponding also different individual key cards to be constructed and

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a master key card which is allows the possibility of having

able to open all such locks. card 4 are card 13 and biasing In addition, the program has been in- withdrawable from the lock once it preferably lock to be the combination of each stalled, thereby allowing

changed. the in- only one embodiment of The foregoing describes to those skilled modifications, obvious vention and various from the thereto without departing in the art, may be made invention. scope of the present

477.236

Claims (4)

1. 66. 225 n4

   The claims defining the invention are as follows: 1. A card operated security lock of the type herein defined having a lock actuating member of non-magnetizable material lockable by at least one magnet slidably mounted in said act- uating member and movable into and out of engagement with a corresponding hole in a stationary member of non-magnetizable material to respectively lock and release said actuating mem- ber, wherein a magnetic means is associated with at least one of said magnets to magnetically insert and retain said magnet in engagement with said hole and wherein a key card, magnetically coded in opposition to said magnet, is insert- able between said magnet and said corresponding magnetic means to overcome said magnetic retention and magnetically move said magnet out of engagement with said hole.
2. 2. The card operated security lock as claimed in claim 1 wherein said magnetic means comprises a magnetically coded biasing card having at least one magnetic spot corresponding to said magnet aligned with said corresponding hole, the polarity of said magnetic spot being arranged to magnetically insert and retain said magnet in said hole.
3. 3. The card operated security lock as claimed in claim 1 or 2, having a plurality of said magnets and a magnetically coded program card containing magnetic spots aligned with some of said magnets, the polarity of said magnetic spots preventing engagement of said some magnets with their cor- responding holes, said corresponding magnetic means being associated only with each of the remainder of said magnets.
4. 4. The card operated security lock as claimed in claim 3

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   coded in opposition wherein a master key card, magnetically between said nagnetic to each of said magnets, is insertable said magnets out of en- means and said magnets to urge all holes and release said gagement with their corresponding actuating member. substantially as described A card operated security lock with reference to the drawings.

   day of February, 1974 DATED this 20th

   LIMITED, CARD KEY SYSTEi.S (AUSTRA LIA) PTY.

   By their Patent Attorneys, ARTHUR S. CATE CO.

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