ES3010060T3 - A cylinder lock with enhanced security against break-in attempts - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cylinder lock (10) comprising: a cylinder plug (30) with a key slot (35); a first cylinder half (23) and a second cylinder half (24) extending longitudinally; a rotatable cam (21) coaxial with the cylinder plug (30) and connected thereto for rotation therewith, the rotatable cam (21) being arranged externally and between the second and first cylinder halves (23, 24); a mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) arranged through at least a part of the first cylinder half (23) to form a fragile tip portion (28); a mechanically weakened plug notch (36) arranged through at least a part of the cylinder plug (30) to form a fragile plug portion. a plurality of mutually aligned holes extending at right angles to the cylinder plug axis and in which housing pins (52) that are substantially of equal length and plug pins (53) that are of different lengths are biased in the direction of the keyway (35) under spring force by a plurality of springs (51). Said cylinder lock (10) further comprises at least one retaining pin (32), prestressed and movable under a spring force, arranged in the cylinder plug (30) and depressed by a retaining member (31), said retaining pin (32) adapted to at least partially mate with a corresponding retaining gap (27) formed in the first cylinder half (23) such that when the mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) and the plug notch (36) are broken, said retaining member (31) slides out of the first cylinder half (23) and said retaining pin (32) keeps the remainder of the cylinder plug (30) in the first cylinder half (23) mating with the retaining gap (27). (Automatic translation with Google Translate, no legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

A cylinder lock with greater security against burglary attempts

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a cylinder lock designed to break along at least one predetermined notch, where the remaining cylinder can still prevent unauthorized access with additional enhanced security.

Background of the invention

Lock-picking attempts are generally carried out by using hand tools designed to engage the outer face of a lock cylinder and grip the outer contour of the cylinder to apply pressure to the cylinder by rotating it. These tools are specially adapted for the specific purpose of breaking the cylinder by breaking it along its most vulnerable portion; that is, around the bridge portion between two cylinder halves, where the cylinder is mounted to the door by means of a mounting screw.

There are known cylinder locks that, as a security measure, have a mechanically weakened section, where the remaining cylinder can still prevent unauthorized access. This security enhancement prevents a thief from grasping the cylinder or the rotating cam from the outside with the help of a pliers-type gripping tool and applying a bending force until the central section is broken.

This device provides protection against an act of vandalism that consists of grabbing the cylinder by its front section with a pliers-type tool and applying force from right to left, and once the cylinder is broken along the central area, the thief acts on the rotating cam to activate the door opening mechanism and penetrate the interior of the house.

Document DE20021352 (U1) relates to a cylinder lock with a movable cylinder core that can be moved in a lock housing, with a locking channel for inserting a key, and with at least one tumbler for blocking the movement of the cylinder core. According to the document, a pin is arranged in a hole that extends to just before a locking channel. When pliers are applied to the lock housing, a front area of the cylinder lock can be separated from a rear area. A clamping member is extracted from the constriction of a pin of a security tumbler, thereby releasing the movement of the pin. The pin then moves toward the cylinder core and blocks its movement relative to the lock housing.

A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as EP2722470 (B1), among others, the document describes a cylinder lock having a mechanically weakened notch cut into the outer end of the second cylinder half to form a breakable tip portion in said second cylinder half.

One of the disadvantages of a cylinder lock having a breakable mortise is that, after the cylinder lock and/or cylinder plug have been broken, the remaining pins in the tumbler can be easily accessed to prevent further intrusion. For example, using a cable or similar, such tumblers can be manipulated and moved further. Since a small number of tumblers remain in the cylinder lock, such a cylinder can be easily unlocked.

Objects of the invention

The main object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder lock with improved security against burglary attempts which is arranged to retain the cylinder plug in its housing against any further intrusion.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder lock that remains functional in terms of preventing unauthorized access after a portion of the cylinder lock has been disengaged.

Summary of the invention

The present invention relates to a cylinder lock comprising: a cylinder plug having a keyway adapted to receive a key; a first cylinder half and a second cylinder half extending longitudinally; a rotatable cam coaxial with the cylinder plug and connected thereto for rotation therewith, the rotatable cam being disposed externally and between the first and second cylinder halves; a mechanically weakened cylinder notch provided through at least part of the first cylinder half to form a breakable tip portion; a mechanically weakened plug notch provided through at least part of the cylinder plug to form a breakable plug portion; a plurality of mutually aligned holes extending at right angles to the axis of the cylinder plug and in which housing pins having substantially the same length and plug pins being of different lengths are urged in the direction of the keyway under spring force by a plurality of springs. Said cylinder lock further comprises at least one retaining pin, prestressed and movable under a spring force, arranged in the cylinder plug in its normal initial position and pressed by a retaining member. Said retaining pin is adapted to at least partially mate with a corresponding retaining recess formed in the first cylinder half, such that when the mechanically weakened cylinder notch and plug notch break, said retaining member slides out of the first cylinder half and said retaining pin keeps the remainder of the cylinder plug in the first cylinder half when used in a door or the like. Contrary to the prior art, in the present invention, the retaining pin is positioned within the cylinder plug when pressed by the retaining member.

Brief description of the figures

The accompanying drawings are provided solely for the purpose of exemplifying a cylinder lock whose advantages over the prior art have been described above and will be explained in detail below: Figure 1 demonstrates an exploded view of the cylinder lock wherein a cylinder plug according to the present invention is shown.

Figure 2 shows a front view of the hinge according to the present invention.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along A-A in Figure 2.

Figure 4 demonstrates a partially sectional cylinder lock according to the present invention.

Figure 5 demonstrates a partially sectional cylinder lock wherein the breakable portions of the cylinder lock are shown separated in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a cylinder lock wherein the breakable portions of the cylinder lock are shown separated according to the present invention.

Figure 7 demonstrates a perspective view of a cylinder plug for a cylinder lock according to another embodiment of the invention.

Figure 8 demonstrates a cross-sectional view of a coupling of a retaining pin and a housing pin with a slot as a second locking position according to the present invention.

Figure 9a shows a cross-sectional view taken along B-B in Figure 4.

Figure 9b shows a cross-sectional view taken along C-C in Figure 4.

Figure 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the cylinder plug shown in Figure 7, where a spring-loaded, hardened member is biased by a retaining member. This is prevented when the cylinder plug is rotated clockwise, in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 11b demonstrates a cross-sectional view of a cylinder lock where a retaining member engages a slot in a housing pin such that rotation of a cylinder plug is prevented when the cylinder plug is rotated counterclockwise, according to the present invention.

Detailed description of the invention

In this section, the invention will be described in detail with reference to the figures provided in the appendix to the description. The reference list used in the figures is provided in the present description below:

10 Cylinder lock

21. Rotating cam

22. Notch

23. First half of cylinder

24. Second half of cylinder

26. Slot

27. Retention reduction

29. Cylinder notch

30 Cylinder shutter

31. Retaining member

32. Retaining pin

33. Thrust spring

34. Protuberance

35. Keyway

36. Shutter notch

37. Pin housing

38. First hardened member

39. Second hardened member

41. Threaded hole

42. Slot

43. Third hardened member

44. Spring member

51. Spring

52. Housing pin

52a. Housing pin

53. Shutter pin

54. Aligned hole

In the prior art, forcible removal of the cylinder plug (30) may cause the plug pins (53) to shear at the separation joint so that a suitable tool may force rotation of the rotating cam (21). The present invention overcomes the above deficiencies by providing special mechanically weakened notches along the length of the cylinder lock (10) and the cylinder plug (30), said line being mechanically weakened to break in response to a breaking force applied by a suitable hand tool. Furthermore, as a second security feature, said retaining pin (32) retains the remainder of the cylinder plug (30) in the cylinder lock (10) by blocking movement of the housing pin (52a). The cylinder lock (10) according to the present invention is arranged to have greater protection against burglary attempts.

According to a preferred embodiment, said cylinder lock (10) comprises: a cylinder plug (30) having a keyway (35) adapted to receive a key; a first cylinder half (23) and a second cylinder half (24) extending longitudinally; a rotatable cam (21) coaxial with the cylinder plug (30) and connected thereto for rotation therewith, the rotatable cam (21) being arranged externally and between the first second cylinder halves (23, 24); a mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) provided through at least part of the first cylinder half (23) to form a breakable tip portion (28); a mechanically weakened plug notch (36) provided through at least part of the cylinder plug (30) to form a breakable plug portion (22); a plurality of mutually aligned holes (54) extending at right angles to the axis of the cylinder plug and in which housing pins (52), which are substantially of the same length, and plug pins (53), which are of different lengths, are urged in the direction of the keyway (35) under spring force by a plurality of springs (51). Said aligned holes (54) can be clearly seen in Figure 4, preferably at the end of said aligned holes (54) said housing pin (52a) is arranged.

said cylinder lock (10) further comprises at least one retaining pin (32), prestressed and movable under an elastic force, arranged in the cylinder plug (30) and pressed by a retaining member (31), said retaining pin (32) being adapted to mate, at least partially, with the corresponding retaining recess (27) formed in the first cylinder half (23), such that when the mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) and the plug notch (36) break, said retaining member (31) slides out of the first cylinder half (23) and said retaining pin (32) keeps the remainder of the cylinder plug (30) in the first cylinder half (23) mating with the retaining recess (27). A threaded hole (41) may be provided in a direction transverse to the axis of rotation for securing the cylinder lock (10) in an opening of a door.

According to the present invention, said cylinder lock (10) has two security options for theft attempts in cylinder locks. One of the security features is that it blocks the cylinder shutter (10) by activating the retaining pin (32) and another security feature is that it blocks the movement of the cylinder shutter (10) in case of any withdrawal of the retaining pin (32) from its seated retaining recess (27) by moving the retaining pin (32) to the slot (26) of the housing pin (52a). The retaining pin (32) functions as a barrier mounted in a pin housing (37) to move in the first cylinder half (23) and be urged in the direction of the shutter pins (53) by means of a biasing spring (33).

When the cylinder plug (30) is forcibly removed from the first cylinder half (23) as shown in Fig. 5, the bias spring (33) may push the retaining pin (32). Accordingly, the retaining member (31) slides outward and the retaining pin (32) enters the retaining recess (27) opened by the withdrawn cylinder plug (30). Said retaining pin (32) has a shoulder shape with an enlarged diameter such that the movement of the retaining pin (32) is limited when the retaining member (31) is withdrawn.

As shown in Figure 3, one of the housing pins (52a) and one of the shutter pins (53) are arranged on the same vertical axis (X) according to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder lock with the retaining pin (32). In addition, the housing pin (52a) has at least one slot (26) adapted to receive at least partially the retaining pin (32), such that said housing pin (52a) blocks the movement of the cylinder shutter (30) as a second security feature when the retaining pin (32) is withdrawn from the recess (27) and the cylinder shutter (30) is rotated. In any burglary attempt, the cylinder plug (30) and the cylinder lock (10) break from their mechanically weakened notches such that said retaining pin (32) is activated and pushed into the retaining recess (27) under the elastic force of the thrust spring (33) located therein. Even if withdrawn from its retaining recess (27), the slot (26) can lock the cylinder plug (30) when the cylinder plug (30) is axially rotated. Said retaining pin (32) is configured to mate with the slot (26) of the housing pin (52a) when the retaining pin (32) is withdrawn from the retaining recess (27) and the cylinder plug (30) is rotated between 160° and 200°, more preferably 180°, thereby being protected against rotation.

In a preferred embodiment, the retaining member (31) may have a protrusion (34) arranged to fit into a slot (42) formed in the breakable plug portion of the cylinder plug (30) such that when the cylinder plug (30) is broken or pulled, the retaining member (31) exits with the breakable plug portion of the cylinder plug (30) removing pressure on the retaining pin (32). The protrusion (34) may be formed as a sleeve extending in the longitudinal axis (Y) of the cylinder lock (10). The protrusion may be in the form of a semi-dome that is shaped and sized to fit the corresponding slot (42), and may be bonded using adhesive material thereof.

As shown in Figure 3, a second cylinder half (24) may be used on the opposite side defining a second bore having a second cylinder plug mounted thereon, which is adapted to receive an external input and thereby rotate within the second bore, and wherein the axis of rotation of the second cylinder plug is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the cylinder plug (30) and the rotary cam (21), which rotary cam (21) is also connected to the second cylinder plug to rotate therewith. The rotary cam (21) may also be configured to rotate with either the cylinder plug (30) or the second cylinder plug.

In a preferred embodiment, said mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) and the mechanically weakened shutter notch (36) are arranged on the same vertical axis (X) according to the longitudinal axis (Y) of the cylinder lock with the retaining pin (32), such that both notches can be broken at the same time. In another embodiment, an end of the retaining recess (27) facing outwards of the cylinder lock (10) can be closed to eliminate access to the retaining pin (32) after any theft attempt.

In Figure 8, a cross-sectional view of the retaining pin (32) and the housing pin (52a) is shown, which have a groove corresponding to the groove (26) where said parts engage each other. When the retaining pin (32) is removed from the retaining recess (27) and the cylinder plug (30) is axially rotated, the retaining pin (32), serving as a second safety feature, is fixed in the groove (26) of the housing pin (52a) such that rotation of the cylinder plug (30) is prevented.

As an additional security measure, more than one retaining pin (32) and corresponding recesses (27) may be provided in the first cylinder half (23). It is evident that the retaining pin (23) is arranged sufficiently vertically in the cylinder lock (10) so that the function of the housing pins (52) and the plug pin (53) is not adversely affected.

As additional protection, as shown in Figure 1, at least one hardened member (38, 39) may be used to prevent drilling in the cylinder lock (10), especially in the cylinder plug (30). In a preferred embodiment, a first hardened member (38) extends in a transverse direction of the cylinder lock (10). Similarly, a second hardened member (39), which preferably has the shape of the first hardened member (38) and in a smaller size extends in a transverse direction of the cylinder lock (10). Said hardened members (38, 39) may be made of any chosen material, which may be different from the brass material from which the main part of the cylinder plug (30) is normally made. For example, the hardened members (38, 39) may be made of stainless steel or hardened steel.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the first hardened member (38) sits in elongated recesses of the cylinder plug (30) and has substantially a cylindrical shape. Similarly, the second hardened member (39) sits in further elongated recesses of the cylinder plug (30) and has substantially a cylindrical shape. Figure 7 demonstrates a perspective view of the cylinder plug (30) for the cylinder lock (10) according to another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, a third hardened member (43) may be used anti-drilling like the first hardened member (38) used in the cylinder plug (30). Said third hardened member (43) may be formed as a semicircle with a flat bottom and an arc-shaped top. Said third hardened member (43) is shaped and sized to seat in a corresponding seat in the first cylinder half (23), which is also elastically loaded by at least one spring member (44). In one possible embodiment, two spring members (44) are located at opposite ends of the flat bottom of the third hardened member (43).

Said third hardened member (43) is pre-tensioned and movable under spring force and is biased by the retaining member (31) as shown in Fig. 10. Said third hardened member (43) is adapted to at least partially engage a corresponding seat formed in the first cylinder half (23) such that when the mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) and the plug notch (36) are broken, said retaining member (31) slides out of the first cylinder half (23) and said third hardened member (43) engages the seat where reintroduction of the retaining member (31) is prevented.

Claims (15)

i. A cylinder lock (10) comprising: a cylinder plug (30) having a keyway (35) adapted to receive a key; a first cylinder half (23) and a second cylinder half (24) extending longitudinally; a rotatable cam (21) coaxial with the cylinder plug (30) and connected thereto for rotation therewith, the rotatable cam (21) being disposed externally and between the first and second cylinder halves (23, 24); a mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) disposed through at least part of the first cylinder half (23) to form a breakable tip portion (28); a mechanically weakened shutter notch (36) provided through at least part of the cylinder shutter (30) to form a breakable shutter portion (22); a plurality of mutually aligned holes (54) extending at right angles to the axis of the cylinder plug and in which housing pins (52) that are substantially the same length and plug pins (53) that are of different lengths are urged in the direction of the keyway (35) under spring force by a plurality of springs (51); and at least one retaining pin (32) which is pretensioned and movable under a spring force, wherein the retaining pin (32) is arranged in the cylinder plug (30) within its normal initial position and is pressed by a retaining member (31) and wherein said retaining pin (32) is adapted to at least partially mate with the corresponding retaining recess (27) formed in the first cylinder half (23), such that when the mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) and the plug notch (36) break, said retaining member (31) slides out of the first cylinder half (23) and said retaining pin (32) keeps the remainder of the cylinder plug (30) in the first cylinder half (23) by mating with the retaining recess (27). 2. A cylinder lock (10) according to claim 1, wherein one of the housing pins (52a) and one of the shutter pins (53) are arranged on the same vertical axis (X) along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder lock with the retaining pin (32). 3. A cylinder lock (10) according to claim 2, wherein the housing pin (52a) has at least one slot (26) adapted to at least partially receive the retaining pin (32), such that said housing pin (52a) blocks the movement of the cylinder plug (30) as a second lock when the retaining pin (32) is withdrawn from the retaining recess (27) and the cylinder plug (30) is rotated. 4. A cylinder lock (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the retaining member (31) has a protrusion (34) arranged to fit into a slot (42) formed in the breakable plug portion (22) of the cylinder plug (30) such that when the cylinder plug (30) is broken or pulled, said retaining member (31) comes out with the cylinder plug (30) upon removal of pressure on the retaining pin (32). 5. A cylinder lock (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second cylinder half (24) defines a second bore having a second cylinder plug mounted therein, which is adapted to receive an external input and thereby rotate within the second bore, and wherein the axis of rotation of the second cylinder plug is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the cylinder plug (30) and the rotating cam (21), which rotating cam (21) is also connected to the second cylinder plug to rotate therewith. 6. A cylinder lock (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) and the mechanically weakened shutter notch (36) are arranged on the same vertical axis (X) along the longitudinal axis (Y) of the cylinder lock with the retaining pin (32). 7. A cylinder lock (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the retaining member (31) is formed as a sleeve extending the longitudinal axis (Y) of the cylinder lock (10). 8. A cylinder lock (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the end of the retaining recess (27) facing outwards is closed to eliminate access to the retaining pin (32) after any burglary attempt. 9. A cylinder lock (10) according to claim 5, wherein the rotating cam (21) is configured to rotate with either the cylinder plug (30) or the second cylinder plug. 10. A cylinder lock (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the retaining pin (32) is configured to mate with the slot (26) of the housing pin (52a) when the retaining pin (32) is withdrawn from the retaining recess (27) and the cylinder plug (30) rotates between 160° and 200°, more preferably 180°. 11. A cylinder lock (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cylinder lock (10) further comprises at least one hardened member (38, 39, 43) made of a harder material than the material of the cylinder plug (30). 12. A cylinder lock (10) according to claim 11, wherein the first, second and third hardened members (38, 39, 43) are positioned in a direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder lock (10). 13. A cylinder lock (10) according to claim 12, wherein the third hardened member (43) is spring-loaded with at least one spring member (44) and is biased by the retaining member (31) such that when the mechanically weakened cylinder notch (29) and plug notch (36) are broken, said retaining member (31) slides out of the first cylinder half (23) upon increasing pressure on the third hardened member (43) wherein said third hardened member (43) engages a seat by preventing reintroduction of the retaining member (31). 14. A cylinder lock (10) according to claim 13, wherein the third hardened member (43) is formed substantially as a semicircle with a flat bottom and an arc-shaped top. 15. A door comprising a cylinder lock (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.