The Eastern Company

John J Crocco

Timothy P Laabs

Michael O Misner

Herbert J Kincaid

Brian M Ott

David Malik

John J Velinski

Anthony R Martinez

Housing portions of a cam lock

A generally cylindrical body of a device such as a cam lock is provided with a snap-in mount that enables the body to be mounted from one side of and through mounting holes formed in support panels of distinctly different thicknesses. The body has a shoulder that faces in one direction toward one side of a support panel, and carries sets of movable arms that define engagement surfaces located at different distances from the shoulder that snap outwardly after being inserted through a panel mounting hole to face toward the opposite side of the support panel. The body can be mounted on panels having three different thicknesses if three sets of arms are provided that each define engagement surfaces located at a different distance from the shoulder. More panel thicknesses can be accommodated if one or more of the sets of arms define two or more sets of engagement surfaces each located at a distinctly different distance from the shoulder.

Snap-in mount for CAM locks and the like

A lock with a keyed removable plug having a substantially cylindrical body, and a plurality of tumblers disposed within the body and movable between a first position retracted within the cylindrical body of the plug and a second position with one end extending from the body. A retaining tab extends radially from the plug body at an angle from the radial orientation of the tumblers. A shell has a substantially cylindrical opening therein for removably receiving the plug in a first shell end. The shell further includes an annular shoulder spaced from the first shell end and engageable by the plug retaining tab and a retaining one of the tumblers when in its second position. Tumbler grooves extend axially along the sides of the shell opening from the first shell end to a groove end short of the shoulder, and a release groove extends axially along the shell opening from the first shell end to the shoulder to define an opening in the shoulder. Engagement of either the retaining tab or the retaining tumbler with the annular shoulder retains the plug in the shell. An operating key engages the tumblers to orient all but the retaining tumbler in the first position to permit pivoting of the plug within the shell with at least one of the retaining tab and the retaining tumbler aligned with the shell shoulder to retain the plug in the shell. A removing key engages the tumblers to orient all of the tumblers in the first position to permit pivoting of the plug within the shell to a removal position in which the retaining tab is aligned with the release groove.

Key lock with removable plug

A bolt lock including a lock barrel having a central opening cylindrical about a central axis and extending between an open front end and a closed rear end. The lock barrel has bolt openings extending outwardly from opposite sides of the central opening adjacent the lock barrel rear end, with a pair of bolts received in opposite bolt openings. Each bolt has a head on one end, a leg on the other end with a rear side having a spring groove, and a front side with an axially extending shoulder. The bolt shoulders are planar and parallel to one another. The spring grooves are open at the end of the leg and parallel to and equidistant from a radius of the central axis. The bolts have their other ends in the central opening adjacent one another with the bolt legs substantially side by side when in a retracted position. A compression spring has one end disposed in one bolt spring groove and a second compression spring has one end disposed in the other bolt spring groove, where each spring extends from the open end of the groove and bears against the other bolt to bias the bolts apart. A lock plug in the barrel central opening has a pair of control lugs extending toward the barrel rear end. The lugs axially overlap with the bolt shoulders and the springs bias the bolts apart so that one shoulder engages one lug and the other shoulder engages the other lug.

Bolt lock

A combined lock/actuator for providing linear actuation including a lock barrel having an opening extending along a longitudinal axis, a spline in the opening extending along the longitudinal axis, a plug mounted in the opening, and a key-retractable tumbler carried by the plug and extending into the spline. The plug is rotatable within the opening over a fixed annular displacement between an actuation position and a release position. Further, the plug is translatable within the opening over a fixed axial displacement along the longitudinal axis between a first position and a second position. The tumbler extends into the spline when the plug is in the actuation position in the first position, when the plug is in the actuation position in the second position, and when the plug is in the actuation position in translating between the first and second positions.

Combined lock and linear actuator

A combined lock and latch for use with an exterior compartment door on a recreational vehicle has a cylindrical barrel and a rotatable plug mounted within an axial opening formed in the barrel. A number of spring-biased, key retractable tumblers extend through the plug and are received in a narrow slot formed in the barrel to prevent the plug from rotating relative to the barrel when the plug is in a locked position. A metal cam having mutually perpendicular legs is mounted at one end of the key plug, with one of the cam legs engaging a fixed keeper when the plug is in the locked position. An arcuate groove is formed on the barrel and receives the tumblers when the key plug is in latched and unlatched positions. The groove sweeps through approximately 90 degrees and allows the plug to be freely rotated without the use of a key. A second leg on the metal cam engages the keeper when the key plug is the latched position.

Combined lock and latch

A tamper resistant pop-handle lock is disposed in the door of a vending machine or similar closure, and is used to restrict operation of a spring-biased handle which is seated in a recessed housing and is adapted for manually latching and unlatching the door. The lock has a cylindrical barrel and a rotatable key plug mounted within an opening in the barrel. An axially extending eccentric lug at the inner end of the plug is received in a recess formed on a retractable locking bolt, such that rotation of the plug relative to the barrel causes the locking bolt to move through a second opening in the barrel. A locking surface on the lug-receiving recess engages the eccentric lug when the key plug is in a locked position to prevent radial movement of the bolt and extension of the handle. A pair of diametrically opposed integral tabs on the key plug are engageable with corresponding slots formed in the barrel to prevent forcible axial withdrawal of the key plug from the barrel when the key plug is in the locked position.

Growing community of inventors

Gurnee, IL, United States of America

John J Crocco