Fort Lock Corporation

Fork Lock Corporation

Morris Falk

A machine for making identical tubular keys from a sample includes a decoder having a gage means mounted on the base of the machine for measuring the axial length of a bite in the sample. The decoder serves to position a first stop means for engagement by the blank to be cut so that the bite cut in the blank by a cutter will be of the same axial length as the bite in the sample. For proper positioning of the stop means, the decoder includes a rotatable cam disk having opposite edges shaped as inverted mirror images of each other. With this shape, the disk may be turned on a support until one of the edges engages the gage means. Once so positioned, the opposite edge of the disk locates the stop means for engagement by the blank at an axial position for cutting the same length of bite in the blank as the length of the bite in the sample being measured by the gage means. A lever mechanism connected with a key-carrying chuck mounted on the base is operable to move the chuck relative to the cutter in both axial and radial directions so that the bite to be cut in the blank can be cut with a single stroke of a lever within the mechanism.

Tubular key cutting machine

A resettable axial pin tumbler lock having a spindle rotatably mounted in a barrel with the spindle and barrel forming a 'lock' radial interface and a plurality of cooperating axial wells for receiving axial pins. A plurality of driver pins are disposed in the wells in the barrel and spring biased across the 'lock' interface into the wells of the spindle to lock the spindle against rotation in the barrel. A reset ring is rotatably mounted in the barrel with the reset ring and the spindle forming a 'reset' radial interface and a plurality of cooperating axial wells for receiving axial pins. A plurality of reset pins are disposed in the wells in the spindle and reset ring in axial alignment and engagement with the driver pins so that the spring bias on the driver pins also applies a biasing force to the reset pins. To unlock the lock, a service key engages the reset pins and axially displaces both the reset pins and the driver pins against the spring bias to align the radial interfaces between the two sets of pins with the 'lock' interface. To reset the lock, a reset key engages the reset pin and axially displaces both sets of pins to align the radial interfaces between the pins with the 'reset' interface to permit rotation of the reset ring relative to the spindle while locking the spindle to the barrel. The reset pins have different axial lengths so that rotation of the reset ring relative to the spindle and drive pins changes the combination of axial pin displacements required to align the pin interfaces with the 'lock' interface. A detent mechanism is provided between the reset ring and the spindle to indicate when the reset ring is in a position where its axial pin wells are in alignment with the pin wells in the spindle and the barrel.

Resettable axial pin tumbler lock

A maximum security padlock of the type having a monolithic lock body or case with a plurality of shackle and lock-receiving bores therein is made of a compressed and sintered powder metal alloy of an austenitic stainless steel. As a consequence of this unique material, the lock body is readily made with most or all of the bores formed in compressing the powder metal. While the resulting sintered lock body is relatively, substantially, softer than a conventional lock body and the shackle, when an attempt is made to saw or otherwise cut through the body the stainless steel work-hardens to resist and slow down further cutting. Improvements in the lock mechanism augment the characteristics provided by powder metal fabrication.

Growing community of inventors

Palm Springs, CA, United States of America

Morris Falk