Padlock with locking balls for a shackle

Abstract

A padlock body is formed with a pair of bores which can receive short and long legs of a U-shaped shackle. The long leg has a free end spaced from a relatively deep notch and is formed between the free end and the notch with a relatively shallow circumferential groove and is further formed with a flat extending from a floor of the relatively shallow groove to the respective notch. Respective balls are displaceable between a locked position projecting radially far into the respective bores and engaging in the respective notches of both legs and an unlocked position with only the ball of the bore of the long leg projecting radially a little into the respective bore. A locking element in the body operated by a cylinder has an outer surface bearing radially on the balls and formed with relatively shallow recesses and, offset angularly from one of the shallow recesses, with a relatively deep recess. The balls are seated in the shallow recesses in the unlocked position and ride on the outer surface outside the recesses in the locked position. The long-leg recess is so deep that in the unlocked position this ball projects into the long-leg bore and inhibits axial withdrawal of the long leg from the body. The deep recess is so deep that in the unlocked position the respective ball can move substantially wholly out of the long-leg recess and thereby permit axial withdrawal of the long leg from the body.