FR2540171A1 - Padlock having elements separable by axial sliding - Google Patents

Abstract

This padlock comprises a first head 2 provided with a bar 1 onto which a second head 3 can be fitted; this second head 3 can be locked onto the bar 1 by means of balls 21, 22 which are moved by a rod 13 actuated by a closure mechanism 37 controlled by a key 41. A padlock according to the invention is especially suitable for joining together rings or the like, for example the rings intended for closing the roller shutters of shops.

Description

 The present invention relates to a padlock of the type comprising two separate parts which can be separated by axial sliding.

 Currently, although they provide extremely varied and diverse functions, padlocks have a structure that can be reduced to the same basic scheme; a ring that can be opened with a lock.

 As is known, this diagram is produced according to two modes, in the sense that there are two types of padlocks: one comprising a compact body which contains the lock and a movable U-shaped member, the other comprising a U-shaped body which contains the lock, and a pin movable in the axial direction.

 Padlocks of the first type are the simplest but they have the recognized drawback of limited security since the U-shaped member can easily be attacked, either in the sense that it can be released from the body, or in that meaning that it can be cut using a cutting tool. In addition, these padlocks are ill-suited in the case where one must combine elements of great thickness indeed, in this case, the shape of U forced to have holes of large diameter to be able to thread the padlock.

 Padlocks of the second type partially solve these problems but by creating others of a different nature. Safety is improved by the fact that the movable spindle cannot be extracted by sliding since it offers no grip in the direction of opening and that it cannot be reached by a cutting tool either. padlock size has been appropriately chosen; the straight shape of the spindle then makes it possible to have holes with a diameter barely greater than that of the spindle.

 On the other hand, this second type of padlock has the recognized disadvantage of a very high weight, which quickly increases with the growth of the dimensions of the padlock this high weight does not only translate into a lack of convenience in use, to the point of discourage the use of padlocks, for example on bicycles and mopeds, but this is necessarily reflected in the costs.

 The object of the present invention is to provide a padlock which solves all the problems of the current technique which have been explained above.

 This object is achieved by a padlock of the aforementioned type, characterized in that it comprises: a first head fixed to a bar, said first head and said bar being traversed axially by a first hole a a second head, provided with a second blind hole, by means of which it is axially fitted on a cylindrical segment of said bar, on the side opposite to said first head i a closing mechanism controlled by a key housed in said first hole; a ball locking device operating between said bar and said second head and actuated by said closing mechanism controlled by a key.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be better understood on reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment and with reference to the appended drawings in which,
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a padlock according to the invention
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the padlock of Figure 1, in the locked position
Figure 3 is a section of the padlock of Figure 2, taken along line III-III;
Figure 4 is a section of the padlock of Figure 2, taken along the line IV-IV;
Figure 5 is a sectional view of the padlock of Figure 1, in the unlocked position and with the key in place
Figure 6 is a partial view of the padlock of Figure 1, taken along arrow VI
Figure 7 is a section of the padlock in Figure 5, taken along the line VII-VII
Figure 8 is a sectional view taken in the same plane as Figure 7-and showing the padlock of figure 1 in the unlocked position, the key being removed from the padlock
FIG. 9 represents two rings provided for closing a store roller shutter and intended for the application of a padlock according to the invention
FIG. 10 represents a rolling shutter of a store closed with the padlock of FIG. 1.

 A padlock according to the invention comprises a cylindrical bar 1 provided with two heads, including a fixed head 2 and a movable head 3. The fixed head 2 and the bar 1 are formed in one piece. The bar 1 and the two heads 2 and 3 are aligned along an axis 4. The directions of rotation, in the direction of clockwise and in the opposite direction mean in the present description for the rotation around the axis 4, side view of the fixed head 2.

 The movable head 3 is provided with a blind coaxial cylindrical hole 5, of diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the bar 1; the movable head 3 can be fitted onto the bar 1 over a certain segment 6 by means of this hole 5.

 The fixed head 2 and the bar 1 are crossed axially by a cylindrical hole 7 comprising a first segment 8 located inside the head 2 and having a large diameter, and a second segment 9, located inside the bar 1 and of smaller diameter. On the side of the head 2, the hole 7 is open and, on the side of the bar 1, it is partially closed by a diaphragm 10 having a substantially rectangular opening 11 centered on the axis 4. This opening 11 defines an axis 12, perpendicular to the axis 4, directed along the long side of the rectangular opening-11.

 A cylindrical rod 13 is inserted inside the part 9 of the hole 7, with radial 5eu, so as to be able to slide and rotate freely; the end of the rod 13 directed towards the opening 11 has a tenon 14 having a rectangular section combined with that of the opening 11 and which defines an axis 15 perpendicular to the axis 4 and directed along the long side of the section tenon 14; the stud 14 is also provided with a small stud 16 whose diameter is less than the short side of the rectangular opening 11.

 The bar 1 has on its segment 6 two pairs of transverse through holes whose axes are directed like the axis 12, the first pair being formed by the holes 17 and 18 and the second by the holes 19 and 20. The holes 17 and 18 are aligned, as are the holes 19 and 20; the four holes have the same diameter at their outlet in the hole 7; the holes 18 and 20, directed respectively upwards and downwards with respect to the position shown in the figures, having a slight taper by narrowing towards the outside while the holes 17 and 19 are cylindrical.

 Inside the holes 18 and 20 are arranged balls 21 and 22 of intermediate diameter between the diameters of the ends of the conical holes 18 and 20. The rod 13 has two flattenings 23 and 24 perpendicular to the axis 15, and which are directed respectively upwards and downwards, relative to the position shown in FIG. 5, and which have a length, along the axis 4, at least equal to the diameter of the balls 21 and 22.

The position in the direction of the axis 4 is such that, when the tenon 14 of the rod 13 is engaged in the opening 21 of the diaphragm 10, as shown in FIG. 5, the flattener 23 is located in line with the hole 18 and the flattening 25 in line with the hole 20.

 The hole 5 of the movable head 3 has two annular grooves 25 and 26, with a semi-circular section of diameter slightly greater than that of the balls 21 and 22; these grooves are in axial positions such that, when the movable head 3 is fully fitted onto the bar 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the groove 25 is located in line with the holes 17 and 18 and the groove 26 in line with the holes 19 and 20.

 The end of the rod 13 which is opposite the lug 14 and the lug 16 protrudes outside the segment 8 of the hole 7 by another lug 27 having a rectangular section (similar to lug 14) whose large side is directed along the axis 15, and it has a cylindrical blind hole 28 of diameter less than the short side of the rectangular section of the stud 27.

 In the hole 28 are inserted a helical spring 29 and a spindle 30 provided with a part 31 and reduced diameter, inserted in the spring, and with a part 32 of larger diameter which rests on the spring 29.

 A ring 33 is engaged on the stud 27 by a slot 34 having a rectangular shape combined with that of the stud 27, and by a blind hole 35, formed in the bottom of the slot 34 and conjugated with the part 32 of the pin 30. The rod 13 is thus secured to the ring 33 in the direction of rotation and free to axially axially relative to this ring. Externally, the ring 33 is engaged with clearance in the hole 7, in the segment 8 of this hole and in a groove 36 formed between the two segments 8 and 9 of the hole 7, said ring 33 having an internal profile substantially conjugated with that of the groove 36 and that of the part of the segment 8 which is adjacent to the groove 36.

 In the segment 8 of the hole 7 is engaged with an extremely small clearance, a closing mechanism 37, known per se, for example, that described in Italian patent application No. 25942 ^ / 81; this closing mechanism 37 is provided with a fixed casing 38 and a rotating spindle 39, of rectangular section, which defines an axis 40 perpendicular to the axis 4 and directed along the long side of the rectangular section. The angular movement of the spindle 39 is controlled by a key 41 and the casing 38 is made integral with the fixed head 2 by a pin 42 engaged in a hole 43 in the head 2 and in a hole 44 in the casing 38, so that, when the key 41 is removed, the axis 40 is parallel to the axis 12. The pin 39 is further provided with an axial cylindrical hole. The coupling between the ring 33 and the pin 39 s' by inserting into the hole 45 a cylindrical stud 46 formed on the. ring 33 and by inserting the pin 39 of rectangular section in a circular cavity 47 coaxial with the pin 46 formed in the ring 33; in this cavity 47, there are two teeth 48 and 49, diametrically opposed, of radial dimensions suitable for obstructing the rotation of the spindle 39; these teeth 48 and 49 are arranged along an axis 50 which is rotated by 450 in the opposite direction to that of the needles of a montrie with respect to the axis 15 and they have a circumferential dimension such that the sum of l angle 51 covered by one of the teeth 48 or 49 and angle 52 covered by one of the short sides of the rectangular section of the pin 39 is 900.

 The rotation of the ring 33 relative to the head 2 is done in antagonism with respect to a torsion spring 53 which tends to rotate the ring 33 in the opposite direction to that of the needles of a watch. The spring 53 is a helical spring whose wire ends in two ends 54 and 55 folded at right angles in an axial direction, the end 54 being engaged in a hole 56 of the envelope 38 of the closing mechanism 37 and the end 55 in a notch 57 of the ring 33.

 The angular movement of the pin 39 of the closing mechanism 37 is limited to 900 in the clockwise direction and to 0 in the opposite direction, relative to the position in which the key is withdrawn, by means of a plate 58 threaded on the rectangular pin 39 and which rotates therewith; this plate has an opening 59 having two abutment walls 60 and 61, which form an angle of 900 and which cooperate with the fixed end 54 of the spring 53.

 The operation of the padlock described occurs as explained below.

 In the locking position shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, the key 41 is removed and the movable head 3 fitted on the bar 1; in this way, the stud 16 cannot emerge from the opening 11 and the entire rod 13 is pushed axially towards the fixed head 2, so that the spring 29 is compressed. The axis 40 of the pin 39 is parallel to the axis 12 of the opening 11; the angular position of the rod 13 (and of the ring 33 integral with this rod) is determined by the action of the torsion spring 53 which biases the teeth 48 and 49 in the opposite direction to that of the needles of a watch for the apply to the pin 39 which is blocked since the key 41 is removed, so that the axis 50 defined by the teeth 48 and 49 is rotated 450 clockwise relative to the axis 40 of pin 39; in this way, the axis 15 of the studs 14 and 27. of the rod 13, which is always rotated 450 in the direction of the hands of a watch with respect to the axis 50, is rotated by 900 in the direction of clockwise with respect to the axis 40. The axis 15 is therefore perpendicular to both the axis 40 and the axis 12; the position that the axes 40, 50, 15, 12 occupy when the padlock is locked is shown in Figure 4. The balls 21 and 22 bear against the rod 13 and therefore protrude outside the holes 18 and 20 , to engage in grooves 25 and 26, as shown in Figure 3; this prevents the head 3 from disengaging from the bar 1.

 To unlock the padlock, insert the key 41 and turn it clockwise, keeping the head 2 immobilized; in this way the pin 39 exerts a thrust in a clockwise direction on the teeth 48 and 49 and it therefore drives the assembly of the ring 33 and the rod 13 1 the axes 40, 50 and 15 rotate together while the axis 12 remains fixed. When a rotation of 900 has been reached, the flattenings 23, 24 are located respectively under the balls 21 and 22 which, in this way, are no longer forced outwards and are free to enter the holes 18 and 20 in emerging from the grooves 25 and 26, as shown in Figure 6. In addition, in this position, the axis 15 becomes parallel to the axis 12, that is to say that the pin 14 is exactly opposite the opening 11 which is combined therewith; the action of the spring 29 (which is compressed) therefore pushes the pin 14 into the opening 11, which causes the pin 16 to come out, which then pushes the movable head 3 out of the way, at least partially. is no longer retained by the balls 21 and 22. During this rotation of 900 clockwise, the action of the torsion spring 53 must be overcome, which is thus loaded and tends to bring the ring 33 and the rod 13 secured to this ring in the opposite direction; however, when a rotation of 900 has been reached, the key 41 can also be left since the rod 13 and the ring 33 which is integral therewith are blocked, due to the fact that the tenon 14 has entered the opening 11. It should also be noted that, in this position, the balls 21 and 22 do not fall, thanks to the taper of the holes 18 and 20. The position of the unlocked padlock is shown in Figures 5, 6, 7 1 in the figure 7, we can see in particular the positions taken by the axes 40, 50, 15, 12.

 If, now, the movable head 3 is re-fitted on the bar 1, which pushes the stud 16 inward while overcoming the action of the spring 29, the tenon 1S is released from the opening 11, so that the 'seems rod 13-ring 33 is no longer retained, the action of the torsion spring 53 then causes rotation of the rod 13, the ring 33, the rectangular pin 39 and the key 41 in the opposite direction clockwise until after a rotation of 900, the wall 60 of the plate 58 secured to the spindle 39 strikes the fixed end 54 of the spring 53, causing the rotation to stop in the locking position which has been described above and which is shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

 When the padlock is in its unlocked position, it is also possible to extract the key 41 without blocking the padlock. Indeed, if, in the unlocked position of the padlock which has been described above and illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, the key 41 is turned in the opposite direction to that of the hands of a watch, only the rotation of the pin 39 relative to the ring 33, since the latter is blocked, with all the rod 13, by the pin 14 engaged in the opening 11, while the pin 39 can on the contrary turn in the opposite direction to that clockwise since it is retained by the teeth 48 and 49 only in the clockwise direction, as this is clearly visible in FIG. 7; this rotation counterclockwise is limited to an angle of 900, both by the fact that the wall 60 of the plate 58 strikes the fixed end 54 of the spring 53 as well as by the causes the pin 39 itself to strike the teeth 48 and 49 on the side opposite the first, as is clearly visible in FIG. 8, where the position taken by the axes 40, 50, 15 has also been shown, 12. In this position, the key 41 can be removed from the padlock since the axis 40 of the pin 39 is parallel to the axis 12 of the opening 11.

 It is now possible to lock the padlock by acting in the same way as described for locking when the key 41 is inserted; the only difference in operation is that the teeth 48 and 49, which rotate counterclockwise, do not drive the pin 39, which is already turned 900, as we has shown in Figure 8 but strike it just after having performed in turn a rotation of 900; the locking position described above and illustrated in Figures 2, 3, 4 thus reproduces identically.

 It should be added that the presence of the plate 58 prevents false movements; in fact, the spindle 39 can itself rotate in the casing 38 of the closing mechanism 37 by any angle in any direction while, to obtain the correct movement of the rod 13, it is necessary that the spindle 39 only moves between the position in which the key 41 is removed and the position turned by 900 clockwise. In the absence of the insert 58, it would on the contrary be possible, for example, turning the key 41 counterclockwise after inserting it, thereby risking damage to the torsion spring 53; it would also be possible to turn the key 41 clockwise over 900 if, for some external reason, the spring 29 was unable to expel the head 3 and if, by consequently, the pin 14 could not enter the opening 11 in the turned position of 900, which would also risk damaging the torsion spring 53; on the contrary, with the wafer 58, the first false movement described is prevented by the wall 60, which strikes the fixed end 54 of the spring 53 in the opposite direction to that of clockwise, the second movement is prevented by the wall 61, which strikes the fixed end 54 of the spring 53 in a clockwise direction.

 It should also be noted that the cylindrical holes 17 and 19 serve to facilitate the assembly of the padlock, by allowing easy insertion of the balls which are respectively intended for the holes 18 and 20.

 The padlock according to the invention advantageously has two heads 2 and 3 of a shape which is particularly difficult to grasp, such as, for example, the frustoconical shape shown in the attached drawings.

A padlock according to the invention is particularly suitable for assembling two or more of two rings or the like. An example of application, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, consists in closing the gliding shutters of the stores. These roller shutters are normally fitted with at least one ring 62 is fixed near the stop edge 63; on the ground 64 is mounted a second ring 65 which, as is known, can be fixed or removably fixed, by a bar link, so that, to extract it, it must be rotated by a certain angle (normally about 900). The ring 65 is in a position such that, when the abutment edge 63 of the roller shutter is supported on the ground 64, this ring is located exactly opposite the ring 62 ; in this position, a padlock according to the invention is inserted into the two rings 62 and 65 and the roller shutter is locked
It is immediately obvious that with a configuration of this kind, the closure is particularly compact and difficult to attack by a person who would force the shutter in addition, it offers no grip, as well because of the conical shape of the heads 2 and 3 of the padlock only due to the fact that the space between the two heads themselves is entirely occupied by the two rings 62 and 65. Compared to known padlocks, of the sliding pin type, the padlock according to the he invention brings a very large reduction in weight and size, without causing any harm to safety.

 It is evident, on the other hand, that this example is only indicative and that the other possible applications are extremely numerous; for example, a padlock according to the invention can be used for closing the gates, metal doors and, in general, in all cases where two or more of two drilled elements have to be secured to one another or perforable or which can be fitted, in one way or another, with pierced tabs.

 It is also obvious that the conical shape of heads 2 and 3, which is particularly useful for certain applications, can be replaced by other shapes, for example, cylindrical, spherical, polygonal, depending on the need of the particular application, without for this to depart from the scope of the invention.

 Of course, various other modifications and variants may be made by those skilled in the art to the device which has just been described only without implied limitation without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (8)

REVEIXDICATI3 ;; S.  1. Padlock of the type comprising two separate parts which can be released from one another by sliding, essentially characterized in that it comprises a first head (2) fixed to a bar (1), said first head and said bar being traversed axially by a first hole (7); a second head (3), provided with a second blind hole (5), by means of which it is axially fitted on a cylindrical segment (6) of said bar, on the side opposite to said first head; a closing mechanism (37) controlled by a key (41) and housed in said first hole (7); and a ball locking device operating between said bar (1) and said second head (3) and actuated by said closing mechanism (37) controlled by a key.  2. Padlock according to claim 1, characterized in that said locking device comprises at least one transverse hole (18, 20) formed in said segment (6) of the bar (1) on which said second head (3) is fitted, a ball (21, 22) being inserted in each hole, at least one housing (25, 26) formed in said blind hole (5) of said second head (3) in line with at least one transverse hole (18 , 20) a rod t13) rotatably mounted in said first hole (7) and connected to said closing mechanism (37), said rod (13) having in line with each transverse hole (18, 20) of the bar (1) a cylindrical section flattened on one side (23, 24).  3. Padlock according to claim 2, characterized in that in that it is equipped with an automatic closing device with latching comprising: a rectangular opening (11) formed in a diaphragm (10) placed in closing of said first hole (7 ) at the end of said bar (1); a stud (14) with a rectangular cross-section conjugate with said opening (11) and a cylindrical stud (16) formed coaxially at the end of said rod (13), said rectangular stud (14) and said opening (11) being oriented so that, when engaged, the flattened part (23, 24) of said rod (13) is directed towards said transverse hole (18, 20), a first torsion spring (53) which opposes the rotation of said rod (13) relative to said first head (2); and a second spring (29) which axially presses the rod (13) against said diaphragm (10).  4. Padlock according to claim 3, characterized in that to said rod (13) is connected a ring (33), on the side opposite to that of said tenon (14) of rectangular section, by means of an axial sliding coupling , said first torsion spring (53) exerting its action between said ring and said bar.  5. Padlock according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one transverse hole (18, 20) is of conical shape and that said ball (21, 22) housed in this hole has a diameter included between the minimum diameter and maximum diameter of the hole.  6. Padlock according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the movable part of said closing mechanism (37) forms a pin with rectangular section (39) and positively engages said ring (33) by engaging in a circular cavity (47) thereof which is provided with two diametrically opposite teeth (48, 49) which project inside.  7. Padlock according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said pin (39) of said closing mechanism (37) can move angularly over an angle of 900, due to the presence of a plate ( 58) connected to said pin (39) and which has two perpendicular abutment walls (60, 61), which engage with a fixed stop (54).  8. Padlock according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said first and second heads (23) have a frustoconical shape, the small diameter of which is directed outwards.