A key for use in a cylinder lock with a rotatable key plug having an elongated key blade with a relatively wide lower portion and a relatively narrow upper portion. A step-like transition region between the wider lower portion and the narrow upper portion. The key blade includes a longitudinal profile groove located adjacent to the step-like transition region that extends along at least a portion of the length of the blade. An inner wall of groove is substantially parallel to a side surface of the lower portion of the key blade. The longitudinal profile groove includes an undercut portion adjacent to and inside a ridge portion of the key blade. The outside of ridge portion forms a part of the side surface of the blade in the relatively wide lower portion up to the step-like transition region and the inside of ridge portion facing inner wall of the groove.
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16. A key for use in a cylinder lock with a rotatable key plug having a profiled key way, said key comprising:
an elongated one piece key blade (120) with a relatively wide lower portion and a relatively narrow upper portion, there being a step-like transition region between the wider lower portion and the narrow upper portion, wherein the wide lower portion extends farther in a lateral direction relative to the upper portion to form the step-like transition,
said one piece key blade (120) having a longitudinal profile groove (122) located adjacent to said step-like transition region and extending along at least a portion of the length of the one piece key blade, with an inner wall (124) surface of said longitudinal profile groove being oriented substantially in parallel to or at a small angle, no more than 15°, to a to an external side wall surface (123) of said lower portion of said one piece key blade,
said longitudinal profile groove (122) having, at a lower part thereof, an undercut portion (129) adjacent to and inside a ridge portion (128) of the one piece key blade, the outside of said ridge portion forming a part of said external side wall surface (123) of said lower portion of the one piece key blade, in said relatively wide lower portion up to said step-like transitionregion (142), and the inside of said ridge portion facing being opposite said inner wall surface of said longitudinal profile groove,
said longitudinal profile groove (122) defining, at an upper part thereof, a defines, above said lower part with said undercut portion, an opening vertical width (w), perpendicularly as measured along a vertical direction (VD) in parallel to said external side wall surface (123) of said lower portion of said one piece key blade, between an upper wall (144) surface of said longitudinal profile groove and said ridge portion(128),
wherein
said undercut portion of said longitudinal profile groove extends downwardly substantially in a vertical direction (VD) in parallel to said external side wall surface of said one piece key blade,
said undercut portion (129) of said longitudinal profile groove(122), at its innermost part the inside of said ridge portion (128), is extended or and expanded downwardly, in a direction which is substantially parallel to said side surface (123) of the key blade, substantially in said vertical direction (VD) into a longitudinal substantially bulbous widened pocket (135) having a larger width relative to the longitudinal profile groove (122), than a narrower part of said undercut portion,
said bulbous longitudinal widened pocket (135) being is formed by opposite inner and outer lateral wall surface portions (132, 133) and a lowermost transverse end wall surface,
said inner lateral wall surface portion is connected to said inner wall surface of the longitudinal profile groove,
the lowermost transverse end wall (134) which is slightly curved and surface faces upwardly in a vertical direction of a central plane (A) of the key blade towards said upper wall (144) surface of said longitudinal profile groove(122), and
at least a part of one said opposite lateral wall surface portions of the longitudinal widened pocket is a circular arc.
0. 1. A key for use in a cylinder lock with a rotatable key plug having a profiled key way, said key comprising:
an elongated key blade (120) with a relatively wide lower portion and a relatively narrow upper portion, there being a step-like transition region between the wider lower portion and the narrow upper portion,
said key blade (120) having a longitudinal profile groove (122) located adjacent to said step-like transition region and extending along at least a portion of the length of the key blade, with an inner wall (124) of said groove being oriented substantially in parallel to or at a small angle, no more than 15°, to a side surface (123) of said lower portion of said key blade,
said longitudinal profile groove (122) having, at a lower part thereof, an undercut portion (129) adjacent to and inside a ridge portion (128) of the key blade, the outside of said ridge portion forming a part of said side surface (123) of said lower portion of the key blade, in said relatively wide lower portion up to said step-like transition region (142), and the inside of said ridge portion facing said inner wall of said groove,
said longitudinal profile groove (122) defining, at an upper part thereof, a width (w), perpendicularly to said side surface (123) of said lower portion of said key blade, between an upper wall (144) and said ridge portion (128),
wherein
said undercut portion (129) of said longitudinal profile groove (122), at its innermost part inside said ridge portion (128), is extended or expanded downwardly, in a direction which is substantially parallel to said side surface (123) of the key blade, into a longitudinal pocket (135) having a uniform width with opposite substantially parallel lateral wall portions (132, 133) and a lowermost transverse end wall (134), which is substantially flat or slightly curved, and which is substantially parallel to a lower edge portion (127) of the key blade and faces upwardly in a direction being parallel to central plane (A) of the key blade towards said upper wall (144) of said longitudinal profile groove (122) with said opposite lateral wall portions (132, 133) of said pocket (135) being substantially parallel to said side surface (123) of the flat key blade (120).
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29. The key as defined in claim 28 27, wherein said different various levels also include an uppermost level at the upper edge (1020 of said ridge portion(128).
30. The key as defined in claim 28 27, wherein the number of different various levels is at least three.
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0. 32. A key for use in a cylinder lock with a rotatable key plug having a profiled key way, said key comprising:
an elongated key blade (120) with a relatively wide lower portion and a relatively narrow upper portion, there being a step-like transition region between the wider lower portion and the narrow upper portion,
said key blade (120) having a longitudinal profile groove (122) located adjacent to said step-like transition region and extending along at least a portion of the length of the key blade, with an inner wall (124) of said groove being oriented substantially in parallel to or at a small angle, no more than 15°, to a side surface (123) of said lower portion of said key blade,
said longitudinal profile groove (122) having, at a lower part thereof, an undercut portion (129) adjacent to and inside a ridge portion (128) of the key blade, the outside of said ridge portion forming a part of said side surface (123) of said lower portion of the key blade, in said relatively wide lower portion up to said step-like transition region (142), and the inside of said ridge portion facing said inner wall of said groove,
said longitudinal profile groove (122) defining, at an upper part thereof, a width (w), perpendicularly to said side surface (123) of said lower portion of said key blade, between an upper wall (144) and said ridge portion (128),
wherein
said undercut portion (129) of said longitudinal profile groove (122), at its innermost part inside said ridge portion (128), is extended or expanded downwardly, in a direction which is substantially parallel to said side surface (123) of the key blade, into a longitudinal pocket (135) having at least one longitudinal recess formed in at least one of the opposite lateral wall portions (132, 133) and a lowermost transverse end wall (134), said lowermost transverse end wall (134) being substantially flat or slightly curved, and being substantially parallel to a lower edge portion (127) of the key blade and faces upwardly in a direction being parallel to central plane (A) of the key blade towards said upper wall (144) of said longitudinal profile groove (122) with said opposite lateral wall portions (132, 133) of said pocket (135) being substantially parallel to said side surface (123) of the flat key blade (120).
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locking pins 14 in an upper portion thereof and a rotatable key plug 12 accommodated in a cylindrical bore of the housing. In the key plug 12, there is a central longitudinal keyway or key hole 13 having a sectional profile corresponding to an associated key 20 provided with conventional recesses 21 at the upper edge thereof and a profile groove 22 at a side surface 23 of the key blade. As appears from
The operation of the lock is more readily understood from the cross-sectional view in
The full profile of the key 20 (of prior art design) is illustrated in
The prior art key blade shown in
The undercut portion 29 of the longitudinal groove 22 has many advantages, as explained in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,717 (Widén), especially with regard to increasing the number of possible profile variations, improved resistance against picking the lock and high security against unauthorized key copying.
According to the present invention and as illustrated in
In
Also, in the embodiments shown in
The As illustrated in FIG. 7, the downwardly extended pocket-like configuration 135 of the modified undercut groove 122, is (in this particular embodiment) substantially rectangular in cross-section, with opposite lateral walls 132 and 133 being parallel to each other, and a lowermost transverse end wall 134, being parallel to the lower edge surface 127 of the one piece key blade and facing upwardly in the direction of the central plane A of the one piece key blade. The one piece key blade 120 has the step-like transition formed by an external side wall surface 123 at the lower part of the one piece key blade 120 that is in a plane which is parallel to an upper side surface 1123′ of the one piece key blade 120 at an upper part thereof, above said longitudinal profile groove 122. The lowermost transverse end wall 134 of the pocket 135 faces upwardly towards an upper wall surface 144 that is formed by a projecting surface 143 on the upper side surface 1123′.
The innermost lateral wall 132 of the pocket-like extension 135 adjoins with the inner wall 124 of the undercut groove, whereas the opposite lateral wall 133 forms the inside wall of the ridge portion 128, in parallel to the external side surface 123 of the key blade.
Thus, the surfaces 123, 133 and 132 are substantially parallel to each other. The one piece key blade 120 includes an undercut portion 129 of the longitudinal profile groove 122 which, at an innermost part, extends substantially in the same direction as the vertical direction (VD) into a longitudinal, substantially uniformly wide pocket 135 having a uniform width with opposite inner and outer substantially parallel lateral wall surface portions 132, 133. The undercut portion or longitudinal profile groove 122 defines, above said lower part with said undercut portion, an opening vertical width (w), as measured along a vertical direction (VD) in parallel to the external side wall surface 123 of the one piece key blade 120 between an upper wall 144 of the longitudinal profile groove (122) and the ridge portion 128.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the undercut portion 129 of the longitudinal profile groove 122, at an innermost part, extends substantially in the same direction as the vertical direction (VD) into a longitudinal substantially uniformly wide pocket 135 having a uniform width with opposite inner and outer substantially parallel lateral wall surface portions 132, 133 wherein the inner wall surface 124 of the longitudinal profile groove 122 adjoins the inner lateral wall surface portion 132 of the pocket 135. The inner lateral wall surface portion 132 of the pocket 135 extends downwardly to a lowermost transverse end wall surface 134, which is substantially flat or slightly curved, and which is substantially parallel to a lowermost edge wall surface 127 of the one piece key blade 120 and which faces upwardly in a direction towards the upper wall surface 144 of the longitudinal profile groove 122 with the opposite lateral wall surface portions 132, 133 of the pocket 135 being substantially parallel to the external side wall surface 123 of the one piece key blade 120.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the undercut portion 129 of the longitudinal profile groove 122, at an innermost part, is expanded downwardly into a longitudinal widened pocket 1353. The longitudinal widened pocket 1353 is formed by opposite inner and outer lateral wall surface portions and a lowermost transverse end wall surface. The inner lateral wall surface portion 1323 of the longitudinal widened pocket is connected to the inner wall surface of the longitudinal profile groove 122. The lowermost transverse end wall surface 1343 faces upwardly towards the upper wall surface 144 of the longitudinal profile groove 122 and at least a part of one of the opposite lateral wall surface portions of the longitudinal widened pocket 1353 is a circular arc.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the undercut portion 129 of the longitudinal profile groove 122, at an innermost part is extended substantially in the same direction as the vertical direction (VD) into a longitudinal pocket 135 being interrupted by a longitudinal recess formed in at least one of opposite inner and outer lateral wall surface portions 132, 133 wherein the inner wall surface 1243 of the longitudinal profile groove 122 adjoins the inner lateral wall surface portion 1324, located opposite to the ridge portion. After the longitudinal recess, the inner lateral wall surface portion 1324 extends to a lowermost transverse end wall surface 134, the lowermost transverse end wall surface 134 being substantially flat or slightly curved, and being substantially parallel to a lowermost edge wall surface 127 of the one piece key blade 120 and which faces upwardly towards the upper wall surface 144 of the longitudinal profile groove 122 with the opposite lateral wall surface portions 132, 133 of the pocket 135 being substantially parallel to the external side wall surface 123 of the one piece key blade 120.
The ridge portion 128 is somewhat longer, measured in parallel to the central plane A of the key blade, than the prior art structure (
In
The parts that correspond to the previous, prior art embodiment (
Accordingly, the side tumbler 105 is (in this embodiment) rotatable around its cylindrical axis, so that a transversally projecting finger 105a will pivot back and forth when the projecting finger 105a follows a wave-like coded surface on the side of the key blade (see
The projecting finger 105a on the side tumbler 105 will contact the wave-like code pattern on the side of the key blade 120, as shown in
It would be possible to provide an even deeper pocket-like extension 135 of the undercut portion of the profile groove, in parallel to the central vertical plane A of the key blade. Then, the number of possible code levels in the ridge portion 133 128 (see
It should be noted that the new configuration of the undercut groove 122, with the pocket-like extension 135, is useful even without having a side tumbler 105. Then, the ridge portion is basically continuous and does not have any cuts or codes.
Also, if at least one side tumbler is used, it does not have to be rotatable, but can be guided for elevational movement only. Furthermore, the side tumbler does not have to operate as a locking means for locking the key plug against rotation. Alternatively, it may serve only as a blocking element, which prevents incorrectly cut keys from being fully inserted into the key way 13 of the lock 10. Such a blocking element is disclosed in a patent application being filed by the same applicant on the same day as the earliest priority date of this application (WO2010/096007 A1).
The exact configuration or shape of the longitudinally extending pocket may be modified in various ways within the scope of the present invention. In
In
The embodiment shown in
In
The embodiment shown in
The embodiment of
The embodiment in
The modified embodiment shown in
The embodiments of
Finally,
In all embodiments described above, and in the appended claims, it is assumed that the inner wall 124 of the longitudinal undercut groove 122, 122′, 122″ is substantially parallel to the central plane A of the key blade and a side surface the external side wall surfaces 123, 123′, 123″ thereof. Within this definition, the inner wall may be oriented at a small angle to said central plane A, this angle being normally no more than 15°.
The longitudinally extending pocket may be shorter than the length of key blade and extend along only a portion thereof.
Also, the longitudinal profile rib at the key plug may be interrupted or formed as one or more separate elements mounted in the key plug.
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