Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SECURE LOCKING MECHANISM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a secure locking
mechanism particularly but not exclusively for a housing
of a coin freed mechanism.
- Coin freed devices are used to operate various
differ~nt types of equipment. In some cases such as
vending machines the machines are often placed in a loca-
,tion which enables them to be watched over by responsible
persons to reduce the likelihood of attempts to break
open and steal the contents. In such cases it is desir-
able to provide a suitable locking arrangement and secur-
ity container but in many cases these are not particular-
ly complex or strong since the positioning of the equip-
ment tends to inhibit attempts of theft.
In other cases such as car wash equipment, the
coin freed devices are located in an area which is gener-
ally not supervised and hence the container for the coin
freed device must be manufactured in a manner which it-
self inhibits attempts at theft.
One problem which arises with devices of this
type, and also with other locked devices is that of
attempts to force the lock by pounding it centrally with
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a punch to force the lock barrel out of its seating.
It is one object of the invention therefore to
provide a lock guard device which can be used to protect a
Xey operated lock against unauthorized forcing of the lock.
According to the invention there is provided a lock
mechanism comprising a lock actuating device, a lock member
engageable by an elongate blade of a key, said lock member
having a slot-shaped front opening for movement along an
axis into the lock member of the blade of the key when
pressed through said front opening, said key blade being
shaped to have one dimension transverse to its length longer
than a dimension at right angles thereto so that it can pass
through the slot-shaped front opening, said member and key
being arranged such that a matching key can be rotated to
move the lock actuating device, and a security cover device
for covering the front opening, said security cover device
comprising a collar member for surrounding said front opening
and defining a cover opening forward of and axially aligned
with said front opening a cylindrical wall extending from
said cover opening to said front opening, and lip means on
said cylindrical wall at said cover opening, said cylindrical
wall having a circular cylindrical inner surface surrounding
said axis, a front plate member received within the
cylindrical wall generally at right angles to the axis and
free to rotate within the cylindrical wall about the axis,
said front plate member having slot-shaped opening therein
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for the key, said lip means confining the plate member within
the cylindrical wall against axial movement out of the cover
device, and at least three rigid spherical balls separately
and freely mounted in an area defined rearwardly of the front
plate and inwardly of the cylindrical wall, the balls being
free to move cadially within the confines of the cylindrical
wall and to rotate around said axis, the balls being
dimensioned relative to the cylindrical wall such that, when
the balls are moved in an outward direction to a parted
position sufficient to just allow the blade of the key to
pass through a slot-shaped opening closely defined between
the balls, the balls are restrained from fufther movement in
the outward direction by contacting the cyl~ndrical wall.
Preferably in the space rearwardly of the front
plate member is provided at least three balls which have a
dimension such that they are retained in position around the
periphery of the cylinder but which can be moved apart to
allow the key to pass throuyh. Four balls is the preferred
number but there can be more or less as required.
The use of the balls confined within tha collar
arrangement as defined above prevents any unauthorized person
from breaking into the lock by attempting to force a punch
through the front surface of the lock since the balls will
move outwardly and transfer forward force onto the collar and
away from tha front suface of the lock. Furthermore the use
of the balls prevents drilling through the lock since the
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balls will simply fotate and prevent the drilling action from
having any effect.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as
will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which
this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the
invention is herein described by reference to the
accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a
description of the best mode known to the applicant and of
the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the
present invention, in which:
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DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is an isometric view of a secure con-
tainer according to the invention particularly for con-
taining a coin freed mechanism for use in a car wash
device.
Figure 2 is an isometric view similar to Figure
1 with the front channel member including the upper end
cap attached thereto removed to show the interior there-
of and with the lock omitted for convenience of illustra-
tion.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the
lines 3-3 of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the
lines 4-4 of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a cross sectional view showing only
the drawer and lock mechanism therefor.
Figure 6 is a cross sectional view along the
lines 6-6 of Figure 1 showing the details of the lock
mechanism.
20Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of the lock
mechanism along the lines 7-7 of Figure 6.
Figure 8 is a cross sectional view along the
lines 8-8 of the lock mechanism of Figure 6.
In the drawings like characters o~ reference
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indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Basically the container is of a very s1mple
construction comprising a rear channel member 10 to which
is welded a lower end CZlp 11 and a front channel member
12 to which is welded an upper end cap 13. Thus basical-
ly there are two parts which can be assembled into the
position shown in Figure 1 defining a fully closed con-
tainer and can be moved into the position shown in Figure
2 in which the container is opened for ready access to
both of the parts and the devices on the interior there-
of.
Turning firstly therefore to the details of the
channel members, this is best shown in Figure 3. Each of
the channel members comprises a base panel 14 which is a
substantially vertical planar surface and which is bent
at approximately 60 degrees at both vertical edges as
indicated at 15. The inclined panels so formed at 15
join with side panels 16 of the channel member at a
v-shape with the side panels extending generally at right
angles to the base panel 14.
Longitudinal edges of the side panels 16 remote
from the base panel 14 include interlocking devices for
locking the side panels of one channel member to the side
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panels of the other channel member. The interlocking
devices arP formed simply by u-shaped portions turned
back as shown. Specifically the side wall 121 of the
channel member 12 and also the side wall 101 of the chan-
nel member 10 have at their upper edge a turned back
portion 122, 102 which thus defines a u-shape with the
inside of the u facing back toward the respective base
panel and an outer rounded face of the u facing toward
the side wall of the opposite channel member. The spac-
ing between the turned back portion 122 and the side wall
121 is slightly greater than, for clearance purposes, the
thickness of the side wall material.
The opposed side wall 123 of the channel member
12 is identical in construction to the opposed side wall
103 of the channel member 10. Thus the side wall 123 is
bent first inwardly as shown at 124 and then in a direc-
tion parallel to the side wall 123 as indicated at 125 so
that the portion 124 defines an offset. At the outer
edge of the parallel portion 125, the edge is turned back
to define a u-shape having as one leg the portion 125 and
an opposed leg a portion 126 which is parallel thereto
and spaced therefrom by a distance slightly greater than
the wall thickness.
Thus close inspection of the interlocking
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between the side panel 101 and the side 123 will show
that the u-shapes simply interlock to prevent movement of
the channel members in a direction to increase the spac-
ing of the base panels. In addition the offset 124
engages the outer face of the base of the u formed by the
turned back portion 102 so as to prevent movement of the
- side panels in a direction to decrease the spacing
between the base panels. In addition the offset 124
allows the side panels 101 and 123 to lie in the same
plane. The whole of the interlocking arrangement is on
the inner face of the side panels so that the only vis-
ible sign of the interconnection comprises a v-shaped
slot 127 in the outer surface which can be seen in Figure
1 .
Each of the end caps 11 and 13 comprises effec-
tively a flat planar surface of a size to cover the whole
of the end face of the enclosure. In addition the end
caps include flanges 111, 112 which are turned at right
angles to the base surface so as to extend upwardly along
the sides of the channel members.
The lower end cap 11 is welded to the rear
channel member 10 along weld lines on the e~terior sur-
face visible along the side at 112 and along the lower
edge of the base panel as indicated at 113 in Fi~ure 3.
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The upper end cap 13 is welded to the front channel mem-
ber along sides indicated at 114 and along the junction
thereof with the base panel as indicated at 115.
The channel members can be locked against long-
ttudinal movement by a locking assembly 17 mounted on the
housing at the side panel. Thus the locking assembly 17
is mounted on the side panel 123 and comprises a lock
barrel is 171 of conventional form which includes a front
plate 172 with a slot 173 for receiving a plate shaped
key again of conventional form. The key thus has a blade
which can be inserted into the barrel with a blade being
elongate and having a transverse dimension which is sub-
stantially slot shaped. The front face of the barrel 172
comprises a head which can be presented on an outer sur-
face of the wall 123 with the barrel extending through an
- opening in that wall so that the barrel is prevented from
axial movement relative to the wall. A washer or nut 174
is mounted on the barrel at the rear face of the wall
123. The barrel carries a cam 175 on a rear end thereof
which can en~age against an end plate 176 of a bar 177 to
move that bar out of locking engagement. The bar is
moveable within a cylinder 178 and is spring biased by a
spring 179 in a locking direction so that an outer most
end 180 of the bar which is formed of a hardened steel
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material can engage underneath a stop 181 welded to unit
portion indicated at 127 of the wall 123.
The stop 181 has a ramp 182 on an upper side
thereof for cooperating with the bar 177 so that sliding
movement of the two portions of the housing into a closed
position causes the lock mechanism to retract and then
snap back into the lock position under the bias of the
spring 179.
The strength of the locking action is provided
between the stop 181 and the end 180 of the bar 177 both
of which can be formed from a hard material and is there-
fore independent of the strength of the cam or the end
plate of the barrel mechanism.
Attached to the outer face of the wall 101 is a
lock guard assembly which is defined by a collar 183
which surrounds the endface 172 of the barrel of the
lock. The collar defines an inner cylinder 184 which has
an open end 185 facing axially of the barrel so that the
key can be inserted in the axial direction through the
cylinder 184 of the collar 183 into the barrel.
Within the cylinder 184 is positioned a first
plate member 186 which is circular and of a size substan-
tially equal to the inner circular circumference of the
cylinder 184 so that it can rotate within the cylinder.
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The plate 186 is held in position in the cylinder by a
lip 187 which surrounds the openin~ 185 and is of an
internal diameter slightly less than the outside diameter
of the plate 186. A slot shaped opening 188 is position-
ed within the plate 186 so the blade of the key can pass
through. A second plate 189 is positioned adjacent the
front face 172 and similarl~ is of circular cross section
and has a slot 190 The slots thus can be aligned by move-
ment of the blade of the key and then aligned with the
slot 173 in the front face 172 so that the key can enter
the barreL to carry out its actuation function.
Between the plates 189 and 186 is provided a
plurality of balls 191 of hardened material for example
steel. In the preferred arrangement thereof four such
balls of e~ual diameter an arranged such that they are
together a loose fit within the cylinder but such that
the dimensions of the balls themselves in the cylinder
are such that the balls are retained in their arrangement
periferally of the cylinder but are loose for rotation
about their axis and full rotation about the cylinder.
The balls are however, a loose fit so that the key when
inserted can define a slot shape between the balls by
moving, as shown in Figure 8, the upper two balls slight-
ly apart and also the lower two balls slightly apart so
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the key can pass through that slot shaped opening to the
slot in the rear plate and to the barrel.
Thus the lock ~uard does not in any way inter-
fere with the operation of the key in its normal manner
except that the blade of the key requires to be of
increased length to accommodate the axial length of the
lock guard.
However the lock guard prevents or inhibits
unauthorized action upon the barrel. Specifically, two
prsferred modes of attempting to break into a lock are
prevented or inhibited In a first mode, a drill is posi~
tioned against the exterior surface of the lock so as to
drill out the lock and allow access to the interior.
This is prevented by the fact that the plate 186 is free
to rotate on the balls and thus any drilling action will
be prevented since the drill will not be rotating against
the part in which it is engaging. A second preferred
action of intended break in is by way of applying a punch
against the outer surface of the lock so as to punch out
the barrel in an axial direction. In this case a punch
would normally be applied agai.nst the plate 186 and thus
enter the area between the balls 191.
This action acts to force the balls outwardly,
which movement is supplemented by the material from the
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plate 186 which is forced into that area between the
balls. Any force applied by the punch is therefore
applied on an inner side of the ball in a direction
diverging outwardly from the axis of the lock toward the
outer edges of the face 172 of the lock so that the face
is forced against the wa:Ll 101. Thus the force from the
punches prevent it from acting directly a~ially but is
instead directed partly radially so as to significantly
reduce the effect of the punch.
The collar 183 includes a first cylindrical
portion 192 and an outer tapered portion 193. The latter
prevents or reduces the possibility of a pipe wrench
being applied to the device to attempt to remove it from
the wall 101. Thè collar 183 is bolted to the wall 101
by bolts 194 which pass through openings in the wall 101
into blind holes 195 which are screw threaded within the
collar 183.
An underside of the collar 183 at the portion
192 is cut away so that it defines a lip which extends
over the flange 111 when the front portion of the housing
is moved down into its closed position. This lip inhib-
its the possibility of a leverage tool being inserted
between the flange 111 and the upstanding wall 101.
Similar shaped bodies 17A to the collar 183 are
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positioned at the opposed symmetrical positions of the
housing so as to prevent similar leverage action at the
other flanges both at the upper edge and at the lower
edge of the housings as best shown in Figures 1 and 3.
The front channel member carries a lower lip
member 19 and the rear channel member carries an upper
Lip member 20. The lower lip member 19 comprises a
hori~ontal plate 191 which is arranged to sit on the
lower end cap when the front channel member is lowered to
its lower most position. The rear edge of the plate 191
is welded as indicated at 192 to the lower edge of the
base panel of the front channel member. A front edge of
the plate 191 is bent at right angles downwardly as indi-
cated at 193 so as to extend over a front edge of the
lower end cap and extend downwardly therefrom to prevent
a potential thief from attempting to insert a leverage
tool between the lower edge of the front channel member
and the upper surface of the lower end cap.
The upper lip member 20 is attached to the rear
channel member as shown best in Figure 2 and comprises a
horizontal plate portion 201 which is welded to the upper
edge of the base panel of the rear channel member. In
addition a downwardly extending lip 202 is formed by a
bent rear edge portion of the plate 201. The function of
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the lip member 20 is firstly to provide a similar thick-
ness to that of the lower lip member 19 so that, with the
channel members 10 and 12 of identical length, the chan-
nel members sit equally on the respective end caps. In
addition the lip 202 causes a slight forward inclination
of the rear channel member when it is attached to a flat
surface so that the upper end cap can be removed by move-
ment in an upward and very slightly forward direction to
prevent it binding on the flat surface which might occur
if the movement were directly vertical.
The rear channel member can thus be attached to
a suitable flat surface b~ way of bolts or screws passing
through holes 21 in the base panel. A further hole 22 in
the base panel allows the entry of an electrical supply
cable 23 for operation of actuation equipment within the
housing as explained hereinafter. The cable 23 as shown
best in Figure 2 is attached to a terminal block 24
mounted suitably within the housing and attached to the
rear channel member. The screws and electrical couplings
therefore are contained within the enclosure and thus are
not accessible for removal of the whole device without
proper authorized access to the interior of the
enclosure.
As shown best in ~igure 4, the front channel
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member carries a suitable coin freed actuating mechanism
schematically indicated at 25. The details of the actu-
ating mechanism will not be discussed herein in detail
since they are not significant to the present invention
and since they are of a conventional nature. It is suf-
fice to say that the actuating mechanism includes a suit-
able dial arrangement 26 on the base panel of the front
channel member which can be manually operated for actua-
tion by the user. A coin slot 27 is in addition provided
ln the base panel for presentation of the suitable coins
into the actuating mechanism 25. The actuating mechanism
also includes a terminal block 28 which cooperates with
the terminal block 24 so that the longitudinal movement
of the front channel member causes the terminal blocks to
enter and engage and provide the necessary electrical
coupling between the incoming wire 23 and the mechanism
25.
A lower most portion of the enclosure comprises
a money compartment 29. The money compartment 29 is
attached to the rear channel member and to the lower end
cap 11. Specifically the money compartment comprises an
inverted C-channel including a horizontal plate 291 which
is welded at its rear edge to the base panel 14 of the
rear channel member. The size of the panel 291 is such
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that it just clears at its sides the inner most parts of
the interlocking devices of the side walls. The rear
edge is, as previously explained, welded to the inside
face o~ the rear base panel. The front edge of the plate
291 is arranged so that it just clears the inner face of
the front base panel. The C-channel includes integrally
a pair of depending side plates 292 and 293 which extend
downwardly therefrom to the lower end cap 11 to which
they are welded along their lower most edges to form a
rectangular closed compartment between the plate 291 and
the lower end cap 11.
A drawer is positioned within the compartment
29 and indicated at 30. The drawer is formed by a hori-
zontal base 301 and upstanding sides 302 which are formed
as an integral extrusion in the form of a rectangular
channel. A front face 303 is secured to the side 302 at
portions. A similar construction is provided for a rear
face of the drawer indicated at 305. To allow escape of
any moisture from the dxawer, openings are formed at the
corners rearwardly of the end face.
A locking mechanism for locking the drawer in
position within the compartment 29 is shown in Figures 2
and 4 and in more detail in Figure 5. The lock comprises
a shaft 31 which can be rotated only by a key presented
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through an opening 311 in the front face 301. The open-
ing 311 is provided centrally of a raised portion 312
which houses the lock mechanism 313 shown again schemat-
ically in Figures 2 and 4. The shaft 31 has on a rear
end thereof a screw thread 314 for cooperating with a nut
315 which is welded at 316 to the rear base panel 14. An
opening 317 in the rear face of the drawer allows the nut
315 to proiect therethrough into the drawer for engage-
ment with the threaded shaft 31.
The lock of the drawer also includes a lock
guard mechanism as describ~d in relation to the lock 17.
In this case the collar 182 of the lockguard device is
held in place by a plate 195 which covers the front of
the drawer 303 and is attached thereto by heavy rivets
196. A lip on the plate indicated at 197 extends out-
wardly and around the outer surface of the collar 182 to
help retain it in position. The lock guard includes the
plates as previously described which operate to control
access to the barrel of the lock indicated 310 which is
of the type which allows rotation of the barrel when the
key is inserted so as to drive the shaft 31 as previously
described. However in this case the balls are replaced
by an intermediate plate which has a slot similar to the
slots in the front and back plates.
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The compartment 29 has a money slot 293 in the
upper plate 291 for receiving money passi.ng through the
actuation mechanism 25.
The money can be extracted and collected from
the compartment 29 by an authorized user having the
necessary keys to operate the locking mechanism 17. When
actuated and the pins removed, the front channel member
can be lifted by a distance just sufficient to expose the
front face of the drawer following which the authorized
lOkey can be used to unscrew the shaft 31 and remove the
drawer for extraction of the collected money.
If required for service, the front channel ;~
member can be further moved longitudinally and removed
sim~ly when the interlocking u-shapes have moved to a
position where they are no longer longitudinally inter-
connected. The actuating mechanism 25 is thus accessible
for service and if required for replacement simply by
moving into position an alternative front channel member
including the replacement actuation mechanism 25. The
20mechanism 25 simply engages into its electrical connec-
tion by interconnection of the terminal blocks 24 and
28.
A service engineer can be supplied merely with
the necessary key for actuation of the lock mechanism 17
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so that he can gain access to the front channel member
and the actuation mechanism 25, However the compartment
29 remains locked so that he cannot be tempted to remove
a handful of coins.
The housing forming the outer surface of the
security container is therefore very simply formed from
- two substantially identical halves defined by the channel
members and associated end caps. The simple construction
is formed by bending and welding techniques and is there-
fore an inexpensive construction. However the simple
construction also re~oves or reduces to a minimum any
access points by which the potential thief can attempt to
gain entry by leverage or cutting.
Since various modifications can be made in my
invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently
widely different embodiments of same made within the
spirit and scope of the claims without departing from
such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter
contained in the accompanying specification shall be
interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting
sense.
