WO2024157237A1

WO2024157237A1 - Key with magnetic key element

Info

Publication number: WO2024157237A1
Application number: PCT/IL2023/050076
Authority: WO
Inventors: Effi Ben-Aharon
Original assignee: Mul-T-Lock Technologies Ltd.
Priority date: 2023-01-23
Filing date: 2023-01-23
Publication date: 2024-08-02
Also published as: TW202432938A; AR131619A1

Abstract

A key device (10) includes a shaft portion (12), a head (13) and first and second surfaces (14, 16), which define longitudinal positions for making key cuts (18) along a longitudinal axis (22) that extends over an axial length of the shaft portion (12). At least one magnetic key element (26) is disposed in the shaft portion (12). A longitudinal position (26C) of the magnetic key element (26) is located on the first surface (14) along the axial length of the shaft portion (12) between longitudinal positions (18C) of adjacent stations designated for making adjacent key cuts (18) on the second surface (16).

Description

KEY WITH MAGNETIC KEY ELEMENT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to locking apparatus generally, and more particularly to a key with a magnetic key element, and a cylinder lock with a combination of magnetic and non-magnetic key elements which is operated by this key.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many magnetically actuated locks in the prior art. In general, the key that is used to actuate the lock has fixed magnets on the key blade or key shaft. These fixed magnets cooperate with magnetic elements located in the lock to bring the magnetic elements to a shear line, which is the unlocked position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a novel key with a magnetic key element, as described in detail below. The invention increases the difficulty of picking the cylinder lock for one or more reasons. First, the magnetic key element is located between key cuts on the key. Second, in one option of carrying out the invention, the plug of the cylinder lock, which is operated by the key, has a ferromagnetic plug element placed on the opposite side of the non-magnetic plug pins. Third, in another option of carrying out the invention, the ferromagnetic plug element crosses over the shear line into a recess in the cylinder lock housing, but the cylinder lock housing does not have any spring to bias this ferromagnetic plug element. Instead, the spring is located in the plug. Fourth, in another option of carrying out the invention, the ferromagnetic plug element and spring are encapsulated into one unit.

In one embodiment, the key is a reversible key. It is a challenge to add an active locking mechanism (the magnet on the key that cooperates with the ferromagnetic plug element in the plug) that is part of the regular, non-magnetic key combination cuts on a reversible key. The challenge to implement this on a reversible key is greater for a telescoping pin system because the space between cuts is dramatically smaller for telescoping pins as opposed to regular, non-telescoping pins.

The magnetic key element attracts the active ferromagnetic element to the shear line, by overcoming the spring force that normally biases the ferromagnetic element past the shear line.

There is thus provided in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention a key device including a shaft portion, a head and first and second surfaces which define longitudinal positions for making key cuts along a longitudinal axis that extends over an axial length of the shaft portion, and at least one magnetic key element disposed in the shaft portion, wherein a longitudinal position of the magnetic key element is located on the first surface along the axial length of the shaft portion between longitudinal positions of adjacent stations designated for making adjacent key cuts on the second surface.

There is provided in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention a lock and key combination including: a key device including a shaft portion, a head and first and second surfaces which define longitudinal positions for making key cuts along a longitudinal axis that extends over an axial length of the shaft portion, and at least one magnetic key element disposed in the shaft portion, wherein a longitudinal position of the magnetic key element is located on the first surface along the axial length of the shaft portion between longitudinal positions of adjacent stations designated for making adjacent key cuts on the second surface, and a cylinder lock including a cylinder lock housing in which a plug is mounted for rotation along a shear line, the plug including a keyway and being operatively coupled to a cam, wherein the plug includes plug pins, located in plug pin bores formed in the plug, that cooperate with driver pins located in cylinder lock housing bores formed in the cylinder lock housing, the plug pins and the driver pins moving to the shear line upon insertion of the key device into the keyway, wherein the plug includes at least one ferromagnetic plug element and the cylinder lock housing is formed with at least one cylinder lock housing bore into which the at least one ferromagnetic plug element is initially biased by a biasing device (which may or may not be located in the at least one ferromagnetic plug element), and wherein when the key device is inserted in the keyway, the at least one magnetic key element is magnetically aligned with the at least one ferromagnetic plug element and a magnetic force of the at least one magnetic key element overcomes a biasing force of the biasing device so as to move the at least one ferromagnetic plug element to the shear line.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a simplified perspective illustration of a key device, constructed and operative in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a simplified perspective illustration of a cylinder lock, constructed and operative in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3A is a simplified sectional illustration of a rotatable plug of the cylinder lock of Fig. 2, constructed and operative in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention, showing the key device of Fig. 1 inserted in the keyway of the plug and bringing the non-magnetic plug and driver pins to the shear line;

Fig. 3B is an enlarged portion of Fig. 3A;

Figs. 4A, 4B, and 4C are perspective, front-view and sectional view illustrations, respectively, of a ferromagnetic plug element used in the cylinder lock, which can be attracted by the magnetic key element of the key, Fig. 4C being taken along the plane of lines 4C-4C in Fig. 4A;

Figs. 5A and 5B (Fig. 5B being an enlarged portion of Fig. 5A) are simplified sectional illustrations of the ferromagnetic plug element installed as one complete unit in the cylinder lock housing in an initial position, in which the spring force of a biasing device urges the ferromagnetic inner pin into one of the cylinder lock housing bores so that the ferromagnetic inner pin crosses over the shear line; and

Figs. 6A and 6B (Fig. 6B being an enlarged portion of Fig. 6A) are simplified sectional illustrations of the key of Fig. 1 inserted in the keyway so that the magnetic key element is aligned with and attracts the ferromagnetic inner pin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference is now made to Fig. 1, which illustrates a key device 10, constructed and operative in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention. The term “key device” encompasses both a key blank (with no key cuts formed thereon) and a key with key cuts formed thereon.

Key device 10 may include a generally elongate shaft portion 12, head 13 and first and second oppositely directed key combination surfaces 14 and 16 (16 is shown in Fig. 2), also referred to as first and second surfaces 14 and 16. Key device 10 can be provided as a key blank without, or substantially without, key cuts formed thereon (the key cuts being formed later by a locksmith and the like). Alternatively, key device 10 may include a row of key cuts 18 which define a key combination formed along the first key combination surface 14 and/or along the second key combination surface 16. Accordingly, key device 10 may define a reversible key, with symmetric key combination surfaces 14 and 16. Alternatively, key device 10 may have a single key combination surface (e.g., 14 or 16) or different key combination surfaces. Edge surfaces 19 (Fig. 2) extend between first and second key combination surfaces 14 and 16. In the illustrated embodiment, first and second key combination surfaces 14 and 16 are wider than edge surfaces 19, but alternatively, first and second key combination surfaces 14 and 16 do not have to be wider than edge surfaces 19.

At least one magnetic key element 26 is disposed in shaft portion 12, such as on either or both of key combination surfaces 14 and 16. The magnetic key element 26 can have any magnetization direction, that is, the north pole can face outwards or the south pole can face outwards. The magnetic key element 26 may be made of any suitable magnetic material, such as but not limited to, rare-earth materials, e.g., neodymium iron boron or samarium cobalt and the like, or non-rare-earth materials, e.g., different ferrous alloys. The one or more magnetic key elements 26 cooperate with one or more ferromagnetic plug elements as described further below with reference to Figs. 5A and 5B.

The magnetic key element 26 may or may not be flush with the key combination surfaces of the key device 10. As seen in Fig. 1, the magnetic key element 26 is located along the longitudinal axial length of the shaft portion 12 between the centerlines of adjacent key cuts 18 (in the case of a key blank, the magnetic key element 26 is located along the longitudinal axial length of the shaft portion 12 between the centerlines of adjacent stations designated for making adjacent key cuts 18). In other words, the longitudinal position 26C of the magnetic key element 26 is located along the axial length of the shaft portion 12 between the longitudinal positions 18C of adjacent stations designated for making adjacent key cuts 18.

As will be described below with reference to Figs. 5A-6B, the magnetic key element 26 operates to bring a ferromagnetic element to the shear line on the side of the key opposite to the key cuts. Thus, Fig. 1 illustrates a reversible key and the magnetic key element 26 works with magnetic force to bring a ferromagnetic plug element found in the cylinder lock located on the opposite side of the key cuts of Fig. 1.

As seen in Fig. 1, in one embodiment of the invention, particularly useful for a reversible key, one magnetic key element 26 is located on key combination surface 14 along the longitudinal axis 22 of the row of key cuts 18 which are on key combination surface 16, and another magnetic key element 26 is located on key combination surface 16 along the longitudinal axis 22 of the row of key cuts 18 which are on key combination surface 14. The two rows of key cuts are separated from each other by a distance A (Fig. 1). In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the magnetic key element 26 is not positioned along the longitudinal axis 22, but instead is laterally offset distance A or some other distance from the longitudinal axis 22 of the row of key cuts 18.

In some embodiments, the longitudinal position 26C of the magnetic key element 26 is exactly between the longitudinal positions 18C of adjacent key cuts 18; in other embodiments, the longitudinal position 26C of the magnetic key element 26 is somewhere between the longitudinal positions 18C of adjacent key cuts 18.

Reference is now made to Fig. 2, which illustrates a cylinder lock 30 for use with the key device 10. Cylinder lock 30 includes a cylinder lock housing 32 in which a plug 34 is mounted for rotation along a shear line 36. Plug 34 includes a keyway 38 and is operatively coupled to a cam 40 for bringing locking members (not shown) into locked or unlocked positions. In the illustrated embodiment, cylinder lock housing 32 is a double, Euro-profile cylinder lock housing, but the invention is not limited to this style.

As seen in Fig. 2, cylinder lock housing 32 may be formed with one or more cylinder lock housing bores 53 for one or more ferromagnetic plug elements to move in (as shown later in Figs. 5A and 5B).

Reference is now made to Fig. 3A. Plug 34 includes telescoping plug pins that cooperate with telescoping driver pins in the cylinder lock housing 32; the plug pins and driver pins move to the shear line 36 upon insertion of the properly coded key 10, as is now described.

Cylinder lock housing 32 may be formed with one or more cylinder lock housing bores 42. A telescoping driver pin 44, which includes an inner driver pin 43 and an outer driver pin 45, is disposed in cylinder lock housing bore 42. The telescoping driver pin 44 is biased by a biasing device 46, such as a coil spring. Plug 34 may be formed with one or more plug pin bores 48 for telescoping plug pins 50 to move in. The telescoping plug pin 50 includes an inner plug pin 49 and an outer plug pin 51.

Reference is now made to Figs. 4A, 4B, and 4C. A ferromagnetic plug element 54 is provided for mounting in the plug 34 (not shown in Figs. 4A-4C). The ferromagnetic plug element 54 may include an outer housing 56 and a ferromagnetic inner pin 58 that can move axially (up and down in the sense of Figs. 4A-4C) inside outer housing 56. The ferromagnetic inner pin 58 is biased by a biasing device 59, such as a coil spring. The ferromagnetic inner pin 58 may be formed with a collar 55 that can abut against an inner shoulder 57 formed in outer housing 56, so as to limit the upward travel of pin 58 inside housing 56. The biasing device 59 may abut against collar 55. The ferromagnetic plug element 54 is thus one complete insertable unit, which simplifies assembly, disassembly, or servicing in the cylinder lock, as opposed to being supplied with separate, individual parts which can get lost or get separated from each other during installation or removal.

Reference is now made to Figs. 5A and 5B, which illustrate ferromagnetic plug element 54 installed as one complete insertable unit in cylinder lock housing 32. In the initial position, the spring force of biasing device 59 urges ferromagnetic inner pin 58 into one of the cylinder lock housing bores 53. In this initial position, ferromagnetic inner pin 58 crosses over the shear line 36.

It is noted, seen by comparing Fig. 3A and Fig. 5A, that ferromagnetic plug element 54 is placed on the opposite side of the non-magnetic plug pins 50. In the nonlimiting illustrated embodiment, ferromagnetic plug element 54 and plug pins 50 are placed on opposite sides of keyway 38.

Reference is now made to Figs. 6A and 6B, which illustrate key 10 inserted in the keyway so that magnetic key element 26 is magnetically aligned with ferromagnetic inner pin 58. The magnetic force of magnetic key element 26 overcomes the spring force of biasing device 59 so as to move ferromagnetic inner pin 58 towards magnetic key element 26 and thereby bring ferromagnetic plug element 54 to shear line 36 so that plug 34 can be turned by key 10.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A key device (10) comprising: a shaft portion (12), a head (13), and first and second surfaces (14, 16), which define longitudinal positions for making key cuts (18) along a longitudinal axis (22) that extends over an axial length of said shaft portion (12); and at least one magnetic key element (26) disposed in said shaft portion (12), wherein a longitudinal position (26C) of said at least one magnetic key element (26) is located on said first surface (14) along the axial length of the shaft portion (12) between longitudinal positions (18C) of adjacent stations designated for making adjacent key cuts (18) on said second surface (16).

2. The key device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said longitudinal position (26C) of said at least one magnetic key element (26) is exactly between the longitudinal positions (18C) of the adjacent stations designated for making the adjacent key cuts (18).

3. The key device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said first and second surfaces (14, 16) are opposite to each other.

4. The key device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said key device (10) is a reversible key.

5. The key device (10) according to claim 1, further comprising telescoping key cuts (18) cut into said shaft portion (12).

6. A lock and key combination comprising: a key device (10) comprising a shaft portion (12), a head (13) and first and second surfaces (14, 16), which define longitudinal positions for making key cuts (18) along a longitudinal axis (22) that extends over an axial length of said shaft portion (12); and at least one magnetic key element (26) disposed in said shaft portion (12), wherein a longitudinal position (26C) of said at least one magnetic key element (26) is located on said first surface (14) along the axial length of the shaft portion (12) between longitudinal positions (18C) of adjacent stations designated for making adjacent key cuts (18) on said second surface (16); and a cylinder lock (30) comprising a cylinder lock housing (32) in which a plug (34) is mounted for rotation along a shear line (36), said plug (34) comprising a keyway (38) and being operatively coupled to a cam (40); wherein said plug (34) comprises plug pins (50), located in plug pin bores (48) formed in said plug (34), that cooperate with driver pins (44) located in cylinder lock housing bores (42) formed in said cylinder lock housing (32), said plug pins (50) and said driver pins (44) moving to the shear line (36) upon insertion of said key device (10) into said key way (38); wherein said plug (34) comprises at least one ferromagnetic plug element (54) and said cylinder lock housing (32) is formed with at least one cylinder lock housing bore (53) into which said at least one ferromagnetic plug element (54) is initially biased by a biasing device (59); and wherein when said key device (10) is inserted in said keyway (38), said at least one magnetic key element (26) is magnetically aligned with said at least one ferromagnetic plug element (54) and a magnetic force of said at least one magnetic key element (26) overcomes a biasing force of said biasing device (59) so as to move said at least one ferromagnetic plug element (54) to said shear line (36).

7. The lock and key combination according to claim 6, wherein said plug pins (50) and said driver pins (44) are telescoping pins.

8. The lock and key combination according to claim 6, wherein said at least one ferromagnetic plug element (54) and said plug pins (50) are placed on opposite sides of said key way (38).

9. The lock and key combination according to claim 6, wherein said at least one ferromagnetic plug element (54) is one complete insertable unit that includes said biasing device (59) located therein, and comprises an outer housing (56) and a ferromagnetic inner pin (58) that can move axially inside said outer housing (56), said ferromagnetic inner pin (58) being biased by said biasing device (59).

10. The lock and key combination according to claim 9, wherein said ferromagnetic inner pin (58) is formed with a collar (55) that can abut against an inner shoulder (57) formed in said outer housing (56), so as to limit travel of said ferromagnetic inner pin (58) inside said outer housing (56).