Locksmith tool for unlocking motor vehicle doors

Disclosed is improved locksmith tool of the probing type wherein a locksmith, stationed externally of a locked motor vehicle operator's compartment, inserts the elongate probing tool between the door glass window and the hollow door supporting the window, and fishes deeply beneath the glass pane within the hollow door for the lock-rod which (upon tool engagement and manipulation) will unlock the vehicle door. Unlike prior art elongate probing tools which entail the tedious and unreliable hooking-around flexure of the lock-rods, the improved elongate probing tool concept herein disclosed easily and reliably engages the lock-rod (whether it be of the horizontal or vertical type) with an aptly positioned sawteeth member as the tool forward lower end, and which sawteeth member includes at least two multi-teeth rows that occupy distinctly different planes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Drawing FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical prior art elongate 
probing tool 110 intended to permit a locksmith, stationed externally of a 
locked motor vehicle operator's compartment, to insert such tool between 
the vehicle door window pane and the hollow door support therefor to reach 
the lock-rod located deeply inside the hollow door. Prior art tool 110, 
which is typically fabricated by permanently bending a single elongate 
length of metallic rod stock "RS" into the uniplanar shape of FIG. 1, 
comprises: 
a handle member 120; 
as the tool intermediate portion, an elongate carrier member 130 extending 
longitudinally downwardly from the handle member 120; and 
as the tool forward and lower portion, a hook member 140. 
In operating typical prior art tool 110, the locksmith continuously wields 
handle member 120 and as a first step inserts leadward hook member 140 and 
leadward portions of carrier member 130 between the vehicle door glass 
window pane and the hollow door support therefor whereby these two tool 
members become located deeply below the glass pane and interiorally the 
hollow door where is located the lock-rod portion of the vehicle door 
locking mechanism. Once the leadward hook member 140 is thusly deeply 
within the vehicle hollow door, the operator has to fish blindly and "feel 
for" the lock-rod with hook member 140. Upon ultimately successfully 
"feeling" the lock-rod, the final operational step requires adroitly 
hooking-around the lock-rod with the hook member 140 and applying manually 
exerted flexure pressure between the hook member and the lock-rod to move 
the latter sufficiently to unlock the vehicle door. With such prior art 
probing tool and operational steps, the final operational step is 
exceedingly cumbersome, tedious, time-consuming, and lacking reliability 
for efficient locksmithing. 
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
It is accordingly the general objective of the present invention to 
overcome the disadvantages and deficiencies of prior art probing tools 
intended to enable a locksmith, stationed externally of a locked motor 
vehicle operator's compartment, to unlock the vehicle door. Ancillary 
general objectives include providing an improved probing tool which 
enables the locksmith to accomplish such task more easily, quickly, and 
reliably, and especially during the final operational step of engaging the 
deeply obscured lock-rod (of whatever type encountered) and to move same 
sufficiently for actuating the door locking mechanism and thereby simplify 
the locksmith's task of unlocking the vehicle door. 
GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION 
With the above general objective in view, and together with other ancillary 
objectives which will become more apparent as this description proceeds, 
the locksmith tool of the present invention, which enables the externally 
positioned locksmith to quickly and reliably unlock the vehicle door, is 
an elongate probing device broadly similar to those of the prior art, but 
differing in that the prior art hook member is replaced by an aptly 
positioned sawteeth member having hardened multi-teeth rows occupying a 
plurality of planes and adapted to frictionally biteably engage the 
lock-rod and in this manner more reliably and easily manipulate the 
lock-rod for actuating the vehicle door mechanism, and differing also from 
the prior art by utilizing a carrier member having a preponderant 
vertical-length and a minor horizontal-length, and together with other 
ancillary novel features which will become apparent as this description 
proceeds.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
Drawing FIGS. 2-4 depict a representative embodiment (e.g. 10) of the 
locksmith tool concept for unlocking motor vehicle doors. The 
representative embodiment typifies the locksmith tool concept as follows: 
(A) a linearly extending handle member 20 having a finite handle-length 
between a handle rear-end 21 and a handle front-end 22; 
(B) as the tool intermediate portion, an elongate carrier member (e.g. 30) 
having a finite carrier-length between an upper trail-end 31 and a forward 
lower lead-end 39. The carrier-length (e.g. 31-39) is much lengthier than 
the handle-length. Moreover, such typical carrier-length predominately 
comprises a trailward vertical-length (e.g. 30D), but the remaining and 
leadward minority includes at least a generally horizontal 
horizontal-length (e.g. 30F); and 
(C) as the tool forward and lower portion, a substantially linearly 
extending sawteeth member (e.g. 40) having at least two multiteeth rows of 
length "TL" and rigidly connected to the carrier member adjacent the 
lead-end thereof. 
In embodiment 10 of FIGS. 2-4, carrier member 30 includes a linearly 
extending uppermost vertical-length first-part 30D providing the carrier 
member trailing-length and trail-end 31, said first-part 30D being of 
finite vertical-length "FL" between trail-end 31 and a leadward-end 32 
thereof. Vertical-length trail-end 31 is rigidly connected to the handle 
member front-end 22, and herein, linear handle member 20 extends angularly 
downwardly and rearwardly from carrier member vertical-length first-part 
30D. Extending obliquely downwardly and forwardly from the first-part 
leadward-end 32 is a linearly extending second-part 30E which at its 
trailward-end 33 abruptly intersects and is rigidly connected to said 
vertical-length leadward-end 32. Second-part 30E has a finite 
second-length "SL" between trailward-end 33 and a leading-end 34, said 
second-length "SL" being at least twice as lengthy as sawteeth-length "TL" 
and being less than one-half the vertical-length "FL". Finally, carrier 
member embodiment 30 includes as its shortest, lowermost, and forwardmost 
part, a horizontal-length third-part 30F (which third-part also provides 
the carrier member lead-end 39) is provided with a central-slot 38; 
moreover such slot extends a short distance into second-part 30E. The 
angular relationship (Y.sup.0) between the carrier member vertical-length 
30D and its horizontal-length (e.g. 30F, 30FF, 30E2) is within the range 
of about 75.degree. to 105.degree., and preferably substantially 
90.degree.. 
Fabrication of the entire carrier member (for embodiments 10, 10A, 10B, and 
10C) might be commenced from a single elongate length of permanently 
bendable metallic rod stock ("RS") having a circular cross-sectional shape 
as seen in FIG. 5. The rod stock ("RS") diameter is typically on the order 
of about 0.15 to 0.20 inch. For carrier member 30 of embodiment 10, and 
together with handle member 20, a rod stock length of substantially 251/2 
inches is permanently bent into the uniplanar shape shown in FIG. 2 
whereby the following lengths result: a handle length of three inches; a 
vertical-length (30D) of eighteen inches; a second-length (30E) of four 
inches; and a third-length (30F) of about one-half inch. Then, said slot 
38 is sawed into the bent carrier member 30. For the second embodiment 
10A, a rod stock length of substantially 261/4 inches is permanently bent 
into the uniplanar shape shown in FIG. 6 whereby the following lengths 
result: a handle-length of three inches; a vertical-length (30D) of 
eighteen inches; a second-length of four inches; and a third-part 
horizontal-length (30FF) of about 11/4 inch. Then, said third-part 30FF 
is ground to provide flat sides 36 and 37. For the third embodiment 10B a 
length of, circularly cross-sectional rod stock is permanently bent into 
the uniplanar shape shown in FIG. 10, and the portions from 30J to 39B are 
similarly provided with opposed flat sides. For the fourth embodiment 10C, 
a length of circularly cross-sectional rod stock is permanently bent into 
the uniplanar shape shown in FIG. 13, and the portions from 30J to 39C are 
similarly provided with opposed flat sides. 
The aforementioned sawteeth member for embodiments 10 and 10A includes both 
an upwardly extending upper-teeth row (40U) and a downwardly extending 
lower-teeth row (40L), each of said multi-teeth rows having a said 
sawteeth-length "TL" (e.g. about 11/4 inch). In the embodiment 10 of FIGS. 
2-4, sawteeth member 40 comprises a single length (e.g. about 11/4 inch 
from 41 to 42) of double edge metallic band saw material of the hardened 
type commonly used in metal-cutting sabre saws. Such sawteeth member 40 is 
inserted into the aforedescribed slot 38 and is then rigidly attached, as 
by welding, to the carrier member third-part horizontal-length 30F whereby 
sawteeth member beveled fore-end 42 is forwardly of carrier member 
lead-end 39 and provides the forwardmost and lowermost extremity of tool 
10. Sawteeth member 40 aft-end 41 is located slightly rearwardly of 
third-part 30F and into second-part 30E. It can be seen that multi-teeth 
rows 40U and 40L occupy respectively different horizontal planes. 
Having now structurally described first embodiment 10, while also 
structurally alluding to common parts of embodiment 10A, the reader's 
attention is now turned to second embodiment 10A of FIGS. 6-8. Common to 
embodiments 10 and 10A are handle member 20, the carrier member first-part 
30D and second-part 30E, and the multi-teeth rows 40U and 40L. Embodiment 
10A has for its carrier member 30A a said relatively lengthier third-part 
30FF having a beveled forward terminus 39A as the tool and carrier member 
lead-end. The sawteeth member for embodiment 10A comprises two multi-teeth 
lengths (e.g. of about 11/4 inch each) of single-edge metallic band saw 
material of the hardened type commonly used in metal-cutting hacksaws. 
Sawteeth strip 40M and strip 40N are rigidly attached, as by welding, to 
the opposed flat sides 36 and 37 of carrier member horizontal-length 30FF 
whereby both strips are slightly rearward of tool lead-end 39A. Sawteeth 
strip 40M provides upper-teeth row 40U extending upwardly from 
horizontal-length 30FF, and sawteeth strip 40N provides lower-teeth row 
40L extending downwardly from horizontal-length 30FF. 
Having now described embodiments 10 and 10A, while also structurally 
alluding to common parts of embodiment 10B, the reader's attention is now 
turned to third embodiment 10B of FIGS. 10-12. Common to embodiments 10A 
and 10B are handle member 20, a carrier member vertical-length (e.g. 30D 
plus 30D2), and sawteeth strips 40M and 40N. As previously alluded to, 
below said distance "FL" (e.g. commencing at 30J), the carrier member 
vertical-length has opposed flat sides 26 and 27 and the carrier member 
horizontal-length 30E2 has opposed and respectively coplanar flat sides 36 
and 37. Between carrier member first-corner 30K and leading-end 39B, minor 
length horizontal-length portion 30E2 carries said sawteeth strips 40M and 
40N. Between first corner 30K and juncture 30J, the carrier member 
vertical-length carries similar sawteeth strips 50M and 50N. A finite-gap 
"G" exists between the horizontal plane of the multi-teeth rows of strips 
40M-40N and the vertical plane of the multi-teeth rows of strips 50M-50N. 
All such multi-teeth rows extend away from finite-gap "G". 
Having now described embodiments 10, 10A, and 10B, while also structurally 
alluding to common parts of embodiment 10C, the reader's attention is now 
turned to fourth embodiment 10C of FIGS. 13-15. Common to embodiments 10A, 
10B, and 10C are handle member 20, a carrier member vertical-length (e.g. 
30D plus 30D2), and sawteeth strips 40M and 40N. As previously alluded to, 
commencing at 30J, the carrier member vertical-length has opposed flat 
sides 26 and 27 and the carrier member horizontal-length 30E2 has opposed 
flat sides 36 and 37, coplanar with respective sides 26 and 27. Between 
carrier member first-corner bend 30K and second-corner bend 30KK, minor 
horizontal-length portion 30E2 carries said sawteeth strips 40M and 40N. 
Extending downwardly from the abrupt bend 30KK is an upright-length minor 
portion 30F2 for the carrier member. The opposed flat sides 36A and 36B of 
upright-length 30F2 carry sawteeth strips 60M and 60N, respectively. A 
finite-gap "G" exists between the horizontal plane of the multi-teeth rows 
of strips 40M-40N and the vertical plane of multi-teeth rows of strips 
60M-60N. All such multi-teeth rows extend directionally away from 
finite-gap "G". 
Drawing FIG. 9 indicates that a resinous grip material 20G might be adhered 
to rod stock "RS", and thus, provide a more comfortable and manipulatable 
handle member for the locksmith tool. 
Operation of the locksmith tool concept herein (10, 10A, 10B, 10C, etc.) 
for unlocking motor vehicle doors is analagous to the three steps 
operation already described for the FIG. 1 prior art tool. However, by 
virtue of the unique carrier member having predominate vertical-length and 
minor horizontal-length portions, of the at least two distinct planes for 
the multi-teeth rows, and of other ancillary features described, all three 
operational steps are more easily, reliably, and quickly accomplished. 
Accordingly, such easy reliable engagement and manipulation of the 
visually obscured lock-rods permit the unlocking of motor vehicle doors by 
locksmiths within minimal times not possible with prior art tools. 
From the foregoing, the locksmith tool concept for unlocking motor vehicle 
doors will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be 
unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will 
readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the 
invention to the exact constructions shown and described, and accordingly, 
further modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, as encompassed 
by the scope of the appended claims.