Patent Publication Number: US-2021164262-A1

Title: Lock

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a lock. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     Generally, to hold a door of a building or outdoor fences, a latch which is mounted to the door plank is moved to be inserted into a hole of a door frame so that the door plank cannot be arbitrarily moved. When the door plank needs to be locked, an additional locking member needs to be provided to limit and constrain the latch to prevent the latch from sliding arbitrarily to unlock the door plank. However, the additional locking member is troublesome to use and needs to be locked by another locking member. Moreover, there is a problem of storing the another locking member which is unlocked, and the another locking member is easily lost. 
     The present invention is, therefore, arisen to obviate or at least mitigate the above-mentioned disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main object of the present invention is to provide a lock which has a simple structure and is convenient to operate. 
     To achieve the above and other objects, a lock is provided, including: a housing; a latch member, mounted to the housing and being movable between a first position and a second position relative to the housing, the latch member including a first blocking portion; a blocking member, mounted to the housing and being movable between a third position and a fourth position, including a second blocking portion, the blocking member having a tendency to move toward the third position; a locking member, mounted to the housing and being operable to be in a locking state or an unlocked state; wherein when the locking member is in the locking state and the latch member is located in the first position, the latch member is protrusive to be configured to be inserted within a locked object, the locking member and the blocking member are free of blocking from each other so that the blocking member is moved to the third position, the first blocking portion and the second blocking portion are blocked with each other, and the latch member is unmovable toward the second position; when the locking member is in the unlocked state, the locking member urges the blocking member to move to the fourth position, the second blocking portion and the first blocking portion are unblocked with each other and the latch member is movable to the second position so that the latch member is retractable from the locked object. 
     The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment(s) in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a stereogram of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a breakdown drawing of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial perspective view of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 5 to 8  are cross-sectional views showing functional actions of a preferable embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  are cross-sectional views showing operation of a preferable embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1 to 10  for a preferable embodiment of the present invention. A lock of the present invention includes a housing  1 , a latch member  2 , a blocking member  3  and a locking member  4 . 
     The latch member  2  is mounted to the housing  1  and movable between the housing  1  a first position and a second position, and the latch member  2  includes a first blocking portion  21 . 
     The blocking member  3  is mounted to the housing  1  and movable between a third position and a fourth position, the blocking member  3  further includes a second blocking portion, and the blocking member  3  has a tendency to move toward the third position. 
     The locking member  4  is mounted to the housing  1  and is operable to be in a locking state or an unlocked state. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , when the locking member  4  is in the locking state and the latch member  2  is located in the first position, the latch member  2  is protrusive to be configured to be inserted within a locked object, the locking member  4  and the blocking member  3  are free of blocking from each other so that the blocking member  3  is moved to the third position, the first blocking portion  21  and the second blocking portion are blocked with each other, and the latch member  2  is unmovable toward the second position so that the latch member  2  cannot disengage from the locked object (in the locking state) As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , when the locking member  4  is in the unlocked state, the locking member  4  urges the blocking member  3  to move to the fourth position, the second blocking portion and the first blocking portion  21  are unblocked with each other and the latch member  2  is movable to the second position so that the latch member is retractable from the locked object. Whereby, the lock is provided without an additional locking member, and it can effectively lock the locked object and is easy to unlock. 
     The latch member  2  includes a grip  22  and a pin member  23  connected with the grip  22 , and the pin member  23  is configured to be inserted within the locked object. For example, the housing  1  may be mounted to a door body, the locked object is a door frame or another door body, and a first elastic member  24  is abutted against the latch member  2  to bias the latch member  2  to move toward the second position. In this embodiment, the first elastic member  24  is abutted against and between the housing  1  and the latch member  2 . Preferably, the lock further includes a limitation member  5 , the limitation member  5  is configured to be included in the locked object, and the limitation member  5  includes an insertion hole  51 . When the latch member  2  is in the first position, the latch member  2  is inserted within the insertion hole  51  so as to lock the door body and the locked object, wherein one of the latch member  2  and the limitation member  5  includes a magnetically-attractable member  52  which is relatively magnetically-attractable to the latch member so that the latch member  2  is attracted to be within the insertion hole  51 . As a result, even the blocking member  3  is in the fourth position, the latch member  2  is magnetically-attracted to be within the insertion hole  51  and does not unintendedly move to the second position, and the latch member  2  can be pulled by a hand to move the latch member  2  to the second position. When the latch member  2  moves to the second position, the first elastic member  24  urges the latch member  2  to be located in the second position so as to prevent detachment of the latch member  2  due to attraction of the magnetically-attractable member  52 . 
     Specifically, the latch member  2  is slidably mounted to the housing  1 , the first blocking portion  21  includes a groove extending in a direction lateral to a direction in which the latch member  2  slides, and the second blocking portion is engageable within the groove. 
     In this embodiment, the locking member  4  further includes a driving member  41 , and the driving member  41  is movable to be in the locking state or the unlocked state. When the driving member  41  is in the locking state, the locking member and the blocking member  3  are free of blocking from each other; and when the driving member  41  is moved to the unlocked state, the driving member  41  urges the blocking member  3  to move to the fourth position. 
     Specifically, the blocking member  3  is rotatably mounted to the housing  1  and rotatable to be in the third position and the fourth position, the driving member  41  is abutted against a first end of the blocking member  3  opposite to the second blocking portion, and a point where the blocking member  3  is rotatably mounted to the housing  1  is located between the second blocking portion and a point where the driving member  41  urges the blocking member  3  so that the blocking member  3  can move like a see-saw. Specifically, the driving member  41  is slidably mounted to the housing  1 , the driving member  41  includes an inclined section  411  and a flat section  412  connected with the inclined section  411 . When the driving member  41  moves from the locking state toward the unlocked state, the inclined section  411  urges the blocking member  3  to move away from the second blocking portion (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) so that the inclined section  411  is slidable relative to the blocking member  3  to urges the blocking member  3  to move from the third position toward the fourth position; and when the driving member  41  moves to be in the unlocked state, the blocking member  3  moves to the fourth position and the blocking member  3  is abutted against the flat section  412  (as shown in  FIG. 7 ) so that the driving member  41  can be retained in the unlocked state and the blocking member  3  can be retained in the fourth position. As a result, it has no need to keep pressing the driving member  41  to retain the unlocked state, and it is convenient to operate. 
     Preferably, the locking member  4  includes a shell member  42 , at least two coded ring members  43  and a lock core  44 . The shell member  42  is mounted to the housing  1 , the at least two coded ring member  43  are rotatably mounted to the shell member  42 , and the lock core  44  is mounted to the shell member  42  and slidable to be in a fifth position or a sixth position. The at least two coded ring member  43  block and constrain the lock core  44  to be in the fifth position so that the lock core  44  urges the blocking member  3  to the third position and the driving member  41  is in the locking state. When the at least two coded ring member  43  are rotated to be in a manner that the lock core  44  is free of blocking from the at least two coded ring members  43  (preset code combination), the lock core  44  is movable to the sixth position so that the blocking member  3  is movable toward the fourth position, in which the driving member  41  can be moved to be in the unlocked state and the blocking member  3  can be moved to be in the fourth position. Preferably, the locking member  4  further includes a second elastic member  45 , and the second elastic member  45  bias the lock core  44  toward the fifth position so that the blocking member  3  has a tendency to move toward the third position. 
     In this embodiment, the lock core  44  includes a shaft  46  and a latching plate  47 , each said coded ring member  43  includes a sleeve portion  48 , and each said sleeve portion  48  includes a notch  481 . The shaft  46  is disposed through each said sleeve portion  48  and slidable to be in the fifth position or the sixth position. The latching plate  47  receives the at least two coded ring members  43  and includes at least two projections  471  respectively corresponding to the at least two sleeve portions  48 . The latching plate  47  is abutted against and between the shaft  46  and the blocking member  3  so that the shaft  46 , the blocking member  3  and the latching plate  47  are co-movable. When the at least two coded ring members  43  are rotated to be in a manner that each said projection  471  corresponds to one said notch  481 , the shaft  46  is movable to the sixth position. In this embodiment, the locking member  4  is a combination locking member; however, the locking member may be a locking member which can be unlocked via a key. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.