Patent Publication Number: US-6666057-B1

Title: Lock with a fixable key

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a lock with a fixable key, particularly to one provided with a lower half core, which has a groove added with a notch for containing an elastic member with an upper end engaging the notch and a position recess provided in a housing of a fixable key for the upper end of the elastic member to engage in case of the key inserted in the key hole in front of the core passageway (i.e. the key hole) so as to let the key smoothly slide in the key hole of the lock to unlock. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A bending-type fixable key is generally used for a lock having a corrugated key hole (i.e. a core passageway). Such a fixable key commonly has a flexible moving member, a housing for containing the moving member, and a push block for pushing or retreating the moving member in locking and unlocking by pushing up beads provided in the lock core. But conventional fixable keys are not easy to let its front end align with the key hole, and subsequently the key is quite often unable to be smoothly pushed into the core passageway (i.e. the key hole) to unlock the lock. Further, the front end of the key may be broken owing to excessive force to push the key or deadlocked in the core of the lock. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention has been devised to offer a lock with a fixable key, with the flexible key possible to be pushed in the key hole of the lock smoothly. 
     The feature of the invention is a lower half core provided with a groove added with a notch communicating with a core passageway (or a key hole), and an elastic member contained in the groove and having an upper end to engage the notch to position stably the key so as to permit the key smoothly slide in the core passageway to unlock the lock. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein; 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a lock with a fixable key in the present invention; and, 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the lock with a fixable key in the present invention, showing the lock being unlocked with a fixable key. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A preferred embodiment of a lock with a fixable key in the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, includes a shell  1 , an upper half core  2 , a lower half core  3 , an elastic member  4 , and a fixable key  5  as main components combined together. 
     The shell  1  has a chamber  10  extending lengthwise in a lower portion, and a plurality of bead holes  11  properly spaced apart in an upper portion and communicating with the chamber. 
     The upper half core  2  and the lower half core  3  are combined to form a whole core, which is contained in the chamber  10  of the shell  1 , respectively having a half corrugated core passageway  20 ,  30  facing each other to form a complete corrugated core passageway. The upper half core  2  further has a plurality of vertical bead holes  200  properly spaced apart to respectively corresponding to the related bead holes  11  in the shell  1 . Then a plurality of beads and springs are contained movably in the bead holes  200  and  11 . 
     The lower half core  3  further has a key-inserting hole  31  formed at a rear end and defined by a nearly circular wall, and a groove  32  formed under the key-inserting hole  31 , with a notch  320  added to the groove  32  communicating with the passageway  30 . 
     The elastic member  4  is to be contained in the groove  32  of the lower half core  3 , shaped nearly a U and having an upper end  40  able to fit in the notch  320 . 
     The fixable key  5  has a flexible moving member  50 , a housing  51  and a push block  52 . The flexible moving member  50  is contained movable forward and backward in the housing  51 , having its rear end pivotally connected with the push block  52 , which can then push forward or pull backward the moving member  50  within sliding slots  510  of the housing  51 . The housing  51  has a position recess  511  formed in a front sidewall near the front end to engage with the upper end  40  of the elastic member  40 . 
     In using, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, if the lock in a locked condition with the fixable key  5  pulled out of the lock is to be unlocked, the fixable key  5  is inserted in the key hole  31  of the lower half core  30  with the front end of the housing  51  headed forward, forcing the upper end  40  of the elastic member  4  engage the recess  511  of the housing  51 . Then push block  52  is manually pushed forward to move together the moving member  50  forward at the same time in the housing  51  and also along the core passageways  20 ,  30 . Then the beads  21  and the springs  22  in the upper half core  2  may all be pushed up to move into the beads holes  11  in the shell  1  so that the upper and the lower core  2  and  3  may be rotated to unlock the lock. 
     The lock with a fixable key in the present invention has the following advantages, as can be understood from the foresaid description. 
     1. The fixable key can be quickly inserted correctly in the keyhole (or the core passageway) of the lock and positioned stable to move the flexible moving member in the key (or the corrugated core passageway with ease to unlock the lock. 
     2. The flexible key can be quickly positioned correctly, enabling the moving member move smoothly in the core passageway, without possibility of breaking or deadlocking of the moving member. 
     While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.