Patent Publication Number: US-11028619-B2

Title: Corner-mounted lock head for computer security

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to locking devices and, more particularly, to extremely miniaturized locking devices, suitable for preventing theft of low profile, very thin electronic devices such as tablets, laptops, mobile communication devices and the like. 
     The instant inventor and many others have been providing to the industry locking devices and systems for preventing theft of very mobile electronic devices such as tablets, laptops, mobile communication devices and the like for over two decades. 
     Until recently, the electronic devices that require this protection were still thick enough so that when they rest on a table surface, the well known 3×7 mm security slot, the so-called Kensington slot, was about 5 to 10 mm above the surface on which the electronic device was resting, making it not unduly difficult to use a cylinder lock that uses a T-bar or scissor-action locking elements that can be inserted into the security slot without disturbing the ability of the electronic device to lie flat against its table-top resting surface. 
     More recently, electronic devices have become so thin, sometimes on the order of only 7 or even fewer millimeters, that the standard security slot is too close to the bottom wall of the electronic device, for example, a mere 3 mm or so above the resting surface, e.g., the table surface, supporting the tablet, laptop, etc. 
     For more background, applicant incorporates by reference the disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,251, which relates to the subject matter of the invention. For example, in FIG. 3 of the &#39;251 patent one can see the T-bar of the locking cylinder which should have a dimension slightly under 3×7 mm. However, the overall cylinder that has a diameter of 21 mm, whereby, this locking cylinder would not be able to be inserted into a security slot that is located within 7 mm of the table surface of mobile device. FIG. 3 of the &#39;251 patent is reproduced herein as prior art  FIG. 1 b    and FIG. 26A of the &#39;251 patent is reproduced herein as prior art  FIG. 1 a   , in order to provide more background information. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 a   , as is well known, a security system comprises a lock system  1  with a lock cylinder  12 , a cable  14  connected to the body of the lock cylinder  12 , the cable terminating in a loop  16  through which the lock cylinder can be threaded to secure the distal end of the cable to an immovable object, e.g., a table, a chair, etc. The lock system  1  has locking elements  120  which fit in a security slot  110  provided in a wall  18  of an electronic device. The locking elements can be operated by a key which is inserted into the keyslot  112 . 
     Referring to prior art  FIG. 1 b   , one observes a T-bar style locking pin projecting from a locking cylinder that has a rear lock body  12   a , a front lock body  12   b , capped by respective end walls  12   c ,  12   d , with a cable retainer  12   e  connected/fastened to the lock body  12   a , at an opening  14   a  for one distal end  14   a  of the cable  14 . The locking elements comprise the T-bar  120  having a rotatable tab  120   a , a shaft  120   b  and a pair of anti-rotation pins  121   a ,  121   b . When the locking tab  120   a  is inserted into the slot  110  ( FIG. 1 a   ) and the cylinder key is rotated, the T-bar becomes misaligned and is locked behind the wall  18 , all in well known manner. 
     Still, and as noted above, the miniaturization of electronic devices and particularly, the reduction of their thicknesses to just a few millimeters, and the provision of ever smaller security slots located closer to the resting bottom surface of these electronic devices has made connecting security devices such as those described above with reference to  FIGS. 1 a , 1 b    difficult to accomplish. Moreover, there is an urgent need for locking cylinders that are not only miniaturized, but which also retain their sturdiness, strength and ability to prevent theft. 
     Several years ago, the instant inventor made a huge contribution to the advancement of the art via his invention of a new style of locking cavity that has become known as the Noble slot or the “wedge slot”, and for which he has been granted several patents to date, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,137,911; 9,549,476; 9,624,697; and 9,784,019, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. The wedge slot utilizes a locking concept quite different from that embodied in the 3×7 mm Kensington slot, in which the locking T-bar element must pass through the slot and lock behind the wall that defines the slot. 
     The wedge slot, actually a cavity, is formed inside the outer wall of the computer device being secured against theft, so that the locking elements do not penetrate beyond the “slot” as in the prior art and instead become wedged inside the slot/cavity. More specifically, the locking elements become wedged against slanted side walls of the cavity so that any attempt to pull the locking elements actually increases the resistance force against the pulling out force. Comparatively, much smaller, indeed tiny and millimeter sized locking elements are able to provide greater resistance to being pulled or manipulated out of the slot/cavity in the computer device. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide locking elements that are miniaturized compared to prior art locking elements and locking mechanisms. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide locking elements and mechanisms that more compactly convert rotational motion of a locking cylinder in one plane to rotational motion of a T-bar locking element in a different plane, all without sacrificing strength, usability and sturdiness. 
     It is also a further object of the invention to provide a security cylinder of the aforementioned type that can be constructed of fewer parts. 
     The foregoing and other objects of the invention are realized with a lock for computer security that includes: a housing comprising a bottom wall, at least one side wall and a front wall with a corner region defined adjacent to both the bottom wall and the at least one side wall; a locking assembly comprising a locking assembly body holding at least two locking elements including a main locking element and a movable locking element, both said locking elements being supported by the locking assembly body, and the main locking element extending from and away from the locking assembly body at the front wall of the lock housing; a driver coupled to the movable locking element and configured to selectively move the movable locking element in frontwise and rearwise directions; a locking mechanism supported by the housing, coupled to the driver and configured to actuate the drive to move the movable locking element between a locked position and an unlocked position; and the locking assembly being secured to the housing at the corner region thereof, with the locking elements located directly adjacent both the bottom wall and the at least one side wall. 
     Preferably, the main locking element and the movable locking element, when located adjacent to each other, define a substantially triangle-shape structure and the housing has a cutout at the corner region, at the location of the locking assembly body. Further, the housing surrounds the locking assembly body at the cutout region over more than 180° portion of a circumference associated with the locking assembly body. 
     Preferably, a retainer made of thin metallic sheet metal that wraps around the locking assembly body and is configured to secure the locking assembly body to the housing by affixing the retainer to the housing. The thickness of the metallic sheet is less than 1 mm. The movable locking element is slideable within a channel formed in the locking assembly body and the movable locking element is mechanically coupled to a driver that is configured to move the movable locking element in the channel formed in the locking assembly body. A locking mechanism is coupled to driver for the movable locking element and is configured to lock the movable locking element in a locked state thereof, at which the locking element is positioned alongside the main locking element. A cable is mechanically coupled to the housing, by which the lock can be tethered to an immovable object. 
     The retainer has a pair of overlapping tabs and the tabs are physically connected to the housing and the retainer is wrapped around the locking assembly body in a manner that enables the locking assembly body to rotate relative to the retainer and relative to the housing. Preferably, the driver has a circular cross-section and a circular channel in the housing enables the driver to slide back and forth therein. Or, the driver has a rectangular cross-section and including a rectangular channel in the housing for enabling the driver to slide back and forth therein. 
     Preferably, the main locking element and the movable locking element, when located alongside each other, are associated with a horizontal plane oriented to lie parallel to a bottom horizontal plane passing through bottom surfaces of the locking elements and the plane is located within 2 mm of a flat resting surface on which the housing is located. The height of the horizontal plane remains the same regardless of whether the housing is placed on the resting surface with its bottom side or its at least one side wall contacting the resting surface. The housing is preferably rectangular, defined in part by the bottom wall and by the at least one side wall, for example, the housing has a height dimension and a width dimension, less than 8 mm and 13 mm, respectively. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    show prior art locking systems for electronic devices. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the main components of a locking cylinder in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a first diagram of the assembled components (partially cut away) of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the components of  FIG. 3 , with a bottom housing. 
         FIG. 5  shows the lock components of  FIG. 4  with an upper housing portion that accommodates a cylindrical key. 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of the keying components of the lock cylinder of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  shows the arrangement of  FIG. 3  in a different locked position. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective showing a variant placement of a locking head in a lock housing for a computer security system. 
         FIG. 8 a    is a diagram of the wedge slot operating with the wedge locking elements. 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded view showing interior components of the corner mounted locking head depicted in  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  shows a plan, front view of the lock of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 11  shows a diagrammatical explanation of the lock of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 12  shows photographically components of the lock of  FIG. 8  in an exploded view. 
         FIG. 13  shows partially assembled components of the locking elements shown in  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  shows a further assembled photo of the lock of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 15  shows the lock of  FIG. 12  from a different angle. 
         FIG. 16  shows a slightly modified version of the lock of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 17  shows components associated with the lock of  FIG. 16 . 
         FIG. 18  shows an interior feature of the lock of  FIG. 16 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 2  shows (in exploded form) the key components of the internal elements of the locking cylinder which are assembled as shown in  FIG. 3  and then placed inside a housing, including a bottom housing  410  and a top housing  450  ( FIG. 5 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , it is worthwhile to describe certain components by reference and comparison to the locking elements in  FIG. 1 b    (prior art). Thus,  FIG. 2  comprises a T-bar locking element  220  having a locking step  228  affixed to a rotating shaft  220   b , which correspond, respectively, to the locking tab  128 , the shaft  120   b  in prior art  FIG. 1   b.    
     The anti-rotation fingers or pins  121   a ,  121   b  in  FIG. 1 b    are provided in  FIG. 2  as anti-rotation fingers  221   a ,  221   b , which are located, respectively, on half housing  230 , including half housings  230   a ,  230   b.    
     The T-bar shaft  220   b  has a centering annual wedge  222  which rotates inside the channel  232  in the half housings, with the spring  224  (on the shaft  220   b ) being located on the corresponding trough  236  in the half housings. The wedge  222  prevents axial movement of the shaft  220   b.    
     At the rear of the shaft  220   b  is the camming portion  226  that has two curving camming surfaces  228   a ,  228   b  that function as explained immediately below. When the camming shaft  220   b  (and its included components) are sandwiched between the half housings  230   a ,  230   b , space is left for the camming converter  260  to have its longitudinally extending upper and lower guides  264   a ,  264   b  to ride on the ledges, such as the ledge  238  in the half housing at the top and at the bottom with the camming converter  266  having its own counterformed and complementary camming surfaces  266   a ,  266   b  engaging respectively the camming surfaces  228   a ,  228   b , in such a way that as the camming converter  266  is moved axially against the rear of the shaft  220   b , it will cause the T-bar to rotate up to a maximum of 90°. 
     The retaining cone  262  on the camming converter  260  can be inserted through the bottom into the driving block  270 , specifically into the cut-out  272  which is reachable through the opening  272   a  formed in the body of  274  of the cam driver  270 . 
     When assembled together, and as also shown in  FIG. 3 , the two housing parts and the camming converter are rotationally fixed and can only rotate together relative to the driving block  270  via the coupling between the cone coupling  262  and the under cut cone-shaped opening  272 . The T-bar locking element  220  is rotatable between the two housing halves in response to the camming driver  260  moving to the left or to the right in  FIG. 3 . The spring  224  has one end attached to the shaft  220   b  and the other end to one of the housing halves and is biased so that the orientation of the locking tab  220   a  is misaligned with the plane that holds the locking fingers  221   a ,  221   b , i.e., to the locked position. 
     For further elucidation, reference is now made to  FIG. 4  showing a bottom outer housing  410  comprising left and right sidewalls  412   a ,  412   b  and a bottom housing wall  414  to define an interior space  416  that houses therein the previously described components, including the locking elements  220 , the housing halves  230 , the camming driver  260  and the cam driver  270 . A channel  418  in the bottom wall  414  receives that annular projections  418   a ,  418   b  of the half housings  230   a , and  230   b , respectively. 
     The modified spring  224   a  has two protrusions; one to engage one of the half housings and the other the shaft of the locking element  220 . The ledge  420  provided at the right and at the left a resting surface for the upper housing part  450  ( FIG. 5 ). Regardless, the two housing halves  230   a ,  230   b , can rotate between the bottom housing  410  and the upper housing/cover  450  while, as noted previously, the T-bar locking components are permitted to rotate between the housing halves, and being biased to the locked position (which would be a position of the locking tab  120   a  in  FIG. 1 b    being rotated 90°. The openings  422  at the bottom housing enable pinning the two housing parts together via corresponding registered holes  454  in the upper housing part  450 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the upper housing  450  has a lock cylinder casing  452  defining an interior space  456  which receives a key operated key driver comprising a disc body  460  with a shaft  464  and an off center driving pin  462  comprising element  458 . The finger heldable key handle  520   b  and the key  520   a  are well known in the art. The key  520  can only be inserted if it is properly keyed and thereby ultimately being useable to drive to open the T-bar to its unlocked position via rotation of the key shaft  464 . 
       FIG. 7  is generally identical to  FIG. 3 , except that it shows the camming converter  260  pushed deeper onto the camming surfaces of the shaft, which causes the T-bar  228  to be aligned with the locking fingers to enable the T-bar to be inserted into (or withdrawn from) the security slot  110  ( FIG. 1 a   ). 
     Regardless, the aforementioned lock embodiment is such that in the assembled form thereof, the T-bar locking tab  220  in its locked position, reaches almost to the bottom of the housing part  414  and in its unlocked position, it is only on the order of about 3 mm or so above the table surface, which enables it to be inserted into a security slot  110  which is provided only approximately 3 mm over a table surface. This differs from the prior art ( FIG. 1 b   ) lock where in the opened position the security slot must be located not lower than about 10 mm from the table surface, in order to enable the cylinder  1  of  FIG. 1 b    to be inserted into the security slot (without lifting the mobile device). 
     The embodiment of  FIGS. 8 and 9  shows a variation on the concept of the invention, including, as shown in  FIG. 8 , a lock housing or body  800  at one corner of which housing is installed a lock head  830  comprising, inter alia, a main locking element  860  that, significantly, is wider at the front and which narrows in cross sectional size in the rear-wise direction and which operates with an accompanying slidable locking pin  870  ( FIG. 9 ), the front section  872  of which is seen in  FIG. 8 . These locking elements  860  and  870  define the “wedge lock” referred to above, which has been in use in the prior art for several years now. The wedge lock is designed to lock within the Noble “wedge slot,” all as explained in several prior art patents including in the instant inventor&#39;s, incorporated by reference, U.S. Pat. No. 9,137,911, with  FIG. 8a  herein being a prior art figure (FIG. 4) taken from the 9,137,911 patent to show and illustrate the locking principle employed by the wedge lock, which uses a concept similar to that of a “keystone” in Roman and Greek building arches. 
     The distinguishing feature in  FIG. 8  is the location of the locking head  830  at one of the two bottom corners of the lock housing  830 , where the front wall  812  and left side wall  814  meet. This enables the locking elements  860 / 870  to lie very close to the bottom surface  813  of the main body  810  of the lock  800 , approximately with a spacing of only about 1 to 2 millimeters or so above the surface on which the housing  800  rests. With this arrangement, the locking elements can be inserted into a wedge slot, the center of which is only about 2 to 2.5 millimeters above the bottom of the computer device (not shown) containing the wedge slot, which is unheard of in the prior art of the present invention. 
     For some additional background, reference is made to prior art  FIG. 8 a    herein which depicts a wedge slot  50  with an interior  52  defined by non-parallel and diverging side walls  54 / 56 , into which are inserted a main lock element  60  having a wide front  60   b  with a slanted side wall  60   a , along which can be inserted the locking pin  70  that slides along the wall  60   a , filling the cavity space  52  left unoccupied by the locking element  60 , leaving only a small space to the front wall  58  of the wedge slot, all as fully described in the 9,137,911 patent. 
     In  FIG. 8 , the housing  800  includes a circular cut out  816  ( FIG. 9 ) and a thin channel  818  accessible at the front wall  812 , for receiving and holding a portion of the lock head assembly  830  as explicated later. Also note the circular housing portion  820  that is designed to hold the key operated lock cylinder/mechanism  822 . 
       FIG. 9  depicts, in exploded view, the details of the locking head  830  and the manner in which its components are inter-assembled and firmly held to and secured within the interior of the housing body  810 . From right to left in the figure, the main wedge cavity engaging components include the cylindrical front body  840  with a rear ring  862 , front ring  864 , defining therebetween a circular detent  866 . The main locking element  860 , generally triangularly-shaped as in  FIG. 12 , extends forwardly, from one side of the body  840 , gradually increasing in cross-sectional size, so it is widest at the front, as best seen in  FIG. 12 . The construction leaves an open channel  863  that begins at the left side of the body  860 , extends through the body  840  and emerges at the front side bounded (partially) by the main locking element  860  and the guide pin  868 . 
     The retainer  880  in  FIGS. 9 and 12  is constructed of very thin metal that is bent into a cylindrical shape, terminating in tabs  882  and  884  that are perforated to define rivet holes  886  and provided with anti-bending jutting fingers  888 . The thickness of the metal is closely matched to the depth of the detent  866 , so when the retainer  880  is wrapped around the detent  866  the outer surfaces of the retainer  880 , and the rings  862  and  864  are merged into a continuous comparatively smooth single surface of a given diametrical size. See  FIG. 13 . The retainer is used to anchor the body  840  in the housing body  810  by using rivets (not shown) passing through both the housing body  810  and the tab holes  886  of the retainer  880 . The construction allows the body  840  to rotate in the retainer  880 , and relative to the main lock housing  800 . Although, the retainer has a body thickness of about or even less than a single millimeter, since it fits very tightly in the housing body  810 , it will not become crushed or twisted and is able to withstand pulling forces of well over 150 pounds. 
     The assembly  830  is further defined by the slidable locking pin  870  being inserted, front section  872  first, into the channel  863 , the front section  873  passing through and emerging between the main locking element  860  and the guiding pin  868 . See  FIG. 13 . 
     The locking concept for the wedge lock requires enabling the front section  872  of the locking pin to be slid out to lie adjacent to the main locking element  860 , in the locked position, or to be withdrawn into the body  840 , in the unlocked position which makes it possible to insert and withdraw the main locking element  860  (the front width of which is approximately that of the opening into the wedge cavity/slot  50  referred to in  FIG. 8 a   ), when it is desired to either attach or dis-attach the lock of the present invention to or from the wedge slot. One cannot simultaneously insert into the cavity  50  ( FIG. 8 a   ) both locking elements  860 / 870 , because the front most dimension of the main locking element  860  is about that of the (rectangular) opening into the cavity  50 . 
     The ability to drive/slide the locking pin  870  is provided by the driver block  890 , which has a circular shape in the present embodiment with a diameter matched to that of the ring  864 . The driver block has an opening  892  shaped to receive and hold within the extension  874  of the pin  870  holding it by its ears  875 . At the opposed end, the holding ball  894  fits within a hole (not shown) inside the main body housing  810 , at a location therein that allows it to be moved/slid, front to back and vice versa relative to the main housing  800 , by the lock driver  826 , specifically its disk  827 , that engages the ball  894  by passing into the housing via the lock housing  820 . 
     The rod  821  can turn over a limited angle defined by the cutout  829  in the disk  827 , by the disk  827  being engaged by locking cylinder  824  that is turned by a key (not shown, but very well known) that is inserted into the cylinder at  822 . The locking driver is fixed to the housing by a rivet inserted through the hole  813 . As is widely known in this art, a cable with a loop at the free end of the cable (not shown) can be connected to the housing  800  via many different means including via the cable tab  811  shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     The main housing body  810  includes, as mentioned, the cylindrical cutout  816  which continues into the circular tunnel  817  which is deep enough to register with the opening  819  into the lock mechanism housing  820 . See  FIG. 12 . The tabs  882 / 884  of the retainer are fitted very tightly into the narrow ridge  881 , with the fingers  888  thereof reaching into a tight fitting hole (not shown) and helping to prevent withdrawal and twisting of the assembly  830 . Therefore, when the assembly  830  ( FIG. 13 ) is partially inserted into the tunnel  817  ( FIG. 14 ) and fixed therein with rivets inserted in the holes  802 , the assembly becomes firmly affixed to the body  810 , including owing to the cylindrical opening  816  wrapping the assembly over more than 180 degrees, preferably close to 270 degrees, of its cylindrical outer body, which prevents its being pulled out or twisted out by sideways forces of the space  816 / 817  of the housing body  810 . 
     The manner in which the assembly  830  is fixed to the housing body  810  permits however the locking elements  860 / 872  to rotate relative to the housing  810 , which provides a significant operational advantage as explicated later. But even more importantly, the outer surfaces of the ring  862 , the retainer  880  and the ring  864  lie literally flush (even) with the outer bottom and side surfaces,  792  and  790  respectively, of the housing body  810 , which also locates the locking elements  860 / 872  to be almost at the location of the surfaces  792 / 790 . This is very significant, for if the locking wedge slot is located on a laptop or tablet or the like very close to the bottom surface, on the order of a millimeter or so, the locking elements  860 / 870  are still able to be inserted into the security slot, without the lock housing  800  lifting, undesirably, the tablet off the surface on which it is resting. 
     Another advantage provided by the lock design of  FIGS. 8 and 9  is that the lock housing  800  can be positioned, in use, so it lies on its bottom side  792  or on its side wall  790 , to suit different lock position preferences or requirements, for example to obtain a smaller foot print since the side wall is narrower (smaller) as compared to that of the bottom side, as seen in  FIG. 10 . In an embodiment that has been reduced to practice, the distance “d” in  FIG. 10  is about 1.88 mm, the side to side width is about 12 mm, the height is about 7.9 mm and the front to back size is about 26 mm. Yet, the holding strength of the lock head  800  in the wedge slot  50  ( FIG. 8 a   ) is such, that it is able to resist pulling forces that well exceed the standard test pulling force of 150 pounds, which is truly astounding for a lock having locking elements that are about 2 millimeter sized. 
     A further significant benefit ensues from the overall housing rotating about the locking elements  860  and  870 . Thus, unlike many available locks for computer security, the lock of the present invention cannot be broken by applying turning and twisting forces to the housing while its locking elements are secured in the locking wedge slot. And as noted above, it is very difficult to defeat the lock by attempting to pull it out of the wedge slot, as more likely this will break the computer rather than the lock. 
     With reference to  FIG. 11 , note that the ball  894  of the driver  890  sits in a well  793  defined in the bottom surface of the disk  827 . As the disk  827  is turned, it pushes the locking pin section  872  out alongside the main locking element, guided by a tongue/groove arrangement provided between the locking elements, when the disk  827  is turned in one direction, or is pulled inside when the disk  827  is turned in the other direction. The locking elements  860 / 870  are depicted in  FIG. 15  showing the housing  800  resting on its (wider) bottom surface  792 . Also note that in the locked position in  FIG. 15 , the locking elements positioned abutting each other define together a general triangle shape that substantially fills the cavity  50  resting against the side walls of the cavity  50  and making it impossible to being withdrawn from the cavity except by breaking the walls of the cavity or the locking elements. 
       FIGS. 16 and 17  present a minor variation to the above described corner-mounted lock construction, in which the channel  917  into the lock housing  900  is rectangular (rather than circular) enabling it to receive the pin driver  920 , which is rectangular in cross section, and drive it forward or pull it backward (pushing/pulling the locking pin  870 ) by having an eccentrically located key pin  928  of the disk  927  travel within the cutout  922 . Otherwise, the operation and benefits of this embodiment are virtually identical to those described above. 
       FIG. 18  illustrates an interior rectangular guide channel  914  for the pin driver. Also, while the invention has been generally described as placing the cable tab  811  at the rear and the locking mechanism at the top, the placement of these components can be reversed, to accommodate certain computer designs, if desired. Further, the design permits the locking elements assembly to be placed between the bottom corners of the housing  800 . Still further, while the locking elements  860 / 870  are described above, the concept of the invention provides for the use of two main locking elements having slanted surfaces and the locking elements being able to be pushed away from each other, by a pin that is linearly moved therebetween or by a “cammed” non-circular, preferably rectangular pin that rotates between two positions to cause the pair of main locking elements to move apart, as described in the inventor&#39;s incorporated by reference patents. 
     It is implicit in the description that the locking mechanism can be implemented to use either a key or a combination lock or even an electronically operated lock that is actuated into the locked or unlocked position by signals received from one&#39;s mobile phone or the like. Furthermore, while the locking elements are shown mounted at one of the corners, they can be easily moved toward the center, for example so as to be located midway between the sidewalls of the housing  800 , but still within a millimeter or so of the bottom wall surface of the housing  800  as described above. 
     One of skill in the art would readily appreciate that the objective of the present invention can be realized by lock that has an overall cylindrical shape, with a front wall at one end of the cylinder, by locating the locking element assembly off center relative to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, adjacent the outer cylindrical wall. 
     Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.