Patent Publication Number: US-2003230123-A1

Title: Firearm lock assembly

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] This invention relates generally to firearm safety lock devices and more particularly to cable type locks arranged to extend through the barrel and or the cartridge ejection port.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] Thousand of handguns, shotguns and rifles are purchased every year by citizens for use in sporting events, such as hunting or trap and skeet shooting, or for use in home protection. Typically, guns are stored at one&#39;s home or apartment in drawers, closets or even under the bed. While a minority of gun owners have gun safes to store their guns, most guns owners store their guns in unlocked areas of the home accessible to others dwelling there. As such, guns provide a danger to children or adolescents whose curiosity may lead them to find and play with a gun. Additionally, a child finding a firearm may take it to show friends or take it to school. While adults may believe that guns are safely put away, children and adolescents always seem to find them, and as a result, fatalities and injuries resulting from the accidental discharge of firearms, particularly by children, has become problematic. Also the intentional use of guns by children against classmates and teachers in schools has been increasing over the last several years. Suicides by use of firearms are also at an alarming rate. In response to the rise of this danger, the US Congress and many state legislative bodies throughout the country have enacted or are in the process of enacting legislation requiring that each new purchase of a gun be accompanied by the purchase of a suitable lock. Additionally, states are creating strict requirements that gun locks must pass to resist tampering and attacks that could disable or remove a gun lock. This is in part a response to the large number of commercially available locks that are of poor quality and unreliable, and the material used to construct certain gun trigger guards that can be easily compromised, allowing the removal of the gun lock.  
       [0003] Gun locks are typically classified into two categories, i.e., trigger locks and cable locks. Trigger locks such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,437,119 and 5,918,402 and application Ser. Nos. 09/593,533, 09/871,753 and 10/029,689, assigned to the assignee of this application, have two sides which clamp around the trigger guard of a gun to prevent access to the trigger. While trigger locks, if properly constructed, function as satisfactory determents to the unauthorized use of a firearm, such locks have a drawback of not insuring that a bullet is not present in the chamber of the locked gun.  
       [0004] A typical gun cable lock, as illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 9 , includes an elongated flexible cable  10  which is generally armored, i.e., the individual sockets or links (not shown) are joined together by a twisted wire with the links being made of steel to deter access to the inner wire. The flexible cable is shown in FIG. 1 as being threaded through the barrel  12  of a handgun  14 . The fixed end  10   a  of the cable is secured within a lock housing  16  by means of a sheave  16   b  wedged within a groove  10   b  in the fixed end. See FIGS.  2 - 4 . The lock housing is formed from a plurality of steel laminations  16   c  secured together via rivets  16   d  and includes a cable free end receiving bore  16   e  within which is positioned a plunger member  18  biased upwardly by compression spring  20 . See FIG. 2. A plastic cover  22  encompasses the sides and a portion of the top and bottom of the housing.  
       [0005] A conventional key cylinder lock  28 , mounted in the lock housing, includes a spring biased split tumbler casing  28   a  and a plug or inner barrel  28   b  which is rotatable, generally through a 90° angle, with a key  29 . The plug  28   b  is formed with two upwardly projecting spaced posts  28   c  positioned on the underside  30   a  of a cam  30  which includes downwardly projecting triangular-shaped stops  30   b.  Only one of the posts is shown in FIGS.  2 - 4 . The stops  30   b  are engaged by the posts  28   c  to rotate the cam to its unlocked position by action of the key  29  as will be explained. An upstanding rib  30   c  and a short spring retaining rod  30   d  are formed on the upper surface  30   e  of the cam. See FIGS. 7 and 8. A spiral spring  32  extends between a center in the rod  30   d  and a stationary notch  16   f  in one of the laminated plates, to bias the cam in a counterclockwise direction viewing the top surface of the cam as is illustrated in FIG. 7.  
       [0006] A locking member or bar  34  rides on the upper surface  30   e  of the cam and is biased toward the bore  16   e  but prevented from entering the bore by the spring biased plug  18  unless the free end of the cable has depressed the plugnger and placed an annular groove  10   c  at the cable free or active end  10   d  opposite the locking member  34 . In this case, the locking member is pushed by the rib  30   c  into the groove via the action of spring  32  to lock the cable free end  10   d  to the housing.  
       [0007] Some conventional cable locks utilize a ball or plate which is biased toward the cable free end receiving bore by means of a cam and spring or simply by a spring acting directly on the plate. In the later case, the end of the plate adjacent the bore is tapered to allow the cable free end to push the plate out of the bore during cable insertion. In either case a cam like element  30 , as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, is used to couple the rotatable plug or inner barrel  28   b  to the locking member or plate so that rotation of the key to the unlocked position will move the bar, ball or plate out of the bore occupied by the cable free end thereby allowing the free end to be withdrawn from the lock housing.  
       [0008] Such conventional gun cable locks suffer from several shortcomings. The key can only be withdrawn from the lock when the plug or inner barrel is turned to the locked position. However, the position of the key does not determine whether or not the cable free end, although positioned in the cable receiving bore, is in a locked condition. This is illustrated in FIG. 4 where the lower section  10   d  of the cable free end, though inserted into the bore engages the locking bar and prevents it from entering the annular groove  10   c.  Thus, the cable free end may appear to be locked to the housing while it is not. In this condition the lock has failed it&#39;s mission.  
       [0009] In addition, the use of a spring to bias a locking member into the cable receiving bore has its own shortcomings. Such a spring must be weak enough to be retracted, e.g., compressed, upon insertion of the cable free end. The mass of the locking member may be sufficient under certain impact conditions, e.g., the firearm being dropped, to cause the spring to retract and release the cable free end. Also springs are subject to fatigue and eventual failure. In addition, it is common knowledge that a spring loaded latch can sometimes be opened by a simple shim.  
       [0010] There is a need for an improved cable gun lock which overcomes the above disadvantages.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011] In accordance with the present invention an elongated cable is provided with a free end adapted to be inserted through a barrel or cartridge ejection port or magazine chamber of a firearm and a fixed end which is not insertable through the barrel or ejection port or magazine chamber. The free end of the cable defines an annular groove. A lock housing has a cable free end receiving bore therein and optionally a bore for receiving and capturing the fixed end of the cable.  
       [0012] A key lock cylinder is mounted in the housing and includes a rotatable plug or inner barrel for receiving and turning through a predetermined angle from a locked position to an unlocked position with a key. The lock cylinder is preferably arranged so that the key can only be withdrawn when the plug is turned to the locked position.  
       [0013] A locking member is coupled directly or indirectly to the plug for movement into and out of the cable free end receiving bore only in response to the rotation of the plug to the locked and unlocked positions, respectively.  
       [0014] The locking member is arranged to extend into the cable free end annular groove when the free end of the cable is inserted a predetermined distance into the bore and the plug is turned to the locked position to thereby lock the free cable end to the housing.  
       [0015] The construction and operation of the invention can best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like components are given the same reference numeral in the several figures. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0016]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a cable gun lock in use to deny unauthorized access to the firearm;  
     [0017]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a prior art cable lock with the free or active end of the cable located outside of a lock housing with the housing shown in a cross-sectional view;  
     [0018]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the gun lock housing of FIG. 2 with the free end of the cable locked inside the housing;  
     [0019]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the gun lock housing of FIG. 3 showing the free end of the cable inserted part way into the housing;  
     [0020]FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the housing taken along lines  5 - 5  of FIG. 3 showing the position of a locking member and cam in the locked position;  
     [0021]FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the cam of FIG. 5;  
     [0022]FIG. 7 is a top view of the cam of FIG. 5 in the locked position;  
     [0023]FIG. 8 is a top view of the cam in the unlocked position;  
     [0024]FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a spiral spring for biasing the cam and locking member towards the locked position;  
     [0025]FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a cam for modifying the prior art cable lock in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0026]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a cable and gun lock housing in accordance with the present invention showing the free end of the cable located outside of the housing;  
     [0027]FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the cable lock of FIG. 11 with the free end of the cable in a locked position in the housing and the key partially withdrawn;  
     [0028]FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the cable lock of FIG. 12 with the free end of the cable inserted only part way in the cable receiving bore preventing the cam from entering the cable receiving bore and the key from being withdrawn;  
     [0029]FIGS. 14 and 15 are elevational and top plan views of a conventional key lock cylinder for use in the invention;  
     [0030]FIGS. 16 and 17 are top and bottom plan views of the lock housing of FIGS. 11 and 12;  
     [0031]FIGS. 18 and 19 are bottom plan views of the lock housing of FIGS. 11 and 12, respectively, taken along lines  18 - 18  and  19 - 19  in the respective figures showing the condition of the cam in the unlocked and locked positions, respectively;  
     [0032]FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic view of a cable lock with a free end of the cable locked in a lock housing and the fixed or second end secured to an enlarged member for restraining movement of such end through a gun barrel or cartridge ejection chamber;  
     [0033]FIG. 21 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a modified lock arrangement incorporating a key retaining plate for ensuring that the cable free end is in its locked position before the cylinder lock inner barrel can be rotated to its locked position and the key removed;  
     [0034]FIG. 22 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the lock arrangement of FIG. 22 showing the cable free end removed from the lock housing;  
     [0035]FIG. 23 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the modified lock arrangement taken along lines  23 - 23  of FIG. 21; and  
     [0036]FIG. 24 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the modified lock arrangement taken along lines  24 - 24  of FIG. 22. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0037] Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 10 a cam  36  for modifying the prior art cable lock of FIGS. 11 and 12 in accordance with the present invention comprises a pair of symmetrically arranged lobes  36   a  on the underside of the cam  36 . The upper side of the cam may be provided with a rib such as  30   c  acting on the locking member  34 .  
     [0038] The lobes define lock actuating shoulders  36   b  which are engaged by the plug posts  28   c  to force the locking member  34  into the groove in the cable free end, thereby locking the cable free end to the lock housing. The cam  36  is shown in the locked position as illustrated in FIG. 7. Since the cam is positively keyed to the plug  28   b,  the plug can be turned to the locked position (and the key removed) only when the locking member extends into the cable groove with the cable free end being inserted the required or predetermined distance to place the groove opposite the locking member.  
     [0039] The cam  36  also defines unlock actuating shoulders  36   c  which are engaged by the plug posts  28   c  to allow the locking member to retract from the cable groove. It is to be noted that the actual rotation of the cam  36  is less than 90°, e.g., about 20°, as is illustrated by the angle   with the distance between the lock and unlock actuating shoulders allowing the plug to rotate through a preset angle, e.g., about 70°, before the posts engage the opposing actuating shoulders. It should be noted that spring  32  need not be used with the cam  36 .  
     [0040] A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS.  11 - 20  in which the fixed end  38   a  of an articulated cable  38  (preferably armored) is secured within an opening  40   a  (FIG. 13) of a lock housing  40  by means of a sheave  40   b  wedged into a groove  38   b.  The cable is formed by metal sleeves or links made, for example, of hardened steel and formed with a convex portion  38   d  at one end which extends into the adjacent link to provide the articulation necessary to allow the cable to be threaded through a gun barrel, cartridge ejection chamber or magazine chamber (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “barrel”). A central twisted wire  38   e  extends through the links and is crimped to the fixed end and also to a free or active end  38   f  to join the links together. See FIG. 11. The free or active end of the cable defines an annular groove  38   g  (FIG. 13) formed by a reduced diameter section bounded by a lower section  38   h  and an upper section  38   i.  The junction between the reduced section and lower section  38   h  forms a shoulder  38   k  (FIG. 12) which functions in conjunction with a rotatable or pivotal cam to lock the cable free end in the housing as will be explained. A plastic sleeve or coating  38   l  encloses the links to prevent marring of a gun barrel, etc. The diameter of the cable is preferably small enough to be threaded through the barrel of one of the smaller guns such as a 22 caliber. A diameter of about 0.215 inches has been found to be satisfactory for this purpose.  
     [0041] The lock housing  40  is formed of laminations  40   c,  preferably made of hardened steel, secured together by rivets  40   d.  See FIGS. 11 and 13. The lock housing includes a blind bore  40   e,  defining a longitudinal axis x-x, for receiving the cable free end as is illustrated more particularly in FIGS. 11 and 12. A rubber boot  42  is fitted around the sides and a portion of the top  40   f  and bottom  40   g  of the housing. See FIGS.  16 - 19 .  
     [0042] A conventional key lock cylinder  44  is mounted in a housing cavity  40   e,  which cavity is aligned along an axis parallel to the axis x-x. A split tumbler casing  44   a  functions with a key  46  to allow an inner barrel or plug  44   b  of the key cylinder to rotate through about a 90° angle from a locked position (FIG. 12) to the unlocked position (FIG. 11). A pair of upwardly protruding posts  44   c  formed integrally with the plug, engage lock and unlock actuating shoulders  48   a  and  48   b,  respectively, formed by a Figure 8-shaped opening, in a cam  48  as is illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19. The cam  48 , sometimes referred to as a locking member or actuating arm, is planar in form and lies in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The cam terminates at one end in a slightly concave tip  48   c  which extends into and out of the cable free end receiving bore  40   e  when the plug is rotated to its locked and unlocked position, respectively. The concave shape of the tip  48   c  wraps around a portion of the reduced section, e.g, about 90°, of the cable free end to engage an increased area of the shoulder  38   k  to securely lock the cable free end in the housing as is shown in FIG. 19. The other end of the cam terminates in a tip  48   d  which is arranged to extend into the groove  38   b  in the locked position (FIGS. 12 and 19) to function along with the sheave  40   b  to maintain the fixed end of the cable within the lock housing. It is to be noted that the extension of the cam tip  48   d  into the groove in the fixed cable end is an option.  
     [0043] While the plug  44   b  rotates through a 90° angle between the unlocked (FIG. 18) and locked (FIG. 19) positions the cam rotates only through an angle θ of about 20°. This action accommodates the relatively narrow width of the lock housing.  
     [0044] The key lock cylinder is arranged so that the key can only be inserted and withdrawn when the plug is in the locked position, i.e., with the cam tips extending into the cable receiving bores. This ensures that the key cannot be withdrawn with the cable free end only partially inserted into the bore  40   e  as is illustrated in FIG. 13. The cable free end must be inserted fully, i.e., a predetermined distance, into the bore  40   e  before the key  46  can be removed from the lock. This arrangement greatly reduces the possibility that a user will mistakenly believe that the cable is secured to the lock housing.  
     [0045] Referring now to FIG. 20 a lock assembly is shown in which a cable  38 ′ includes a free end  38   f  insertable into bore  42   e′  and secured therein by cam  48 ′ which extends into groove  38   g′  in the locked position. The cam  48 ′ is shaped like the cam  48  except that it does not include a tip which is extendable into a groove in the cable fixed end. Instead the cable fixed or second end comprises an enlarged member  50 , for example, in the form of a metal ball, to preclude the second end from passing through a gun barrel or cartridge ejection chamber. The lock housing need be provided with only one cable receiving bore. Expect for such difference the lock assembly of FIG. 20 functions in the same manner as the lock assembly of FIGS.  11 - 19 .  
     [0046] A modified lock arrangement is illustrated in FIGS.  21 - 24  in which an L-shaped key retaining member or plate  52  is disposed within the lock housing blind bore  40   e.  The plate  52  includes a planar horizontal section  52   a  and a vertically extending section  52   b.  The plate is biased in an upward direction by a compression spring  54  disposed in the bore  40   e  below the horizontal section. When the cable free end is inserted into the blind bore  40   e  a predetermined distance so that the groove  38   g  is opposite the cam tip  48   c  the cylinder lock plug can be turned to its locked position and the key removed as is shown in FIGS. 21 and 23.  
     [0047] In the locked position the key retaining plate is pressed downwardly compressing the spring  54  and lowering the vertical section  52   b  so that it is positioned below the cam or actuating arm  48  as is illustrated in FIG. 21.  
     [0048] When the cylinder lock plug  44   b  is turned to its unlocked position, via a key and the cable free end removed from the bore  40   e,  the plate  52  is moved upwardly by the spring  54  to the stop  56 . In this position the vertical plate section  52   b  extends in front of the cam tip  48   c  thereby preventing the cylinder lock plug from rotating to its locked position.  
     [0049] The key retaining plate permits the key to be withdrawn only when the cable free end is locked in the lock housing.  
     [0050] It is to be noted that FIGS.  21 - 24  are merely diagrammatic views presented to illustrate the manner in which a key retaining plate may be used to ensure that the key cannot be removed in the absence of the cable free end being locked.  
     [0051] A spring biased plunger, such as item  18  of FIGS.  1 - 3 , can be used in lieu of the key retaining plate  52  to prevent the key from being removed when the cable free end is not locked in the housing.  
     [0052] There has thus been described a novel, simple and inexpensive gun lock assembly which does not rely on springs to lock the cable in place and which greatly reduces the risk that an operator will only partially insert the cable free end into the lock housing, remove the key and believe that the cable is locked in place when it is not. Various modifications of the lock assembly will undoubtedly occur to those skilled in the art without involving a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention as called for in the appended claims.