Patent Publication Number: US-11035152-B2

Title: Lock heads and mechanisms for mobile device security

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/207,808, filed Dec. 3, 2018 by Meir Avganim, entitled “CORNER-MOUNTED LOCK HEAD FOR COMPUTER SECURITY,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     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. 
     Even more recently, the instant inventor has described further miniaturized locking heads that are mounted very close to one of the corners of the lock&#39;s rectangular housing, lowering the location of the locking elements closer to the table surface of the electronic device being protected. In this regard, the present inventor&#39;s aforementioned pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/207,808 filed Dec. 3, 2018 describes and illustrates such locks and the full contents of said pending application is incorporated by reference herein. 
     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 security cylinders 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 lock for preventing theft of a mobile device, the lock comprising: 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, the movable locking element being selectively movable between a locked position and unlocked position; a driver coupled to the movable locking element and configured to selectively move the movable locking element between the locked and the unlocked positions; a locking mechanism supported by the housing, coupled to the driver and configured to actuate the drive to move the movable locking element between the locked position and the 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 of the housing. 
     Preferably, the driver is configured to move the movable locking element in front wise and rear wise directions and/or the main locking element has a channel defined therein and the movable locking element moves in said channel surrounded at least partially on at least two sides thereof by said main locking element. Preferably, the main locking element and the movable locking element, when located adjacent to each other, define a substantially triangle-shaped structure. 
     Preferably, the housing has a cutout at the corner region, at the location of the locking assembly body and 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 wraps around the locking assembly body and is configured to secure the locking assembly body to the housing by the retainer being affixed to the housing. The thickness of the metallic sheet is less than 1 mm. Preferably, the movable locking element is slidable 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. Preferably, the lock includes a locking mechanism that is coupled to driver for the movable locking element and which 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. Preferably, also included is a cable mechanically coupled to the housing, by which the lock can be tethered to an immovable object. Preferably, the retainer has a pair of overlapping tabs and the tabs are physically connected to the housing. Preferably, 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 including a circular channel in the housing for enabling the driver to slide back and forth therein. Alternatively, 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, can be oriented to lie parallel to a bottom horizontal plane passing through bottom surfaces of the locking elements and the plane is located within about 2 mm of a flat resting surface on which the housing is located. Preferably, the housing has a rectangular cross-section defined in part by the bottom wall and by the at least one side wall. Preferably, the housing is rectangular and has a height dimension and a width dimension, less than 8 mm and 13 mm, respectively. Preferably, 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. 
     Preferably, the locking mechanism comprises both a combination-operated lock mechanism and a key-operated locking mechanism. 
     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 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 . 
         FIG. 19  shows a perspective of a locking head similar to the one described above with modified locking elements. 
         FIG. 20  shows the locking head of  FIG. 19  provided with a cable trap. 
         FIG. 21  shows the lock head of  FIG. 20  with the trap separated from the lock body. 
         FIG. 21 a    shows a truncated portion of the lock head of  FIG. 21 , with the moveable locking element withdrawn inside the housing. 
         FIG. 22  provides an exploded view of the internal components of the lock of  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 23  shows a perspective of a lock head similar to the previously described locks, but which can be locked and unlocked by either a key lock and/or by a combination lock. 
         FIG. 24  shows the lock head of  FIG. 23  with a trap installed. 
         FIG. 25  is an exploded view of internal components of the lock of  FIG. 24 . 
         FIG. 26  is an exploded view of a lock head generally similar to that of  FIG. 24 , but including only a combination locking mechanism. 
         FIGS. 27 a , 27 b  and 27 c    show a trapezoid shape cavity with reinforced side walls. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Initially, the instant detailed description repeats the disclosure presented in the aforementioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/207,808, relative to  FIGS. 1 through 18 . 
     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 those 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 or element  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. 8 a    herein being a prior art figure (FIG. 4) taken from the U.S. Pat. No. 9,137,911 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. 
     One 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 or 2.5 or not more than about 3.0 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 U.S. Pat. No. 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, passing the test even at 450 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 a key or a combination lock or both, 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, preferably about or below 3 mm, 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. 
     In further development of the locking concept of the present invention, reference is now made to  FIGS. 19-22  which describe a lock head  800 , generally similar to lock heads previously described, but in which the main locking element  860  and the movable locking element  870 , previously described, are now reconfigured as a main locking element  1960  and a movable locking element  1970 . In addition, the lock head  800  has a retaining slot  1990  for receiving a cable trap  1980  ( FIG. 20 ) that can be optionally utilized to run through it cables such as USB cables or power cables so that they cannot be removed when the lock head  800  is installed. In  FIG. 19 , the cable coupler  811   a  is similar to the one previously described, which receives therein and rotatably holds a cable  14  ( FIG. 20 ). 
     In  FIG. 20 , the key-operator lock mechanism  1950  can be operated by the key  1956  to move the secondary locking element  1970  out of the housing and into the trapezoid slot, i.e., to the position shown in the figure. In  FIG. 21 a   , the locking element  1970  is not seen, since it has been withdrawn into the housing. In departure from the previous embodiments, the secondary locking element  1970  has a thickness slightly smaller than that of the main locking element  1960  and is configured to emerge from a channel  1962  formed in the main locking element  1960 , the channel  1962  being bounded by upper and lower walls of the main locking element  1960  ( FIG. 21 ). When the secondary locking element  1970  is withdrawn into the housing, the main locking element has a forward thickness that allows it to be inserted into the trapezoid slot, deep enough to later operate the key  1956  to move the secondary locking element  1970  into the slot, preventing withdrawal of the locking elements  1960  and  1970  from the slot, as previously described. The trap  1980  is generally L-shaped with a horizontal extension  1982 , a vertical extension  1984  and a catch  1986  ( FIG. 22 ) that can be slid into the retaining channel  1990 . A distal end  1988  of the horizontal extension is arcuate and has a curvature generally similar to that of the housing of the lock head  800  as can be observed in  FIG. 20 . 
     Otherwise, the exploded view of  FIG. 22  shows components of the lock head of  FIGS. 19 and 20  as including the main locking element  1960  with the channel  1962  the secondary locking element  1970  which is coupled to coupler  1836 , which itself is received in a driver  1834 , all of which pass through a retainer  1832  and lock to the housing  1830  various pins or rivets  1830   e . The lock components, not novel in and of themselves, include a lock mechanism  800  with an overall housing  802 , a key mechanism  804  which drives driving pins  806 ,  807 ,  1810  into the proper location in the lock mechanism  1812 , so that when one has the properly keyed key  1956 , one is able to rotate the diving pin  1826  to move the movable locking element  1970  forward or backward, in and out of the channel  1962  of the main locking element  1960 . The cable tab  1850  is fixed to the rear of the housing by appropriate pins, for example, with the pin  1848 , and is itself mechanically coupled to move left and right relative to the cable coupler  1840 , in which the head  1846  of the cable is pushed in and retained by pin  1852 , the cable thereby being able to rotate relative to its distal end  1844 , in a manner that allows lock head  800  to be threaded through the loop  1860 , all in well-known manner. The pins  1862 ,  1864  keep the various lock mechanisms physically together. 
     Referring to  FIG. 23 , the lock had  2230  is similar to previously described locking heads and its main distinction is that it provides an ability to move the movable locking pin  870  (shown in previous embodiments) in and out of the housing, by either operating a combination, rotatable knob  2240 , but only when the right combination numerics have been set through the combination wheels  2270 . 
     Nonetheless, even if the combination is unknown, one can utilize the key  2256  inserted into the key receiving component  2250  and thereby cause the movement of the secondary locking element  870 , as previously described. This lock head  2230  has lower notches  2290   a ,  2290   b  that receive fingers  2282  of a trap  2280  which has an extension  2284  and which can be installed on the lock head  2230 , as shown in  FIG. 24 . 
     It should be noted that the lock head of  FIG. 23 , which provides the ability to both lock and unlock the locking pin or element  870 , can also be provided with a configuration where the locking elements comprise those identified above as locking heads  1960  and  1970  in  FIG. 19 . The locking elements  1960  and  1970  can be, indeed, used with any of the lock head embodiments described above, or provided in the prior art. Similarly, the locking elements can also be those described in the present inventor&#39;s issued patents that have been mentioned above, for example, as shown in FIG. 14 of U.S. Pat. No. 9,549,476, where in addition to employing two main triangular locking elements, there is also provided a movable cam or pin that can either rotate or slide between the main triangular locking elements, to move the triangular locking elements firmly against the slot side walls as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,549,476. 
       FIG. 25  is an exploded view showing the internal components of the lock head that is both key-operated and combination-operated, as shown in  FIGS. 23 and 24 . Many of the components are the same as those described relative to the exploded view in  FIG. 22 . Thus, the main housing of the lock head includes a base  1830   c  which supports two housing halves  1830   a ,  1830   b  defining an interior space for the combination lock wheels  2272  which operate in conjunction with the combination locking elements  2512 ,  2514  (a spring),  2516 , and  2518  so that when the proper combination is inserted, the locking pin  1870  can be moved in and out of the base housing  1830   c , as previously described. This occurs in response to the rotary motion imparted by knob  2510  to the driving shaft  1826   a . The same driving shaft  1826   a  can also be driven by the previously described key which works with the key-operated mechanism components  802   a ,  804 ,  806 ,  808 ,  1810 , and  1812 . The main locking element  1860  works with the secondary locking element  1870  and is driven by the driving components  2552 ,  2550  with various pins holding the structure together, as previously described. 
     The lock head of  FIG. 23 , which is both key-operated and combination-operated, can be implemented not to include the key operator mechanism, as shown in the exploded view of  FIG. 26 . Generally, the components are similar to those previously described and do not require further specific description, it being noted that some of the same reference numerals have appended letters to indicate that they belong to a different embodiment. 
     In further development of the trapezoid slot of the present invention, the instant inventor shows in  FIGS. 27 a , 27 b  and 27 c    a trapezoid-shaped cavity or slot  2750  defined by side walls  2754  and  2756  which are typically formed so as to extend inward from an outer wall  2740  of a portable electronic device. The outer wall  2740  has a thickness indicated by the arrows  2768 . 
     As an improvement on the previously described trapezoid-shaped cavity  2750 , the present invention provides reinforcing ribs including a first rib  2764  that braces the side wall  2756  and a second rib  2762  that reinforces and braces the side wall  2754 . 
     It should be noted that the locking heads, particularly those described relative to  FIGS. 18 through 21 , have been subjected to rigorous tests including various pulling tests and have shown themselves capable of withstanding pulling tests that exceed 600 pounds of pulling forces. 
     In the foregoing embodiments, the secondary locking elements, whether the locking elements  870 - 860  shown in  FIG. 13  or the locking elements  1960 - 1970  ( FIG. 19 ) have been described in embodiments in which the secondary locking elements are movable in and out of the housing. However, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art, the secondary locking elements can be designed to have a rectangular shape with a very thin construction. Thereby, the locking elements can be located adjacent the larger sized locking element  1960  or  1860  at all times and merely turned/rotated in place so that the thin side of the rectangular secondary locking element would engage the side wall, without substantially departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Equally apparent to one of skill in the art is the fact that the corner mounted locking elements described herein can be replaced by legacy locking elements such as by the T-bar locking elements of the prior art, such as the ones shown in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    herein or indeed those shown in dozens of patents that have issued over the past decades. 
     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.