Patent ID: 7472568

Claim:
A padlock with a quickly changeable shackle comprising: a lock body, within which a locking core, a locking member coupled to the locking core, and blocking balls are provided, and on which a deeper limb receiving chamber, a shallower limb receiving chamber and a passage in communication with the deeper limb receiving chamber are disposed; and a shackle, which has a U-shape defined by a longer parallel limb received in the deeper limb receiving chamber and a shorter parallel limb received in the shallower limb receiving chamber, wherein each of said two limbs is provided with a latching recess matchable with a respective blocking ball, a ring groove with an abutment head is disposed at a free end of the longer limb, and wherein the longer limb is allowed to be turned and elevated in the deeper limb receiving chamber and the shorter limb is allowed to be elevated in and removed out of the shallower limb receiving chamber when the padlock is in an unlocked status, and the latching recesses on the longer and shorter limbs are respectively engaged with the blocking balls when the padlock is in a locked status; characterized in that a depressed portion is provided on a circumferential surface of the abutment head of the longer limb, on which there is a screw hole perpendicular to the depressed portion; a shackle changing screw is threaded into the screw hole and an end face of the screw in the threaded position projects from a base of the depressed portion but is recessed with respect to the circumferential surface of the abutment head; the shackle changing screw is formed to have a shape and dimensions that allow the screw to pass through the passage on the lock body; and the screw hole is positionable such that the screw hole and the passage are in the same horizontal plane but are not normally aligned with each other when the padlock is in the unlocked status, except when the shackle is to be changed.