Patent ID: 7114357

Claim:
A keying method, comprising: providing a cylinder body and a plug assembly disposed in the cylinder body, the plug assembly having a keyway, a plug body and a carrier sub-assembly disposed adjacent the plug body, the carrier sub-assembly being moveable parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder body between a first position and a retracted position, the plug assembly including a plurality of pins and a plurality of racks for respectively engaging the plurality of pins, each rack of the plurality of racks having a locking bar-receiving groove; first moving the carrier sub-assembly that carries the plurality of racks to the retracted position to decouple the plurality of racks from the plurality of pins; inserting a rack removal key in the keyway, the rack removal key having a cut that lifts the plurality of pins by a first amount; releasing the carrier sub-assembly from the retracted position to reengage the plurality of racks with the plurality of pins; disengaging a locking bar from the locking bar-receiving groove of each rack of the plurality of racks to decouple the racks; removing the rack removal key from the keyway; inserting a rack removal tool into the keyway, the rack removal tool having a cut that lifts the plurality of pins by a second amount greater than the first amount; moving the carrier sub-assembly to the retracted position to decouple the plurality of racks from the plurality of pins; removing each rack to be replaced from a corresponding access hole on the cylinder body; inserting a corresponding replacement rack through a respective access hole for each of the racks to be replaced, each replacement rack having the locking bar-receiving groove; releasing the carrier sub-assembly from the retracted position to engage each of the racks installed in the carrier sub-assembly with a corresponding pin of the plurality of pins; removing the rack removal tool from the keyway; reinserting the rack removal key in the keyway; without removing the rack removal key, engaging the locking bar with the locking bar-receiving groove of each rack to couple together the racks installed in the carrier sub-assembly; further moving the carrier sub-assembly to the retracted position to decouple each of the racks installed in the carrier sub-assembly from the corresponding pin of the plurality of pins; and removing the rack removal key from the keyway.