PADLOCK

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a padlock comprising a lock body, a shackle having two shackle legs, a locking mechanism for locking the shackle to the lock body, a selectively rotatable lock core, wherein said lock core is arranged to operate said locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the padlock. The present invention also relates to a replaecable padlock shackle.Background

[0002] US 8,904,833 shows a padlock which includes a lock body, a shackle having two legs and a locking mechanism for locking the shackle to the lock body. The locking mechanism comprises a rotatable cam and two locking balls. When the padlock is in locked status, the locking balls are engaged with notches of the first and second shackle legs. When the lock is in unlocked status, the cam is rotated to a position where the two locking balls are located corresponding to recesses formed in the cam, so that the locking balls are able to be located in the recesses, and the shackle can be pulled upward until the first shackle leg is completely removed from the lock body. The shackle is replaceable by use of a tool.

[0003] However, this padlock may be considered bulky. Also, replacement of the shackle may be considered cumbersome.

[0004] WO 2012 / 009607 A1 describes a padlock that includes a locking mechanism with two roller or ball shaped locking elements and a blocker. The blocker is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. In the unlocked position, the blocker is received in a release cavity of a rotatable latch member.Summary of the Invention

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a compact padlock.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a compact padlock that can be operated independently by two different keys.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the invention, this and other objects are achieved, in full or at least partly, by a padlock comprising a lock body, a shackle having two shackle legs, a locking mechanism for locking the shackle to the lock body, a selectively rotatable lock core, wherein said lock core is arranged to operate said locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the padlock, wherein said locking mechanism, contrary to the state of the art, comprises at least three locking elements in the form of at least three locking balls which, when the locking mechanism is in a locked state, are disposed side by side in a first direction extending between a first locking element recess formed in the first shackle leg and a second locking element recess formed in the second shackle leg. Said padlock further comprises a rotatable member being attached to said lock core and comprising a retaining portion, which is configured to retain a first locking ball of the locking mechanism in a locking position when said lock core is situated in a first lock core position, and a release cavity which is configured to, upon rotation of said lock core from its lock core position to a second lock core position, receive said first locking element, wherein said release cavity is configured to allow movement of the first locking ball in a second direction, which is different from said first direction, from its locking position to a non-locking position in which the shackle is disengaged from the lock body, thereby allowing withdrawal of the shackle.

[0008] A compact padlock is provided, since the locking element is arranged to be moved in a second direction upon unlocking. Hence, the retaining portion of the rotatable member only need to, in a locked state, support the first locking ball to prevent it from moving in the second direction and do not need to block the locking balls from lateral displacement, which enables a compact solution. Especially, a compact solution as seen in the first direction is provided. In the locked state the first locking ball thus itself holds the other locking balls in place and prevents them from leaving their respective locking recesses. Also, a padlock with a high level of security is enabled, since unlocking movement of each of said locking balls is mechanically blocked by the retaining portion of the rotatable member. It it thus not possible to move any of the locking balls from its locking position using e.g. a picking tool and / or padlock shims. In fact, rotation of the rotatable member, to such extent that the locking element cavity is to at least some extent exposed to the first locking ball, is required to disengage the shackle from the lock body. Furthermore, a compact padlock, and / or a padlock having a simple design, in which two different locking devices can be used independently of each other to disengage the shackle from the lock body is enabled. When the padlock is situated in an upright position the first direction corresponds to a horizontal direction.

[0009] According to one embodiment said release cavity is configured to, upon rotation of said lock core from its first lock core position to its second lock core position, completely receive said first locking ball, which provides for a very compact solution.

[0010] According to one embodiment said second direction is orthogonal to said first direction. In this embodiment, when the padlock is situated in an upright position the first direction corresponds to a horizontal direction and the second direction corresponds to a vertical direction.

[0011] Each of said locking elements is thus a ball.

[0012] According to one embodiment said lock core form part of an electromechanical lock. Such an electromechanical lock may be configured to be operated by a programmable key, in the form of a physical programmable key configured to be inserted into a key receptacle of the electromechanical lock cylinder, or in the form of a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, which mobile device is configured to communicate with a lock core rotation device of the electromechanical lock.

[0013] According to one embodiment said rotatable member comprises a guiding surface which is configured to, upon rotation of said lock core, move the first locking ball from its non-locking position to its locking position.

[0014] According to one embodiment at least one release member forms a positioning element configured to, when the first locking ball is situated in its locking position, hold the first locking element in an offset position relative to the other locking elements.

[0015] In this embodiment, the release member is a non-movable member which holds the first locking element pre-positioned in such a position that movement thereof is initiated upon rotation of the first lock core. The non-movable member thus forms a static member of the padlock. The non-movable release member may be formed integral with or secured to the lock body. The retaining portion of the rotatable member may then, if the retaining portion is flat, be arranged such that the first locking ball is situated vertically below the other locking balls, i.e. in an offset position, as seen when the padlock is situated in an upright position, i.e. in a position in which the visible portion of shackle is located vertically above the lock body. Alternatively, the retaining portion may be formed with a recess, the depth of which is adapted to hold the first locking ball in such an offset position.

[0016] According to one embodiment said locking mechanism comprises at least five locking balls which, when the locking mechanism is in a locked state, are disposed side by side in said first direction, and said padlock further comprising a second selectively rotatable lock core, arranged to independently operate said locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the padlock, and a second rotatable member being attached to said second lock core and comprising a retaining portion, which is configured to retain a second locking ball of the locking mechanism in a locking position when the second lock core is in a first lock core position, and a release cavity which is configured to, upon rotation of the second lock core from the first lock core position to a second lock core position, receive said second locking ball, wherein said second rotatable member is configured to allow movement of said second locking ball in the second direction from its locking position to a non-locking position in which the shackle is disengaged from the lock body, thereby allowing withdrawal of the shackle.

[0017] A first opening device, such as a programmable key in the form of a physical key or in the form of a mobile device, may operate the first locking device and a second opening device, such as a mechanical key, may operate the second locking device. In this embodiment the padlock may thus be unlocked by a key inserted in the key receptacle of a first lock or by a key inserted in the key receptacle of a second lock. A padlock that is possible to independently operate with two different keys is thus achieved. Furthermore, each rotatable member provides for a robust and reliable operation of the locking mechanism.

[0018] According to one embodiment said first shackle leg is formed with a circumferential groove, a first recessed portion between the first locking element recess and the circumferential groove, and a second recessed portion which extends from said circumferential groove and terminates at the outermost part of the free end of said second shackle leg. The second recessed portion permits the shackle to be completely withdrawn from the lock body without the use of a tool. This has the advantage that the shackle of a padlock can be replaced by a replacement shackle in a very easy and fast manner. Such a replacement shackle may e.g. be a shackle providing larger clearance between the body and the shackle. The same lock body may thus be used together with shackles having different clearance between the shackle and the lock body.

[0019] According to one embodiment at least one of said release members comprises a magnetic element.

[0020] Further advantages and characteristics of the invention emerge from the description below and from the following patent claims.Brief description of the drawings

[0021] The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the appended schematic drawings, which show examples of presently preferred embodiments of the invention. Figs. 1A-B are exploded views showing a padlock according to a first embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2A is a partly cross-sectional perspective view and illustrates parts of the padlock shown in Figs. 1A-B. Figs. 2B-C are partly cross-sectional perspective views and illustrate unlocking of the padlock using a programmable key. Fig. 2D is a partly cross-sectional view and illustrates a shackle retaining device of the padlock shown in Figs. 1A-B. Fig. 2E is a partly cross-sectional perspective view and illustrates a locking of the padlock shown in Figs. 1A-B with the programmable key. Fig. 3A is a partly cross-sectional perspective view and illustrates parts of the padlock shown in Figs. 1A-B. Figs. 3B-C are partly cross-sectional perspective views and illustrate unlocking of the padlock using a mechanical key. Figs. 4A-B are partly cross-sectional perspective views and illustrate removal of the shackle of the padlock shown in Figs. 1A-B. Fig. 4C is a partly cross-sectional perspective view and illustrates a replacement shackle and insertion of the replacement shackle into to the lock body of the padlock shown in Figs. 1A-B. Fig. 5 is a partly cross-sectional perspective view and illustrates a padlock according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Description of preferred embodiments

[0022] The invention will now for the purpose of exemplification be described in more detailed by means of examples and with reference of the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and to fully convey the scope of the invention to the skilled addressee. Like reference characters refer to like elements throughout.

[0023] Figs. 1A-B illustrate a padlock 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The padlock 1 comprises a lock body 3, formed by a first lock body part 3a and a second lock body part 3b, a shackle 5 having a first shackle leg 7 and a second shackle leg 9. The first shackle leg 7 is longer than the second shackle leg 9. The lock body 3 has a first shackle leg bore 11 for receiving the first shackle leg 7 and a second shackle leg bore 13 for receiving the second shackle leg 9. The first lock body part 3a further has a first locking device bore 15 for receiving a first locking device and a second locking device bore 17 for receiving a second locking device. In this embodiment the first locking device is an electromechanical lock 19, and the second locking device is a mechanical cylinder lock which comprises a mechanical lock cylinder 21.

[0024] The electromechanical lock 19 comprises a first lock core 25 which is received in the first locking device bore 15. The first lock core 25 is selectively rotatable with respect to a combination of the first lock body part 3a and a locking device part 23 in a known manner. The first lock core 25 is provided with a key receptacle 27 for receiving a programmable key.

[0025] A first rotatable member 29 is attached to the first lock core 25. The first rotatable member 29 comprises a first retaining portion 31 and a first release cavity 33, as illustrated in Fig. 1A. In this embodiment, the first rotatable member 29 further comprises a first guiding surface 34 which is disposed in connection to the first release cavity 33. The first rotatable member 29 is attached to the first lock core 25 so as to rotate therewith upon rotation thereof. The guiding surface 34 raises from the bottom surface of the first release cavity 33 to the first retaining portion 31. In other words the first guiding surface 34 connects the the bottom surface of the first release cavity 33 and retaining surface of the first retaining portion 31.

[0026] The mechanical lock cylinder 21 comprises a lock cylinder body 35 and a second lock core 37 located within the lock cylinder body 35. The second lock core 37 is provided with a key receptacle 38 for receiving a key and is selectively rotatable with respect to the lock cylinder body 35.

[0027] A second rotatable member 39 is attached to the second lock core 37. The second rotatable member 39 comprises a retaining portion 41 and a release cavity 43, as illustrated in Fig. 1A. In this embodiment, the second rotatable member 39 further comprises a second guiding surface 40 which is disposed in connection to the second release cavity 43. The second rotatable member 39 is attached to the second lock core 37 so as to rotate therewith upon rotation thereof. The second guiding surface 40 raises from the bottom of the second release cavity 43 to the second retaining portion 41. In other words the second guiding surface 40 connects the the bottom surface of the second release cavity 43 and the retaining surface of the second retaining portion 41.

[0028] The padlock 1 further comprises a locking mechanism 10 for locking the shackle 5 to the lock body 3 in order to place the padlock 1 in a locked state. The locking mechanism 10 comprises a first locking element recess 45, which is formed in the first shackle leg 7, a second locking element recess 47, which is formed in the second shackle leg 9, and locking elements 49 in the form of locking balls 51, 53, 55, 57, 59. A first locking ball 51 is arranged to be supported by the first retaining portion 31 when the first lock core 25 is situated in a first lock core position. A second locking ball 53 is arranged to be supported by the second retaining portion 41 when the second lock core 37 is situated in a first lock core position. When both lock cores 25, 37 are situated in their respective first lock core positions, as illustrated in Fig. 2A, the padlock 1 is in a locked state. In the locked state, the locking balls 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 are disposed side by side in such a manner that adjacent locking balls are in contact with each other. Then, the locking balls 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 are disposed side by side in a first direction extending between the first locking ball recess 45 and the second locking ball recess 47. When the padlock 1 is situated in an upright position the first direction corresponds to a horizontal direction.

[0029] A third locking ball 55 is arranged to be received in the first locking element recess 45 and engage the wall thereof. A fourth locking ball 57 is arranged to be received in the second locking ball recess 47 and engage the wall thereof. A fifth locking ball 59 is disposed between the first 51 and second 53 locking balls. The three intermediate locking balls 51, 53, 59 are configured to maintain the third locking ball 55 in the first locking ball recess 45 and the fourth locking ball 57 in the second locking ball recess 47 when the padlock 1 is in its locked state.

[0030] As illustrated in Fig. 1B, a locking ball cavity 61 is formed in the second lock body part 3b. The locking ball cavity 61 is configured to receive the locking balls 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 of the locking mechanism 10.

[0031] The padlock 1 further comprises a shackle retaining device 63 for retaining a portion of the shackle 5 within the lock body 3 to maintain the shackle 5 connected to the lock body 3 when the padlock 1 is unlocked. The retaining device 63 comprises a spring-biased connecting element, in the form of a spring-biased ball 65, which is received in a cavity 67 formed in the second lock body part 3b. To this end, a compression spring 69 is arranged between the connecting element 65 and a support surface 71. The support surface 71 is in this case formed by a plug 73 which is secured to the second lock body part 3b. The connecting element 65 is arranged to be biased against a first flat portion 66 of the first shackle leg 7.

[0032] At the free end 7a of the first shackle leg 7 a circumferential groove 75 is formed. The circumferential groove 75 is configured to receive the spring-biased ball 65 of the shackle retaining device 63 to allow rotation of the shackle 5 relative the lock body 3. The first flat portion 66, which provides a bearing surface to the spring-biased ball 65 upon withdrawal of the shackle 5, extends from the first locking ball recess 45 to the circumferential groove 75. The depth to which the first flat portion 66 is recessed in to the first shackle leg 7 is approximately the same as the depth of the circumferential groove 75.

[0033] At the free end 7a of the first shackle leg 7 a second flat portion 77 is formed. The second flat portion 77 extends from the circumferential groove 75 and terminates at the outermost portion of the free end 7a. The first flat portion 66 and the second flat portion 77 are formed on opposite sides of the first shackle leg 7.

[0034] The padlock 1 further comprises a first release arrangement 79 and a second release arrangement 81. The first release arrangement 79 is received in a recess 83 formed in the second lock body part 3a at the bottom of the locking ball cavity 61 and the second release arrangement 81 is received in a second recess 85 formed in the second lock body part 3a at the bottom of the locking ball cavity 61.

[0035] Now referring to Fig. 2A, the first release arrangement 79 comprises a release member, in the form of a spring-biased ball 87, as illustrated in the enlarged part of Fig. 2A. The spring-biased ball 87 is arranged to apply a force on the first locking ball 51 and thereby press the first locking ball 51 against the retaining portion 31 of the first rotatable member 29.

[0036] Now referring to Fig. 3A, the second release arrangement 81 comprises a release member, in the form of a spring-biased ball 89, as illustrated in the enlarged part of Fig. 3A. The spring-biased ball 89 is arranged to apply a force on the second locking ball 53 and thereby press the third locking ball 53 against the retaining portion 41 of the second rotatable member 39.

[0037] With reference to Figs. 2A-C, unlocking of the padlock 1 with an appropriate programmable key 91 inserted in the key receptacle of the electromechanical lock cylinder 19 will be described hereinafter.

[0038] The programmable key 91, which is used to operate the electromechanical lock 19, comprises an energy source, such as a battery, and a control unit powered by the energy source. The key 91 can access a cloud based or locally hosted access control system which transfer authorization data to the key or log information from the key 91 to the access control system via internet and a synchronization unit or via a mobile communication system such as the GSM net and a mobile device, such as a mobile phone. In one embodiment the mobile device is the key itself. The key 91 access the synchronization unit or the mobile device by a physical contact, by near field communication, such as NFC, or by radio communication, such as Bluetooth. The key 91 can store all data necessary to access at least one specific electromechanical lock 19, but cannot access any electromechanical locks for which it does not have the appropriate authorization data. Locking and unlocking of a lock using the programmable key 91 is rendered possible only if the programmable key is synchronized appropriately via the synchronization unit or a mobile device. Further, the programmable key 91 is provided with means by which electrical power, data and mechanical effort can be transmitted to the lock in a known manner. The electromechanical lock 19 is configured to be powered by and communicate with the programmable key 91 upon the insertion of the key 91 in the key receptacle 27. To this end the electromechanical lock 19 comprises power receiving means, communication means, access control device for controlling access of a key 91 inserted in the key receptacle 27 and an electrical control unit.

[0039] Fig. 2A illustrates the padlock 1 in a locked state. In this state, the third locking ball 55 engages the wall of the first locking ball recess 45 and the fourth locking ball 57 engages the wall of the second locking ball recess 47. Further, in the locked state, the first locking ball 51 is situated in a locking position, in which it is supported by the first retaining portion 31, and the second locking ball 53 is situated in a locking position, in which it is supported by the second retaining portion 41. Also, in the locked state, the fifth locking ball 59, which is disposed between the first locking ball 51 and the second locking ball 53, prevents the other locking balls 55, 57, 59 from being displaced laterally. Hence, the intermediate locking balls 51, 53, 59 together prevent the third and fourth locking balls 55, 57 from being displaced from their respective locking ball recesses 45, 47. When the padlock is in the locked state the locking balls are disposed side by side in the first direction.

[0040] Upon rotation of the first lock core 25, and thereby the first rotatable member 29, in an unlocking direction using the programmable key 91, as illustrated by arrows A in Fig. 2B, the first release cavity 33 is exposed to the first locking ball 51. Then, the first locking ball 51 is free to move in a second direction, which is orthogonal to the first direction, from its locking position into the first release cavity 33, as schematically illustrated by arrow B in Fig. 2B. In this embodiment, the first locking ball 51 is forced to move away from its locking position by the releasing member 87, as illustrated by arrows C and D in the enlarged part of Fig. 2B. The movement of the first locking ball 51 away from its locking position is thus initiated by the spring-biased ball 87 which exerts a force on the first locking ball 51.

[0041] The third locking ball 55 and the fourth locking ball 57 are then free to move out of the first locking element recess 45 and the second locking element recess 47, respectively, as illustrated by arrows E and F in Fig. 2C, which allows the shackle 5 from to be withdrawn, as illustrated by arrows G in Fig. 2C, to place the padlock 1 in an unlocked state. The shackle 5 is withdrawn until the spring-biased ball 65 is received in the circumferential groove 75, as best illustrated in Fig. 2D. Then, the second shackle leg 9 is completely withdrawn from the lock body 3 while the first shackle leg 7 is still within the shackle leg bore 11 and connected to the lock body 3 by the shackle retaining device 63.

[0042] The first lock core 25 is thus rotated to permit movement of the locking balls 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 for disengaging the shackle 5, thereby permitting movement of the shackle 5 in a direction away from the lock body 3 and removal of the shorter leg 5 from the corresponding shackle leg bore 13 for placing the padlock 1 in an unlocked state. The locking mechanism 10 thus comprises locking elements, in the form of locking balls 51, 53, 55, 57, 59, each of which is movable between a locking position, in which it, together with the other locking elements, prevents the shackle 5 from being withdrawn from the lock body 3, and a releasing position in which it permis the shackle 5 from being withdrawn from the lock body 3.

[0043] With reference to Fig. 2E locking of the padlock 1 will be described hereinafter. Upon rotation of the first lock core 25 in the opposite direction, as illustrated by arrows H in Fig. 2E, the first locking ball 51 is moved back to its locking position under the guidance of the first guiding surface 34, as illustrated by arrows I in Fig. 2E. The guiding surface 34 of the first rotatable member 29 is thus configured to, upon rotation of the first lock core 25 in a locking direction, which is opposite to the unlocking direction, move the first locking ball 51 to its locking position. Upon this movement, each locking ball 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 is forced to its respective locking position, i.e. the third locking ball 55 is moved into the first locking ball recess 45, the fourth locking ball 57 is moved into the second locking ball recess 47 and the intermediate locking balls 51, 53, 59 are moved into positions in which they together prevent the third 55 and fourth 57 locking balls from being displaced from their respective locking ball recesses 45, 47.

[0044] With reference to Figs. 3A-C, unlocking of the padlock 1 with an appropriate mechanical key 93 inserted in the key receptacle of the mechanical lock cylinder 21 will be described hereinafter. Fig. 3A illustrates the padlock 1 in the locked state, which has been described hereinbefore with reference to Fig. 2A.

[0045] Upon rotation of the lock core of the mechanical cylinder 21, and thereby the second rotatable member 39, in an unlocking direction using the key 93, as illustrated by arrows J in Fig. 3B, the first release cavity 43 is exposed to the second locking ball 53. Then, the second locking ball 53 is free to move in a second direction, which is orthogonal to the first direction, from its locking position into the second release cavity 43, as schematically illustrated by arrow K in Fig. 3B. In this embodiment, the second locking ball 53 is forced to move away from its locking position by the releasing member 89, as illustrated by arrows L and M in the enlarged part of Fig. 3B. The movement of the second locking ball 53 away from its locking position is thus initiated by the spring-biased ball 89 which exerts a force on the second locking ball 53.

[0046] The third locking ball 55 and the fourth locking ball 57 are then free to move out of the first locking cavity 45 and the second locking cavity 47, respectively, as illustrated by arrows N and O in Fig. 3C, which allows the shackle 5 from to be withdrawn, as illustrated by arrows P in Fig. 3C, to place the padlock 1 in an unlocked state. The shackle 5 is withdrawn until the spring-biased ball 65 is received in the circumferential groove 75. Then, the second shackle leg 5 is completely withdrawn from the lock body 3 while the first shackle leg 7 is still within the shackle leg bore 11 and connected to the lock body 3 by the shackle retaining device 63.

[0047] Upon rotation of the lock core of the mechanical cylinder 21 in an opposite direction, the second locking ball 53 is moved back to its locking position under the guidance of the second guiding surface 40. The second guiding surface 40 is thus configured to, upon rotation of the second lock core 38 in a locking direction, which is opposite to the unlocking direction, guide the second locking ball 53 to its locking position. Upon this movement, each locking ball 51, 53, 55, 57, 59 is forced into its respective locking position, i.e. the third locking ball 55 is moved into the first locking ball recess 45, the third locking ball 57 is moved into the second locking ball recess 47 and the intermediate locking balls 51, 53, 59 are moved into positions in which they together prevent the third 55 and fourth 57 locking balls from being displaced from their respective locking ball recesses 45, 47.

[0048] The first rotatable member 29 may thus be operated by an appropriate key inserted into the key receptacle of the electromechanical lock and the second rotatable member 39 may be operated by an appropriate key inserted into the key receptacle of the mechanical lock cylinder 21. Each of the lock cores 25, 37 is thus arranged to independently operate the locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the padlock 1.

[0049] The release cavities 33, 43 thus enables the third locking ball 55 and the fourth locking ball 57 to be moved from the first locking ball recess 45 and the second locking ball recess 47, respectively and thereby the locking mechanism to be moved to an unlocking position in which it permits withdrawal of the shackle 5 from the lock body 3.

[0050] Now referring to Fig. 4A, the first shackle leg 7 is provided with a second flat portion 77 that serves to facilitate replacement of a shackle 5 by a replacement shackle. The second flat portion 77 extends from the circumferential groove 75 to the outermost portion of the free end 7a of the second shackle leg 7. The depth to which the second flat portion 77 is recessed in to the first shackle leg 7 is less than the depth of the circumferential groove 75. This provides for some resistance to withdrawal of the shackle 5. A predetermined force is thus needed to withdraw the shackle completely in order to secure that the shackle is not detached from the lock body in an undesirable manner. In this embodiment the depth to which the second flat portion 77 is recessed in to the first shackle leg 7 is about half of the depth of the circumferential groove 75.

[0051] In this embodiment the first flat portion 66, illustrated in Fig. 1A, and the second flat portion 77 are situated on opposite sides of the first shackle leg 7, as best illustrated in the enlarged part of Fig. 4A.

[0052] With reference to Figs. 4A-C, replacement of a shackle 5 is described hereinafter. In a first step, the shackle 5 to be replaced is rotated as illustrated by arrow Q in Fig. 4A. The shackle 5 is rotated, with the spring-biased connecting ball 65 disposed in the circumferential groove 75, 180° to a shackle changing position. In the shackle changing position, illustrated in Fig. 4A, the connecting element 65 faces the side of the shackle leg 7 that has the second flat portion 77. Hence, by rotating the shackle 180°, the second flat portion 77 is exposed to the connecting ball 65. When the shackle 5 is situated in the shackle changing position, which is illustrated in Fig. 4A, the shackle 5 is permitted to be completely withdrawn from the lock body 3, as illustrated by arrow R in Fig. 4B. Upon such withdrawal of the shackle 5, the connecting element 65 abuts the second flat portion 77, as illustrated in the enlarged part of Fig. 4B.

[0053] In a second step, the shackle 5 is completely withdrawn from the lock body, as illustrated by arrow S in Fig. 4B.

[0054] In a third step, the longer shackle leg 95 of a replacement shackle 97, e.g. a shackle with more clearance between the shackle 97 and the lock body 3, can be inserted into the first shackle leg bore 11, as illustrated by arrows T in Fig. 4C, and used together with the lock body 3 in the manner previously described for the replaced shackle 5. Upon insertion of the replacement shackle 97 it is oriented such that the second flat surface 99 of the longer shackle leg 95 faces the spring-biased ball 65 of the shackle retaining device 63.

[0055] Hereinafter a padlock 201 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Many features disclosed in the first embodiment are also present in the second embodiment with similar reference numerals identifying similar or same features. Having mentioned this, the description will focus on explaining the differing features of the second embodiment.

[0056] The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the padlock 201 comprises one single lock core 25 instead of two lock cores.

[0057] The single lock core 25 is selectively rotatable with respect to a combination of a first lock body part 203a and a locking device part 23, illustrated in Fig. 1A. The lock core 25, which is configured to receive a physical programmable key 91, form part of an electromechanical lock 19. A rotatable member 29 is secured to the lock core 25 so as to rotate therewith upon rotation thereof. The rotatable member 29 comprises a first retaining portion 31 and a release cavity 33 and a guiding surface 34 which is disposed in connection to the first release cavity 33.

[0058] Furthermore, the padlock 201 differs in that the locking mechanism for locking the shackle 5 to the lock body 203 comprises only three locking elements, in the form of three locking balls 51, 55, 57. The locking mechanism thus comprises a first locking element recess 45, which is formed in the first shackle leg 7, a second locking element recess 47, which is formed in the second shackle leg 9, and locking elements in the form of three locking balls 51, 55, 57. A first locking ball 51 is arranged to be supported by the retaining portion 31 of the rotatable member 29 when the lock core 25 is in a first lock core position. When the lock core 25 is in its first lock core position the padlock 201 is in a locked state. Then, the locking balls are disposed side by side in a first direction extending between the first locking element recess 45 and the second locking element recess 47 in such a manner that the first locking ball 51 is in contact with each of the second locking ball 55 and the third locking ball 57.

[0059] A second locking ball 55 is arranged to be received in the first locking element recess 45 and engage the wall thereof and a third locking ball 57 is arranged to be received in the second locking ball recess 47 and engage the wall thereof. The first locking ball 51, i.e. the intermediate locking ball, is configured to maintain the second locking ball 55 in the first locking ball recess 45 and the third locking ball 57 in the second locking ball recess 47 when the padlock 1 is in its locked state.

[0060] Unlocking and locking of the padlock 201 with an appropriate programmable key 91 inserted in the lock core 25 is carried out in the same manner as described hereinbefore with reference to Figs. 2A-2E.

[0061] It will be appreciated that many variants of the above-described embodiments are possible within the scope of the appended patent claims.

[0062] Hereinbefore, with reference to Fig. 2A, it has been described that the padlock may be provided with a movable release member. It is appreciated that such a release member may instead comprise a non-movable member configured to hold a locking ball in an offset position and, upon rotation of a lock core, act to initiate movement of the locking element into the release cavity of the corresponding rotatable member.

Claims

1. Padlock (1; 201) comprising a lock body (3; 203), a shackle (5) having two shackle legs (7, 9), a locking mechanism (10) for locking the shackle (5) to the lock body (3; 203), a selectively rotatable lock core (25), wherein said lock core (25) is arranged to operate said locking mechanism (10) for locking and unlocking the padlock (1), wherein said locking mechanism comprises at least three locking balls (51, 53, 59) which, when the locking mechanism is in a locked state, are disposed side by side in a first direction extending between a first locking element recess (45) formed in the first shackle leg (7) and a second locking element recess (47) formed in the second shackle leg (9), said padlock further comprising a rotatable member (29) being attached to said lock core (25) and comprising a retaining portion (31), which is configured to retain a first locking ball (51) of the locking mechanism (10) in a locking position when said lock core (25) is situated in a first lock core position, and a release cavity (33) which is configured to, upon rotation of said lock core (25) from its first lock core position to a second lock core position, receive said first locking ball (51), wherein said release cavity (33) is configured to allow movement of the first locking ball (51) in a second direction, which is different from said first direction, from its locking position to a non-locking position in which the shackle (5) is disengaged from the lock body (3; 203), thereby allowing withdrawal of the shackle (5).

2. Padlock (1; 201) according to claim 1, wherein said release cavity (33) is configured to, upon rotation of said lock core (25) from its first lock core position to its second lock core position, completely receive said first locking ball (51).

3. Padlock (1; 201) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said second direction is orthogonal to said first direction.

4. Padlock (1; 201) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said lock core (25) form part of an electromechanical lock (19).

5. Padlock according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said rotatable member (29) comprises a guiding surface (34) which is configured to, upon rotation of said lock core (25), move said first locking ball (51) from its non-locking position to its locking position.

6. Padlock (1; 201) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said padlock further comprises a release member (79) which is arranged to apply a force on said first locking ball (51), which force, upon rotation of the rotatable member (29) acts to initiate movement of said first locking ball (51) into said release cavity (33).

7. Padlock (1; 201) according to claim 6, wherein said release member (79) comprises a spring-biased element and preferably a spring-biased ball (87).

8. Padlock according to claim 6, wherein at least one release member forms a positioning element configured to, when the first locking ball is situated in its locking position, hold the first locking ball in an offset position relative to the other locking balls.

9. Padlock (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said locking mechanism (10) comprises at least five locking balls (51, 53, 55, 57, 59) which, when the locking mechanism is in a locked state, are disposed side by said in said first direction, and said padlock further comprising a second selectively rotatable lock core (37), arranged to independently operate said locking mechanism (10) for locking and unlocking the padlock (1), and a second rotatable member (39) being attached to said second lock core (37) and comprising a retaining portion (41), which is configured to retain a second locking ball (53) of the locking mechanism (10) in a locking position when the second lock core (37) is situated in a first lock core position, and a release cavity (43) which is configured to, upon rotation of the second lock core (37) from its first lock core position to a second lock core position, receive said second locking ball (53), wherein said second rotatable member (39) is configured to allow movement of said second locking ball (53) in a second direction, which is different from said first direction, from its locking position to a non-locking position in which the shackle (5) is disengaged from the lock body (3), thereby allowing withdrawal of the shackle (5).

10. Padlock (1; 201) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first shackle leg (7) is formed with a circumferential groove (75), a first recessed portion (66) between the first locking element recess (45) and the circumferential groove (75), and a second recessed portion (77) which extends from said circumferential groove (75) and terminates at the outermost portion of the free end (7a) of said first shackle leg (7), said second recessed portion (77) being configured to allow complete withdrawal of the first shackle leg (7) from the lock body (3; 203).