An improved cylinder lock

Abstract

A cylinder lock comprising a first housing 11 defining a first bore 14, a first rotatable lock member 15 mounted in the first bore, and a locking cam 13 connected to the first rotatable lock member for rotation therewith, at least one first exhaust port 18 that leads to the exterior of the first housing and at least one first guide 20 such as circlip directs fluid in the housing towards the exhaust port. Mitigates attack from fluids in keyway such as glue, corrisives or freezing liquids, the guide acts as barrier preventing fluids reaching the cam instead expelling liquid from housing via exhaust port 18.

Description

The invention relates to cylinder locks, particularly, though not exclusively, to cylinder locks and double cylinder locks of the types referred to as Euro cylinder locks. Cylinder locks can have a number of different security features to protect against unauthorised opening of the lock such as by lock picking, drilling, bumping or snapping. However, ail such cylinder locks are still vulnerable to the ingress of fluid through the keyway into the lock. Such fluids can include water, glues, corrosive fluids, freezing fluids or fluids that can be used to otherwise damage the locks. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a cylinder lock comprising a first housing defining a first bore, a first rotatable lock member mounted in the first bore, and a locking cam connected to the first rotatable lock member for rotation therewith, wherein the lock further comprises at least one first exhaust port that leads to the exterior of the first housing and at least one first guide member configured to direct any fluid in the first housing towards the or each exhaust port. In various embodiments, the locking cam may be coaxial with the first rotatable lock member. The locking cam may be disposed externally of the first housing. Preferably the first guide member forms a barrier to prevent fluid being able to reach the locking cam. In certain embodiments, the first rotatable lock member may comprise a first keyway to receive a key thereby to release the first rotatable lock member for rotation within the first bore. Advantageously the cylinder lock may include at least one first keyway exhaust port from the first keyway to the exterior of the first rotatable lock member. In certain embodiments, the at least one first exhaust port may be aligned with the at least one first keyway exhaust port In either a locked position or an unlocked position of the first rotatable lock member. In various embodiments, the cylinder lock may comprise a double cylinder lock. The double cylinder lock may comprise a second housing connected to the first housing in a spaced arrangement and a second rotatable lock member mounted in the second bore. The locking cam may be disposed externally of and between the first and second housings. The locking cam may be coaxial with the second rotatable lock member. The locking cam may be connected to the second rotatable lock member for rotation therewith. The second rotatable iock member may be key operated or turn operated. In arrangements wherein the second rotatabie iock member is key operated, the second rotatabie iock member may comprise a second keyway to receive a key thereby to reiease the second rotatable iock member for rotation within the second bore. The iock advantageously may further comprise at least one second exhaust port that leads to the exterior of the second housing and at least one second guide member configured to direct any fluid in the second housing towards the second exhaust port. Advantageously the cylinder iock may include at least one second keyway exhaust port from the second keyway to the exterior of the second rotatabie lock member. In certain embodiments, the at least one second exhaust port may be aligned with the at least one second keyway exhaust port in either a locked position or an unlocked position of the second rotatable lock member. The invention addresses problem of potential damage to or tampering with the inner components of a cylinder iock by the deliberate or accidental insertion of a fluid into the cylinder lock, such as, for example, glue, a freezing fluid or any other liquid substance that may cause obstruction or interference in the cylinder iock. The invention provides an anti-tamper arrangement to direct and exit fluid from the cylinder iock via the at least one exhaust port. The exhaust port may be positioned and sized to ensure that fluids can easily flow out of the housing and / or the rotatable lock member. The first guide member and / or the second guide member may form a channel to guide any fluid entering the cylinder lock towards and out of at least one of the at least one exhaust port. Preferably the first guide member and / or the second guide member is arranged to channel any fluid inserted into the keyway towards at least one of the at least one exhaust port. Advantageously the first guide member may comprise a circlip arranged around the first rotatabie lock member, and / or the second guide member may comprise a circlip arranged around the second rotatable lock member. The circlip may form a channel to guide any fluid entering the keyway towards and out of at least one of the at least one exhaust port. The circlip may be arranged at the end of the rotatable lock member closest to the locking cam of the cylinder lock and may be sized to provide a barrier between the first housing and the locking cam. Advantageously the circlip may be made of a suitable resilient material. A material of the circlip may include, but is not limited to, brass, steel, stainless steel, other metals, and plastics materials. The circlip may be "C" shaped. The circlip may be arranged to be fitted onto the first rotatable lock member. Such circlips may also be retrofitted to rotatable lock members in existing cylinder locks. In alternative arrangements, the first guide member may be formed integrally with the first rotatable lock member and / or the second guide member may be formed integrally with the second rotatable lock member. In other alternative arrangements, the first guide member may be formed integrally with the first bore and / or the second guide member may be formed integrally with the second bore. The cylinder lock may comprise a single exhaust port or a plurality of exhaust ports from the first housing to the exterior and / or from the second housing to the exterior. If the rotatable lock member comprises a keyway, there may be provided a single exhaust port or a plurality of exhaust ports from the keyway to the exterior of the rotatable lock member. Double cylinder locks, including Euro cylinder lock types, may include a second rotatable lock member that is key operated and that comprises a second keyway. For such locks, anti-tamper arrangements according to the invention may also be provided in the second housing. This may be similar to the exhaust port(s) and guide member(s) provided in the first housing and rotatable lock member. In an alternative arrangement, the second rotatable lock member may be operated by a thumb turn. To have a better understanding of the invention reference is made to the foliowing non-limiting description of the invention and embodiments thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic form in the interests of clarity and conciseness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figures la, lb and 1c show an example of a double-sided cylinder lock in side view, end view and perspective view; Figures 2a and 2b show a rotatable lock member of a cylinder lock in accordance with the invention in perspective view and end view; Figure 3 shows a guide member for use in a cylinder lock in accordance with the invention; Figure 4 shows an exploded view of an example of a cylinder lock in accordance with the invention; and Figure 5 shows an exploded view of an alternative example of a cylinder lock in accordance with the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in Figures la, lb and 1c, a cylinder lock 10 is shown. The lock illustrated is a double cylinder Euro cylinder type lock, but it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to these particular types of locks. In particular, the invention is particularly suitable for single cylinder locks, as well as double cylinder locks. The exemplary cylinder lock 10 comprises a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 with a rotatable locking cam 13 arranged between the two housings 11,12. The first housing defines a first bore 14. A first rotatable lock member 15 is mounted within the first bore 14 and is connected to the locking cam 13 such that rotation of the lock member 15 acts to rotate the locking cam 13. The second housing 12 defines a second bore 16. A second rotatable lock member 17 may be mounted within the second bore 16. The second rotatable lock member 17 may be key operated (as shown in Figures 4 and 5) or may be hand-operated, for example by a "thumb turn" fixing (not shown). The second rotatable lock member 17 may also be connected to the locking cam 13. The first and second rotatable lock members 15,17 may be arranged such that the locking cam 13 may be rotated independently by rotation or either of the first or second rotatable members 15,17. Referring also to Figures 4 and 5, the cylinder lock 10 may comprise a tumbler lock, the components of which are indicated generally as 100 and are housed within the first housing 11. In certain arrangements, there may also be a tumbler lock, generally indicated as 101, housed within the second housing 12. These types of locks are well known in the art and are not described in further detail here. As shown in Figure la and Figures 4 and 5, the first housing 11 comprises one or more first exhaust ports 18. The first exhaust ports 18 are sized and arranged to aliow fluid that has entered the cylinder lock 10 to exit the first housing 11. Figures 2a and 2b show the first rotatable lock member 15 in more detail. The first rotatable lock member 15 includes pins 19 for engagement with the locking cam 13, A first guide member 20 is arranged around the first rotatable lock member 15 and is configured to direct any fluid that has entered the first housing 11 towards the or each first exhaust ports 18. As shown in Figure 3, the first guide member 20 may comprise a circlip. The first guide member 20 is advantageously made from a resilient material. Examples of suitable materials include brass, steel, stainless steel, other metals, and plastics materials. The circlip 20 may be "C" shaped and may be arranged to be fitted onto the first rotatable lock member 15, for example by snap-fitting. Such circlips 20 may also be retrofitted to rotatable lock members in existing cylinder iocks. As shown in further detail in Figure 4, the first housing 11 has first exhaust ports 18. Similar second exhaust ports 18a may be provided in the second housing 12. The first rotatable lock member 15 may be operated by a key 21 that is inserted in a keyway 22. If the cylinder lock 10 comprises a second housing 12 and second rotatable lock member 17, the second rotatable lock member may be operated by a key 21a that may be inserted into a second keyway 22a. In an alternative arrangement (not shown), the second rotatable lock member 17 may be operated by a thumb turn. The first guide member 20 is fitted to the first rotatable lock member 15 (as shown in detail in Figures 2a and 2b) and forms a barrier to prevent fluid that has entered the first housing 11 from reaching the locking cam member 13. The first guide member 20 thus acts to prevent fluid reaching the cam member 13 and guides fluid towards the first exhaust ports 18, such that any fluid then flows out of the exhaust ports 18. This arrangement provides an anti-tampering arrangement to protect the cylinder lock 10 from the entry of fluid into the lock. Such fluid may include accidental or deliberate introduction of fluid into the lock 10, for example, through the keyway 22. The arrangement of the invention thus acts to protect the lock from the effects of fluids such as water, glues, corrosive fluids, freezing fluids or fluids that can be used to otherwise damage the locks. Figure 5 shows an alternative arrangement of the invention that includes additional exhaust ports 23 from the keyway 22 to the exterior of the first rotatable lock member 15 and hence into the housing 11. Advantageously, the keyway exhaust ports 23 can be arranged to be aligned with one or more of the first exhaust ports 18 when the first rotatable lock member 15 is in a locked position or an unlocked position. In certain embodiments, similar second keyway exhaust ports 23a may be provided in the second key way 22a. Preferences and options for a given aspect, feature or parameter of the invention should, unless the context indicates otherwise, be regarded as having been disclosed in combination with any and all preferences and options of all other aspects, features and parameters of the invention. While the embodiments described herein are intended as exemplary, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated. Those skilled in the art will envision many other possible variations and modifications by means of the skilled person's common knowledge without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed, however, such variations and modifications should fail into the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A cylinder lock comprising:a first housing defining a first bore;a first rotatable lock member mounted in the first bore; anda locking cam connected to the first rotatable lock member for rotation therewith;wherein the lock further comprises:at least one first exhaust port that leads to the exterior of the first housing; and at least one first guide member configured to direct any fluid in the first housing towards the or each first exhaust port.

2. A cylinder lock according to claim 1, wherein the locking cam is coaxial with the first rotatable lock member,3, A cylinder lock according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the locking cam is disposed externally of the first housing,4. A cylinder lock according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first guide member forms a barrier to prevent fluid being able to reach the locking cam.

5. A cylinder lock according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first rotatable lock member comprises a first keyway to receive a key thereby to release the first rotatable lock member for rotation within the first bore.

6. A cylinder lock according to claim 5, further comprising at least one first keyway exhaust port from the first keyway to the exterior of the first rotatable lock member.

7. A cylinder lock according to claim 6, wherein the at least one first exhaust port is aligned with the at least one first keyway exhaust port in either a locked position or an unlocked position of the first rotatable lock member.

8. A cylinder lock according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first guide member forms a channel to guide any fluid entering the cylinder lock towards and out of at least one of the at least one exhaust port.

9. A cylinder lock according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first guide member comprises a circlip arranged around the first rotatable lock member.

10. A cylinder lock according to ciaim 9, wherein the circlip is formed from a resiiient materia i.

11. A cylinder lock according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein a material of the circlip is selected from brass, steel, stainless steel, other metals or plastics materials.

12. A cylinder lock according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the circlip is “C" shaped.

13. A cylinder lock according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the cylinder lock is a double cylinder lock, the cylinder lock comprising:a second housing connected to the first housing in a spaced arrangement; and a second rotatable lock member mounted in the second bore.

14. A cylinder lock according to claim 13, wherein the lock further comprises: at least one second exhaust port that leads to the exterior of the second housing; andat least one second guide member configured to direct any fluid in the second housing towards the or each second exhaust port.

15. A cylinder lock according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the locking cam is disposed externally of and between the first and second housings.

16. A cylinder iock according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the second rotatable lock member is a turn operated lock member.

17. A cylinder lock according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the second rotatable lock member is a key operated lock member.

18. A cylinder lock according to claim 17 wherein the second rotatable lock member comprises a second keyway to receive a key thereby to release the second rotatable lock member for rotation within the second bore.

19. A cylinder lock according to claim 18, further comprising at least one second keyway exhaust port from the second keyway to the exterior of the second rotatable lock member.

20. A cylinder lock according to claim 19 when dependent from claim 14, wherein the at least one second exhaust port is aligned with the at least one second keyway exhaust port in either a locked position or an unlocked position of the second rotatable lock member.

21. A cylinder lock according to any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein the second guide member forms a channel to guide any fluid entering the cylinder lock towards and out of at least one of the at least one exhaust port.

22. A cylinder lock according to any one of claims 13 to 21, wherein the second guide member comprises a circlip arranged around the second rotatable lock member.

23. A cylinder lock according to claim 22, wherein the circlip is formed from a resilient material.

24. A cylinder lock according to claim 22 or claim 23, wherein a material of the circlip is selected from brass, steel, stainless steel, other metals or plastics materials.

25. A cylinder lock according to any one of claims 22 to 24, wherein the drclip is "C"shaped.

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