Lock Cylinder Key With Transverse Cut-Outs for Enhanced Security
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pin-tumbler lock mechanisms are vulnerable to picking and have limited unique key combinations due to space constraints, which compromises security.
Innovation Solution
A key and lock design featuring transverse cut-outs on the key shaft and a static blocking element positioned between locking pins, allowing the key to bypass the blocking element and accommodate multiple pin positions, thereby increasing the number of unique combinations without altering the lock's dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pin-tumbler lock mechanisms are used, then the lock is simple to manufacture and operate, but the lock is vulnerable to picking and has limited unique key combinations
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism is segmented into multiple independent pin pairs (at least two pairs of pins per passage), each pair operating independently within the same passage. This segmentation allows each pin pair to contribute separately to the key combination, exponentially increasing the number of possible combinations while maintaining the same basic lock structure and passage configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
One pin is nested within the path of another pin in the same passage. The first pin extends from the plug face toward the shear line, and the second pin is positioned to interact with the first pin's movement path. This nested arrangement allows both pins to be controlled by key features within the same keyway space, maximizing combination possibilities without increasing lock dimensions.
2Reliability
If the number of unique key combinations is increased, then security is improved, but space limitations prevent adding more pins or passages
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding more passages radially (one dimension), the invention adds complexity within the existing passage by introducing multiple pin pairs that interact in sequence along the passage length (another dimension). This allows increased combination possibilities without increasing the radial or circumferential space of the lock cylinder.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested pin arrangement allows one pin to be positioned within the movement path of another pin in the same passage. This nested configuration enables multiple pins to occupy what would traditionally be a single pin space, effectively doubling or tripling the combination possibilities within the same volumetric constraints of the lock cylinder.
3Reliability
If transverse cut-outs are provided in the key shaft, then the key can bypass blocking elements increasing combinations, but the key structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The transverse cut-outs in the key shaft create an asymmetric key profile that must precisely match the asymmetric blocking element configuration in the lock. This asymmetric design ensures that only the correct key with the specific cut-out pattern can bypass the blocking elements and align the pins, adding a layer of security that is simple in concept but effective in preventing unauthorized duplication or manipulation.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~7
Figure 8A~8B
AI summary
The invention relates to a key for use with a key-operable lock, the key comprising a handle and a shaft configured to fit in a keyway and having a row of recesses along its length on a first major surface and a row of recesses on an opposite major surface such that the recesses on the first and the opposite major surfaces are aligned in pairs so as to be capable of accommodating locking pins and holding them in an unlocked position. The key further comprises a first transverse cut-out provided in a first minor surface of the shaft and a second transverse cut-out provided in an opposite minor surface of the shaft, the first and second transverse cut-outs being oppositely aligned and provided at a position which is axially spaced with respect to the pairs of recesses so that, in use, the transverse cut-outs will align with a static blocking element provided in the lock so as to allow the shaft to by-pass the blocking element on rotation of the key in the lock. Also disclosed is a lock for use with the above key.