Combination lock construction

Claim 2

A combination lock assembly comprising a keeper, a movable latch member supported for movement between latching and release positions including a housing and a formation to be projected into interlocking relation with said keeper, a pair of rotatable dial assemblies including dial wheels carried at the front of said housing for manipulation to angular positions forming a selected combination and hub members coupled therewith for rotation with the dial wheels and extending into said housing, a slide member guided for movement within the housing perpendicular to the dial wheel axes between release and locking positions, said slide member and hubs having coactive shaped surfaces for restraining said slide member at locking position when the dial wheels are displaced from the selected combination and shaped to accommodate movement of the slide member to release position when the dial wheels occupy said selected combination, said slide member having means restraining the hubs against rotation at the release position of the slide member, said dial wheels having openings for receiving hub portions therein, said dial wheels and hubs having contacting confronting surfaces for releasibly intercoupling the dial wheels and hubs together at selected relative angular positions establishing the combination for the lock, a pair of relatively perpendicular diametric cross cuts extending through the hub portions occupying said openings of said dial wheels rendering the regions of the hub portions within said openings flexible radially inwardly to release the hubs from said dial wheels for permitting manual rotation of the dial wheels to other angular positions relative to their hubs for establishing other combinations for the lock when the hubs are held by the slide member in its release position.

Claim 3

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said dial wheels each have a center opening having a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses in the surface of the opening, and each of said hubs have projections at a location thereon to interfit in said recesses at any of a plurality of different angular positions relative to the associated dial wheel for establishing the combination of the lock assembly.

Claim 4

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said hubs are each in the form of a separable member having a front hub portion releasibly seated in the opening of one of said dial wheels capable of angular movement relative thereto, and wherein the contacting confronting surfaces of the dial wheel and hubs normally restraining the front hub portions in the dial wheel openings with a frictional force which is sufficiently releasible when the front hub portions flex inwardly to be overcome upon manual rotation of the dial wheels when the hubs are held by the slide member in its release positIon.

Claim 5

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said dial wheels each have a center opening having a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses in the surface of the opening providing a plurality of circumferentially spaced, narrow substantially line of contact surfaces engaging confronting surfaces of the hubs.

Claim 6

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said hubs have a flat formation thereon adjacent said slide member, said slide member having openings defining shaped surfaces thereof for cooperating with each of said hubs including round portions normally maintaining the slide member in locking position and non-round portions coactive with said flat formations to permit movement of the slide member to release position at selected angular positions of the hubs.

Claim 7

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein each of said hubs have a flat formation thereon adjacent said slide member, said slide member having openings defining shaped surfaces thereof for cooperating with each of said hubs including round portions normally maintaining the slide member in locking position and non-round portions coactive with said flat formations to permit movement of the slide member to release position at selected angular positions of the hubs.

Claim 8

A combination lock assembly adapted to be mounted on first and second wall portions of separable sections of a container adjacent a line of separation therebetween for securing the sections together, comprising a keeper to be affixed to the first wall portion, a latching unit to be mounted on said second wall portion including an elongated base member, a latch member supported on said base member for movement between latching and release positions, said latch member including a housing having a catch projecting into selected alinement with said keeper for interlocking engagement therewith, a pair of rotatable dial wheels disposed at the front of said housing for manipulation to angular positions forming a selected combination, each of the respective dial wheels having hub portions coupled therewith and extending into said housing, a fence plate guided within the housing for movement between release and locking positions, said fence plate and hub portions having means normally restraining said fence plate at locking position including coactive formations accommodating movement of the fence plate to release position when the dial wheels occupy said selected combination, the fence plate having means for holding the hubs against rotation when the fence plate is at release position, said dial wheels having openings for receiving parts of the hub portions therein providing confronting contacting intercoupling surface formations for releasibly gripping the same together at selected angular positions establishing the combination of the lock, a pair of relatively perpendicular diametric cross cuts extending through the hub portions occupying said openings rendering the regions of the hub portions therein flexible radially inwardly to release the dial wheels from said hubs to permit manual rotation of the dial wheels to other angular positions relative to their hubs for establishing other combinations for the lock when the hubs are held by the fence plate in its release position.

Claim 9

A combination lock assembly adapted to be mounted on first and second wall portions of separable sections of a container adjacent a line of separation therebetween for securing the sections together, comprising a keeper to be affixed to the first wall portion, a latching unit to be mounted on said second wall portion including an elongated base member, a latch member supported on said base member for movement between latching and release positions, said latch member including a housing having a catch projecting into selected alinement with said keeper for interlocking engagement therewith, a pair of rotatable dial wheels disposed at the front of said housing for manipulation to angular positions forming a selected combination, each of the respective dial wheels having hub portions coupled therewith and extending into said housing, a fence plate guided within the housing for movement between release and locking positions, said fence plate and hub portions having means normally restraining said fence plate at locking position including coactive formations accommodating movement of the fence plate to release position when the dial wheels occupy said selected combination, the fence plate having means for holding the hubs against rotation when the fence plate is at release position, said dial wheels having openings for receiving parts of the hub portions therein providing confronting contacting intercoupling surface formations for releasibly gripping the same together at selected angular positions establishing the combination of the lock, a pair of relatively perpendicular diametric cross cuts extending through the hub portions occupying said openings rendering the regions of the hub portions therein flexible radially inwardly to release the dial wheels from said hubs to permit manual rotation of the dial wheels to other angular positions relative to their hubs for establishing other combinations for the lock when the hubs are held by the fence plate in its release position.

Claim 10

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 7, wherein said dial wheels each have a center opening having a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses in the surface of the opening, and each of said hub portions have projections at a location thereon to interfit in said recesses at any of a plurality of different angular positions relative to the associated dial wheel for establishing the combination of the lock assembly.

Claim 11

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 7, wherein each of said hub portions have a flat formation thereon adjacent said fence plate, and said fence plate being movable in a direction transverse to the dial wheel axes and parallel to said wall portions betwEen release and locking positions, and fence plate having openings for each of said hub portions including round portions normally maintaining the fence plate in locking position and non-round portions coactive with said flat formations to permit movement of the fence plate to release position at selected angular positions of the hub portions.

Claim 12

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 7, wherein said base member includes a base panel paralleling said wall portions, an outwardly projecting first lug on said base panel, and an inwardly projecting second lug on said fence plate disposed in intercepting alinement with the first lug along a path of movement of the fence plate toward release position when said fence plate is in locking position, said second lug being displaced transversely of the axis of said path when the fence plate is moved to said release position.

Claim 13

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 7, wherein said latching unit comprises a cup member defining a forwardly opening elongated cavity bounded by an outer marginal frame, said housing being a box-like substantially rectangular member nested in said cavity for sliding movement therein between said latching and release positions, said housing having a front panel which is substantially flush with the plane of said outer marginal frame, and said dial wheels being disposed outwardly of said plane.

Claim 14

A combination lock assembly as defined in claim 8, wherein said latching unit comprises a cup member defining a forwardly opening elongated cavity bounded by an outer marginal frame, said housing being a substantially rectangular member nested in said cavity for pivotal movement outwardly of the cavity between said latching and release positions, said housing having a front panel which is substantially flush with the plane of said outer marginal frame, and said dial wheels being disposed outwardly of said plane.