Lock assembly

Claim 1

A lock assembly comprising, in combination: a magnetic key including a round casing for defining a relatively flat key cavity being open on one side thereof, and including at least one magnet embedded in a material deposited in said key cavity, said magnet being covered by said material on said open side of said key cavity, said round casing having a basically round outer surface but including at least one projection thereon; a nut defining a nut cavity and a peripheral groove about said nut cavity; a shell detachably and rotatably mountable on said nut; and a lock body attached to said shell for securing said shell about said nut in a locked state, said nut cavity being adapted to receive said lock body, said lock body including a socket member having at least one first pin slot and an arched rail along the perimeter thereof, a round plug member having a central axle portion extending through a central opening in said socket member and having a relatively flat portion covering, and in sliding contact with, the outer surface of said socked member, said flat portion defining at least one second pin slot, said lock body further including at least one magnetic pin means operable within said first and second pin slots for selectively locking said plug member with respect to said socket member, said first and second pin slots substantially aligning in said locked state, said plug-member central-axle portion including at the end thereof a flat, elongated guide block extending transverse to said axle portion, said lock body further having latch means for securing said lock body within said cavity, said latch means being operable between an extended locking state and a retracted state, and bias means for biasing said latch means towards said extended locking state, said latch means lockingly engaging said peripheral groove in said locked state, said latch means defining a latch slot on its upper surface, said guide block, extending into said latch slot and thereby engaging said latch means, said plug-member flat portion including recess walls for defining a substantially round, key-receiving, plug-member recess for receiving said magnetic-key round casing, including said projection when it is in a particular orientation relative to said plug member, said magnetic key and said key-receiving plug member thereby cooperatively defining means for rotating said plug member, said plug member on an inner surface thereof, including a lug slidably engaging said arched rail to cooperatively define means for limiting rotation of said plug member and said guide block between a first guide position and a second guide position, said latch means being moveable between said extending locking state and said retracted state in response to rotation of said guide block, said latch means being in said extended locking state and said retracted state whenever said plug member is in said first guide position and said second guide position, respectively, said magnetic pin means being operable between a normally operative state wherein said plug member is locked and an inoperative state wherein said plug member is freed to rotate in response to said magnetic-key being positioned in said plug-member recess, whereby said plug member is responsively rotatable by said magnetic key.