A rekeyable lock cylinder with a cylinder body and a plug assembly. The lock cylinder includes a plurality of key followers and a corresponding plurality of racks disposed in the plug assembly. The lock cylinder includes, for example, a locking bar for blocking rotation of the plug assembly with respect to the cylinder body to prevent unlocking of the rekeyable lock cylinder with an unauthorized object. In some embodiments, the locking bar is configured such that torqueing the plug assembly with an unauthorized object applies force to the locking bar without translating such force to the plurality of racks. This type of arrangement enhances torque resistance of the lock cylinder against attempted forced entry.

A rekeyable lock cylinder with a cylinder body and a plug assembly. The lock cylinder includes a plurality of key followers and a corresponding plurality of racks disposed in the plug assembly. Disengaging the racks from the key followers allows rekeying of the lock cylinder.

A tumbler for positioning in a bore perpendicular to a keyway in a lock for selectively engaging a feature of a key within the keyway, wherein the tumbler comprises a male part that interlocks with a female part about a compressed spring; the male part having retaining teeth for selectively engaging an inner notch or an outer notch of the female part, such that when the retaining teeth engage the outer notch, the tumbler has a first configuration with an uncompressed overall length and on compression assumes a second configuration wherein the teeth of the male part engage the inner notch in the female section so that the overall length of the lock component is reduced, the change being irreversible.

A programmable combination lock with keyed lock override is disclosed. The lock employs a stack of rings and dial wheels, with a mechanism for coupling and decoupling the rings and dial wheels. A user can program a custom code by unlocking the combination and rotating the inner and outer dial wheels until the desired code is indicated, and then locking the combination lock to set the code. A keyed lock with a master key couples to the combination lock and can override a combination lock in the locked state. The keyed lock allows multiple keys to lock and unlock the combination lock. In the event that a user loses the master key, the user can use the second key to create a new lock combination to operate the lock, yet render the lost master key inoperable.

A system including a lock class having a plurality of lock families, with each lock family including a plurality of lock cylinders. Each of the lock families has a control pin location which is different from the control pin location of another of the lock families within the lock class. Each of the lock cylinders generally includes a shell, a plug rotatably mounted in the shell, and a control ring rotatably mounted on the plug at the control pin location of the lock family of which the lock cylinder is a member, and a control pin operable to selectively couple the plug with the control ring. Each lock family may be associated with a control key family. Each control key family may include a plurality of control keys, each of which may have a control bitting configured to urge control pins of the associated lock family to a coupling position.

A rekeyable lock includes a cylinder, a plug and a blocker. The cylinder includes a main body, an accommodation hole and a through hole penetrating through the main body and communicating with the accommodation hole. The plug is rotatably disposed in the accommodation hole. The blocker is movably disposed in the accommodation hole and includes a block portion and a position portion connecting with each other. The block portion is located between the main body and the plug. The position portion protrudes outside the accommodation hole via the through hole and positioned on a steady portion of the main body. The bottom pins can be removed from or blocked in the plug by the blocker for key replacement, and the position of the block portion can be easily adjusted by the position portion protruding outside the accommodation hole for rapidly replacing the bottom pins.

A self-learning lock cylinder assembly or lock tumbler and tools capable of teaching the self-learning key configuration of a pre-existing key is disclosed. The assembly does not require disassembly and re-assembly of internal components by a skilled user. The individual performing the self-learning procedure sets the assembly by a simple rotation motion. The individual performing the self-learning procedure can verify that the original key and copies of the original key function properly within the lock cylinder prior to final assembly.

A cylinder and key lock mechanism is unlocked when a specific combination of rotation angles of dialer groups, each constituted by one internal dialer disc and by one external dialer ring coupled through teeth, is dialed through rotation of the key having a formed cipher. A security mechanism, being part of the key and driven by the insertion of the key into the cylinder, enables re-programming. When unlocked and with re-programming enabled, re-programming is possible where the inner dialer discs are decoupled from the respective outer dialer rings, the key can be rotated driving only the inner dialer discs and extracted leaving the system in a re-programming configuration. A new key having a different cipher can be inserted and the system exited re-programming with a different coupling between the inner dialer discs and the respective outer dialer rings so that they couple with the new key cipher.

A rekeyable lock cylinder with a cylinder body, an inner sleeve, and a plug assembly is provided. The plug assembly includes a plurality of key followers and a corresponding plurality of first racks and second racks disposed in carriers. The first racks correspond to operation of a user key and the second racks correspond to operation of a master key. As such, the lock cylinder is usable in a user/master key system. Disengaging either of the first or second racks from the key followers allows rekeying of the lock cylinder for the user key or the master key.

A rekeyable lock includes a cylinder, a plug and a blocker. The cylinder includes a main body, an accommodation hole and a through hole penetrating through the main body and communicating with the accommodation hole. The plug is rotatably disposed in the accommodation hole. The blocker is movably disposed in the accommodation hole and includes a block portion and a position portion connecting with each other. The block portion is located between the main body and the plug. The position portion protrudes outside the accommodation hole via the through hole and positioned on a steady portion of the main body. The bottom pins can be removed from or blocked in the plug by the blocker for key replacement, and the position of the block portion can be easily adjusted by the position portion protruding outside the accommodation hole for rapidly replacing the bottom pins.