An idling switch structure of a shaft of an electronic lock contains: a holding plate, a shell, an electric drive unit, a switching unit, and a manual rotation unit. The holding plate includes a peripheral fringe, multiple positioning posts, a fixing seat, two locating portions, a column, a receiving area, a limiting rib, an extension, and a bolt seat. The shell includes a covering space, multiple recesses, and a locking orifice. The electric drive unit includes a drive wheel, a motor body, and a transmission wheel having a central orifice and two rotation protrusions. The drive wheel has a central orifice, a tooth portion, and an actuation gear. The motor body has two stands and a worm. The switching unit includes a driven sheet, a slider, a first spring, a second spring, and a driving element. The manual rotation unit includes a lock bolt and a key.

A lock cylinder including a plug, a plurality of key followers, a sensor assembly structured to sense positions of the key followers, and a controller in communication with the sensor assembly. The plug includes a keyway and a plurality of plug tumbler shafts. Each of the key followers is movably seated in a corresponding one of the plug tumbler shafts and includes a sensor interface. The sensor assembly includes a plurality of sensors, each of which includes at least one sensing region. Each of the key followers is associated with one of the sensors via an associative link formed between the sensor interface and the corresponding sensing region. The sensors are structured to generate an output signal indicative of the transverse position of the associated key follower, and the controller is structured to select and perform actions based upon the output signals.

A latch mechanism includes a hook-handle assembly coupled to a first panel and a clevis coupled to a second panel. The hook-handle assembly engages the clevis to secure the first panel relative to the second panel.

Articles of manufacture, machines, processes for using the articles and machines, processes for making the articles and machines, and products produced by the process of making, along with necessary intermediates, directed to a lock and key system.

A key or key blank includes a key blade having a first edge, a second edge, and first and second opposed sides. The first edge has one or more edge bittings to elevate and/or rotate one or more tumbler pins of a lock with a vertically-oriented keyway, and one of the opposed sides has one or more side bittings to elevate and/or rotate one or more tumbler pins of a lock with a horizontally-oriented keyway. Side warding surfaces on the key blank are shaped and positioned to minimize the interference of peaks between the skewed bitting cuts on the key. A lock has a keyway configured for the key having edge bittings to elevate and/or rotate one or more tumbler pins of a vertical lock and side bittings to elevate and/or rotate one or more tumbler pins of a horizontal lock.

A plug assembly including a plug, a sidebar movably mounted on the plug, and a plurality of rack pins seated in the plug. The sidebar is biased to an outer position in which the sidebar extends beyond an outer surface of the plug. Each rack pin includes a key-following leg and a sidebar-engaging leg. The sidebar-engaging leg includes at least one true gate. When a true gate of each rack pin is aligned with the sidebar, the sidebar is free to move radially inward to an inner position.

A method for mutually controlling and unlocking a dual plug in a lock, comprising: unlocking a code of a first plug first, the first plug restricting unlocking of a second plug, the second plug restricting rotating of the first plug before the code of the first plug is unlocked; after unlocking the code of the first plug, the first plug translating to a second position from a first position using a preset position difference, the first plug being unable to rotate during the translation; after moving the first plug to the second position, the first plug releasing a restriction on the second plug, the second plug still restricting the rotating of the first plug; and unlocking the code of the second plug, the first plug and the second plug being able to rotate synchronously so as to unlock the lock after unlocking the code of the second plug. The present invention further relates to a lock with a dual plug.

A lock system and method for alerting a user or other entity that a lock has been or is being tampered with is disclosed. The lock includes at least one enhanced security pin that is electrically isolated from the rest of the lock. When the lock picker attempts to pick the lock a portion of the enhanced security pin contacts either the plug or the outer casing of the lock to complete a circuit with an alert component. The completion of the circuit causes the alert component to generate an alert signal that can be observed by the user or other entity.

A tubular has a hollow housing, a lock core, a pin seat, multiple pin assemblies, and a covering assembly. Multiple upper through holes are separately formed through a head portion of the lock core. Multiple lower through holes are separately formed through the pin seat and align with the upper through holes of the lock core respectively. An assembler assembles the housing, the lock core, and the pin seat in a preliminary assembling step, then puts the pin assemblies into the upper through holes and the lower through holes from a rear end face of the pin seat in a detail assembling step, and then covers the lower through holes with the covering assembly in a packaging step. The pin assemblies do not fall from the upper through holes and the lower through holes easily. The tubular lock has simplified assembling steps and lowered difficulty of assembling.

A method for mutually controlling and unlocking a dual plug in a lock includes: unlocking a code of a first plug first, the first plug restricting unlocking of a second plug, the second plug restricting rotating of the first plug before the code of the first plug is unlocked. after unlocking the code of the first plug, the first plug translating to a second position from a first position using a preset position difference, the first plug being unable to rotate during the translation; after moving the first plug to the second position, the first plug releasing a restriction on the second plug, the second plug still restricting the rotating of the first plug; and unlocking the code of the second plug, the first plug and the second plug being able to rotate synchronously so as to unlock the lock after unlocking the code of the second plug.