Padlock

Abstract

A padlock comprises a lock body and a hoop, in particular a flexible hoop, which has a first hoop end. In this respect, the lock body has a first hoop receiver in order to selectively receive the first hoop end therein. The lock body further comprises a blocking element which is displaceable between a blocked position in which it blocks the first hoop end against an exiting from the first hoop receiver and a release position in which it releases the first hoop end for an exiting from the first hoop receiver. The lock body furthermore comprises a drive element which is rotatable between a locked position in which it locks the blocking element in its blocked position and an unlatched position in which it permits a displacement of the blocking element into its release position. The drive element in turn comprises a rotary body and a latch element which is displaceably supported at the rotary body, with the latch element being preloaded toward the blocking element in the unlatched position in order to secure the blocking element against an automatic displacement into the release position.

Claims

1. A padlock comprising a lock body and a hoop having a first hoop end, wherein the lock body has a first hoop receiver in order to selectively receive the first hoop end therein; wherein the lock body comprises a blocking element which is displaceable between a blocked position in which it blocks the first hoop end against an exiting from the first hoop receiver and a release position in which it releases the first hoop end for an exiting from the first hoop receiver; and wherein the lock body comprises a drive element which is rotatable between a locked position in which it locks the blocking element in its blocked position and an unlatched position in which it permits a displacement of the blocking element into its release position, wherein the drive element comprises a rotary body and a latch element which is displaceably supported by the rotary body relative to the rotary body, and wherein the latch element is preloaded toward the blocking element in the unlatched position in order to secure the blocking element against an automatic displacement into the release position.

2. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hoop is a flexible hoop.

3. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the latch element is radially displaceable with respect to an axis of rotation of the drive element.

4. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rotary body has a latch receiver in which the latch element is received.

5. The padlock in accordance with claim 4, wherein a spring element is further received in the latch receiver, said spring element preloading the latch element in the direction out of the latch receiver.

6. The padlock in accordance with claim 4, wherein the latch receiver is aligned in the direction of the blocking element in the unlatched position.

7. The padlock in accordance with claim 4, wherein a cross-section of the latch receiver and a cross-section of the latch element are formed in a complementary manner with respect to one another.

8. The padlock in accordance with claim 4, wherein the latch receiver and the latch element are configured in such a manner that a rotational alignment of the latch element is fixed in the latch receiver.

9. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the blocking element at least substantially has a spherical shape.

10. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the latch element has a cylindrical basic shape; wherein a transition from a jacket surface of the latch element is rounded off or chamfered toward an end face facing the blocking element in the unlatched position; and wherein the transition is radially aligned in such a manner that it is led past the blocking element on the rotation of the drive element from the locked position into the unlatched position.

11. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the rotary body has a cylindrical basic shape with a jacket surface which locks the blocking element in its blocked position in the locked position and which has a recess which is aligned toward the blocking element in the unlatched position and which permits a displacement of the blocking element into its release position.

12. The padlock in accordance with claim 11, wherein the jacket surface is a concavely formed jacket surface.

13. The padlock in accordance with claim 11, wherein the latch element extends into the recess while it secures the blocking element against an automatic displacement into the release position.

14. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lock body comprises a lock cylinder which is operatively coupled to the drive element in order to rotate the drive element between the locked position and the unlatched position in dependence on an actuation of the lock cylinder.

15. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lock body comprises a lock cylinder which is operatively coupled to the rotary body, in order to rotate the drive element between the locked position and the unlatched position in dependence on an actuation of the lock cylinder.

16. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hoop has a second hoop end which is permanently connected to the lock body.

17. The padlock in accordance with claim 10, wherein the second hoop end is permanently received in a second hoop receiver of the lock body.

18. The padlock in accordance with claim 10, wherein the lock body comprises a further blocking element which blocks the second hoop end against an exiting from the second hoop receiver in a blocked position; and wherein the drive element locks the further blocking element in its blocked position both in the locked position and in the unlatched position.

19. The padlock in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hoop has a second hoop end; wherein the lock body has a second hoop receiver in order to selectively receive the second hoop end therein; and wherein the lock body comprises a further blocking element which is displaceable between a blocked position in which it blocks the second hoop end against an exiting from the second hoop receiver and a release position in which it releases the second hoop end for an exiting from the second hoop receiver, with the drive element also locking the further blocking element in its blocked position in the locked position and also permitting a displacement of the further blocking element into its release position in the unlatched position.

20. The padlock in accordance with claim 19, wherein the drive element comprises a further latch element which is displaceably supported at the rotary body; and wherein the further latch element is preloaded toward the further blocking element in the unlatched position in order to secure the further blocking element against an automatic displacement into the release position.

21. A padlock comprising a lock body and a hoop having a first hoop end, wherein the lock body has a first hoop receiver in order to selectively receive the first hoop end therein; wherein the lock body comprises a blocking element which is displaceable between a blocked position in which it blocks the first hoop end against an exiting from the first hoop receiver and a release position in which it releases the first hoop end for an exiting from the first hoop receiver; and wherein the lock body comprises a drive element which is rotatable between a locked position in which it locks the blocking element in its blocked position and an unlatched position in which it permits a displacement of the blocking element into its release position, wherein the drive element comprises a rotary body and a latch element which is displaceably supported at the rotary body relative to the rotary body, and wherein the latch element is preloaded toward the blocking element in the unlatched position in order to secure the blocking element against an automatic displacement into the release position, wherein the latch element has a cylindrical basic shape whose cross-section is a circular segment such that the latch element has a radial flat side.

22. The padlock in accordance with claim 21, wherein a transition from the radial flat side is rounded off or chamfered toward an end face of the latch element facing the blocking element in the unlatched position and is aligned in such a manner that it is led past the blocking element on the rotation of the drive element from the locked position into the unlatched position.

23. A padlock comprising a lock body and a hoop having a first hoop end, wherein the lock body has a first hoop receiver in order to selectively receive the first hoop end therein; wherein the lock body comprises a blocking element which is displaceable between a blocked position in which it blocks the first hoop end against an exiting from the first hoop receiver and a release position in which it releases the first hoop end for an exiting from the first hoop receiver; and wherein the lock body comprises a drive element which is rotatable between a locked position in which it locks the blocking element in its blocked position and an unlatched position in which it permits a displacement of the blocking element into its release position, wherein the drive element comprises a rotary body and a latch element which is displaceably supported at the rotary body relative to the rotary body, and wherein the latch element is preloaded toward the blocking element in the unlatched position in order to secure the blocking element against an automatic displacement into the release position, wherein, in the unlatched position of the drive element, the latch element is preloaded in the direction of a rotation-blocking position in which the latch element blocks a rotation of the drive element into the locked position; and wherein the latch element is blocked against a displacement into the rotation-blocking position as long as the first hoop end is received in the first hoop receiver.

24. The padlock in accordance with claim 23, wherein the latch element is blocked against a displacement into the rotation-blocking position by the blocking element as long as the first hoop end is received in the first hoop receiver.

25. The padlock in accordance with claim 24, wherein, in addition to its displaceability between the release position and the blocked position, the blocking element is furthermore displaceable beyond the blocked position in the direction toward the first hoop receiver; and wherein the blocking element is blocked by the first hoop end against a displacement in the direction of the first hoop receiver beyond the blocked position as long as the first hoop end is received in the first hoop receiver.

26. The padlock in accordance with claim 23, wherein, in the rotation-blocking position, the latch element abuts a stationary element of the lock body on a rotational actuation in the direction of the locked position, whereby a rotation of the drive element into the locked position is blocked.

27. The padlock in accordance with claim 23, wherein the lock body has a passage in which the blocking element is displaceably supported and into which the latch element engages in the rotation-blocking position.

28. The padlock in accordance with claim 23, wherein, in the unlatched position of the drive element, the latch element is displaceable between a release position which corresponds to the release position of the blocking element and into which the latch element can be urged against the preload on a displacement of the blocking element into its release position; a neutral position which corresponds to the blocked position of the blocking element and in which the latch element is preloaded toward the blocking element in order to secure the blocking element against an automatic displacement into its release position; and the rotation-blocking position.

Description

(1) The invention will be described in more detail in the following only by way of example with reference to the Figures.

(2) FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a padlock in accordance with the invention in a vertical part sectional illustration.

(3) FIGS. 2A to 2C show a drive element of a padlock in accordance with the invention in a perspective exploded illustration; in a plan view and in a side view.

(4) FIGS. 3A to 3F show the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in an assembly sequence.

(5) FIGS. 4A to 4D show a further embodiment of a padlock in accordance with the invention in different rotational positions of the drive element in a respective horizontal sectional illustration.

(6) Mutually corresponding elements of different embodiments are in this respect marked by the same respective reference numerals.

(7) The padlock 11 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a lock body 13 which comprises a housing 15 which in particular outwardly limits the lock body 13. To illustrate the parts present in the housing 15, the housing 15 is shown in a vertical sectional illustration, while the remaining parts are illustrated as solid bodies.

(8) The padlock 11 is shown in a closed position in which a hoop 17 having a first hoop end 19 and a second hoop end 21 is connected to the lock body 13 such that the lock body 13 and the hoop 17 form a closed loop. The hoop 17 is in this respect configured as a flexible wire rope whose ends 19, 21 have rigidly configured sleeves. The hoop 17 is only partly illustrated and can have different lengths depending on the field of application of the padlock 11.

(9) The padlock 11 is configured such that the first hoop end 19 can be selectively connected to the lock body 13, whereas the second hoop end 21 is permanently connected to the lock body 13.

(10) To connect the hoop 17 to the lock body 13, a first hoop receiver 23 in which the first hoop end 19 is received in the closed position shown and a second hoop receiver 25 in which the second hoop end 21 is permanently received are provided in the lock body 13. The hoop receivers 23, 25 are configured as bores in the housing 15. The second hoop receiver 25 is deeper than the first hoop receiver 23 so that the housing 15 can, as shown, be used in the same manner of construction both with a flexible hoop 17 and with a rigid hoop whose hoop end which is permanently connected to the lock body 13 has to be displaceable in the associated hoop receiver.

(11) The lock body 13 has a passage 27 which is horizontal in FIG. 1 and which is likewise configured as a bore in the housing 15. A lateral passage inlet 29 is closed by a plug 31 in a permanent manner and such that it is substantially not recognizable from the outside. A first blocking element 33 and a second blocking element 35 are respectively provided in the region of the respective opening of the passage 27 into the respective hoop receiver 23 or 25 in the passage 27 which connects the two hoop receivers 23, 25 to one another.

(12) The blocking elements 33, 35 are configured as blocking balls and are present in a respective blocked position in FIG. 1 in which they engage into a respective peripheral restriction 37 of the first hoop end 19 or of the second hoop end 21. The two hoop ends 19, 21 are blocked against an exiting from the hoop receivers 23, 25 by this engagement. The peripheral restrictions 37 in this respect have a radius of curvature which corresponds to the radius of the blocking elements 33, 35.

(13) The two blocking elements 33, 35 are generally displaceable within the passage 27. However, they are prevented from a displacement out of their respective blocked positions in the direction of the respective hoop receiver 23 or 25 by the respective hoop end 19 or 21; in the respective opposite direction, the blocking elements 33, 35 are locked against a displacement out of their respective blocked positions by a drive element 39. The drive element 39 is in this respect arranged in a central expanded region of the passage 27, which forms a rotary body receiver, between the blocking elements 33, 35.

(14) The drive element 39 comprises a rotary body 41 as well as a latch element 43 which is rotatably supported at the rotary body 41 such that it is displaceable relative to the rotary body 41. As can in particular be recognized in FIG. 2, the latch element 43 is in this respect at least partly received in a latch receiver 45 of the rotary body 41 such that the latch element 43 cannot be recognized in FIG. 1.

(15) The position of the drive element 39 (and thus also of the rotary body 41 and of the latch element 43) shown in FIG. 1 is the locked position of the drive element 39 in which said drive element locks the blocking elements 33, 35 in their respective blocked positions. For this purpose, the rotary body 41 substantially has the shape of a cylinder whose concave jacket surface contacts the blocking elements 33, 35 by way of the peripheral restriction 47 in the locked position.

(16) As will in particular still be explained with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4D, the drive element 39 is rotatable about an axis of rotation D, which coincides with the cylinder axis of the cylinder shape of the rotary body 41 and which is aligned perpendicular to the extent of the passage 27, between the locked position shown (cf. also FIG. 4A) and an unlatched position (cf. FIG. 4C) in which a displacement of the first blocking element 33 in the direction away from the first hoop receiver 23 and toward the axis of rotation D is permitted.

(17) The drive element 39 is rotated between the locked position and the unlatched position by a lock cylinder 49 which is received in a cylinder receiver 71 of the housing 15 and which operatively engages at the rotary body 41 of the drive element 39 via an entrainer 51. A locking actuation or an unlatching actuation by means of which the entrainer 51 of the lock cylinder 49 rotates the rotary body 41 of the drive element 39 into the locked position or into the unlatched position can only be carried out by means of a unique key, not shown, which is associated with the lock cylinder 49.

(18) The rotational movability of the drive element 39 is in this respect limited by the lock cylinder 49 to the rotary angle range between the locked position and the unlatched position such that the drive element 39 can no longer be rotated beyond these positions in the assembled state of the padlock 11. The rotary angle range between the locked position and the unlatched position is in this respect preferably smaller than 180, in particular smaller than 150, and preferably comprises 90, for instance.

(19) The drive element 39 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2A to 2C. As can be recognized in the perspective illustration of FIG. 2A and in the plan view of FIG. 2B, the jacket surface of the rotary body 41 has a recess 53 which is substantially in the shape of the arc of a circle in cross-section. In the unlatched position of the drive element 39, this recess 53 is aligned radially in the direction of the first blocking element 33 such that the first blocking element 33 can be partly received in the recess 53. This allows the blocking element 33 to exit its blocked position shown in FIG. 1 and to adopt a release position in which the first hoop end 19 can be removed from the first hoop receiver 23.

(20) The latch receiver 45 configured in the rotary body 41 of the drive element 39 has the same alignment which is radial (with respect to the axis of rotation D) as the recess 53 and therefore opens into the recess 53. The latch element 43 and a spring element 55 are received in the latch receiver 45, said spring element being supported between an end face of the latch element 43 facing into the latch receiver 45 and a base of the latch receiver 45 and thereby radially preloading the latch element 43 in the direction out of the latch receiver 45. In the embodiment shown, the spring element 55 is a helical spring. However, the spring element 55 can generally also be configured in a different manner, in particular as a plate spring.

(21) The latch element 43 is displaceable in the latch receiver 45 such that it can, on the one hand, be moved further into the latch receiver 45 against the preload and, on the other hand, can be moved further out of the latch receiver 45 by way of the preload or through the preload. The displaceability of the latch element 43 is in this respect likewise aligned radially with respect to the axis of rotation D due to the radial alignment of the latch receiver 45. The latch element 43 can therefore, on the one hand, be rotated together with the rotary body 41 about the axis of rotation D between the unlatched position and the latched position and, on the other hand, can additionally be displaced radially with respect to the axis of rotation D relative to the rotary body 41.

(22) The latch element 43 and the latch receiver 45 have the same cross-section such that the latch element 43 is led in the latch receiver 45 in a sliding manner. The cross-section in this respect has the shape of a circular segment having a central angle of over 180, in particular of approximately 270, such that the latch element 43 is substantially configured as a cylinder-shaped pin which has a flat side 57 which is radial (with respect to a cylinder axis of the pin) and which is formed by the chord of the circular segment. Since the cross-section does not have any rotational symmetry, the rotational alignment (with respect to the cylinder axis) of the latch element 43 is clearly fixed in the latch receiver 45.

(23) The transition 59 from the flat side 57 to an end face 61 which faces away from the latch receiver 45 and which faces the first blocking element 33 in the unlatched position is rounded off in order to be able to lead the latch element 43 past the first blocking element 33 more effectively on a rotation from the locked position into the unlatched position (cf. FIG. 4B, wherein the transition in the embodiment shown there is not rounded off, but chamfered, which serves the same purpose). The one-sided rounding off or chamfer 59 of the margin of the end face 61 can in particular be clearly recognized in FIG. 2B.

(24) The radial position of the latch element 43 relative to the rotary body 39 shown in

(25) FIGS. 2B and 2C corresponds approximately to a neutral position of the latch element 43. (For better illustration of the shape of the latch element 43, the latch element 43 is shown slightly further out of the latch receiver 45 than it is arranged in the actual neutral position.) In the neutral position, the transition 59 and the end face 61 substantially form a continuation of the restriction 47 in the jacket surface of the rotary body 41.

(26) The latch element is preloaded further in the direction out of the latch receiver 45 in the neutral position such that it does not adopt the neutral position in a released manner, but only when it is prevented from a further exiting from the latch receiver 45. In the locked position, the latch element 43 is prevented from exiting by a wall 63 which is formed in the housing 15 and along which the end face 61 brushes on rotating; in the unlatched position, the latch element 43 is prevented from exiting by way of the first blocking element 33, which is supported toward the first hoop end 19, when the padlock 11 is closed (cf. FIGS. 4A to 4C).

(27) A step 67 and a groove 69 are provided at a lower side 65 of the rotary body 41. They form engagement surfaces for a torque transfer to the rotary body 41. The entrainer 51 can in particular be configured in such a manner that it drives the rotary body 41 in a shape-matched manner to carry out a rotational movement via at least one of these engagement surfaces.

(28) The assembly of the embodiment of a padlock 11 shown in FIG. 1 is explained with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3F which show different assembly states in a chronological sequence in a respective illustration which corresponds to FIG. 1.

(29) In FIG. 3A, the housing 15 of the padlock 11 is shown into which the second hoop end 21 has already initially been inserted into the second hoop receiver 25 and the two blocking elements 33, 35 were subsequently inserted into the passage 27 through the cylinder receiver 71 provided in the housing 15 such that at least the second blocking element 35 adopts its blocked position.

(30) As FIG. 3B shows, the drive element 39 is subsequently in turn inserted between the blocking elements 33, 35 via the cylinder receiver 71 with its rotary body 41 and with the latch element 43 and the spring element 55 (which is not visible) which are received in the latch receiver 45 of the rotary body 43. In this respect, the recess 53 of the rotary body 41 (cf. FIG. 2) and the preloaded latch element 43 face the direction of the second blocking element 35 in order to be able to be led past said blocking element. The rotary body 41 can be led past the first blocking element 33, since the blocking element 33 can move beyond its blocked position in the direction of the first hoop receiver 23 as long as the first hoop end 19 has not yet been received in the first hoop receiver 23.

(31) The drive element 39 is subsequently rotated out of the rotational position shown in FIG. 3B (which is no longer accessible with the padlock 11 assembled) into the unlatched position which is shown in FIG. 3C and in which the recess 53 of the rotary body 41 and the preloaded latch element 43 face the direction of the first blocking element 33. Consequently, the second blocking element 35 is from then on locked in its blocked position by the restriction 47 in the jacket surface of the rotary body 41, in which blocked position it engages into the restriction 37 of the second hoop end 21 and thereby permanently blocks the second hoop end 21 in the second hoop receiver 25.

(32) Due to the fact that the first blocking element 33 can be displaced into its release position shown in FIG. 3D against the preload of the latch element 43, the first hoop end 19 can now be inserted into the first hoop receiver 23 past the first blocking element 33. If the first hoop end 19 is received in the first hoop receiver 23, that is the restriction 37 of the first hoop end 19 is aligned with the passage 27, the first blocking element 33, driven by the preloaded latch element 43, engages into the restriction 37 and thus already secures the first hoop end 19 in the first hoop receiver 23. In this state, the first hoop end 19 can, however, still be removed again from the first hoop receiver 23 even if only by overcoming a force threshold.

(33) The drive element 39 is subsequently rotated into the locked position shown in FIG. 3E so that the first blocking element 33 now also contacts the restriction 47 of the rotary body 39 and is thereby locked in the blocked position blocking the first hoop end 19. In this state, the first hoop end 19 and the second hoop end 21 are thus locked against an exiting from the respective hoop receiver 23 or 25, wherein the locking of the first hoop end 19, in contrast to the locking of the second hoop end 21, is also not permanent with the padlock 11 assembled, but can be cancelled again.

(34) Finally, the lock cylinder 49 is inserted into the cylinder receiver 71as shown in FIG. 3F which is identical to FIG. 1such that its entrainer 51 is operatively coupled to the rotary body 41. In order to hold the lock cylinder 49 in the housing 15, the lock cylinder 49 has a laterally projecting locking pin 73 which is resiliently supported. The locking pin 73 is urged back in order to insert the lock cylinder 49 into the cylinder receiver 71. If the lock cylinder 49 is inserted completely, the locking pin 73 automatically exits again due to the resilient support and engages into an extension of the first hoop receiver 23 such that the lock cylinder 49 is securely held in the housing 15. In this manner, the further components received in the housing 15 of the padlock 11 are also secured against access. However, a release of the lock cylinder 49 from the housing 15 is still possible, for instance for a dismantling or a replacement of the lock cylinder 49. For this purpose, the locking pin 73 can be urged back again through the first hoop receiver 23 in an open position of the padlock 11 in which the first hoop end 19 is removed from the first hoop receiver 23.

(35) It can be recognized with reference to the sequence which is described and which is illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3F that the assembly can take place without tools. In addition, the housing 15 does not have to be processed for the assembly of the padlock 11 so that it can be completely preprocessed. The passage inlet 29 is in particular already permanently closed by the plug 31 and any other processing of the housing 15 also does not have to take place so that the housing 15 can, for instance, have a coating or coloring which is not impaired by the assembly.

(36) FIGS. 4A to 4D show a further embodiment of the padlock 11 which substantially differs from the above-described embodiment in that the base of the latch receiver 45 has a depression 75 for the reliable centering and alignment of the spring element 55 and in that the transition 59 between the flat side 57 and the end face 61 of the latch element 43 has a chamfer instead of a rounding off.

(37) FIG. 4A shows the drive element 39 in the locked position. In this position, the first blocking element 33 is locked in its blocked position and therefore blocks the first hoop end 19 against an exiting from the first hoop receiver 23. In the locked position, the latch element 43 is urged out of the latch receiver 45 toward the wall 63 by the spring element 55 and thereby adopts the radial neutral position shown.

(38) The drive element 39 can be rotated from the locked position into the unlatched position shown in FIG. 4C. In this respect, the transition 59 is urged toward the first blocking element 33 as shown in FIG. 4B. The leading of the transition 59 past the first blocking element 33 is facilitated by way of the chamfer, wherein, on the leading past, the latch element 43 is slightly displaced first against the preload and then through the preload in the opposite direction. Otherwise, the latch element 43, however, maintains its radial neutral position.

(39) The latch element 43 is then radially aligned in the unlatched position such that its end face 61 acts on the first blocking element 33 in a frontal manner as a consequence of the preload. The first blocking element 33 is thereby held unchanged in its blocked position despite the unlatching which has taken place. However, the first blocking element 33 can now be displaced into the release position against the preload force of the spring element 55 in the direction of the latch element 43 such that the first hoop end 19 can be removed from the first hoop receiver 23. The displacement of the first blocking element 33 into the release position in this respect in particular takes place as a consequence of a tensile force on the first hoop end 19 from out of the first hoop receiver 23 which has to exceed a certain force threshold and is then sufficient to displace the first blocking element 33 in the direction of the drive element 39.

(40) It can be recognized in FIG. 4D that the passage 27 is configured such that the first blocking element 33 can be displaced further in the direction of the first hoop receiver 23 beyond its blocked position when the first hoop receiver 23 is free and is also displaced due to the preload of the latch element 43. As long as the first hoop end 19 is received in the first hoop receiver 23, such a displacement is, in contrast, not possible.

(41) When the first hoop receiver 23 is free, the latch element 43 therefore adopts the radial rotation-blocking position which is shown in FIG. 4D and in which it projects further out of the latch receiver 45 than in the neutral position and in this respect engages into the part of the passage 27 provided for the reception and guidance of the first blocking element 33. A particularly stable engagement is in particular achieved in that the passage 27 and the latch element 43 (with respect to its general cylinder shape) have the same diameter.

(42) When a torque is exerted onto the drive element 39 in the direction of the locked position in the rotation-blocking position of the latch element 43, that is when an attempt is made to move the padlock 11 into a locked state, the latch element 43 abuts a wall of the passage 27 and thus blocks the rotation. It is reliably prevented in this manner that the padlock 11 is displaced into a locked state in an open state in which the first hoop end 19 is not received in the first hoop receiver 23. Since the lock cylinder 49 additionally only permits a removal of the key (not shown) associated with it from the lock cylinder 49 when the lock cylinder 49 and thus also the drive element 39 adopt their locked positions, it is ensured in this manner in the sense of a forced locking that the key can only be removed when the padlock 11 is closed and locked.

(43) The rotation-blocking position of the latch element 43 shown in FIG. 4D is cancelled again in a simple manner in that the first hoop end 19 is pushed into the first hoop receiver 23. The first blocking element 33 is thereby first urged into the release position against the preload of the latch element 43 beyond the closed position and is directly thereafter displaced back into the closed position by the preload with the first hoop end 19 correctly received in the first hoop receiver 23 such that the state shown in FIG. 4C is present again. The latch element 43 is then present in its neutral position again such that the drive element 39 can then again be displaced into the locked position in order to lock the padlock 11.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

(44) 11 padlock 13 lock body 15 housing 17 hoop 19 first hoop end 21 second hoop end 23 first hoop receiver 25 second hoop receiver 27 passage 29 passage inlet 31 plug 33 first blocking element 35 second blocking element 37 restriction 39 drive element 41 rotary body 42 latch element 45 latch receiver 47 restriction 49 lock cylinder 51 entrainer 53 recess 55 spring element 57 flat side 59 transition 61 end face 63 wall 65 lower side 67 step 69 groove 71 cylinder receiver 73 locking pin 75 recess D axis of rotation