US3417715A - Lockable key-holding receptacle - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 24, 1968 J p, KRlEGER ETAL 3,417,715

LOCKABLE KEY-HOLDING RECEPTACLE Filed May 23, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. I

INVENTORS Jos f I. lfrieyer rg A. Kr/e er ATT R NEY Dec. 24, 1968 J. P. KRIEGER ET AL 3,417,715

LOCKABLE KEY-HOLDING RECEPTACLE Filed May 25, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I IZ. 5

INVENTORS Josgph R lfi-ie er Gior'je A. hrieyer a. 6 am ATTOR United States Patent 3,417 715 LOCKABLE KEY-HOL DING RECEPTACLE Joseph P. Krieger, 402 Chisholm Trail, and George A. Krieger, 619 S. 58th Ave., both of Yakima, Wash. 98902 Filed May23, 1967, Ser. No. 640,685 7 Claims. (Cl. 109-50) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A receptacle for a concealed house key having a keyoperated closure plug, the receptacle being mountable Within a wall recess or the like.

Background of the invention:

It has been common practive where a residence is listed for sale to place a key to the residence in a box and to mount the box somewhere on the residence or chain it to a railing or the like. The real estate salesmen are provided with a master key to the box so that they can open the box and gain access to the residence key. I

This practice and other similar practices have been subject to difficultiesand generally have not proven to be satisfactory. The box is frequently stolen or broken open. The present invention overcomes these difficulties through the provision of a small recessed container for the house key having a locking closure which may be opened by the use of a master key.

Summary of the invention In accordance with the invention, a recess is drilled in the house siding or door jamb and a small receptacle is pressed into the recess so as to be flush with the outer surface of the siding. Themouth of the receptacle is closed Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section through a key holder embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded cross sectional view, partly in elevation, showing the locking or closure plug and the conventional lock cylinder contained therein;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the closure plug; and

FIGURE 7 is a central vertical cross section shOWing a modification.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts, attention being directed to FIGURES 1 through 6, the numeral 10 designates a portion of a door frame, jamb, house siding or the like which may be bored out to provide therein a cylindrical recess 11. Into this recess is forced a preferably plastic, generally cylindrical container or housing 12 for a house key 13 which it is desired to enclose in a concealed manner so that only authorized real estate agents or the like may gain access thereto. The container 12 may be provided with small exterior serrations 'or teeth 14 for biting engagement with the bore of the recess 11 so that the container will be moreor-less permanently anchored therein. The container 12 preferably has an outer end flange 15 integral therewith which abuts the forward face of the siding or door frame 10, as shown.

The house key 13 is preferably, although not necessarily, attached by means of a chain 16 or the like and a suitable screw 17 to a lockable closure plug 18 which fits into the mouth of the bore 19 of container 12.

As shown particularly in FIGURES 4 through 6, the plug 18 is cylindrical to fit rather closely within the bore 19 and has a flat face 20 formed externally thereon providing an integral stop projection 21 at the outer end of the plug. The flat face 20 of the plug 18 engages a similar flat surface or ledge 22 formed in the bore 19 of the container near the outer end portion of the bore, as shown in FIGURE 1. Immediately outwardly of the flat surface 22 there is a small portion of the cylindrical bore 19, indicated at 23, to receive the stop projection 21 when the parts are assembled. The inner end of the flat surface 22 provides a radial shoulder 24 within the bore 19 of the container which coacts with a locking detent 25, carried by a conventional lock cylinder 26, such as a five pin lock cylinder, having a key hole 27 and a portion 28 which is rotatable within the body of the lock. The construction of the lock cylinder per se is well known and need not be shown or described herein. The detent element is fixed to the cylinder body 26 to turn therewith under influence of the proper master key for the key hole 27. The detent element 25 may be a split ring formed as shown in FIG- URE 5 for securement to the lock cylinder 26.

The lock cylinder 26 is received within a through bore 29 of plug 18, and the detent element 25 is disposed just inwardly of the plug 18 and behind the shoulder 24, when in the locked position so that the plug 18 cannot be removed from the container 12 and is flush with the outer end thereof.

When the proper master key is used in the lock 26, the lock cylinder can be turned in the bore 29, causing the detent element 25 to move away from the shoulder 24 so that the entire plug 18 can be removed from the container 12, along with the key 13. When the master key is used for the lock 26, the plug 18 cannot turn because of the coaction of the flat surfaces 20 and 22 which prevent turning. When the key 13 has been used to open the house, it is merely reintroduced into the container 12 along with the closure plug 18 and lock cylinder 26 and the latter is returned by use of the master key to the locking position shown in FIGURE 1.

In addition to using the invention for housing and concealing a house key for real estate salesmen, the device may be permanetly employed by the home owner as a spare key holder. Building contractors could use the invention by furnishing master keys for the lock 26 to authorized sub-contractors and other workers. Since the structure is substantially concealed and virtually flush with the frame or siding 10, it is difiicult to damage or vandalize and does not attract the attention of vandals. Without the proper master key, it would be extremely difiicult to gain access to the key 13.

As shown in FIGURE 7, other uses for the recessed container 12 are possible. The entire plug 18 may be removed and in its place, a plug extension 30 of a fiagstaff holder 31 or the like may be introduced into the container 12. Such a fiagstaff holder may have a spring-locking lever 32 including a detent 33 to engage behind the shoulder 24 and be readily releasable therefrom when desired by depressing the lever extension 34, the plug extension 30 having a slot 35 formed therein within which the spring lever 32 is movable from the locked to the released position. The plug extension 30 could also carry an address sign or like device instead of a flagstalf. There are quite a number of valuable uses to which the container in FIGURE 7 may be put, as should now be obvious.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described may be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.

We claim:

1. A receptacle for a key or the like comprising a member having a recess formed therein, a container body mounted within the recess and having an open end substantially flush with the mouth of the recess, a plug closure within the outer end portion of the container body, coacting faces on the plug closure and container body to prevent rotation of the plug closure, and a key-operated lock cylinder mounted upon the plug closure and having a detent element for coaction with an internal shoulder of the container body, the detent element moving away from said shoulder upon turning of the lock cylinder to release the plug closure from the container body.

2. A receptacle for a key or the like in accordance with claim 1, and wherein the plug closure has a longitudinal through bore receiving the lock cylinder therein with the inner end portion of the lock cylinder projecting beyond the inner end of the plug closure, the bore of the container body having said internal shoulder near the inner end of the plug closure.

3. A receptacle for a key or the like in accordance with claim 2, and a projection on the plug closure near its outer end engageable with a part of the container body to limit the movement of the plug closure longitudinally into the container body.

4. A holder for a key or the like adapted to be mounted within a bored recess of a structural member, said holder comprising a substantially tubular container body having a bore mountable within said bored recess, the bore of the container body containing a flat surface near and inwardly of the forward open end of the container body, a plug closure for the forward open end of the container body having a coacting flat surface to engage the firstnamed flat surface to prevent rotation of the plug closure relative to the container body, there being radial shou1 ders on the container body at the inner and outer ends of the first-named fiat surface, a stop projection on the plug closure at its outer end engaging one of said shoulders to limit the insertion of the plug closure into the container body, a cylinder lock on the plug closure and projecting inwardly thereof, and a radial detent element on the cylinder lock engageable behind the second of said shoulders.

5. A holder for a key in accordance with claim 4, and wherein the plug closure has a longitudinal bore for the cylinder lock extending therethrough near and radially inwardly of said flat surfaces and oifset from the center of the plug closure.

6. A holder for a key in accordance with claim 5, and a flexible element secured to the inner end of the plug closure for attachment to a key within the bore of the container body.

7. A holder for a key in accordance with claim 4, wherein the outer end of the container body is substantially flush with the surface of the structural member and the outer end of the plug closure in the locking position is substantially flush with the corresponding end of the container body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 968,536 8/1910 Brucklacher 109-50 1,714,579 5/1929 Werner et a1. 109-68 1,852,053 4/1932 Jendrek 10966 1,854,839 4/1932 Hermann 10966 2,935,955 5/1960 Mann 10968 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner.

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