Key Control For Today's Industry

Present Situation

For the past twenty-five years the emergence of the high security cylinder has seen a definitive change in product benefit from the pick resistant nature of its design to the controlled duplication of the keys intended to operate that cylinder. Current leaders in the market have emerged as industry forerunners in bringing both pick resistance and controlled key duplication to bear as viable and sound solutions to the growing concerns of cylinder and key vulnerability. However, as the cylinders were designed and patented as offering unique pick resistant characteristics, the key control aspects of the system were assumed to be inherent in its design and therefore a byproduct of the main feature of that product.

It is important to note that prior to the ASSA Twin 6000 high security cylinder concept the large majority of research and development, brought about by these companies, exclusively addressed this pick resistant feature for patent purposes and did little to address the growing demand for controlled key duplication. In most cases, the patent was issued on the cylinder and not the key, leaving it weak and at the mercy of the courts hearing claim that the cylinder patent "infers" protection on the key blank. This is not the case with the ASSA Twin 6000 and V-10 key blanks which carry two separate patents, independent of the cylinder patents.

Present Technology

Once a cylinder is patented, the high security status of that cylinder is only conjectural until it passes the widely recognized and accepted test which qualify it as "listed" under U.L. 437. Most or all of the highly publicized high security cylinders, including ASSA, fall under this category. Some are better than others; however the tests are used to determine if picking or drilling is a practical approach in comprising the cylinder. Once listed, Underwriters Laboratories has determined that it is not. The U.L. test, for high security, does not address the duplication of manufacturing rights of the key blank for that cylinder. We believe the key manufacturing rights to be paramount in the security of the cylinder and ASSA has been issued two separate patents on its key blank, independent of the cylinder patent.

Patent No. 274,302

Patent No. 278,880

We invite our industry peers to list their key blank patents.

Demand Analysis

Demand for controlled key duplication has historically been channeled through the industry by using different "Levels" of key control sold through different wholesale or retail points. Locksmiths controlled Level I. Distributors controlled Level II and III, while upper levels were factory systems and keys were controlled at the factory level. As the demand for "Restricted" keys increased, at the consumer / commercial level, locksmiths converted customers to plastic card programs where the distributors supplied keys cut on a regional basis. Eager to abandon this system, for closer service tie ins with their customers and to bring home the key cutting service from whence their professions had originated, these locksmiths were quick to demand and eventually accept a distributor based key section approach. These key sections were shared among some 300 locksmiths, but in no way were exclusive to them or territorially protected. Nevertheless, the demand for controlled key programs intensified.

Larger institutions employing their own locksmiths, or lock maintenance personnel, in an effort to minimize the possibility of key interchange, (cross keying), were and are demanding keyways that are unique or exclusive to them. With very few exceptions, this exclusivity is not available to them from the market leaders and they are retreating to the less secure more convenient systems of core removable or electronic door access.

Supply Analysis

Different levels of key control have been historically supplied in an effort to satisfy key control demand. They are separated and identified by "physical key profiles". That is, a key profile is designed and the brass is cut in that configuration to accept the "mated" key. Exercise and caution must be used to preempt another manufacturer's blank form fitting that profile, otherwise an non genuine key could be cut to work the cylinder. If the manufacturer must "Cut Brass" to form an exclusive key section or profile then it subjects itself to multiple problems. As unique profiles of key sections increase, so does the change that an existing keyblank will fit that profile and compromise the customer's security altogether.

Therefore at the manufacturing level, the ever-increasing demand for controlled key products has created technical and logistical problems. If the manufacturer qualifies keyways, by cutting brass to form a profile, then due to design limitations only a limited number of key sections are available to the institution or commercial account. In this case and in the case with the market leader, the customer is left with a "shared" keyway as its only option.

With large commercial or institutional end users this represents an unacceptable alternative. Market leaders in response to this increasing demand have "stretched the limits" of their design capability and offered a limited number of additional " shared key sections" to help satisfy this demand. Unfortunately, it is only available to a selected few and leaves the institution with a master key system in which the integrity of that system is only as good as that of the other institutions that share the same key section.

Conclusion

The ASSA High Security Cylinder was designed with key control in mind. Each sidebar code is milled on the lower portion of the key and is precut at the ASSA factory. Although ASSA can offer various key profiles, we choose not to. Each sidebar code represents a different level of control or (key section) and while our competitors are physically limited to only a few levels of key sections, we are not. ASSA offers thousands of unique codes or levels for today's key control demands.

Benefits to the Institution

The market leaders have excellent histories of solid key control and resulting high growth. However, the current demand is not being met. Institutions are not accepting "shared geographical key sections".

ASSA High Security Cylinders offer a solution to this problem. By using one cylinder plug profile, thousands of different sidebars, each one functioning as a unique keyway, are made available from the factory. This assures the institution or end user of an exclusive keyway (sidebar) within their operating region. Sidebars are not used again within this territory. A simple contract between ASSA and the end user assures this exclusivity.

ASSA - The Third Generation of High Security Cylinders

As with the evolution of the adding machine to the calculator and finally today's modern computer, we believe the ASSA High Security cylinder ushers in the third generation of locking cylinders. From the original invention of Linus Yale, Jr. in 1865, to the second generation of ultra high security cylinders, where pick resistance was the primary consideration, ASSA has made it available in a variety of forms to the end user. This concept is the new standard for high security and will remain for years to come.