The Medeco lock company was the first lock company to offer a patent protected key which could not be legally duplicated without the lock owner’s knowledge. The patent protected key would have been useless if the Medeco lock were easily picked open without leaving any evidence of a breach in security. A big part of the patents were the angled cuts on the Medeco key. These angled cuts would rotate the special Medeco tumblers allowing a part in the lock called the sidebar to unlock.
The Medeco patent was challenged in court by key blank manufacturers. The result was in favor of Medeco. Although key blank manufacturers had the right to make the Medeco key blank, as soon as a locksmith cut the angled cuts into the blank the patent was violated. This nullified the market for the Medeco key blank. Patents do expire, and the very early Medeco keys are no longer patent protected.
The most recent patent from Medeco is 2005 and will last 20 years. Even though some Medeco patents have expired, key blank manufacturers have decided not to produce many Medeco key blanks. This is mostly due to the fact that Medeco has produced many key blank millings, and there are just too many to replicate and expect a return on investment. When this is the case the Medeco key is still secure, even though the patents have expired.
This blog focuses on the pick resistance the Medeco cylinder offers. Medeco has gone to great lengths to make their product as pick resistant as possible. I will cover the basics of why the Medeco cylinder is pick resistant. There are many finely engineered features in the Medeco cylinder to thwart even the most technically advanced thief. Today’s discussion will focus on the difference between Medeco and the more common 5-pin tumbler lock which is found on most homes and businesses. Medeco does make locks, such as deadbolts and cam locks. But Medeco started out making retro-fit cylinders for locks made by other manufacturers such as Schlage, Sargent, Corbin and others. If you want to upgrade the security of your home or business there is a good chance Medeco makes a cylinder for your existing lock.
