International Association of Home Safety and Security Professionals define locks as:
“A device that incorporates a bolt, cam, shackle or switch to secure an object – such as a door, drawer or machine – to a closed, opened, locked, off or on position, and that provides a restricted means of releasing the object from that position.”
Types of locks based on installation method
Rim Lock: designed to be mounted on the surface or rim of a door or object.
Mortise Lock: installed in a hollowed out or mortised cavity.
Bored or Bored-in Lock: installed by cross-boring two holes – one for cylinder and one for the bolt mechanism.
Types of locks based on internal construction
Warded Lock: A ward is a fixed projection designed to obstruct unauthorized keys from entering or operating the lock. Provides little security as wards are easy to bypass with a stiff piece of wire or thin strip of metal.
Tumbler Lock: Tumblers are small objects, usually made of metal that move within a block cylinder in ways that obstruct a lock’s operation until an authorized key or combination moves them into alignment. Provides more security that a ward lock. Different type of tumbler locks are: Lever Tumbler Locks, Disc Tumbler Locks and Pin Tumbler Locks.
