A lot of you all ready know this stuff but for those interested here are some simple suggestions
I see how a given lock works and how I might pick it
I some see tools and methods experts use to help open devices
I see plans to build useful tools and devices
Like a library with Dewy Decimal or Lbrary of Congress call numbers the Patent Office has a fairly easy way to find what kind of patents you are interested in
A list of patent subject areas
https://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/selectnumwithtitle.htm
I searched for Locks class 70 and more specifically subsection 394 for picking
https://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/uspc070/sched070.htm
For Safes class 109 with 100s of subsections
https://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/classification/uspc109/sched109.htm
Here is a general search tool to find patents Please know that searches are somewhat fuzzy and often have unrelated information
http://appft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html
This is a sample search to give you an idea of what can be found.
http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&d=PG01&OS=lockpick&RS=lockpick&TD=2&Srch1=lockpick&StartNum=&Refine=Refine+Search&Query=%22lock+picking%22
If you have any ideas or better ways to find information please share.