Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6802194
-
Patent Number
6,802,194
-
Date Filed
Thursday, October 16, 200320 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, October 12, 200419 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- Stodola; Daniel P.
- Boswell; Christopher
Agents
- Nikolai & Mersereau, P.A.
- Kamrath; Alan D.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 070 149
- 070 218
- 070 422
- 070 472
- 292 3363
- 292 DIG 27
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A lock includes an outside spindle, an outside hub for rotatably receiving the outside spindle, a cam received in the outside spindle, and a sleeve received in the cam and slidable along a longitudinal direction of the outside spindle. A lug is formed on an end of the cam and operably connected to the retractor. The sleeve includes a longitudinal slot having an enlarged section. A peg is mounted in the cam and received in the longitudinal slot of the sleeve. The sleeve is engaged with the outside spindle to turn therewith. When the locking bar is moved to a locking position, the peg is located in the enlarged section such that the sleeve and the outside spindle turn freely without causing rotation of the cam when the outside spindle is turned.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clutch mechanism for a lock. In particular, the present invention relates to a clutch mechanism for a lock that allows the outer handle to rotate freely when the lock is in a locked state so that the internal parts of the lock will not be damaged.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional door lock generally includes an outer handle and an inner handle respectively attached to the outside and the inside of a door so that the latch bolt can be retracted by turning either one of the outer handle and the inner handle. When in a locked state, the outer handle could not be turned for retracting the latch bolt. It is, however, not uncommon that the user still applies force to the outer handle to an extent that is normally sufficiently large enough for retracting the latch bolt if the user is not aware of the locked state of the lock. Thus, the inner parts of the lock connected to the handle could be damaged by a torque resulting from the force applied to the outer handle. The situation worsens for a lock with lever type handles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,630 discloses a lock having a clutch mechanism to solve this problem. The lock includes an inner handle having a locking bar received therein and an outer handle connected to a spindle with a retaining base received therein which has two first grooves defined therein. A cam is connected to the retaining base and has two second grooves which communicate with the first grooves so that a locking piece is movably received between the retaining base and the cam with a spring biased between the locking piece and the retaining base. The locking piece has two flanges movably received in the first grooves and the second grooves. A slide is movably received in the cam and contacts the locking piece at one end thereof and the locking bar at the other end thereof so that the two flanges of the locking piece are disengaged from the second grooves when the locking bar is pushed. Therefore, the outer handle can be freely rotated. Nevertheless, there are too many elements for the clutch mechanism. The assembly procedure is too complicated and the overall cost is increased. Further, the lock can only be mounted to a door with a standard thickness.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,383 discloses a door lock that allows adjustment of longitudinal position of an outside rose and an adjusting sleeve relative to the outside seat to suit a thickness of a door to which the door lock is mounted. The door lock also provides a burglar-proof effect for the outside rose assembly by means of providing an anti-torque ring.
The present invention is intended to provide a clutch mechanism for a lock that allows the outside handle to turn freely when the lock is in a locked state.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a clutch mechanism for a lock that allows the outside handle to rotate freely when the lock is in a locked state so that the internal parts of the lock will not be damaged even though an excessive force is applied to the outside handle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a clutch mechanism for a lock that allows the outside handle to rotate freely while allowing adjustment of the lock to suit a thickness of a door to which the door lock is mounted.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a lock comprises:
a latch;
a retractor for retracting the latch;
an inside handle;
an inside spindle having a first end fixed to the inside handle to turn therewith and a second end, the inside spindle being operably connected to the retractor such that rotation of the inside spindle causes retraction of the latch;
a locking bar extending through the inside spindle;
an inside hub for rotatably receiving the second end of the inside spindle;
an outside handle;
an outside spindle having a first end and a second end fixed to the outside handle to turn therewith;
an outside hub for rotatably receiving the first end of the outside spindle;
a cam received in the first end of the outside spindle, the cam including a first end and a second end, a lug being formed on the first end of the cam and operably connected to the retractor, an elastic element being received in the cam, a peg being mounted in the cam; and
a sleeve received in the cam and slidable along a longitudinal direction of the outside spindle, the sleeve including a longitudinal slot having an enlarged section, the peg being received in the longitudinal slot of the sleeve, the sleeve being engaged with the outside spindle to turn therewith while allowing the sleeve to move longitudinally in the cam;
wherein when the locking bar is moved to a locking position, the peg is located in the enlarged section such that the sleeve and the outside spindle turn freely without causing rotation of the cam when the outside spindle is turned.
In an embodiment of the invention, the first end of the outside spindle includes a slot in an end face thereof. The slot extends along the longitudinal direction of the outside spindle. The sleeve includes an arm extending therefrom, with the arm extending into the slot of the outside spindle and longitudinally slidable along the slot.
The outside hub includes a restraining recessed portion and the arm extends into the restraining recessed portion. The restraining recessed portion has two ends for limiting rotational movement of the arm. The first end of the sleeve includes a hole for securely engaging with an end of the locking bar.
The cam includes an engaging portion and the outside handle includes a cylinder mounted therein. The cylinder includes a cylinder bar engaged with the engaging portion of the cam, allowing joint rotation of the cylinder bar and the cam.
The outside hub includes an outside seat that has an outer threading with two diametrically disposed flat surfaces. A reinforcing ring includes two positioning posts extending outward therefrom and two diametrically disposed flat sections in an inner periphery delimiting a hole thereof. The reinforcing ring is mounted around the outside seat, with the flat sections of the reinforcing ring being in contact with the flat sections of the outside seat. An adjusting sleeve includes an inner threading threadedly engaged with the outer threading of the outside seat. An outside rose is mounted to the outside handle. The adjusting sleeve is securely engaged with the outside rose such that rotation of the outside rose causes longitudinal movement of the adjusting sleeve and the outside rose until the retractor is located in a center of a thickness of a door to which the lock is mounted.
Each positioning post of the reinforcing ring has a screw hole. An inside rose liner is mounted around the inside hub and includes at least one pair of positioning holes, with two screws extending through one pair of the positioning holes of the inside rose liner into the screw holes of the positioning posts of the reinforcing ring. The inside rose includes a threaded inner periphery for engaging with an outer threading on the inside hub. The outside rose includes a central stepped portion having a central through-hole. The adjusting sleeve has an end securely engaged with the central stepped portion of the outside rose.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is an exploded perspective view of a lock in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a sectional view of the lock in accordance with the present invention, wherein the lock is in an unlocked state.
FIG. 3
is a perspective view, partly cutaway, of a portion of an outside transmission assembly of the lock in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 4
is an exploded perspective view of a sleeve and a cam of the outside transmission assembly, with the cam being partly cutaway to show interior structure.
FIG. 5
is a sectional view taken along plane
5
-
5
in FIG.
2
.
FIG. 6
is a view similar to
FIG. 5
, illustrating free rotation of the outside handle when the lock is in the unlocked state.
FIG. 7
is a view similar to
FIG. 2
, wherein the lock is in a locked state.
FIG. 8
is a perspective view similar to
FIG. 3
, wherein the lock is in the locked state.
FIG. 9
is a sectional view taken along plane
9
-
9
in
FIG. 7
wherein the lock is in a locked state.
FIG. 10
is a view similar to
FIG. 9
, illustrating free rotation of the outside handle when the lock is in the locked state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a lock in accordance with the present invention generally comprises an inside handle assembly
1
, an inside spindle
2
, an outside handle assembly
3
, an outside transmission assembly
4
, and a latch mechanism
5
.
The inside handle assembly
1
includes an inside handle (e.g., a lever
11
), an inside rose
12
to which an end of the inside lever
11
is mounted, and an inside rose liner
16
mounted inside the inside rose
12
. The inside rose liner
16
includes an inner threading
161
and a plurality of positioning holes
160
. The inside spindle
2
is mounted to an inside hub
13
. Also mounted to the inside hub
13
is an inner side of the inside rose
12
. The outside handle assembly
3
includes an outside handle (e.g., a lever
31
) and an outside rose
32
mounted to an end of the outside lever
31
. The outside transmission assembly
4
is mounted to an outside hub
33
that is mounted to an inner side of the outside rose
32
. The outside hub
33
and the inside hub
13
are connected together by fasteners
6
. A locking bar
14
extends through the inside spindle
2
and is movable along a longitudinal direction of the inside spindle
2
. A push button
15
is attached to an end of the locking bar
14
and exposed outside the inside lever
11
, as shown in FIG.
2
.
A cylinder
34
is mounted in a shank
310
of the outside lever
31
and has a cylinder bar
341
protruding therefrom. A seat
35
is securely mounted in the outside hub
33
for positioning the outer transmission assembly
4
. The latch mechanism
5
is mounted in the outside hub
33
and operably connected to the inside spindle
2
and the outer transmission assembly
4
. The latch mechanism
5
includes a latch
51
that extends out of the outside hub
33
via a notch
331
of the outside hub
33
. The latch
51
is retractable by a retractor
52
, and a catch
53
is mounted in the retractor
52
.
The outside hub
33
includes an outside seat
38
, which, in turn, includes an outer threading
381
having two diametrically disposed flat surfaces
382
. The lock further includes a reinforcing ring
36
and an adjusting sleeve
37
. The reinforcing ring
36
includes two positioning posts
361
extending outward therefrom and two diametrically disposed flat sections
364
in an inner periphery delimiting a hole
363
thereof. The reinforcing ring
36
is mounted around the outside seat
38
with the flat sections
364
being in contact with the flat surfaces
382
of the outside seat
38
. In addition, a screw hole
362
in each positioning post
361
is aligned with an associated positioning hole
160
of the inside rose liner
16
. Screws
7
are extended through two of the positioning holes
160
of the inside rose liner
16
and the screw holes
362
of the positioning posts
361
.
The adjusting sleeve
37
includes an inner threading
373
for engaging with the outer threading
381
of the outside seat
38
. The adjusting sleeve
37
further includes two diametrically opposed cutouts
371
in an end thereof, thereby forming two sector wings
372
each having two end faces
374
, each end face
374
defining an end of an associated cutout
371
. The sector wings
372
of the adjusting sleeve
37
are inserted into the hole
363
of the reinforcing ring
36
with each end face
374
bearing against an associated end of the associated flat section
364
. The outside rose
32
includes a central stepped portion
321
with a central through-hole
322
. The central stepped portion
321
fittingly receives the other end of the adjusting sleeve
37
to rotate therewith.
Referring to
FIGS. 2 through 4
, the outside transmission assembly
4
includes an outside spindle
41
having a first end received in the outside hub
33
and a second end fixed to the outside lever
31
to turn therewith. The outside transmission assembly
4
further includes a cam
42
received in the first end of the outer spindle
41
, and a sleeve
43
received in the cam
42
.
The first end of the outside spindle
41
includes a slot
411
(
FIG. 3
) defined in an end face thereof and extending along a longitudinal direction of the outside spindle
41
. The cam
42
includes a lug
421
projecting radially outward from an end thereof and a notch
422
defined in the end thereof. Preferably, the lug
421
is diametrically opposed to the notch
422
. The notch
422
of the cam
42
is aligned with the slot
411
of the outside spindle
411
. An elastic element
45
is mounted in the cam
42
and restrained between a peg
44
and the other end of the cam
42
. The peg
44
is inserted into the cam
42
via a radial hole
420
(
FIG. 4
) of the cam
42
. The other end of the cam
42
includes an engaging portion
423
that is engaged with the cylinder bar
341
of the cylinder
34
.
As illustrated in
FIGS. 3 and 4
, the sleeve
43
includes a longitudinal slot
433
in an end thereof, with the longitudinal slot
433
having an enlarged section
434
. A hole
432
is defined in the other end of the sleeve
43
. Further, an arm
431
extends outward from the other end of the sleeve
43
. The locking bar
14
has an end securely engaged in the hole
432
of the sleeve
43
, allowing joint movement (including longitudinal movement and rotational movement) of the locking bar
14
and the sleeve
43
. The cylinder bar
341
of the cylinder
34
is securely engaged in the engaging portion
423
of the cam
42
, allowing joint rotation of the cylinder bar
341
and the cam
42
. The arm
431
of the sleeve
43
is engaged in the notch
422
of the cam
42
and the slot
411
of the outside spindle
41
.
As illustrated in
FIGS. 3 and 5
, the sleeve
43
is mounted in the cam
42
, with the peg
44
being received in the longitudinal slot
433
of the sleeve
43
, with the elastic element
45
abutting against the other end of the sleeve
43
. The longitudinal slot
433
of the sleeve
43
has a width slightly greater than a diameter of the peg
44
, allowing relative longitudinal sliding movement between the sleeve
43
and the peg
44
. The enlarged section
434
of the longitudinal slot
433
is long enough to allow the peg
44
to turn in the enlarged section
434
without causing rotational movement of the sleeve
43
, which will be described later. The arm
431
of the sleeve
43
extends into a restraining recessed portion
332
of the outside hub
33
. The lug
421
of the cam
42
extends through the opening
351
of the seat
35
and is operably connected to the retractor
52
.
When mounting the lock of the present invention to a thin or thick door (i.e., not a door with a standard thickness), the reinforcing ring
36
is firstly disengaged from the adjusting ring
37
. Then, the outside rose
32
is turned, the adjusting sleeve
37
securely mounted in the outside rose
32
is also turned. By means of turning the outside rose
32
, the adjusting sleeve
37
and the outside rose
32
move longitudinally relative to the outside seat
38
due to threading engagement
381
and
373
. Thus, position of the adjusting sleeve
37
and the outside rose
32
can be adjusted to suit the thickness of the door. The outside hub
33
and the inside hub
13
that are connected together are inserted into a hole (not labeled) of the door. The positioning posts
361
of the reinforcing ring
36
are extended through two positioning holes (not labeled) of the door. The sector wings
372
of the positioned adjusting sleeve
37
are located in the hole
363
of the reinforcing ring
36
. The retractor
52
is located in a center of the door thickness and thus faces an opening (not shown) in a door frame (not shown). The inner rose liner
16
is then mounted to the inside hub
13
and the screws
7
are extended through the positioning holes
160
of the inside rose liner
16
and the screw holes
362
of the positioning posts
361
. Next, the inside rose
12
and the inside handle
11
are mounted to finish the assembly procedure.
Thus, when mounting the lock to a door, the installer may simply rotate the outside rose
32
to adjust the position of the outside rose
32
and the adjusting sleeve
37
to suit the door thickness without the need of detaching the outside rose
32
and the outside lever
31
. The outer end of the adjusting sleeve
37
is shielded by the stepped portion
321
of the outside rose
32
such that finish plating is not required. The threaded inner periphery
161
of the inside rose liner
16
is threadedly engaged with an outer threading
130
of the inside hub
13
. In addition, a plurality of notches
162
are defined in an outer periphery
163
of the inside rose liner
16
such that the installer may insert a tool into the respective notch
162
to turn and thus move the inside rose liner
16
relative to the inside hub
13
, thereby moving the inside rose liner
16
to a place where the inside rose liner
16
is positioned.
Referring to
FIGS. 3 and 5
, when the lock is in an unlocked state, the peg
44
is in the longitudinal slot
433
of the sleeve
43
but outside the enlarged section
434
. Referring to
FIG. 6
, when the outside lever
31
is turned, the outside spindle
41
turns together with the outside lever
31
. The sleeve
43
and the cam
42
are also turned. The retractor
52
is actuated, causing retraction of the latch
51
and thus allowing opening of the door to which the lock is mounted. The latch
51
returns to its initial position when the outside lever
31
is released.
Referring to
FIG. 7
, when the push button
15
is pushed, the locking bar
14
is moved inward to a locking position, which, in turn, causes inward movement of the sleeve
43
in the cam
42
. An engaging member
141
on the locking bar
14
is engaged with an engaging member
531
on the catch
53
. Further, the elastic element
45
is compressed, and the peg
44
is now located in the enlarged section
434
of the sleeve
43
, as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
.
Referring to
FIG. 10
, when the outside lever
31
is turned while the lock is in the locked state, the outside spindle
41
and the sleeve
43
turn without causing rotation of the cam
42
. This is because the peg
44
is allowed to move in the enlarged section
434
of the sleeve
43
along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Thus, the outside lever
31
turns freely without causing retraction of the latch
51
. Thus, damage to the inner parts of the lock resulting from turning of the outside lever
31
while the lock is in the locked state is avoided. Unlatching operation of the lock in a locked or unlocked state by means of turning the inside handle
11
is conventional and therefore not described.
The maximum pivotal movement of the outside lever
31
is generally 45 degrees, and it is determined by the arcuate length of the restraining recessed portion
332
of the outside hub
33
that receives the arm
431
of the sleeve
43
. Namely, when the outside lever
31
is turned, movement of the arm
431
of the sleeve
43
is limited by two ends of the restraining recessed portion
332
of the outside hub
33
. Further, each of the notch
422
of the cam
42
and the enlarged section
434
of the sleeve
43
has an appropriate arcuate length to allow the sleeve
43
to turn freely through approximately 180 degrees in the cam
42
. Further, the depths of the slot
411
of the outside spindle
41
and the restraining recessed portion
332
of the outside hub
33
allow longitudinal movement of the arm
431
of the sleeve
43
away from the outside hub
33
.
When a proper key (not labeled) is inserted into the cylinder
34
and turned through a predetermined angle, the cam
42
is turned, as the cylinder bar
341
of the cylinder
34
is securely engaged in the engaging portion
423
of the cam
42
. The retractor
52
is moved inward by the lug
421
of the cam
42
, achieving the unlatching function. The engaging member
531
on the catch
53
is disengaged from the engaging member
141
on the locking bar
14
, and the locking bar
14
returns its initial position under the action of a return spring
142
(FIG.
7
). The sleeve
43
returns to its initial position shown in
FIG. 2
under the action of the elastic element
45
.
According to the above description, it is appreciated that the outside transmission assembly
4
in accordance with the present invention provides a clutch mechanism that allows the outside handle
31
to rotate freely when the lock is in a locked state so that the internal parts of the lock will not be damaged. Further, the lock of the present invention can be adjusted to suit doors of different thicknesses.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Claims
- 1. A lock comprising:a latch; a retractor for retracting the latch; an inside handle; an inside spindle having a first end fixed to the inside handle to turn therewith and a second end, the inside spindle being operably connected to the retractor such that rotation of the inside spindle causes retraction of the latch; a locking bar extending through the inside spindle; an inside hub for rotatably receiving the second end of the inside spindle; an outside handle; an outside spindle having a first end and a second end fixed to the outside handle to turn therewith; an outside hub for rotatably receiving the first end of the outside spindle; a cam received in the first end of the outside spindle, the cam including a first end and a second end, a lug being formed on the first end of the cam and operably connected to the retractor, an elastic element being received in the cam, a peg being mounted in the cam; and a sleeve received in the cam and slidable along a longitudinal direction of the outside spindle, the sleeve including a longitudinal slot having an enlarged section, the peg being received in the longitudinal slot of the sleeve, the sleeve being engaged with the outside spindle to turn therewith while allowing the sleeve to move longitudinally in the cam; wherein when the locking bar is moved to a locking position, the peg is located in the enlarged section such that the sleeve and the outside spindle turn freely without causing rotation of the cam when the outside spindle is turned.
- 2. The lock as claimed in claim 1, with the first end of the outside spindle including a slot in an end face thereof, the slot extending along the longitudinal direction of the outside spindle, the sleeve including an arm extending therefrom, with the arm extending into the slot of the outside spindle and longitudinally slidable along the slot.
- 3. The lock as claimed in claim 2, with the first end of the sleeve including a hole, with the locking bar having an end securely engaged in the hole of the sleeve.
- 4. The lock as claimed in claim 1, with the outside hub including a restraining recessed portion, with the arm extending into the restraining recessed portion, the restraining recessed portion having two ends for limiting rotational movement of the arm.
- 5. The lock as claimed in claim 1, with the cam including an engaging portion, with the outside handle including a cylinder mounted therein, the cylinder including a cylinder bar engaged with the engaging portion of the cam, allowing joint rotation of the cylinder bar and the cam.
- 6. The lock as claimed in claim 1, with the outside handle being a lever.
- 7. The lock as claimed in claim 1, with the outside hub including an outside seat, the outside seat including an outer threading with two diametrically disposed flat surfaces, further including a reinforcing ring and an adjusting sleeve, the reinforcing ring including two positioning posts extending outward therefrom and two diametrically disposed flat sections in an inner periphery delimiting a hole thereof, the reinforcing ring being mounted around the outside seat, with the flat sections of the reinforcing ring being in contact with the flat sections of the outside seat, the adjusting sleeve including an inner threading threadedly engaged with the outer threading of the outside seat, an outside rose being mounted to the outside handle, the adjusting sleeve being securely engaged with the outside rose, wherein rotation of the outside rose causes longitudinal movement of the adjusting sleeve and the outside rose until the retractor is located in a center of a thickness of a door to which the lock is mounted.
- 8. The lock as claimed in claim 7, with each said positioning post of the reinforcing ring having a screw hole, further including an inside rose liner mounted around the inside hub, the inside rose liner including at least one pair of positioning holes, with two screws extending through one of said at least one pair of positioning holes of the inside rose liner into the screw holes of the positioning posts of the reinforcing ring.
- 9. The lock as claimed in claim 8, with the inside rose liner including a threaded inner periphery, with the inside hub including an outer threading threadedly engaged with the threaded inner periphery of the inside rose liner.
- 10. The lock as claimed in claim 7, with the outside rose including a central stepped portion having a central through-hole, with the adjusting sleeve having an end securely engaged with the central stepped portion of the outside rose.
US Referenced Citations (12)