Conventional residential and commercial door locks include a user operable locking mechanism that engages and releases a latch or locking bolt with a door frame to provide a locking point between the door and door frame against unauthorized opening of the door. While the locking mechanism of such a lock may be resistant to improper manipulation of the locking mechanism, the locked door may be vulnerable to a “brute force” attack, in which the door is pried open, defeating the weakest material at the interface between the door and door frame, which may be a portion of the lock, the door, or the door frame. Additionally, outward swinging doors with external hinges have additional points of vulnerability, as the hinge pins and/or hinges may be damaged or removed to pull open the hinged end of the door.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, a door securing system includes a block member and a brace member. The block member is secured to a door jamb. The brace member including a mounting portion secured to an interior surface of a door, a rail portion extending in a lateral direction from the interior surface of the door, and a flange portion extending in a lateral direction from the rail portion. The interior surface of the door, the rail portion, and the flange portion together define a recess sized and positioned to receive the block member when the door is in the closed position to provide a lock point between the first jamb and the door.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present application, an actuator for a button-operated door lock assembly includes an actuator housing, an actuating member, a pivot shaft, an actuating arm, and a paddle. The actuating member is at least partially disposed within the first actuator housing and is slideable along a first axis to an extended position protruding from a first outer wall of the first actuator housing for operative engagement of a button of the door lock assembly. The pivot shaft is disposed within the first actuator housing and is pivotable about a second axis substantially perpendicular to the first axis. The actuating arm is rotationally secured to the pivot shaft and is positioned to engage the actuating member. When the pivot shaft is pivoted from a first orientation to a second orientation, the actuating arm moves the actuating member to the extended position. The paddle is rotationally secured to the pivot shaft for user movement of the pivot shaft from the first orientation to the second orientation.
Another exemplary embodiment of the present application involves a method of securing a hinged end of a door to a door jamb, to prevent movement of the door by disconnecting hinge portions secured to the door and the door jamb. In the exemplary method, a block member is secured to the door jamb and a brace member is secured to an inward facing interior surface of the door to define a recess between the brace member and the door, sized and positioned to receive the block member when the door is in the closed position to provide a first lock point between the first jamb and the door, and to permit withdrawal of the block portion from the recess when the door is pivoted about the hinge axis to the open position. When the hinge portions are disconnected from each other, a pulling force applied to the hinged end of the door from an exterior side of the door causes the block member to abut the flange portion to prevent outward movement of the door, and a pushing force applied to the hinged end of the door from the exterior side of the door causes the block member to abut the interior surface of the door to prevent inward movement of the door.
Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
This Detailed Description merely describes exemplary embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. Indeed, the invention as claimed is broader than and unlimited by the exemplary embodiments, and the terms used in the claims have their full ordinary meaning For example, while the specific embodiments described herein relate to door locks for entry doors, the exemplary embodiments of the present application may additionally or alternatively be applied to other locked barriers or enclosures, including, for example, safes, lockers, and containers.
Exemplary embodiments of the present application provide multiple locking point door locking arrangements configured to impede brute force efforts to pry open the door from a first side of the door (e.g., external to the building or enclosure), and/or to facilitate quick and easy opening of the locked door from a second side of the door (e.g., from within the building or enclosure).
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, a door lock assembly, providing a lock point between a door and a door jamb of a door frame and having a lock interface (e.g., a button) disposed on an interior side of the door, may be assembled with an interface engaging mechanism operable by a user on the interior side of the door to engage the lock interface and release the lock point. In one such embodiment, an interface engaging mechanism is provided on the interior side of the door and is configured to engage multiple lock interfaces (e.g., simultaneously, sequentially, or selectively) for multiple lock assemblies to release multiple lock points between the door and the door frame.
A lock interface for a door lock assembly may include any suitable electrical, mechanical, or electromechanical mechanism configured to move the lock assembly from a locked position maintaining the lock point to an unlocked position releasing the lock point. In one embodiment, a door lock assembly has a lock interface that includes a release button that is depressed to unlock a locking mechanism (e.g., an electromechanical or mechanical mechanism) of the lock assembly. While any suitable user operable device may be utilized to engage the release button, in an exemplary embodiment, an actuator interface engaging mechanism assembled with the door and configured to depress the button of one or more such door locks when a user engageable member is operated. In one such embodiment, a user engageable member includes an interface engaging paddle configured to simultaneously operate multiple (e.g., upper and lower) door locks of a door lock assembly for release of multiple associated lock points.
A variety of user engageable members may be utilized to operate one or more lock releasing mechanisms, including, for example, one or more buttons, knobs, levers, or paddles. In the illustrated embodiment, the exemplary actuator 110 includes a user operable paddle member 131 operatively connected to upper and lower lock releasing mechanisms 135a, 135b. The lock releasing mechanisms 135a, 135b include upper and lower pivot shafts 112a, 112b that are secured to the paddle member 131 and pivotally mounted to corresponding actuator housings 111a, 11 lb secured to the door 101. Upper and lower actuating arms 113a, 113b are rotationally secured to the pivot rods 112a, 112b and extend through slotted sleeves 117a, 117b into slotted portions of actuating members (e.g., pins) 116a, 116b (
When assembled with an outward opening door 101, the paddle 131 may be manually pressed to unlock the locks 120a, 120b and open the door 101 in a single motion, provided for efficient opening of the locked door from the inside. As shown, torsion springs 132a, 132b installed between the shafts 112a, 112b and the actuator housings 111a, 11 lb bias the shafts and the paddle member 131 back toward the un-pivoted position. In the illustrated example, a first leg of each torsion spring engages a notched portion of a corresponding keyed washer 133a, 133b (e.g., with a flatted or semicircular opening matching the shaft 112a, 112b), and a second leg of each torsion spring 132a, 132b engages a notch in the corresponding actuator housing 111a, 111b to impart a torsional biasing force between the actuator housing and the shaft. Shell members 114a, 114b may be assembled with the actuator housings 111a, 111b to enclose the paddle operating components. The shell members may also provide a protective enclosure for electrical wiring associated with the door lock assemblies 120a, 120b.
While the actuating arms may be configured to directly engage the actuating pins 116a, 116b, in the illustrated embodiment, the actuating arms 113a, 113b engage spring-loaded bearings 118a, 118b (
According to another exemplary feature, to allow for selective manual actuation of one of the lock assemblies 120a, 120b (e.g., in the event of a paddle mechanism failure, or in applications in which actuation of only one of multiple lock assemblies may be desired), an override button 115a, 115b may be attached to (e.g., assembled with or integral to) the actuating pin 116a, 116b and extending from the shell member 114a, 114b for manual actuation by the user.
According to another exemplary feature of the present application, a hinged, outward swinging door may be provided with a hinged end blocking arrangement configured to impede attempts to pry open a door after removing the hinge pins or hinges from the door and/or door jamb. In one such embodiment, a hinged end bracing arrangement includes a block member secured to the door frame, and a brace member secured to the other of the door hinged end, with the block member being received within a recess defined by the brace member when the door is in a closed position. The block member and brace member are sized and positioned such that pivoting movement of the unlocked door about the hinge axis withdraws the block member from the brace member recess, while pulling or pushing of the hinged end of the door (e.g., after removal of the hinges or hinge pins from the door) is blocked by engagement between the block member and the brace member (when pulling) or the door (when pushing).
In the illustrated embodiment of
As shown, the brace member 210 may include reinforcing ribs 213 sized and positioned to reinforce the brace member against bending forces resulting from attempts to pull or pry the hinged end of the door outward or push or ram the hinged end of the door inward, after removing one or more of the hinge portions 207, 209 and hinge pin 208.
While the block member and brace member may be provided in any suitable material, in one embodiment, the block member and brace member are provided in a high strength metal, including, for example, stainless steel. As shown in
In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, multiple door locks (e.g., the exemplary door locks 120a, 120b of
While various aspects, concepts and features of the inventions may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present inventions. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts and features of the inventions—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, devices and components, alternatives as to form, fit and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the aspects, concepts or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present inventions even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features, concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present disclosure; however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated. Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of an invention, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be aspects, concepts and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific invention. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated.
This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/602,210, entitled “DOOR LOCKING ASSEMBLIES AND ARRANGEMENTS” and filed Feb. 23, 2012, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61602210 | Feb 2012 | US |