Patent Application
20150337560
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to locking latches that are used with doors, and in particular, to an inside release handle that allows a locked door to be opened from the inside.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many types of sheds, shelters or other containers that have swinging doors that can be locked. Examples include portable sheds, or even containers that are carried on the wagon of large trucks or pickup trucks. These containers are often used to store tools or goods.
Many of these sheds and containers are provided with a latch handle that can be locked (e.g., using a key and a keyhole). Often, these containers are large enough where an individual can enter the interior of the container to load cargo, or to look for tools. Sometimes, an individual is inside the container and then someone else inadvertently locks the door.
Thus, there remains a need for a way to open a locked door from the inside to allow the individual to escape from the locked container.
It is one objective of the present invention to provide a release mechanism that can be operated from inside a locked door.
To accomplish the objectives set forth above, the present invention provides an assembly and a method of opening a locked door from inside a container. The door has an exterior surface and an interior surface, with a latch coupled to the interior surface. The door includes a lock assembly a handle latch housing that is mounted into the door, and having a recess that faces away from the exterior surface of the door, with a pivotabie lock handle positioned inside the recess. A locking mechanism is coupled to the lock handle so that the locking mechanism can pivot when the lock handle pivots. An inside release handle is coupled to the locking mechanism such that the inside release handle can be pivoted together with the locking mechanism when the lock handle is pivoted, but where the inside release handle can be pivoted separately from the locking mechanism. A swivel is coupled to the inside release handle, and a connection rod couples the swivel to the latch of the door. The inside release handle is rotated separately from the locking mechanism to cause the connection rod to disengage the latch of the door.
The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
The present invention provides a lock assembly 20 which can open the door latches 24 from inside the door 22 so that a person who has been inadvertently locked inside the door 22 can open the door 22.
Referring to
The latch housing 30 has a generally rectangular recess 40 surrounded by a flange border 42. The flange border 42 has a V-shaped section 44 below the recess 40, and a conventional keylock 46 is positioned is positioned on the V-shaped section 44. A T-shaped handle 48 is positioned inside the recess 40 in a manner such that the T-shaped handle 48 can be pivoted upward and downward from the locked orientation shown in
The latch cam 32 functions as a locking member, and is shaped like the number “7” and has a leg 60 with a locking surface 62 that is adapted to abut the lock plate 64 when the T-shaped handle 48 is locked (i.e., it cannot rotate or pivot).
See
The adapter 34 is positioned between the latch cam 32 and the release handle 36. The adapter 34 is essentially a bolted nut with a threaded stem 70 and a head 72. The threaded stem 70 extends through the opening 66 and is threadably received by the threaded opening inside the stem 52. A raised platform 76 extends from the head 72. A through bore 74 extends through the platform 76 and the head 72. The platform 76 has a generally square shape with four sides 78, and each of the sides 78 is connected by an angled edge 80.
The release handle 36 is generally T-shaped with a central section 84 and two wings 86. Each wing 86 is provided with an opening 88, and a central opening 90 is provided at the central section 84 at a location between the two wings 86. The opening 90 is generally circular but has a plurality (e.g., four) indents or ridges 92 extending inwardly from the circular peripheral edge 95 of the opening 90. A bolt 104 extends through the opening 90 and into the through-bore 74 to secure the release handle 36 to the adapter 34. A swivel 38 is secured to each wing 86 at the location of each opening 88 via riveting and a washer 94. In addition, a bolt 92 is adapted to be threadably received inside a threaded bore 75 of each swivel 38. Each swivel 38 has a through-hole 96 to which one end of a connecting rod 26 can be coupled. The bolt 92 extends through the bore 75 to clamp down on the connecting rod 26 so as to control the connecting rod 26.
As best seen in
In other words, the assembly 20 is constructed so that the latch cam 32 and the release handle 36 are configured to be pivoted separately. The adaptor 34 rotates simultaneously with the latch cam 32. However, when the T-shaped handle 48 is pivoted to open the door 22, the release handle 36 is carried on the latch cam 32 via its coupling with the adapter 34, so that the release handle 36 can rotate with the latch cam 32. Here, when the keylock 46 is normally unlocked, the keylock 46 and its accompanying lock plate 64 are lowered in the direction of arrow B (see
Thus, the present invention provides a simple but effective mechanism for allowing a locking assembly to be opened from the inside of a locked door.
While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.
