Information
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Patent Grant
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6170305
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Patent Number
6,170,305
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Date Filed
Thursday, April 1, 199925 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, January 9, 200123 years ago
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Inventors
-
-
Examiners
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 070 107
- 070 417
- 070 451
- 070 452
- 070 224
- 070 118
- 292 3363
- 292 36
- 292 37
- 292 40
- 292 21
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International Classifications
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Disclaimer
Terminal disclaimer
Abstract
An interconnect mechanism is provided for a dual lock of the type having a deadbolt, a deadbolt driving mechanism, a latch bolt, and a latch bolt driving mechanism with an inside handle. The interconnect mechanism includes a base plate adapted to be mounted to an inner side of a door. The base plate includes a flange wall on an outer face thereof which faces away from the door. The base plate further includes a wing on each of two lateral sides thereof, the flange wall including a top face, a lower portion, and an upper portion. A lower cam is rotatably mounted to the lower portion of the flange wall. The lower cam is operably connected to the inside handle to rotate therewith. The lower cam includes a lobe located above the top face of the flange wall. An upper cam is rotatably mounted to the upper portion of the flange wall. The upper cam is operably connected to the deadbolt driving mechanism. The upper cam includes a lobe located above the top face of the flange wall. A slide plate includes a vertical slot in each of two lateral sides thereof. Each vertical slot is extended through by an associated wing on the base plate, thereby allowing vertical sliding motion of the slide plate relative to the base plate. The slide plate includes an upper operative end operably connected to the lobe of the upper cam and a lower operative end operable connected to the lobe of the lower cam. Rotational movement of the inside handle causes rotation of the lower cam, vertical sliding movement of the slide plate, and rotation of the upper cam, thereby retracting the deadbolt and the latch bolt simultaneously.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interconnect mechanism for dual lock, and more particularly to an interconnect mechanism for dual lock with simultaneous retraction of a latch bolt and deadbolt by an inside lever handle.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide door locks with a latch bolt lock, a deadbolt lock, and a mechanism interconnecting the latch bolt and the deadbolt so that in an emergency both bolts may be simultaneously retracted upon operation of a single actuating means provided on the inside of a door, thereby permitting rapid egress from a secured area. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,613 to Nolin issued on Oct. 7, 1975 discloses a panic proof lock set; U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,789 to Maurits et al. issued on Dec. 28, 1976 discloses a lock of the type enabling panic exit; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,019 to Urdal issued on Dec. 12, 1978 discloses a cartridge device for joining two independent lock devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,653 to Hensley et al. issued on Aug. 19, 1997 discloses a dual lock with simultaneous retraction of latch and deadbolt by an inside lever handle and uncoupler between the driving spindle and the lever handle to solve complex configurations in known mechanism for interconnecting the latch bolt to the deadbolt for simultaneous operation. It is, however, found that screws
178
might cause an obstacle to rotation of the upper cam
166
if the heads of screws
178
are not completely received in the countersunk holes
176
. Similarly, screws
184
might cause an obstacle to rotation of the lower cam
160
if the heads of screws
184
are not completely received in the countersunk holes
182
. In addition, the vertically extending ribs
175
on the trim plate
162
may have a difference in the heights thereof after manufacturing and thus cannot provide smooth sliding motion of the slide plate
164
. Furthermore, the ribs
175
cannot provide sufficient structural strength to keep planar surface of the trim plate
162
for supporting smooth sliding motion of the slide plate
164
. More specifically, the trim plate
162
might be bent during stacking and/or assembly. Further, two L-shaped brackets
172
are provided on each side of the trim plate
162
for guiding sliding motion of the slide plate
164
. Formation of the brackets
172
is costly and troublesome and requires precision to avoid too-tight or too-loose engagement with the slide plate
164
. Further, the interconnect mechanism
24
and the inside chassis assembly
18
are separate from each other before assembly such that, if the slide plate
164
has not yet engaged with the trim plate
162
, the brackets
172
may deform if they are pressed during transportation or package. As a result, sliding motion of the slide plate
164
is not allowed.
The present invention is intended to provide an improved interconnect mechanism for a dual lock that mitigates and/or obviates the above problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an interconnect mechanism that is simple to assembly and provides reliable sliding motion of a slide plate.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an interconnect mechanism, wherein the slide plate is in a reliable sliding relationship with a base plate. The base plate is reinforced in structure by means of forming an oval flange wall on an outer face thereof.
In accordance with the present invention, an interconnect mechanism is provided for a dual lock of the type having a deadbolt, a deadbolt driving mechanism, a latch bolt, a latch bolt driving mechanism with an inside handle. The interconnect mechanism includes a base plate adapted to be mounted to an inner side of a door. The base plate includes a flange wall on an outer face thereof which faces away from the door. The base plate further includes a wing on each of two lateral sides thereof, the flange wall including a top face, a lower portion, and an upper portion. A lower cam is rotatably mounted to the lower portion of the flange wall. The lower cam is operably connected to the inside handle to rotate therewith. The lower cam includes a lobe located above the top face of the flange wall. An upper cam is rotatably mounted to the upper portion of the flange wall. The upper cam is operably connected to the deadbolt driving mechanism. The upper cam includes a lob located above the top face of the flange wall. A slide plate includes a vertical slot in each of two lateral sides thereof Each vertical slot is extended through by an associated wing on the base plate, thereby allowing vertical sliding motion of the slide plate relative to the base plate. The slide plate includes an upper operative end operably connected to the lobe of the upper cam and a lower operative end operable connected to the lobe of the lower cam. Rotational movement of the inside handle causes rotation of the lower cam, vertical sliding movement of the slide plate, and rotation of the upper cam, thereby retracting the deadbolt and the latch bolt simultaneously.
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 dual lock with an interconnect mechanism in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2
is an exploded perspective view of the interconnect mechanism in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3
is a side view, partly sectioned, of an inner portion of the dual lock;
FIG. 4
is a front elevational view of the interconnect mechanism in accordance with the present invention in a latched status; and
FIG. 5
is a view similar to
FIG. 4
, illustrating operation of the interconnect mechanism.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
It is appreciated that dual lock includes tubular lock/auxiliary lock and lever handle lock/auxiliary lock. The invention will be hereinafter explained with reference to an example of a dual lock of the lever handle lock/auxiliary lock type. Nevertheless, it is appreciated that the embodiment is described for illustrative purpose only, not to limit the invention.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a dual lock in accordance with the present invention generally includes a lever handle lock
65
, an auxiliary lock
70
, and an interconnect mechanism
10
. The auxiliary lock
70
includes a lock chassis
71
mounted to an outer side of a door
68
, a deadbolt
72
in the door
68
, and a thumbturn
73
mounted to an inner side of the door
68
. The thumbturn
73
is retained in place by a washer
36
and a retainer ring
37
and is rotatable to actuate a deadbolt operating bar
74
for extending or retracting the deadbolt
72
. The lever handle lock
65
includes a lock chassis
66
, an outside lever handle
64
, an inside lever handle
62
that extends through an opening
61
of a casing
60
, and a latch bolt
67
mounted in the door
68
. The latch bolt
67
may be retracted or extended by means of turning either handle
64
,
62
. Structure and operation of the lever handle lock
65
and the auxiliary lock
70
are conventional and therefore not described in detail.
The interconnect mechanism
10
is mounted to the inner side of the door
68
and housed by the casing
60
. Referring to
FIGS. 1
to
3
, the interconnect mechanism
10
includes a base plate
20
secured to the inner side of the door
68
, a lower cam device and substitute therefore including lower cam
45
and rotating wheel
50
, a slide plate
30
, and an upper cam
34
. The base plate
20
includes an oval flange wall
21
on an outer face thereof, thereby defining an upper compartment
22
for accommodating heads of screws (not labeled) that secure the base plate
20
and the auxiliary lock
70
to the door
68
. Thus, pivotal movement of the upper cam
34
and the lower cam
45
will not be impeded. The upper cam
34
is rotatably mounted to the base plate
20
by an axle rod
35
. In this embodiment, the axle rod
35
includes a first end with two diametrically disposed slits
351
that engage with two diametrically disposed protrusions
342
in a hole
341
of the upper cam
34
. A second end of the axle rod
35
extends through a hole
25
in the base plate
20
and is retained in place by a retainer ring
38
, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
. As can be seen from
FIG. 1
, a lobe
343
of the upper cam
34
rests on or located above a top face of the flange wall
21
. As can be seen from
FIG. 3
, the deadbolt operating bar
74
extends through the axle rod
35
to the thumbturn
73
, such that rotation of the upper cam
34
causes rotations of the axle rod
35
, the deadbolt operating bar
74
, and the thumbturn
73
. The base plate
20
further includes two guide wings
24
on each of two lateral sides thereof, each wing
24
having a hook
241
, which will be described later.
The lower cam device includes a rotating wheel
50
rotatably extended through the hole
23
of the base plate
20
. The rotating wheel
50
is securely mounted around the lock chassis
66
of the lever handle lock
65
to rotate therewith. A lower cam
45
with a lobe
451
is secured to the rotating wheel
50
to rotate therewith. The rotating wheel
50
includes two diametrically disposed notches
51
for receiving two diametrically disposed protrusions
452
of a ring portion of the lower cam
45
. Nevertheless, the rotating wheel
50
and the lower cam
45
may be integrally formed as a single cam. A retainer ring
44
is provided to secure the lower cam
45
and the rotating wheel
50
together. In this embodiment, the rotating wheel
50
includes an annular groove
52
for receiving the retaining ring
44
, and the retainer ring
44
includes two diametrically disposed protrusions
441
received in the notches
51
of the rotating wheel
50
.
A drive cap
40
is rotatably extended through the hole
61
of the casing
60
and includes an engaging piece
43
for securely engaging with a slot
63
in the inside lever handle
62
to rotate therewith. The drive cap
40
is also engaged with the rotating wheel
50
to rotate therewith. In this embodiment, the drive cap
40
is mounted around the rotating wheel
50
and includes two diametrically disposed tabs
422
received in the notches
51
of the rotating wheel
50
. It is, nevertheless, appreciated that other devices may be used to connect the inside lever handle
62
and the lower cam
45
.
The slide plate
30
includes two vertical slots
33
in two lateral sides thereof, respectively. Each wing
24
of the base plate
20
extends through an associated vertical slot
33
to allow vertical sliding motion of the slide plate
30
relative to the base plate
20
. It is appreciated that the hook
241
in
FIG. 2
is bent through 90° to a position shown in
FIG. 1
, thereby preventing disengagement of the slide plate
30
. The slide plate
30
includes an upper recess
31
and a lower recess
32
so as not to interfere with rotation of the upper cam
34
and the lower cam
45
, respectively. The slide plate
30
further includes a lower operative end
32
a
and an upper operative end
31
a
. The lower operative end
32
a
is operably connected to the lobe
451
of the lower cam
45
, while the upper operative end
31
a
is operably connected to the lobe
343
of the upper cam
34
.
In use, referring to
FIG. 4
, the deadbolt
72
and the latch bolt
67
are in their extended positions. When the inside lever handle
62
is rotated through a predetermined angle in a direction (FIG.
5
), the lobe
451
of the lower cam
45
actuates the lower operative end
32
a
of the slide plate
30
. The slide plate
30
slides upward such that the upper operative end
3
la actuates the lobe
343
of the upper cam
34
and thus turns the upper cam
34
. As a result, the deadbolt
72
is retracted (since the deadbolt operating bar
74
is rotated, as mentioned above) and the latch bolt
67
is also retracted (since the inside lever handle
62
is turned, as mentioned above). This allows the so-called “panic exit” or “emergency egress”.
According to the above description, it is appreciated that the interconnect mechanism in accordance with the present invention has several advantages. Firstly, the structural strength of the base plate
20
is improved by means of providing the oval flange wall
21
. The oval flange wall
21
also ensures smooth sliding movements of the slide plate
30
and smooth rotational movements of the upper cam
34
and the lower cam
45
, as the screw heads for mounting the base plate
20
are located at a level lower that the top face of the oval flange wall
21
. In addition, sliding motion of the slide plate
30
is reliable by means of providing the vertical slots
33
in the slide plate
30
and the wings
24
in the base plate
20
. And processing of the vertical slots
33
and the wings
24
is much simpler than that required in U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,653.
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 spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Claims
- 1. An interconnect mechanism for a dual lock of the type having a deadbolt, a deadbolt driving mechanism, a latch bolt, a latch bolt driving mechanism with an inside handle, the interconnect mechanism comprising:a base plate adapted to be mounted to an inner side of a door, the base plate including a flange wall on an outer face thereof which faces away from the door, the base plate further including a wing on each of two lateral sides thereof, the flange wall including a top face, a lower portion, and an upper portion; a lower cam rotatably mounted to the lower portion of the flange wall, the lower cam being operably connected to the inside handle to rotate therewith, the lower cam including a lobe located above the top face of the flange wall, an upper cam rotatably mounted to the upper portion of the flange wall, the upper cam being operably connected to the deadbolt driving mechanism, the upper cam including a lobe located above the top face of the flange wall; and a slide plate including a vertical slot in each of two lateral sides thereof, each said vertical slot being extended through by an associated said wing on the base plate, thereby allowing vertical sliding motion of the slide plate relative to the base plate, the slide plate including an upper operative end operably connected to the lobe of the upper cam and a lower operative end operable connected to the lobe of the lower cam, whereby rotational movement of the inside handle causes rotation of the lower cam, vertical sliding movement of the slide plate, and rotation of the upper cam, thereby retracting the deadbolt and the latch bolt simultaneously.
- 2. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said wing includes a hook beyond the slide plate and extended in a direction transverse to the vertical direction to prevent disengagement of the slide plate from the base plate.
- 3. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein the slide plate has a first face and a second face, with each said vertical slot extending between the first and second faces, with the first face of the slide plate slideably abutting with the top face of the flange wall of the base plate.
- 4. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 3, further comprising, in combination: a rotating wheel, with the base plate including a wheel hole through which the rotating wheel rotatably extends, with the lower cam being secured to the rotating wheel to rotate therewith.
- 5. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 4, further comprising, in combination: a drive cap engaged with the rotating wheel to rotate therewith.
- 6. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 5, further comprising, in combination: a casing including a cap hole through which the drive cap extends, with the drive cap being securely engaged with the inside handle to rotate therewith.
- 7. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the slide plate includes a lower recess for receiving the rotating wheel so as not to interfere with rotation of the lower cam.
- 8. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 7, further comprising, in combination: an axle rod, with the upper cam being rotatably mounted to the base plate by the axle rod, with the deadbolt driving mechanism including a deadbolt operating bar extending through the axle rod.
- 9. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 8, where in the slide plate includes an upper recess for receiving the axle rod so as not to interfere with the rotation of the upper cam.
- 10. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 9, further comprising, in combination: screws for securing the base plate to a door, with the screws having heads; wherein the flange wall defines an upper compartment for accommodating the heads of the screws.
- 11. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 4, further comprising, in combination: an axle rod, with the upper cam being rotatably mounted to the base plate by the axle rod, with the deadbolt driving mechanism including a deadbolt operating bar extending through the axle rod.
- 12. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 11, wherein the slide plate includes an upper recess for receiving the axle rod so as not to interfere with the rotation of the upper cam.
- 13. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, in combination: a rotating wheel, with the base plate including a wheel hole through which the rotating wheel rotatably extends, with the lower cam being secured to the rotating wheel to rotate therewith.
- 14. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 13, further comprising, in combination: a drive cap engaged with the rotating wheel to rotate therewith.
- 15. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 14, further comprising, in combination: a casing including a cap hole through which the drive cap extends, with the drive cap being securely engaged with the inside handle to rotate therewith.
- 16. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 13, wherein the slide plate includes a lower recess for receiving the rotating wheel so as not to interfere with rotation of the lower cam.
- 17. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, in combination: an axle rod, with the upper cam being rotatably mounted to the base plate by the axle rod, with the deadbolt driving mechanism including a deadbolt operating bar extending through the axle rod.
- 18. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 17, wherein the slide plate includes an upper recess for receiving the axle rod so as not to interfere with the rotation of the upper cam.
- 19. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slide plate has a first face and a second face, with each said vertical slot extending between the first and second faces, with the first face of the slide plate slideably abutting with the top face of the flange wall of the base plate.
- 20. The interconnect mechanism as claimed in claim 19, further comprising, in combination: screws for securing the base plate to a door, with the screws having heads; wherein the flange wall defines an upper compartment for accommodating the heads of the screws.
US Referenced Citations (9)