1. Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a lock engaging-and-disengaging mechanism, particularly a lock engaging-and-disengaging mechanism that can be directly operated by a key lock.
2. Description of Prior Art
The structure of ordinary cylindrical locksets of the prior art is illustrated in
Conventional cylindrical locksets as stated above use a key to operate the key driven tube which in turn drives the pull-retract mechanism F to withdraw the head portion of the latch. When the lock is locked, its outside handle is easily damaged due to the limitations of the inner structure of the lockset.
To eliminate the above problem, the present invention provides a lock which handle can be rotated a predetermined angle when it is locked. This is advantageous because the force imposed on the locked lock will not damage the internal lock structure. Accordingly, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a lock engaging-and-disengaging mechanism that allows the handle of the lock to provide an idle rotation for a preset angle when the lock is locked.
To achieve the above objective, this invention discloses a lock engaging-and-disengaging mechanism, comprising:
a driving tube shaped into a hollow tubular body, said driving tube comprising a first end and a second end, wherein said first end is installed to the inside of the locking mechanism and said second end is connected to a handle or a connecting element or the like of a handle, said driving tube further comprising at least one tapering hole (or recess/indent) on the inner wall of said driving tube;
a key driven tube shaped into a hollow tubular body, said key driven tube being flexibly installed to an inner tube portion of the first end of said driving tube, wherein a wall of said key driven tube is formed with at least one hole in alignment with the tapering hole on the inner wall of said driving tube;
a sideway component, which is installed in said at least one hole of said key driven tube and either engaged or disengaged with the tapering hole or recess of said driving tube;
an axially sliding component for insertion into the key driven tube, said axially sliding component comprising a first end, a second end, and a non-axial slot (or an inclining slot) between said first end and said second end;
a rotatable component for insertion into said axially sliding component, said rotatable component comprising a first end, a second end, and a pin between said first end and said second end, wherein said pin extends into the non-axial slot of said axially sliding component;
whereby the rotation of said rotatable component enables the pin of said axially sliding component to co-work with the non-axial slot of said axially sliding component, such that the axially sliding component can shift axially between the first position and the second position; and that
when said axially sliding component is located at the second position, said sideway component is engaged with the holes of said key driven tube and the tapering holes of said driving tube, and is abutted against the outer rim of the first end of said axially sliding component, this allowing said key driven tube to be engaged with said driving tube such that the key driving tube is rotated because of the rotation of said driving tube.
The structures and characteristics of this invention can be realized by referring to the appended drawings and explanations of the preferred embodiments.
The lock engaging-and-disengaging mechanism of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention can be installed to a conventional lock. As illustrated in
The inner driving tube (28) is shaped into a hollow tubular body and comprises a first end (281) and a second end (282), wherein the first end (281) is adaptable for driving the pull-retract device (31). The first end (281) is received in an inside stabilizing cover (27) such that the inner driving tube (28) can be stably rotated in a thru hole (261) of the cylindrical housing (26). A positioning part (600) having a connecting portion (630) is received in the first end (281). The second end (282) of the inner driving tube (28) can be mounted to an operating component, such as an inside handle (90) or a connecting element or the like of an inside handle (shown in FIG. 2).
The invention is particularly characterized in a lock engaging-and-disengaging mechanism. Substantially, the mechanism comprises a key driven tube (37) and an outer driving tube (39), which will be explained below.
The outer driving tube (39) shapes into a hollow tubular body and comprises a first end (391) and a second end (392). The first end (391) is received in an outside stabilizing cover (270) and thereby coupled to the sleeve (35). The outer driving tube (39) comprises a pair of radially-spaced-apart projections (393) (only one of which is shown) on an outer wall thereof to provide positioning effects. The second end (392) of the outer driving tube (39) can be mounted to an operating component, such as an outside handle (91) or a connecting element or the like of an outside handle (shown in FIG. 2).
The key driven tube (37) shapes into a hollow tubular body with an outer diameter that is slightly smaller than an inner diameter of the outer driving tube (39) such that it can be received in the outer driving tube (39). The key driven tube (37) comprises a first end (371) and a second end (372). The first end (371) comprises a pair of driving wings (373) for driving the pull-retract device (31), so as to release the latch (3) coupled to the pull-retract device (31) such that a door (9) can be opened. The second end (372) of the key driven tube (37) includes a radially opposite pair of inward projections (374). A rotatable component (60) having a first end (61) and a second end (62) is received in the key driven tube (37). The first end (61) has an axially-extending connecting portion (63) for coupling to the connecting portion (630) of the positioning part (600). A spring is provided between the connecting portions (63, 630) to maintain the position of the rotatable component (60). The second end (62), which is adjacent the projection (374), is formed with an axial opening (64). An arcuate slot (65), which is formed on the peripheral wall of the second end (62), communicates with the axial opening (64). A connecting part (66) formed with a thru hole (67) is received in the axial opening (64). A pin (681) in a steel ball-form or a key-form (in the drawings, a steel ball-form of pin is illustrated) laterally extends from the connecting part (66), which is inserted into the arcuate slot (65) of the rotatable component (60). An operating element (71) of a lockset (
Referring to the rotatable component (60), it further comprises a pin (68) (preferably having a steel ball end) or the like between the first end (61) and the second end (62), and a hole (69) near the pin (68) for the installation of a spring (691) and a steel ball (692) therein. The pin (68) is fit in the non-axial slot (86) of the axially sliding component (80). The axially sliding component (80) further comprises spaced-apart holes (87) (only one of which is shown in
As shown in
The key driven tube (37) comprises a pair of holes (375) each of which contains a sideway component (376), which, in the present invention, is in the form of a steel ball.
As shown in
In addition to the above-described first preferred embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to key-operated locks consisting of inside and outside locksets. As illustrated in
All of the above are used to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended for limiting the present invention. Any equivalent embodiment of other simple variations made according to the structure, features, spirit and the claims of the present invention should all be included within the scope of the following claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040144143 A1 | Jul 2004 | US |