The present invention relates generally to tool kits for specific tasks. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tool kit for lock installation, having all necessary tools for the task in one convenient kit, and especially to a template assembly for marking the proper place to drill holes in a door for the lock installation.
Lock installation kits are used to mark the locations of the holes to be drilled on a door that requires cylinder locks, double-cylinder locks, deadbolts, and latch bolts. Doors, depending on whether they are interior or exterior doors, have different thicknesses (typically 1.375″ for interior doors, and 1.750″ for exterior) and the height of the lock, relative to the bottom of the door, is set at a standard distance (typically 40″).
There are various guides and templates currently being used to mark the locations of these holes, but they differ considerably, depending on the scope of the job and the end user's capabilities. In the case of a large construction, where repetitive installations are required, a contractor uses a complicated and expensive jig. The jig is located over the position at which the lock has to be installed, clamped in place, and the holes drilled, using the jig as a drill guide. Holes for the cylinders are made using a hole saw/mandrel combination, and the holes for the latch bolts made by a spade/wood bit. The jig is then removed and the lock installed. However, a do-it-yourself person installs locks on a very infrequent basis, and would not invest in a rarely used and expensive jig.
Locks that are sold in the retail business are individually packaged, and contain a paper/cardboard template showing the location of the holes, instructions for placement, and the installation of the locks. Traditionally, the paper piece is placed at the location and taped in place. This process requires the assistance of a further person and can be very frustrating as the tape has a tendency of lifting, resulting in the re-placement of the template, and re-affixing, sometimes inaccurately. In addition, the paper template must often be folded along lines to adjust to the different door widths and lock-set locations. The holes are then drilled through the paper, then into the door, making the template a single-use device. In addition, such templates do not provide an accurate means for locating the striker plate on the door jamb adjacent to the lock. Often, the striker plate location is merely determined by visual inspection. This can lead to inaccurate striker plate positioning, resulting in difficulty latching the door with the installed lock.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a template assembly for lock installation that is accurate, simple to use, re-usable, easy to attach to a door, and that remains in place once applied.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one disadvantage of previous lock installation kits and lock installation templates.
In a first aspect, there is provided a lock template assembly comprising an end template, at least one side template connected to the end template, biasing means cooperating with the at least one side template, and marking means, such as guide holes, disposed in at least one side template for providing cylinder hole location, or striker plate location. The base portion has at least one center hole for alignment with a center line of a door edge when positioned on a door. The biasing means permits the template assembly to accommodate door edges of varied widths and to hold the at least one side template substantially flush to a respective door surface.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the end template is a generally U-shaped spring clip having two side portions forming the biasing means. Preferably, the U-shaped spring clip applies substantially equal and opposing forces to the door to align the base portion with the center line. Two side templates are preferably provided in this embodiment. They can be pivotably connected to the side portions, or integrally formed to the end template. When pivotably connected, spring means can be provided at the connection to bias the side portions to a lie flush with respect to respective door surfaces. In a further embodiment, the biasing means is a single spring clip attached to the end template opposite to the at least one side template. Non-marking protection caps can be attached to the side templates to protect door surfaces.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides an integrally formed lock template assembly. The assembly comprises an end template including a base portion with at least one center hole for alignment with a center line of a door edge when positioned on a door; at least one side template integrally formed with the end template and substantially perpendicular to the base portion; biasing means, integrally formed with the end template, cooperating with the at least one side template to accommodate door edges of varied widths and to hold the at least one side template substantially flush to a respective door surface; and marking means disposed in at least one side template for providing cylinder hole location. Preferably, the end template has two side portions forming a generally U-shaped spring clip, and two side templates depend from each of two side portions of the end template, respectively.
In yet another aspect, there is provided a lock installation kit comprising a set of lock installation tools, and a lock template assembly, as described above, forming a lid to a tool box containing the set of lock installation tools.
In yet another embodiment, there is provided a lock template assembly comprising an end template, at least one side template, biasing means and marking means. The end template includes a base portion with at least one center hole for alignment with a center line of a door edge when positioned on a door. The side template is pivotally connected to the end template, and the biasing means cooperate with the side template to accommodate door edges of varied widths and to hold the at least one side template substantially flush to a respective door surface. The marking means are disposed in the at least one side template for marking a location of a striker plate on an adjacent doorjamb when the side template is folded back against the door jamb. Striker plate locating marks can either be achieved through the use of guide holes in the side template or marks on the edges of the end template.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a lock template assembly comprising an end template, at least one side template connected to the end template, biasing means cooperating with the at least one side template, and marking means, such as guide holes, disposed in at least one side template for providing cylinder hole location, or striker plate location. The base portion has at least one center hole for alignment with a center line of a door edge when positioned on a door. The biasing means permits the template assembly to accommodate door edges of varied widths and to hold the at least one side template substantially flush to a respective door surface. To facilitate assembly of the lock template assembly, self-alignment means are provided on at least one of the biasing means and the at least one side template to ensure proper alignment between the at least one of the biasing means and the at least one side template.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
Generally, the present invention provides a method and system for marking locations on a door where holes have to be drilled for installing a lock on the door. The invention also provides an installation kit, including a toolbox and the tools necessary to install a lock, incorporating a lock template assembly.
A first embodiment of a template assembly 4 according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 2 to 6. The assembly has an end template 11, which is a generally U-shaped spring clip having a base portion 12 and side portions 13 that depend from the base portion 12. The base portion 12 is preferably a flat section with a width, measured along its open edge that is wider than any standard door stile, or any other edge to which it is intended to be clamped. The side portions 13 are preferably angled towards each other by an inwardly biased connection to base portion 12. Holders 14 are provided at free ends of the side portions 13 to hold ends 16 of support clips 15 by the ends being slid or snapped into the holder. The support clips 15 are shaped to correspond to grooves 17 of side templates 18, so that the support clips securely hold the side templates when snapped into the grooves 17. The side templates 18 have guide holes 19, which are used by an operator as a jig to mark desired drill hole locations, or to act as a drill guide. For example, the guide holes 19 can be used to locate the hole for the lock cylinder depending upon what type of lock is desired to be installed. In an alternate embodiment, guide holes 19 can be replaced by other suitable marking means, as are known to those of skill in the art. Further, by folding the side template 18 adjacent the door jamb, the slot-shaped guide hole 19, or other marking means, can be advantageously used to mark the height and location of the striker plate on the adjacent door jamb. This ensures accurate positioning of the striker plate in relation to the door lock.
Preferably, tabs 20 are provided on holders 14 to urge the support clips to either a marking or storage position, in which the template assembly can be used on a door for marking a hole (or stored in the tool case), or a door attaching position, as shown in
As will be apparent to those of skill in the art, end template 11 is essentially a spring clip that applies equal force from both sides. Advantageously, this tends to ensure that the template assembly 4 is held in central alignment with the door stile when the base portion 12 is placed flush against the door stile surface. Thus in use, the center hole 21 will generally coincide with the center line of the door edge.
The support clips 15 are advantageously formed from rigid but bendable wire, and conform to a predetermined shape. End template can be made of any suitable material, or combination of materials, having inherently resilient or spring-like characteristics, such as spring steel, resilient thermoplastics, or other suitable material. Preferably, end template 11 is manufactured from a material having sufficient strength to permit the end template 11 to be opened and closed without fracturing or bending the end template or the side templates, and sufficient ductility to permit repeated operation. An optional plastic or soft material liner can be provided to be used between the open ends of the end template and the door to avoid marking the surface. Alternately, interior surfaces of the end template and/or side templates, can be provided with a ribs or protection caps made of a non-marking material, such as rubber. Such ribs or protection caps can also advantageously provide added grip to the template assembly. The location hole 21 is centrally punched into the back surface of the end template and the edges are rolled to accept bent portions of the support clips 15. The rolled sections advantageously have a raised ridge on the edges closest the center line. This acts as a cam detent that prevents the support clip 15 from remaining in a “neutral” position, but urges it to a full-closed, or a fully-open position.
The side templates 18 can be made out of sheet metal, molded plastic, or a flat plastic sheet. They can have a recess to accept the support clips 15, clips into which the support clips 15 snap, or have the support clips insert-molded into the side templates. In order to prevent undue looseness of the components of the template assembly, and, hence, unacceptable misalignment of the assembly when attached to a door for marking hole locations, at least one of the side template, the end template or the support clips is designed to limit component articulation to only one axis per side template, and to provide self-alignment when the template is assembled or manufactured. Tabs 20 also aid in providing self-alignment by maintaining the position of the side templates relative to the end template. To further aid in precision alignment of the components of the template assembly, particularly where the components are made of plastic materials, self-aligning features, such as crush ribs or interference shoulders, can be provided on one or more of the components.
Once the hole locations are marked on the door, or drilled, the side templates 18 can then be folded out, or otherwise placed adjacent to the doorjamb. A mark can then be made on the side of the doorjamb through one of the guide holes 19, such as the slotted hole, to indicate the height and location of the striker plate on the door jamb. The striker plate can then be accurately located on the face of the door jamb, and will coincide precisely with the latch or dead bolts of the installed lock. The template can then be removed from the door edge, and, if necessary, the appropriate holes can be drilled. In some cases the door may be pre-drilled for the cylinder lock. The lock installation kit can be placed over the (pre-drilled) hole location and the doorjamb marked for the striker plate installation.
The template assembly 44 is disengaged from kit 40. The case 42 includes an end template 46 hingedly connected to the main body of the case 42 at connection 48. The main body forms side template 47, as shown in
In the operating position, as shown in
As will be clear to those of skill in the art, the present invention provides a simple, inexpensive door lock installation template and kit. The kit provides all the tools and the marking templates required for installation of standard or specialized locks. The lock installation template, or jig, can be used as a template to mark or drill holes for a variety of locks. The template can also accommodate doors having a variety of widths without complicated adjustment of clamps, screws or adjusting bolts. The template can be made of metal, such as spring steel, or a resilient plastic, and can integrally formed or assembled from separate pieces. In one embodiment, the lock template can form part of the lid of the lock installation kit itself, thus reducing the separate components required for the kit.
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/372,896, filed Feb. 26, 2003, and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/359,454, filed on Feb. 26, 2002, the contents both of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60359454 | Feb 2002 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10372896 | Feb 2003 | US |
Child | 10748138 | Dec 2003 | US |