Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a female locking post for use on one section of a two section folding closure. The invention also relates to the two section folding closure using the female locking post on the free end of one of the sections for locking the sections together in a closed position.
Background of the Invention
Two section folding closures are used to close wide openings in buildings with one section mounted on one side of the opening and the second section mounted on the other side of the opening. Using two sections in the closure facilitates installation and handling of the closure and also allows for a smaller storage space for the sections on the sides of the opening. Each section has a locking post at its free end. A first of the locking posts contains a lock bolt for locking one end of a first section to the floor of the building. The other locking post has a lock for locking the second post to the first post. The lock bolt in the first post usually has an external operator for causing it to move. On longer closures, the lock bolt, being operable from outside the post, could be released from the floor and the closure could be swung laterally to raise the bottom of the closure enough to allow entry under the closure. Thus, two section closures are limited in their length so that they can be used in a secure manner. An external operator on the locking post for the lock bolt limits the versatility of the post since the operator should always be located on the inside of the closure, but often cannot be so positioned. An external operator is also vulnerable to damage.
An object of the present invention is to provide a female locking post having an internal operator for a lock bolt in the post thus making a folding closure using the locking post more secure. Another object of the present invention is to provide an operator for the lock bolt that is centrally mounted in the locking, post to provide more versatility in using the post. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an operator that is unlikely to be damaged.
In accordance with one aspect, the present invention comprises a female locking post for use on the free end of a first folding closure section of a two section folding closure. The female post has a body including an inner wall, a pair of side walls and an open outer side. The inner wall of the post body contains a channel for connecting the post to the free end of the first folding section. A partition extends between the side walls, and is spaced from both the inner wall and the open outer side. An operator with a lock bolt is mounted in a channel in the partition in a position where it is accessible through the open outer end of the body of the post. The operator is manually movable along the partition in a longitudinal direction between an unlocked position in which the lock bolt is the post body and a locked position in which the bolt projects downwardly from the bottom end of the post.
In accordance with another aspect, the invention comprises a folding closure for closing an opening in a building wall. The folding closure includes first and second folding sections having hardware along the top thereof for suspending the sections from an overhead rail at the top of the opening, each section having one end configured for fastening the section to one side of the opening and a free end. The body of a female locking post is connected to the free end of the first folding section, and a male locking post is connected to the free end of the second folding section. The female post body has an at least partially open outer side facing the male locking post. The female post contains an operator carrying a lock bolt for locking the first folding section to a floor in the building. The operator is operated through the opening in the outer side of the female post. The male locking post is movable into the female locking post to close the opening in the outer side of the female post when joining the sections together to close the building opening. The posts have cooperating locking members for locking the male locking post to the female locking post.
In order to facilitate illustration of the invention, some of the figures of drawings are on different scales from others. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers have been used to identify the same or slightly different elements in the various figures in the drawings.
In the present case, a female locking post is intended to mean a post with a body having a generally C-shaped cross section and an at least partial open outer side. The open outer side extends the length of the post for receiving a male locking post to close the female post opening.
Referring to
The open outer end 5 of the body 1 provides access to the partition 8. As described hereinafter in greater detail, the open end 5 is wide enough to permit passage of the leading end 10 of a male locking post 11 mounted on the free end of a second section of the folding closure into the female post 1 to close the open outer end 5. To facilitate entry of the male post 11 into the body 2, the outer ends 12 of the side walls 4 preferably diverge slightly from each other.
A longitudinally extending channel 14 is provided in the partition 8. The channel 14 has a generally U-shaped cross section and extends inwardly toward the inner wall 3. The channel 14 is open toward the outer end 5. A track 15 extends along the length of the body on each side of the partition 8 between the body side wall 4 and each side of the channel 14. The tracks 15 extend outwardly from the partition 8 toward the open outer end. When the male locking post 11 is in the female post 1, outwardly extending flanges 16 on the tracks 15 mate with longitudinally extending grooves 17 in the male locking post 11 to properly locate the lead end 10 of the post 11 in the body 1. The tracks 15 define opposed channels for receiving laterally extending wings 18 (
As best shown in
The operator body 23 is rectangular in cross section and fits snugly in the channel 14 in the partition 8 so that the operator can slide longitudinally in the channel 14 between a door unlocked position (
Referring to
With reference to
A cover 53 (
An elongated, inverted U-shaped slot 63 is cut in the cover 53 to define a finger 64, which can be flexed inwardly toward the bar 48. The upper end 67 of the finger 64 has an interior protuberance 68 which can bear against the top, outer end 50 of the bar 48.
In operation, with the operator 22 in the upper position against the screws 33 (
In order to unlock the door or closure, the upper end 67 of the finger 64 is depressed so that the protuberance pushes the upper end 50 of the bar 48 into the cavity 44. The spring 42 on the bolt 24 pushes upwardly against the lower end 21 of the operator 22 to return the operator to the unlocked position. During upward movement of the operator 22, the outer end 50 of the bar 48 slides against the inner surface 69 of the stop plate 34. When the operator 22 reaches its uppermost position with the upper end 20 abutting the screws 33, the spring 51 pushes the outer end 50 of the bar 48 out of the cavity opening 46.
With reference to
Referring to
When the wall opening 76 is to be closed, the first folding section 74 is unfolded from the one side 80 of the opening 76 and the post 1 is located such that the bolt 24 is over a hole 90 (
The second door section 75 is then unfolded from the other side 83 of the building opening 76 and the leading end 10 of its post 11 is pushed into the female locking post 1 to cover the operator 22. The male locking post 11 is locked to the female post 1 using lock members 92 and 93 (
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2874347 | Dec 2014 | CA | national |
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