Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6318138
-
Patent Number
6,318,138
-
Date Filed
Monday, November 15, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, November 20, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
Agents
- Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 070 2787
- 070 2791
- 070 283
- 292 144
- 292 150
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A door lock which can be operated electrically, remotely, or mechanically using a lever or a key. The lock utilized a blocking bar which engages or disengages a notch in a locking latch. When the blocking bar is engaged within the notch, the latch is positioned in a strike plate of a door frame thereby locking the door. When disengaged, the latch can be retracted from the strike plate thereby allowing the door to be opened.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a door lock, and more particularly to a door lock for controlling access into a room or building with a portable remote controller.
2. Background of the Related Art
Various remotely controlled door locking devices have been developed over the years to more securely, efficiently, and easily control access to various structures. Typically, electrically actuated door locks require door preparation to install lock, in addition to installation of other components to complete a remotely activated system. Other components include an on-off system switch, a momentary release switch, a request to exit device, a power transformer to convert 110 volt ac current to required operating voltage, as well as wiring connected to join all of the components. Such devices are most often added after completion of the structure to meet changed or increased security needs. Providing the installation of components and necessary wiring to connect these components is often a significant portion of the cost to the purchaser.
Examples of remotely controlled security devices and related locks are described in the following U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,350 to Hurtado, U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,448 to Karkkaincn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,504 to Inoue, U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,356 to Klaus et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,664 to Gartner et al.
The '350 patent discloses a remotely controlled electric door locked having a tubular housing affixed to a door between a pair of securing brackets positioned on either side of the door opening frame. Electric motors within the housing move slide members into and out of engagement with the securing brackets. Installation of the lock is somewhat time intensive and securing brackets must be in proper alignment.
The '448 patent discloses a locking device that is mounted within a cavity in a door, thus is relatively difficult to install requiring formation of such cavity. As well as being mechanically complex, guiding and centralizing of latch and bolt relative to respective receiving member is crucial.
The '504 patent discloses an electric locking system that is also manually operable. The lock is mounted in a cavity in the door opening frame and wall of structure, requiring an involved installation procedure.
The '356 patent discloses a locking system that is remotely operable by a transmitter generating a light beam to unlock the door. Such transmitting devices are commonly known as “line of sight” transmitters. In other words, transmitter must be pointed directly at receiver to activate mechanism.
The '664 patent disclosed a safe door lock which incorparates a bolt which is moved into and out of a gate notch in a bar. With the bolt retracted from the gate notch thereby freeing the bar to move, pivots and levers cooperate with the movement of the bar to operate two latches which cooperate with corresponding pairs of strike plates in the door frame. In other words, the bolt is positioned to lock or unlock the bar. The bar, when unlocked, is then operated manually to move a pair of latches to open or close the door.
3. Objects and Advantages
In response to these deficiencies in the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a remotely controlled door lock that installs in a much easier and faster manner than current methods.
It is a further object to provide such a door lock that is electrically operated and also capable of manual operation from either side of the door without electrical power.
Another object is to simplify the electromechanical components as much as practical by incorporating a locking bar which interacts directly with the latch of the door thereby providing the desired locking and unlocking action.
It is a still further object to provide such a door lock that requires no external wiring of any kind for remotely controlled operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects described above, as well as other objects and advantages are achieved by a remotely operated door lock that includes foremost a lock housing that is easily mounted to an inner face of door adjacent the edge. A spring biased latch being beveled on two faces is moveable along a linear path as defined by lock housing between extended and retracted positions. Means are mounted within lock housing for moving a latch blocking bar by electrical power into or out of a path perpendicular to latch, thereby blocking or allowing latch to retract into housing, locking or unlocking the door. Means are further disposed in the lock housing for manually urging the latch blocking bar out of the path of latch, independent of electrical moving means. Means are also disposed in the lock housing for receiving a wireless energy signal and controlling the operation of electric moving means with a control signal triggered by the wireless energy signal. Portable means are provided independently of lock housing for transmitting the wireless energy signal to the receiving and controlling means. A latch receiving member is provided for mounting to the door opening frame for engaging the spring latch to urge it to its retracted position as the door is being closed, and receiving latch in its extended position when the door is fully closed. The electrical power supply is a suitable battery with an on-off switch disposed between the battery and receiving and controlling means for opening and closing the circuit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, wherein like reference characters are used throughout to describe like parts:
FIG. 1
is an elevation view of a remotely controlled door lock mounted on the face of a door in accordance with the present invention, having a spring latch in an extended position within a latch receiving member and a latch blocking bar engaged within square notch in latch, blocking retraction of latch into housing thereby locking door;
FIG. 2
is similar to
FIG. 1
with blocking bar disengaged from square notch in latch allowing retraction of latch into housing, unlocking door;
FIG. 3
is an edge-wise sectional view showing both interior and exterior manual operation means;
FIG. 4
is a top view of the remotely controlled lock with latch extended into latch receiving member, and latch blocking bar engaged with square notch in latch, this being the locked condition;
FIG. 5
is a top view of the remotely controlled lock with latch blocking bar disengaged from square notch in latch, allowing latch to retract into housing as door is being opened;
FIG. 6
is detail of latch with latch blocking bar seated and engaged within square notch in latch, in relation to parts of the manual moving means in the neutral or rest position; and
FIG. 7
is detail of manual moving means having disengaged blocking bar from square notch in latch, allowing latch to retract into housing as door is being opened.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1-7
illustrate a preferred embodiment of a remotely operated door lock, generally referred to as a door lock
9
.
FIG. 1
is an elevation view of a door lock
9
mounted on an inner face
11
of a door. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the door lock
9
contains the parts to control movement of a latch
12
and a latch blocking bar
14
. The door lock
9
includes foremost a lock base plate
10
for mounting to the inner face
11
of the door adjacent the door edge
13
. The lock
9
is surface mounted on the door face
11
by screws
82
that are set in the door within longitudinal openings
40
in the base plate
10
. The openings
40
permit the lateral positioning of the base plate
10
to be set as desired for proper engagement of the latch
12
with a latch receiving member, commonly referred to as a strike plate
50
. The strike plate
50
is surface mounted with screws
90
set in a face
92
of a door opening frame
94
. Similar longitudinal openings in the strike plate
50
further facilitate guiding and centralizing of engagement with the latch
12
.
Still referring to
FIG. 1
, the base plate
10
contains the latch
12
which is biased by a spring
80
and predisposed to the extended position that is moveable along a linear path as defined by a control housing
34
. Control housing
34
is the central point of the control of the latch
12
by movement of the blocking bar
14
in a path perpendicular to the latch
12
within control housing
34
. Engagement of the blocking bar
14
into the rectangular notch
13
in the latch
12
prevents retraction of the latch
12
into the control housing
34
, thereby locking the door.
FIG. 2
is an elevation view similar to
FIG. 1
showing the door unlocked. Referring to
FIG. 2
for the moment, the blocking bar
14
is moved upwardly thereby disengaging the notch
13
in the latch
12
. The latch
12
can then move to the right into the control housing
34
as shown in
FIG. 2
, disengage the strike plate
50
, and thereby unlock the door. Disengagement of blocking bar
14
from rectangular notch in latch
12
permits retraction of latch
12
into control housing
34
, unlocking the door.
FIGS. 4 and 5
are top views of the lock
9
.
FIGS. 1 and 4
illustrate the blocking bar
14
engaged with the rectangular notch
13
(see
FIG. 1
) of the latch
12
thereby blocking retraction of the latch
12
into control housing
34
and therefore locking the door.
FIGS. 2 and 5
illustrate the blocking bar
14
disengaged from the rectangular notch
13
in the latch
12
, permitting retraction of the latch
12
into the control housing
34
thereby unlocking the door. Using this movement, only a small amount of energy is required to shift and maintain lock
9
to either locked or unlocked condition.
FIGS. 4 and 5
illustrate another important feature of the lock
9
, namely the cooperative action of the latch
12
, the blocking bar
14
, the notch
13
and the striker plate
50
. As shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5
, retraction of the latch
12
into the control housing
34
is urged by the action of strike plate
50
on either of the beveled surface
12
′ of latch
12
. The latch
12
, being beveled on two faces
12
′, permits retraction into the control housing
34
as door is being opened or closed when the blocking bar
14
is disengaged from rectangular notch
13
in latch
12
. Stated another way, the door can be freely opened or closed without turning any lever, or door knob, or the like when the door is “unlocked” by withdrawing the blocking bar
14
from the notch
13
in the latch
12
.
ELECTRICAL OPERATION OF THE LOCK
Referring now to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the base plate
10
further includes means connected therein for moving the blocking bar
14
under electrical power between positions of engagement and disengagement in relation to the rectangular notch
13
in the latch
12
. The moving means preferably includes an electric motor
16
connected to the base plate
10
via screws
61
that extend through a motor bracket
60
for securing the motor
16
to base plate
10
. The electric motor
16
produces torque that rotates an output shaft
18
upon receipt of a control signal from a receiving and controlling circuit as described further below. The central portion of output shaft
18
is externally threaded with threads
19
and positioned on the centerline of a longitudinal opening
62
in the blocking bar
14
. A nut
20
, having internal threads and engaging the shaft threads
19
, is positioned axially within opening
62
about centerline of output shaft
18
such that their respective threads are in engagement. The nut
20
is in slidable engagement within the walls of the opening
62
and is prevented from rotating relative to the blocking bar
14
.
A pair of helical springs
22
are disposed in the opening
62
on opposing sides of nut
20
and ends
63
and
65
of opening
62
to transfer forces applied to the nut
20
via the respective threads to the blocking bar
14
. Rotation of output shaft
18
induces a linear movement of the nut
20
within the longitudinal opening
62
, urging the springs
22
to move the blocking bar
14
along a linear and vertical path as defined by the control housing
34
. In other words, the combination of the output shaft
18
, the nut
20
, the helical springs
22
, and the motor
16
form an electric moving means for positioning the blocking bar
14
between the position of engagement and disengagement of the rectangular notch
13
in the latch
12
. Hereafter, these elements will be referred to simply as “electrical moving means”.
FIG. 3
is an edgewise view of the lock
9
. As shown in
FIG. 3
a lock housing cover
42
is releasably connected to the base plate
10
with threaded screws
57
that extend through openings
57
′ in cover
42
to engage threadedbores
58
. A power supply preferably in the form of four “AA” batteries
64
is mounted to base plate
10
to power a receiver
73
and energize the electric motor
16
in accordance with a control circuit
99
. An ON-OFF power switch
66
(see
FIG. 1
) is mounted adjacent a circuit board
72
in the cover housing
42
, and is electrically connected between the batteries
64
and the circuit board
72
. Setting the switch
66
to the OFF position induces electric moving means to disengage the blocking bar
14
from latch
12
placing door in unlocked condition. Setting switch
66
to the ON position energizes the electric moving means to urge the blocking bar
14
to engage the notch
13
in the latch
12
as previously described, placing door in a locked condition. The circuit board
72
includes the receiver
73
for receiving a wireless energy signal, illustrated conceptually with a broken line
73
′ and preferably a radio signal of a predetermined frequency, from a portable transmitter
56
, as shown in FIG.
3
. The wireless energy signal induces the control circuit
99
, which is preferably mounted on the circuit board
72
, to deliver the control signal to motor
16
which controls operation of motor
16
. In this manner, control circuit induces the electric moving means to move the blocking bar
14
to disengage the notch
13
in the latch
12
for a predetermined time upon receipt of the wireless energy signal
73
′ from the transmitter
56
, thereby allowing door to be opened.
Attention is again directed to
FIGS. 1 and 2
. When door is closed a magnetic reed switch
48
mounted in the cover housing
42
comes into alignment with a magnet
52
embedded in strike plate
50
. Upon receipt of signal from magnetic reed switch
48
, the control circuit
99
thereafter induces electric moving means to position the blocking bar
14
into the notch
13
in the latch
12
thereby locking door.
It is emphasized that the blocking bar
14
interacts directly with the door latch
12
to provide the desired door “locked” and “unlocked” status. With the lock
9
in the “unlocked” state, the door can be open or closed by simply pulling or pushing, respectively, due to the bevels
12
′ interacting with the striker plate
50
. Operation of the unlocked door does not require the operation of levers or knobs.
MANUAL OPERATION
As indicated in
FIGS. 3
,
4
and
5
, the lock
9
further includes means for disengaging the blocking bar
14
from the notch
13
in the latch
12
so that door can be manually opened from the interior side of door without electrical power. A typical lever type handle
26
extends ninety degrees outwardly on a preferably cylindrical body
27
concentric with the axis about which it rotates, and further extends through the lock housing cover
42
. The handle
26
includes a square interior shaft
28
which extends through a circular opening
68
in a flanged portion
69
of the housing cover
42
, permitting rotation of the handle
26
and the shaft
28
relative to the cover
42
and the base plate
10
. A lever return spring
30
functions to return lever to the neutral position when the lever is released.
FIGS. 6 and 7
are views in the same orientation as
FIGS. 1 and 2
, but show elements associated with the manual operation of the lock. A lever shaft cam
38
is positioned on square shaft
28
so as to engage the blocking bar
14
as shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
. Referring to
FIG. 6
, while the lever
26
is at rest or neutral position, the lever shaft cam
38
allows the blocking bar
14
to seat in the rectangular notch
13
of the latch
12
. Now referring to
FIG. 7
, depressing the lever handle
26
will rotate the lever shaft
28
and the attached lever shaft cam
38
so as to disengage the blocking bar
14
from the notch
13
in the latch
12
thereby unlocking door. Simultaneously, manual rotation of the lever
26
and attached cam
38
depresses a micro switch
54
signaling the circuit board
72
to induce electrical moving means to the disengaged or unlocked position of the blocking bar
14
, thereby allowing the latch
12
to retract into the control housing
34
so that the door can close. When door is fully closed, the magnetic reed switch
48
mounted in the housing cover
42
is aligned with the magnet
52
embedded in the strike plate
50
. Closing of the switch
48
signals the control circuit
72
of a “door closed” status thereby inducing the electrical moving means to the engaged or locked position as previously described.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the handle
26
is capable of rotation in a clockwise as well as counterclockwise direction. In this manner the door lock
9
is adaptable to doors that are hinged on either left or right hand side, simply by rotating the lock
9
one hundred eighty degrees and moving the lock
9
adjacent the appropriate edge of door.
KEY OPERATION
Referring again to
FIG. 3
, the door lock
9
further includes a means for enabling manual disengagement of the blocking bar
14
by means of a key inserted from the exterior side of the door. Thus, a standard type key locking cylinder
74
is mounted in a bore formed in the door for operation with a key (not shown). The key locking cylinder
74
includes shaft, commonly referred to as a tailpiece
70
, that extends through a flange in the base plate
10
and is connected to a tailpiece adapter
44
A tailpiece adapter cam
46
is attached to the tailpiece adapter
44
to provide movement of the blocking bar
14
. Rotation of the key in the lock cylinder
74
induces rotation of the tailpiece
70
, the tailpiece adapter
44
and the tailpiece adapter cam
46
. As illustrated in
FIGS. 6 and 7
, rotation of the tailpiece adapter cam
46
from neutral position will engage a roll pin
36
which extends outwardly from the blocking bar
14
. Rotation of key will cause rotation of the tailpiece
70
, the tailpiece adapter
44
, and the tailpiece adapter cam
46
which will induce the blocking bar
14
to disengage from the notch
13
in latch
12
thereby unlocking door.
REMOTE OPERATION
Elements required to operate the lock
9
remotely were introduced in section
3
of this disclosure. The remotely controlled operation of door lock
9
will now be described in detail with reference to
FIGS. 1
,
2
,
3
, and
5
. Initially, the setting of power switch
66
to the ON position induces control circuit
72
to send signal to the motor
16
that moves the blocking bar
14
via the shaft
18
, nut
20
and springs
22
, from the disengaged or unlocked position (as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 5
) to the engaged or locked position (as shown in FIGS.
1
and
3
). When it is desirable to permit access through door, an operator grasps the portable transmitter
56
, places his/her thumb on transmitter button
56
′ and depresses button to transmit a radio signal of predetermined frequency to door lock
9
. The transmitted signal is then received by the receiver
73
on the circuit board
72
. When the signal is received, the control circuit
99
sends a control signal to the motor
16
, which outputs a torque to the shaft
18
for a predetermined time. The torque applied to shaft
18
is transferred by the engaging threads
19
of shaft
18
and nut
20
into linear motion within the opening
62
of the blocking bar
14
. Action of nut
20
compresses one of the springs
22
, which, in turn, applies a reactive force to the blocking bar
14
thereby moving blocking bar to disengagement with the rectangular notch
13
in the latch
12
. This unlocks the door as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 5
. After a predetermined time period, the control circuit
99
confirms the “door closed” status by alignment of magnetic reed switch
48
with magnet
52
embedded in strike plate
50
. Upon confirmation of “door closed” status, control circuit
99
signals motor
16
, reversing shaft rotation to move the blocking bar
14
into engagement with the square notch in the latch
12
thereby locking door as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 3
.
SUMMARY
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is well adapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, together with other advantages that are obvious and inherent to this apparatus and structure.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and within the scope of the claims.
Because many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter set forth herein or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Claims
- 1. A door lock comprising:(a) a lock housing for mounting to an inner face of a door adjacent the edge; (b) a spring latch with two beveled faces moveable within said housing between extended and retracted positions; (c) a spring latch blocking bar moveable within said housing, in a path perpendicular to said spring latch, with (i) one position engaging said latch at a notch within said latch thereby restricting retraction into said lock housing, and (ii) a second position disengaging said latch at said notch thereby permitting retraction into said housing; (d) electric moving means within said housing for moving said latch blocking bar under electrical power between its engaged and disengaged positions, the electric moving means comprising (i) an electric motor connected to said housing; (ii) an output shaft having external threads and connected to said motor wherein said motor produces a torque in said output shaft, and the output shaft extends into a longitudinal opening in said blocking bar; (iii) a power supply connected to said housing for energizing said motor; (iv) a nut having internal threads which engage said external threads of said shaft, wherein said nut is disposed within said longitudinal opening and about said output shaft for slidable engagement with walls of said longitudinal opening, and the engagement of said nut preventing rotation relative to said blocking bar, and (v) a pair of helical springs disposed in said opening on opposing sides of said nut between said nut and opposing ends of said opening, whereby torque applied to said output shaft will apply a force to said nut via the respective threads which transfers the force to said blocking bar via the helical springs to move said blocking bar between its engaged and disengaged position with said latch; (e) means mounted within said housing for receiving a wireless energy signal and controlling the operation of said electrical moving means with a control signal triggered by the wireless energy signal to move said blocking bar from said engaged position to said disengaged position, hold said blocking bar to its disengaged position for a predetermined time period, and then return said blocking bar to its engaged position; (f) portable means for transmitting the wireless energy signal to said receiving and controlling means; and (g) a latch receiving member for mounting to a door opening frame adjacent said lock housing for engaging said spring latch to urge it to its retracted position as the door is being opened or closed and receiving said spring latch in its extended position when a door is fully closed within a door opening frame.
- 2. The door lock of claim 1, wherein the moving means includes;(a) an electric motor connected to said housing for producing an output torque upon receipt of the control signal from the receiving and controlling means; (b) a power supply connected to said lock housing for energizing said motor; and (c) linkage means for converting the output torque of said motor into movement of said blocking bar between the engaged and disengaged position with said latch along a linear path defined by said lock housing.
- 3. The door lock of claim 2, further comprising a switch disposed between said electric motor and the power supply for opening a circuit between said motor and said power supply.
- 4. The door lock of claim 3, wherein the receiving and controlling means sends a signal to said motor for moving said blocking bar to its disengaged position with said latch when the switch is set to an OFF position.
- 5. The door lock of claim 1, wherein the receiving and controlling means comprises:(a) a receiver tuned to a frequency range within which the wireless energy signal is transmitted; and (b) a control circuit operatively connected between the receiver and the moving means for inducing said moving means to move said blocking bar to its disengaged position for a predetermined time period upon receipt of the wireless energy signal from the transmitting means enabling a door to be opened, the control circuit thereafter moving said blocking bar to its engaged position when a door is fully closed.
- 6. The door lock of claim 1, wherein the wireless energy signal is a radio frequency signal.
- 7. The door lock of claim 1 wherein said power supply is at least one electric storage battery.
- 8. The door lock of claim 1 further comprising:(a) a reed switch mounted in said housing; (b) a magnet embedded in said latch receiving member; wherein (c) said reed switch and said magnet are aligned when said door is closed thereby generating a signal indicative of said door being closed.
- 9. The door lock of claim 1 further comprising means within said housing for yieldably urging said blocking bar to its disengaged position independently of said electrical moving means.
- 10. The door lock of claim 8 further comprising mechanical means for manually moving said blocking bar from its engaged position to its disengaged position so that a door can be opened without electrical power.
- 11. The door lock of claim 10 wherein said mechanical means comprises a lever handle which, when turned, moves said blocking bar to said disengaged position.
- 12. The door lock of claim 10 wherein said mechanical means comprises a key lock mechanism, wherein rotation of a key in said key lock mechanism moves said blocking bar to said disengaged position.
- 13. A door lock comprising:(a) a lock housing for mounting to an inner face of a door adjacent the edge; (b) a spring latch; (c) a spring latch blocking bar moveable within said housing, in a path perpendicular to said spring latch, with (i) one position engaging said latch at a notch within said latch thereby restricting retraction into said lock housing, and (ii) other position disengaging said latch at said notch thereby permitting retraction into said housing; (d) means within said housing for moving said latch blocking bar between its engaged and disengaged positions, the means for moving comprising (i) an electric motor connected to said housing; (ii) an output shaft having external threads and connected to said motor wherein said motor produces a torque in said output shaft, and the output shaft extends into a longitudinal opening in said blocking bar; (iii) a power supply connected to said housing for energizing said motor; (iv) a nut having internal threads which engage said external threads of said shaft, wherein said nut is disposed within said longitudinal opening and about said output shaft for slidable engagement with walls of said longitudinal opening, and the engagement of said nut preventing rotation relative to said blocking bar, and (v) a pair of helical springs disposed in said opening on opposing sides of said nut between said nut and opposing ends of said opening, whereby torque applied to said output shaft will apply a force to said nut via the respective threads which transfers the force to said blocking bar via the helical springs to move said blocking bar between its engaged and disengaged position with said latch; and (e) a latch receiving member for mounting to a door opening frame adjacent said lock housing for engaging said spring latch to urge it to its retracted position as the door is being opened or closed and receiving said spring latch in its extended position when a door is fully closed within a door opening frame.
- 14. The door lock of claim 13 wherein said means for moving said latch blocking bar comprises a lever handle which, when rotated, causes said blocking to be moved to said disengaged position.
- 15. The door lock of claim 13 wherein said means for moving said latch blocking bar comprises a key lock cylinder which, when rotated, causes said blocking bar to be moved to said disengaged position.
US Referenced Citations (18)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
10446 |
Jan 1903 |
AT |
57484 |
Jul 1911 |
CH |
176394 |
Mar 1922 |
GB |
1342729 |
Jan 1974 |
GB |
352014000 |
Feb 1977 |
JP |