Security door lock with remote control

Abstract
An electrically operated, strong, security system comprising a lock with remote control installed in a wall adjacent to a door frame or under a door. The lock comprises at least one rod which extends into the door when the door is closed and in a locked state. In an unlocked state an actuator retracts the rods from the door, back into the door frame or into the floor. The security lock system provides a manual control for the lock inside a house or building along with indicator lights showing the lock status. An emergency DC battery provides power for the security lock if there is a primary power outage. A remote control locks all doors in the house simultaneous that have such a security lock, and the remote control unlocks only the door or doors selected to be unlocked. The underfloor embodiment of the lock comprises mounting an elongated moveable rod within the door whereby the rod extending from the underfloor lock pushes the door rod upward into the top of the door frame thereby securing the door at the top and the bottom.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention relates to an electrically powered door lock system and in particular to a remote controlled security door lock for installation in a wall adjacent to a door or under a door and capable of remote control operation.




2. Description of Related Art




Keyless door locks in a house or building provide a user with considerable convenience especially when the users hands are full carrying items.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,353 issued Feb. 7, 1989 to Corder et al discloses a battery-powered electromechanical door-lock assembly which is keyless. A bolt assembly includes electromagnetic means responsive to an input signal for energization and positioned to hold the locking assembly in the unlocked position upon energization thereof to prevent moving of the locking assembly to the locked position upon movement of the handle. The locking assembly comprises a control housing on the interior of the door including digital circuitry for the lock powered by batteries.




U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,973 issued Jun. 11, 1996 to Andreou et al discloses a remotely-operated self contained electronic lock security system. A remote hand held controller transmits coded signals to an electronic door lock. The lock is sized and configured to be utilized with a conventional doorlatch lock mechanism. For example, the mechanical “locking” portion of the apparatus and optical or radio frequency sensor is preferably constructed so as to be installable within the exterior handle of a conventional door handle; the interior handle is equipped with a battery and an electronic control device. Most of the components of conventional doorlatch locks are used.




U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,330 issued Apr. 11, 1989 to Jui-Chang Lin discloses a structure for controlling the dead bolts used in an electric lock. The lock requires the use of a special card which has an invisible coded number on it, but allows the lock to function as a common lock with the electronic part temporarily stopped.




None of the disclosed locks in the prior art have the combined features of being extra strong, remote controlled, security locks, which are not easily overcome or broken by an intruder.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Accordingly, it is therefore an object of this invention to provide a strong security door lock for a house or building which is operated by remote control.




It is object of this invention to provide a strong security door lock which is installed in a wall adjacent to a door.




It is a further object of this invention to provide an underfloor doorlock in combination with an elongated rod mounted in a door whereby a first rod extending from under the door pushes the elongated rod within the door upward into the door frame above the door thereby securing the door at the top and the bottom.




It is another object of this invention to provide for manual operation of the remote control security door lock.




It is yet another object of this invention to provide a sensor for determining that a door is closed prior to activating the remote controlled security door lock.




It is another object of this invention to provide a remote controlled security door lock system having a locking mechanism installed in a wall adjacent to a door.




It is further object of this invention to provide an emergency DC power source for operating the security system when a power outage occurs.




These and other objects are accomplished by a security door lock for mounting inside a wall comprising means for generating a signal to activate and to deactivate the door lock, means, connected to the signal generating means for extending a piston a predetermined distance in response to the activate signal, means attached to the piston for moving at least one rod the predetermined distance from a first position to a second position when activated, the rod returning to the first position when the lock receives the signal to deactivate, means, attached to the moving means parallel to the piston, for stabilizing the moving means, and the stabilizing means being secured by retaining means attached to a wall of the door lock for allowing the stabilizing means to slide the predetermined distance when the piston is extended. The moving means comprises the one rod protruding from a first area and in parallel with another rod protruding from a second area. The means for extending the piston comprises an actuator. The moving means is attached to the piston with a pair of arms extending from the moving means. The signal generating means comprises means for transmitting a coded signal, means for receiving and decoding the coded signal, means for generating the lock activating signal in response to the decoded signal when the door is closed. The signal generating means comprises a remote control transmitter. The lock comprises means for sensing the door being closed before allowing the piston extending means to be activated. The lock comprises means, extending from the stabilizing means, for manually locking and unlocking the door lock.




The objects are further accomplished by a security door lock system for mounting inside a wall adjacent to a door and a door frame comprising a remote control transmitter for generating a coded signal, receiver means for decoding the coded signal from the transmitter, means for sensing that the door is closed, means connected to the receiver means and the closed door sensing means for generating a lock control signal and an unlock control signal, actuator means connected to the lock control signal generating means for extending a piston a predetermined distance in response to the lock control signal, a rod holder bar attached to the piston for moving at least one rod the predetermined distance from a position in the door frame to a position inside the door in response to the actuator means receiving the lock signal, the at least one rod being retracted to the position in the door frame in response to the actuator means receiving the unlock control signal, a bar stabilizer portion of the rod holder bar, attached approximately perpendicular to a bar portion of the rod holder bar and parallel to the piston, for stabilizing the rod holder bar, the bar stabilizer portion being positioned a predetermined distance away from the attachment of the bar portion to the piston, and the bar stabilizer portion being secured by retaining means attached to a wall of the door lock for allowing the rod holder bar to slide the predetermined distance when the piston is extended. The rod holder bar comprises the one rod protruding from a first end area of the bar portion to within the door frame and another rod protruding from a second end area to within the door frame. The rod holder bar attaches to the piston by a pair of spaced apart arms extending from the bar portion of the rod holder bar. The lock system comprises means extending above the bar stabilizer portion for manually locking and unlocking the door lock system. The system comprises an AC power source and means for providing DC power to the system when the AC power source is unavailable.




The objects are further accomplished by a method of providing a security door lock for use in a wall adjacent to a door and a door frame comprising the steps of generating a signal to activate and a signal to deactivate the door lock, extending a piston attached to an actuator toward a door in response to the activating signal, the piston being positioned in an enclosure adjacent to the door, attaching a rod holder bar approximately perpendicular to an end of the piston, the rod holder bar comprising a bar portion and a bar stabilizer portion perpendicular to the bar portion, extending at least one rod from the bar of the rod holder bar into a door frame, moving the rod from the door frame into the door, when the piston is extended, and stabilizing the rod holder bar means by retaining means attached to a wall of the door lock for allowing the bar stabilizer portion of the rod holder bar to slide in parallel with the extending piston. The step of generating a signal to activate and a signal to deactivate the door lock comprises the steps of generating a coded signal with a remote control transmitter, receiving the coded signal in means for decoding the coded signal, determining the door is closed with sensor means positioned at the door frame prior to providing the activating signal to the piston. The step of extending at least one rod from the rod holder bar comprises the step of extending a second rod from the rod holder bar, the rods being spaced apart a predetermined distance. The method comprises the step of providing a door sensor to determine the door is closed before allowing the piston to be activated. The method comprises the step of manually locking and unlocking the door lock by providing a lever extending from the bar stabilizer portion of the rod holder bar enabling the rod holder bar to be moved back and forth.




The objects are further accomplished by a housing comprising a first generally rectangular area having side walls, a second generally square area having side walls, the second area extending perpendicular to the first generally rectangular area with no barrier between the first area and the second area, a rod holder bar disposed within the first area and the second area, an elongated bar portion positioned in the first area and a bar stabilizer portion attached perpendicular to the bar portion and positioned in the second area, means, attached to an inner wall of the housing, for retaining flanges on lower portions of the bar stabilizer, the retaining means allowing the flanges to slide back and forth, a lever extending above a top portion of the bar stabilizer for manually moving the rod holder bar back and forth within the housing, first threaded receptacles for receiving slide tubes positioned on opposite ends of a front panel of the housing, second threaded receptacles for receiving slider shafts positioned on opposite ends of the bar, and a pair of spaced apart arms extending from the bar parallel to the bar stabilizer. The pair of arms comprises apertures for attaching a piston of an actuator. The rod holder bar comprises wing means for strengthening the intersection of the bar portion and the bar stabilizer portion.




The objects are further accomplished by a security door lock for mounting under a door comprising means for generating a signal to activate and to deactivate the door lock, means, connected to the signal generating means, for extending a piston a first predetermined distance in response to the activate signal, the piston extending means being attached to a housing for the door lock, means attached to the piston for moving a rod a second predetermined distance in a direction opposite the direction of the piston, means, positioned adjacent to the piston extending means and formed as part of the housing, for receiving a hollow tube, the hollow tube being screwed into the part of the housing, and an end of the rod being inserted into the hollow tube and attached to the rod moving means beyond the hollow tube. The rod moving means comprises an interleaving rack and cam combination, the rack being attached to the piston extending means and the cam having a cam follower coupled thereto, the cam follower being attached to the rod. The rod moving means comprises a rack attached to the piston, the rack comprises teeth which interleave with teeth of a sprocket portion of a cam, the cam driving the rod whereby the rack and cam translate the extending of the piston into moving the rod in the opposite direction. The door lock comprises a cam follower having a guide post, and the cam comprises a curved channel for the guide post to travel therein, the cam follower being attached to an end of the rod for moving the rod into the door. The rod moves the predetermined distance into a bottom portion of a door, the rod pushing a second rod upward the second predetermined distance within the door and into a door frame above the door.




The objects are further accomplished by in combination, a housing for a door lock, an actuator mounted in the housing having a piston, the piston extending in response to a control signal, a rack attached to an end of the piston, the rack having a side edge inserted in a linear channel of the housing, the rack having a plurality of teeth, a cam comprises a sprocket, the sprocket comprises a plurality of teeth, the plurality of teeth of the sprocket positioned to mesh with the plurality of teeth of the rack for driving the cam, the cam further includes an open curved channel, a cam follower having a guide post, the guide post being positioned in the curved channel of the cam, the cam follower having a stabilizer portion inserted into a linear follower channel of the housing, a rod attached to the cam follower, the rod being extended by the cam follower for insertion into a door. The combination comprises an outer tube into which the rod is inserted, the outer tube being secured to a portion of the housing above the cam follower. The rod extends into a bottom portion of the door pushing a second rod upward within the door and into a door frame above the door. The sprocket of the cam comprises 36 teeth around the circumference of the sprocket. The door lock comprises a manual override cable, the cable connects to a control box mounted in a wall near the door.




The objects are further accomplished by a method of providing a security door lock for mounting under a door comprising the steps of generating a signal to activate and to deactivate the door lock, extending a piston a first predetermined distance in response to the activate signal, with means connected to the signal generating means, the piston extending means being attached to a housing for the door lock, moving a first rod a second predetermined distance in a direction opposite the direction of the piston with means attached to the piston extending means, and attaching the first rod to the means attached to the piston extending. The method comprises the step of inserting the rod into a hollow tube for lock strength, the hollow tube being attached to the housing. The method comprises the step of providing a second elongated rod within the door and positioning the first rod to push the second rod upward out of the door and into a door frame above the door.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The appended claims particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter of this invention. The various objects, advantages and novel features of this invention will be more fully apparent from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:





FIG. 1

is a side elevational view of the invention in an unlocked state with a side cover removed positioned in a wall adjacent to a door;





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of a lever for manually unlocking the switch and shows a stabilizer bar protruding through a lower portion of the lever;





FIG. 3

is a system block diagram of a security door lock system showing the functional elements and their interconnections;





FIG. 4

is a side elevational view of the wall cover for the invention of

FIG. 1

showing status lights and a lever for manually controlling the door lock;





FIG. 5

is a side elevation view of the invention in a locked state with a side cover removed positioned in a wall adjacent to a door;





FIG. 6

is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of the invention with a side cover removed showing an arrangement of the locking rods close together for use where less space is available in a door or a wall;





FIG. 7

is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of the security door lock shown in

FIG. 1

in an unlocked state showing a molded housing and an integral rod holder bar;





FIG. 8

is a side elevational view of the alternate embodiment of a security door lock of

FIG. 7

in a locked state showing an integral rod holder bar extended by an actuator;





FIG. 9

is a perspective view of the security door lock of

FIG. 7

in an unlocked state showing the integral rod holder bar having an extended lever for manual operation of the security door lock;





FIG. 10

is a perspective view of the molded housing;





FIG. 11

is a perspective view of a molded integral rod holder bar;





FIG. 12

is a perspective view of a door jam plate; and





FIG. 13

is a perspective view of a door plate.





FIG. 14

is a front elevational view of a second alternate embodiment of the security door lock of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 15

is a front elevational view of the invention of

FIG. 14

in a locked state with its front cover removed;





FIG. 16

is a front elevational view of the housing;





FIG. 17

is a bottom sectional view of the housing;





FIG. 18

is a front elevational view of a cam of the invention;





FIG. 19

is a perspective view of the cam of

FIG. 18

;





FIG. 20

is a front elevational view of a rack of the invention;





FIG. 21

is a side elevational view of the rack of

FIG. 20

;





FIG. 22

is a perspective view of the rack;





FIG. 23

is an enlarged view of a portion of the rack showing the spacing of the teeth on the rack;





FIG. 24

is a side elevational view of a cam follower for insertion in the cam follower channel;





FIG. 25

is a top view of the cam follower of

FIG. 24

;





FIG. 26

is an exploded view of a portion of the sprocket of

FIG. 18

;





FIG. 27

is a top view of a door having a door rod assembly attached to a side;





FIG. 28

is a perspective view of a door rod assembly used with an underfloor door lock; and





FIG. 29

is a perspective view of the door rod assembly attached to a door.











DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS




Referring to

FIG. 1

a side elevational view of an invention of an electrically operated, strong, security lock


10


is shown in an unlocked state installed in a wall


12


adjacent to a door


14


and a door frame


43


. The security lock


10


comprises an enclosure


19


typically made of aluminum or plastic having attached therein an actuator


16


. Extending from one side of the actuator


16


is a piston


17


which has a piston extension


25


extending away from the actuator


16


. First ends of right angle brackets


24


,


26


attach to opposite sides of the piston extension


25


by means of a bolt and nut


27


. The second ends of the right angle brackets


24


,


26


attach to a rod holder bar


30


which is positioned perpendicular to the piston extension


25


.




Two rods


32


,


34


extend from opposite ends of the rod holder bar


30


and protrude into jam plates


36


,


38


which are installed in the door frame


43


at the appropriate locations to receive rods


32


,


34


. The rods


32


,


34


screw into threaded holes at the opposite ends of the rod holder bar


30


. The rods


32


and


34


extend through holes


50


,


52


of an end panel


31


of enclosure


19


.




Referring now to FIG.


1


and

FIG. 2

a stabilizer bar


22


is positioned across the upper portion of the enclosure


19


above the actuator


16


. The stabilizer bar


22


is attached by screws or bolts


21


between the right side of the enclosure


19


and the left side comprising end panel


31


. A sleeve


20


surrounds the stabilizer bar


22


whereby one end of the sleeve


20


is attached to the rod holder bar


30


by a bend of weld. A lever


18


comprises the sleeve


20


passing through it with the handle portion of the lever


18


extending away from the sleeve


20


and perpendicular to it. The lever


18


is secured to the sleeve


20


by a bend of weld whereby moving the lever


18


towards the door


14


causes the rods


32


,


34


to extend beyond the door frame


43


and into a door


14


when it is closed. The actuator


16


performs the same function of moving the rods


32


,


34


which are attached to the rod holder bar


30


into the door


14


to lock it, when the actuator


16


receives a lock or activate signal from a receiver


80


.




Referring to

FIG. 3

, a block diagram of a security door lock system


60


is shown comprising the lock


10


and other elements of the system which include a remote receiver and power controller


62


, emergency DC power supply


64


, remote control transmitter


66


, wall panel lights


56


,


58


, and magnetic switch


70


. The remote receiver and power controller


62


comprises a lock relay


72


, an unlock relay


74


, an AC to DC power supply


76


, a diode


78


, a receiver and control


80


, and an overload protection


82


.




The user of the security system


60


generally locks and unlocks the door


14


using the remote control transmitter


66


, which may be embodied by a commonly available transmitter having four buttons as used with automobile door locks which provides for locking all doors, opening only a specific door, or turning on a light. The signal from the remote control transmitter


66


is received by the receiver and control


80


and decoded to open the lock


10


, close the lock


10


, and open or close selected other locks which may be installed for other doors of the house or building.




The magnetic switch


70


determines if the door is closed, prior to activating the remote control security lock


10


. If it is closed, a signal is sent from the lock relay


72


to the lock


10


and from the magnetic switch


70


to the lock


10


wherein the actuator


16


is activated and moves the rods


32


,


34


into the door


14


, thereby locking the door


14


.




Two magnetic sensors


44


,


46


are positioned in the door frame


43


and a shorting plate


48


is installed opposite the magnetic sensors


44


,


46


in the door


14


. The magnetic switch


70


may be embodied by Model No. CKMPS9WGW manufactured by Sager Electronics of Waltham, Mass.




Emergency DC power is provided by a hand held emergency DC power supply


64


comprising eight (8) AA batteries commonly available from Radio Shack. This power supply enables operation of the electronic lock


10


when there is a primary power outage. The


12


volt power supply plugs into a receptacle at the remote receiver and power controller


62


. The receptacle is wired to a common overload protection circuit


82


.




The AC to DC power supply provides 12V DC to the system and is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) unit which may be embodied by model 3AMP13.8VDC, manufactured by Tandy Company of Fortworth, Tex. The receiver and control


80


decodes signals from the remote control transmitter


66


and generates signals for the lock relay


72


and unlock relay


74


. When a lock relay signal is generated, the lock relay


72


becomes energized and sends a pair of signals to the lock


10


. When an unlock relay signal is generated, the unlock relay


74


becomes energized and sends a pair of unlock signals to the lock


10


. The lock relay


72


and unlock relay


74


may be embodied by model AROHL2HPCD12V, manufactured by Sager Electronics of Waltham, Mass. The receiver and control


80


may be embodied by model 725T manufactured by Directed Electronics, Inc. of Vista, Calif. Although specific parts have been described for implementing the preferred embodiment, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other equivalent parts may also be used to implement the embodiment.




Referring to

FIG. 4

a wall panel


54


is shown having a rectangular opening


55


through which the lever


18


extends in order to enable the user to manually lock or unlock the security system. Two light emitting diode (LED) indicators


56


,


58


are positioned under the opening


55


at each end of opening


55


. In

FIG. 4

the lever


18


is shown in the locked position, and the LED light


56


, located under the lever


18


, is green in color. It is turned on when the lever


18


activates a switch to apply voltage to the LED light


56


. At the opposite end of the opening


55


, the LED light


58


is red in color, and it is turned on when the lever


18


is moved to the UNLOCKED position activating another switch which applies a voltage to LED light


58


.




Referring now to FIG.


3


and

FIG. 5

,

FIG. 5

shows a side elevational view of the lock of

FIG. 1

in a locked state as illustrated by the rods


32


,


34


extending into the door


14


. The actuator


16


receives a signal from the lock relay


72


causing the piston


17


and the piston extension


25


to move away from the actuator


16


in the direction shown by the arrow


11


. The rod holder bar


30


likewise is moved in the same direction causing the rods


32


,


34


on opposite ends to move out of the door frame


43


and into the door


14


.




First Alternate Embodiment




Referring now to

FIG. 6

, a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of the lock of

FIG. 5

is shown with a side cover removed for use with doors having a design not suitable for the spacing of rods


32


,


34


of FIG.


5


. In this embodiment, the lock


90


comprises the enclosure


91


, actuator


16


, piston


17


, piston extension


25


, stabilizer bar


22


, sleeve


20


and lever


18


which are the same components as those of lock


10


of FIG.


5


. However, in this alternate embodiment the rod holder bar


92


is reduced in height to a maximum height to fit within the enclosure


91


. The rods


94


,


96


are positioned relatively close to each other near the center of the rod holder bar


92


into which they are secured, and the rod holder bar


92


is attached to the piston extension


25


by right angle brackets


24


and


98


. The lock


90


is shown in the activated or locked state whereby the rods


94


,


96


protrude into the door


14


.




Still referring to

FIG. 6

, the rods


94


,


96


protrude into jam plates


100


,


102


which are installed in the door frame


43


positioned at the appropriate locations to receive rods


94


,


96


. Opposite the jam plates


100


,


102


are door plates


104


,


106


which guide the rods


94


,


96


into the door


14


thereby securely locking the door


14


.




Second Alternate Embodiment




Referring to FIG.


7


and

FIG. 9

,

FIG. 7

shows a side elevational view of a second alternate embodiment of the security door lock of

FIG. 1

in an unlocked state with a cover (not shown) removed, and

FIG. 9

is a perspective view of the security door lock of FIG.


7


. The door lock


150


comprises a housing


152


that is made of molded plastic for producing a low cost security door lock. The lock housing


152


comprises an integral rod holder bar


154


which is also made of molded plastic for low cost, and an electrical actuator


156


. Extending from one side of the actuator


156


is a piston


159


with a piston extension


158


for attaching to arms


172


,


174


extending from the integral rod holder bar


154


. Outer slider tubes


160


,


162


, which are threaded at one end, screw into spaced apart receptacles


206


,


208


each positioned near corners of the front surface of the housing


152


. An inner slider shaft


164


,


166


is inserted into each of the outer slider tubes


160


,


162


respectively and each shaft


164


,


166


screws into the threaded receptacles


186


,


188


of the integral rod holder bar


154


. Both the inner slider shafts


164


,


166


and the outer slider tubes


160


,


162


are made of metal such as aluminum.




Referring to FIG.


7


and

FIG. 8

,

FIG. 8

shows a side elevational view of the security door lock of

FIG. 7

in a locked state. Comparing the locked state of

FIG. 8

to the unlocked state of

FIG. 7

, in

FIG. 8

the inner slider shafts


164


,


166


are extended as a result of the integral rod holder bar


154


being extended by activation of the actuator


156


by a lock signal from the remote receive and power controller as shown in FIG.


2


. Activation of the actuator


156


causes the piston


159


and piston extension


158


, which attaches to the integral rod holder bar


154


, to extend thereby moving the inner slider shafts


164


,


166


further out of the outer slider tubes. When the security door lock


150


is mounted in a wall for locking a door, the slider shafts


164


,


166


enter into a door similar to the rods


32


,


34


in

FIG. 5

extending into the door


14


.




Referring to FIG.


10


and

FIG. 11

,

FIG. 10

is a perspective view of the molded housing


152


. Although the cover is not shown, it is made of plastic similar to the housing and it generally has a square shape and is mounted on the outside of the wall to cover the housing


152


. A slot is provided in the cover similar to the wall cover of

FIG. 4

so that a lever


176


protrudes through the slot for manual operation of the door lock


150


in case of a power failure.

FIG. 11

is a perspective view of the molded, integral, rod holder bar


154


which comprises the bar


170


, piston extension retainers


172


,


174


and a bar stabilizer


171


integrally attached perpendicular to the bar


170


. The bar stabilizer


171


comprises the lever


176


mounted on top for manual operation of the door lock


150


. Two wings


187


,


189


are provided at the point of the integral connection of the stabilizer


171


and the bar


170


for structural stability of the molded integral rod holder bar


154


.




The molded, integral, rod holder bar


154


is held in position within the housing


152


by flange holders


192


,


194


positioned on the wall of the housing to receive the flanges


182


,


184


on the bottom of the bar stabilizer


171


. When the door lock


150


is activated either electrically or manually, the flanges


182


,


184


slide within the flange holders


192


,


194


respectively. One side of the actuator


156


is secured in the housing


152


using retainers


198


,


199


and positioner flange


197


.




Referring again to

FIG. 7

, FIG.


10


and

FIG. 11

, the piston extension


158


of the actuator


156


comprises an axial


157


that fits within the grooves


173


,


175


of piston extension retainers


172


,


174


respectively. Holes


200


,


202


in the front of the housing


152


provide access for the outer slider tubes


160


,


162


to be screwed into housing receptacles


206


,


208


. The molded housing


152


and the molded rod holder bar


154


facilitate quick assembly of the security door lock of FIG.


7


.




Referring to

FIG. 12

a perspective view is shown of a door jam plate


200


for installation in a door frame. The door jam plate


200


comprises two mounting holes


204


,


206


and a cylindrical extension


202


for insertion into the door frame and for guiding the slider shafts


164


,


166


through a door jam or frame such as is accomplished by jam plates


100


,


102


in FIG.


6


. However, the cylindrical extension


202


is considerably longer on jam plate


200


for providing more strength and protection against attempted forced entry of the bar having such a security door lock.




Referring to

FIG. 13

, a perspective view of a door plate


210


is shown which is generally rectangular in shape to facilitate mounting on a door. The door plate


210


comprises two mounting holes


214


,


216


for receiving screws and a cylindrical extension


212


for insertion into the door and for receiving the slider shafts


164


,


166


protruding into the cylindrical extension


212


of door plates


210


. The slider shafts


164


,


166


protruding into the cylindrical extension


212


accomplishes the actual locking of a door such as is illustrated in

FIG. 5

which shows rods


32


and


34


protruding into door


14


.




Third Alternate Embodiment




Referring now to FIG.


14


and

FIG. 15

,

FIG. 14

is a front elevational view of a third alternate embodiment of the security door lock which is an underfloor door lock


300


. The underfloor door lock


300


is shown in

FIG. 14

in an unlocked state with its front cover removed disclosing its internal components. Such an underfloor door lock


300


is particularly useful when a door such as a front entrance door to a house has considerable glass either in the door or around the door frame preventing the use of the embodiment of a security door lock, as shown in

FIG. 1

, which mounts in the wall adjacent to the door.

FIG. 15

is a front elevational view of the underfloor door lock of

FIG. 14

showing the invention with its cover removed in a locked state. The door lock


300


is installed directly under a floor


292


which is directly under a closed door


290


. In the locked state a locking rod


314


extends up into the bottom of the door


290


, thereby preventing the door


290


from being opened. The underfloor door lock


300


comprises a housing


302


, an actuator


330


having a piston


331


, a piston extension


324


, a rack


308


, a cam


310


, a cam follower


312


, a lock shaft


314


and an outer tube


318


. In addition, a manual override cable


321


runs from the housing


302


up to a convenient wall box near the door


290


where the remote receiving and power controller


62


as shown in

FIG. 3

is located. The wire


327


in the cable


321


is attached to a lever (not shown) which actuates the wire


327


within the cable


321


and manually locks or unlocks the door lock


300


especially in cases of power failure.

FIG. 3

shows the wall cover


54


with the lever


18


protruding through the slot


55


for the manual operation.




Referring to FIG.


16


and

FIG. 17

,

FIG. 16

is a front elevational view of the housing which is embodied by molded plastic, and

FIG. 17

is a bottom sectional view of the housing. The housing


302


comprises a rack guide channel


306


for receiving the rack channel insert


342


(

FIG. 22

) and a cam follower guide channel


307


for receiving the stabilizer


315


of cam follower


312


(FIG.


25


). A cam support


305


is provided extending from the back wall below the cam follower guide channel


307


. The top of the cam support


305


includes a threaded cylinder for receiving a bolt


311


extending from the outer surface of the cam


310


. Three posts


309




a,




309




b


and


309




c


are equally spaced within the housing


302


each having a threaded hole on top for receiving a screw to secure a protective cover on the front of the housing


302


. Positioned in the upper right quadrant of the housing is a shelf structure for attaching the actuator


330


to a flanged surface


329


. Cutouts are provided in the shelf structure for accommodating the shape of the actuator


330


and to enable securing the actuator


330


to the shelf structure


304


. Four mounting holes


301




a


-


301




d


are provided in the rear wall of the housing


302


for mounting the door lock housing


302


under the floor


292


. An upper portion of the wall


303


of the housing


302


curves outward around the lower right corner of the housing


302


to provide space for the cam


310


to rotate within the housing


302


.




Referring to FIG.


18


and

FIG. 19

,

FIG. 18

is a front elevational view of a cam


310


of the invention, and

FIG. 19

is a perspective view of the cam


310


. The cam


310


comprises a follower channel


307


having a predetermined arc, in accordance with space provided in the housing


302


and the required travel distance of the cam


310


, and a sprocket


336


having a plurality of teeth


338


around the circumference of the sprocket


336


. The number of teeth


338


on the sprocket


336


in the present embodiment is thirty-six (36), and the number of teeth


344


on a mating linear rack


308


(as shown in

FIGS. 20-22

) is twenty-six (26). The basic requirement is that the teeth


338


of the cam sprocket


336


interleave with the teeth


344


of the linear rack


308


and that the sprocket


336


rolls smoothly along the rack


308


when the rack


308


moves. The center of the sprocket


336


comprises a cylindrical hole


337


for receiving a bolt


311


for mounting the cam


310


on the cam support


305


provided in the housing


302


. Two struts


334


provide structural support for the outer follower channel


307


. The end


339


of the follower channel


307


has a slightly larger radius or detent so that when the cam


310


is fully rotated to extend the rod


314


to its maximum extension, a guide post


313


of the cam follower


312


(as shown in

FIG. 24

) temporarily locks in the detent end


339


of the follower channel


307


, thereby preventing the rod


314


from coming down prematurely. The force of the piston extension


324


being retracted after an UNLOCK signal is received, causes the cam


310


to rotate and the guide post


313


to move out of the detent end


339


and proceed along the follower channel


307


.




Referring to

FIGS. 20

,


21


,


22


and


23


,

FIG. 20

is a front elevational view of the rack


308


of the invention.

FIG. 21

is a side elevational view of the rack


308


,

FIG. 22

is a perspective view of the rack


308


and

FIG. 23

is an enlarged view of a portion of the rack


308


showing the spacing of the teeth


344


on the rack


308


. The rack


308


functions in close cooperation with the cam


310


. The rack


308


comprises a plurality of teeth along one side, a channel insert


342


on an opposite side of the rack


308


bordered by a channel stop


340


extending away from the main plain of rack


308


as shown in FIG.


22


. The channel insert


342


fits within and slides along the rack guide channel


306


in the wall of the housing


302


. The channel stop


340


rests on top of the rack guide channel


306


.

FIGS. 21 and 22

show a fin


322


and a wire fastener


320


attached to the back of the rack


308


.

FIG. 15

shows the wire


327


extending from a cable fastener


323


and terminating in the wire fastener


320


. Above the wire fastener


320


and located on the back side of the fin


322


is a threaded cylindrical hole


319


for receiving a screw


329


for attaching the piston extension


324


to the rack


308


. Rubber washers


348


,


349


are positioned on each side of the piston extension


324


through which the screw


326


is inserted as shown in FIG.


14


.




Referring to FIG.


21


and

FIG. 23

,

FIG. 23

is an enlarged view of a portion of the rack


308


showing the spacing of the teeth


344


. In the present embodiment the distance “B” between two teeth is 0.075 inches and the angle A between two sides of one of the teeth


344


is 30 degrees. Other dimensions of the teeth


344


of the rack


308


may be implemented providing appropriate dimensions are used for the teeth


336


of the cam sprocket


336


so that the cam


310


and rack


308


mesh smoothly to move the lock shaft


314


.




Referring now to FIG.


24


and

FIG. 25

,

FIG. 24

is a side elevational view of a cam follower


312


having a guide post


313


for insertion into the cam follower channel


307


.

FIG. 25

is a top view of the cam follower


312


having a threaded hole


317


which receives the threaded end


316


of the lock shaft


314


as illustrated in FIG.


14


and FIG.


15


. The stabilizer


315


of the cam follower


312


is inserted into the cam follower channel


307


in the housing


302


. As the cam


312


turns, the stabilizer


315


slides along the cam follower channel


307


moving the lock shaft


314


up or down and in or out of the bottom of the door


290


as illustrated in FIG.


15


.




The teeth


338


of the cam sprocket


336


mesh with the teeth


344


of the rack


308


for smooth operation of moving the lock shaft


314


.




Referring now to

FIG. 26

, an exploded view is shown of a portion of the sprocket


336


showing the teeth


338


and details of the teeth


338


of the embodiment of FIG.


18


. The height “D” of a tooth


338


is 0.060 inches; the distance “E” from the center of the hole


337


in the sprocket


336


to the top of the tooth


338


is 0.456 inches; the width “G” of the top of the tooth is 0.019 inches and displacement of the leading or trailing edge of the tooth


338


is 0.019 inches. As noted previously other dimensions of the teeth


338


may be implemented providing appropriate dimensions are used for the teeth


344


of the rack


308


so that the cam


310


and rack


308


mesh smoothly to move the lock shaft


314


.




Referring again to

FIG. 3

,

FIG. 14

, and

FIG. 15

, the underfloor security door lock


300


operates when it receives control signals, LOCK and UNLOCK from the remote receiver and power controller


62


which receive control signals from remote control transmitter


66


shown in FIG.


3


. When the underfloor door lock


300


receives the LOCK signal the actuator


330


extends a piston


331


out of the actuator in a downward direction


347


a fixed distance. The piston extension


324


which attaches to the end of the piston


331


is attached to the rack


308


by screw


326


and the teeth


344


of the rack


308


mesh or interleave with the teeth


338


of the sprocket


336


on the back of cam


310


. As the rack


308


is moved downward


347


, the cam


310


rotates driving the cam follower


312


in an upward direction


345


as the guide post


313


of the cam follower


312


advances along the cam follower channel


307


. Because the latch rod


314


is attached to the cam follower


312


the latch rod


314


moves in an upward direction


345


extending up into the bottom of the door


290


.




The actuators


16


,


156


, and


330


used in the various embodiments described herein are identical and may be embodied by a commonly available device used as an actuator for power locks in a motor vehicle. The housing


302


, and rack


308


, cam


310


and cam follower


312


are made of plastic from molds for low cost manufacturing and assembly of the underfloor door lock


300


.




Referring to

FIGS. 27

,


28


, and


29


,

FIG. 27

is a perspective view of a door rod assembly


350


having a U-shaped design for mounting over the end of a door


290


after the door


290


has been trimmed by the thickness of the door rod assembly


350


to fit within the original dimensions of the door


290


.

FIG. 27

shows a top view of the door rod assembly


350


attached to the door


290


and

FIG. 29

is a perspective view of the door rod assembly


350


attached to the door


290


. An elongated rod


352


is positioned within the U-shaped door rod assembly


350


and is inserted within a semi-cylindrical section for ease of movement of the door rod


352


within the assembly


350


. The door rod assembly


350


is a single extruded piece made of aluminum or other similar material. When the underfloor door lock


300


is activated, the rod


314


extends into the door rod assembly


350


pushing the door rod


352


upward to extend into the door frame


294


above the door


290


, thereby locking the door at the top and the bottom.




This invention has been disclosed in terms of certain embodiments. It will be apparent that many modifications can be made to the disclosed apparatus without departing from the invention. Therefore, it is the intent of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of this invention.



Claims
  • 1. A security door lock for mounting inside a wall comprising:means for generating a signal to activate and to deactivate said door lock; means, connected to said signal generating means for extending a piston a predetermined distance in response to said activate signal; means attached to said piston for moving at least one rod said predetermined distance from a first position to a second position when activated, said rod returning to said first position when said lock receives said signal to deactivate; means, attached to said moving means parallel to said piston, for stabilizing said moving means; and said stabilizing means being secured by retaining means attached to a wall of said door lock for allowing said stabilizing means to slide said predetermined distance when said piston is extended.
  • 2. The security door lock as listed in claim 1 wherein said moving means comprises said one rod protruding from a first area and in parallel with another rod protruding from a second area.
  • 3. The security door lock as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for extending said piston comprises an actuator.
  • 4. The security door lock as recited in claim 1 wherein said moving means is attached to said piston with a pair of arms extending from said moving means.
  • 5. The security door lock as recited in claim 1 wherein said signal generating means comprises:means for transmitting a coded signal; means for receiving and decoding said coded signal; means for generating said lock activating signal in response to said decoded signal when said door is closed.
  • 6. The security door lock as recited in claim 1 wherein said signal generating means comprises a remote control transmitter.
  • 7. The security door lock as recited in claim 1 wherein said lock comprises means for sensing said door being closed before allowing said piston extending means to be activated.
  • 8. The security door lock as recited in claim 1 wherein said lock comprises means, extending from said stabilizing means, for manually locking and unlocking said door lock.
  • 9. A security door lock system for mounting inside a wall adjacent to a door and a door frame comprising:a remote control transmitter for generating a coded signal; receiver means for decoding said coded signal from said transmitter; means for sensing that said door is closed; means connected to said receiver means and said closed door sensing means for generating a lock control signal and an unlock control signal; actuator means connected to said lock control signal generating means for extending a piston a predetermined distance in response to said lock control signal; a rod holder bar attached to said piston for moving at least one rod said predetermined distance from a position in said door frame to a position inside said door in response to said actuator means receiving said lock signal, said at least one rod being retracted to said position in said door frame in response to said actuator means receiving said unlock control signal; a bar stabilizer portion of said rod holder bar, attached approximately perpendicular to a bar portion of said rod holder bar and parallel to said piston, for stabilizing said rod holder bar, said bar stabilizer portion being positioned a predetermined distance away from said attachment of said bar portion to said piston; and said bar stabilizer portion being secured by retaining means attached to a wall of said door lock for allowing said rod holder bar to slide said predetermined distance when said piston is extended.
  • 10. The security door lock system as recited in claim 9 wherein said rod holder bar comprises said one rod protruding from a first end area of said bar portion to within said door frame and another rod protruding from a second end area to within said door frame.
  • 11. The security door lock system as recited in claim 9 wherein said rod holder bar attaches to said piston by a pair of spaced apart arms extending from said bar portion of said rod holder bar.
  • 12. The security door lock system as recited in claim 9 wherein said lock system comprises means extending above said bar stabilizer portion for manually locking and unlocking said door lock system.
  • 13. The security door lock system as recited in claim 9 wherein said system comprises an AC power source and means for providing DC power to said system when the AC power source is unavailable.
  • 14. A method of providing a security door lock for use in a wall adjacent to a door and a door frame comprising the steps of:generating a signal to activate and a signal to deactivate said door lock; extending a piston attached to an actuator toward a door in response to said activating signal, said piston being positioned in an enclosure adjacent to said door; attaching a rod holder bar approximately perpendicular to an end of said piston, said rod holder bar comprising a bar portion and a bar stabilizer portion perpendicular to said bar portion; extending at least one rod from said bar of said rod holder bar into a door frame; moving said rod from said door frame into said door, when said piston is extended; and stabilizing said rod holder bar means by retaining means attached to a wall of said door lock for allowing said bar stabilizer portion of said rod holder bar to slide in parallel with said extending piston.
  • 15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of generating a signal to activate and a signal to deactivate said door lock comprises the steps of:generating a coded signal with a remote control transmitter; receiving said coded signal in means for decoding said coded signal; determining said door is closed with sensor means positioned at said door frame prior to providing said activating signal to said piston.
  • 16. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said step of extending at least one rod from said rod holder bar comprises the step of extending a second rod from said rod holder bar, said rods being spaced apart a predetermined distance.
  • 17. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said method comprises the step of providing a door sensor to determine said door is closed before allowing said piston to be activated.
  • 18. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein said method comprises the step of manually locking and unlocking said door lock by providing a lever extending from said bar stabilizer portion of said rod holder bar enabling said rod holder bar to be moved back and forth.
  • 19. A housing comprising:a first generally rectangular area having side walls; a second generally square area having side walls, said second area extending perpendicular to said first generally rectangular area with no barrier between said first area and said second area; a rod holder bar disposed within said first area and said second area, an elongated bar portion positioned in said first area and a bar stabilizer portion attached perpendicular to said bar portion and positioned in said second area; means, attached to an inner wall of said housing, for retaining flanges on lower portions of said bar stabilizer, said retaining means allowing said flanges to slide back and forth; a lever extending above a top portion of said bar stabilizer for manually moving said rod holder bar back and forth within said housing; first threaded receptacles for receiving slide tubes positioned on opposite ends of a front panel of said housing; second threaded receptacles for receiving slider shafts positioned on opposite ends of said bar; and a pair of spaced apart arms extending from said bar parallel to said bar stabilizer.
  • 20. The housing as recited in claim 19 wherein said pair of arms comprises apertures for attaching a piston of an actuator.
  • 21. The housing as recited in claim 19 wherein said rod holder bar comprises wing means for strengthening the intersection of said bar portion and said bar stabilizer portion.
  • 22. A security door lock for mounting under a door comprising:means for generating a signal to activate and to deactivate said door lock; means, connected to said signal generating means, for extending a piston a first predetermined distance in response to said activate signal, said piston extending means being attached to a housing for said door lock; means attached to said piston for moving a rod a second predetermined distance in a direction opposite the direction of said piston; means, positioned adjacent to said piston extending means and formed as part of said housing, for receiving a hollow tube, said hollow tube being screwed into said part of said housing; and an end of said rod being inserted into said hollow tube and attached to said rod moving means beyond said hollow tube.
  • 23. The security door lock as recited in claim 22 wherein said rod moving means comprises an interleaving rack and cam combination, said rack being attached to said piston extending means and said cam having a cam follower coupled thereto, said cam follower being attached to said rod.
  • 24. The security door lock as recited in claim 22 wherein said rod moving means comprises a rack attached to said piston, said rack comprises teeth which interleave with teeth of a sprocket portion of a cam, said cam driving said rod whereby said rack and cam translate said extending of said piston into moving said rod in said opposite direction.
  • 25. The security door lock as recited in claim 24 wherein said door lock comprises a cam follower having a guide post, andsaid cam comprises a curved channel for said guide post to travel therein, said cam follower being attached to an end of said rod for moving said rod into said door.
  • 26. The security door lock as recited in claim 24 wherein said rod moves said predetermined distance into a bottom portion of a door, said rod pushing a second rod upward said second predetermined distance within said door and into a door frame above said door.
  • 27. In combination:a housing for a door lock; an actuator mounted in said housing having a piston, said piston extending in response to a control signal; a rack attached to an end of said piston, said rack having a side edge inserted in a linear channel of said housing, said rack having a plurality of teeth; a cam comprises a sprocket, said sprocket comprises a plurality of teeth, said plurality of teeth of said sprocket positioned to mesh with said plurality of teeth of said rack for driving said cam, said cam further includes an open curved channel; a cam follower having a guide post, said guide post being positioned in said curved channel of said cam, said cam follower having a stabilizer portion inserted into a linear follower channel of said housing; a rod attached to said cam follower, said rod being extended by said cam follower for insertion into a door.
  • 28. The combination as recited in claim 27 wherein said combination comprises an outer tube into which said rod is inserted, said outer tube being secured to a portion of said leg housing above said cam follower.
  • 29. The combination as recited in claim 27 wherein said rod extends into a bottom portion of said door pushing a second rod upward within said door and into a door frame above said door.
  • 30. The combination as recited in claim 27 wherein said sprocket of said cam comprises 36 teeth around the circumference of said sprocket.
  • 31. The combination as recited in claim 27 wherein said door lock comprises a manual override cable, said cable connects to a control box mounted in a wall near said door.
  • 32. A method of providing a security door lock for mounting under a door comprising the steps of:generating a signal to activate and to deactivate said door lock; extending a piston a first predetermined distance in response to said activate signal, with means connected to said signal generating means, said piston extending means being attached to a housing for said door lock; moving a first rod a second predetermined distance in a direction opposite the direction of said piston with means attached to said piston extending means, and attaching said first rod to said means attached to said piston extending.
  • 33. The method as recited in claim 32 wherein said method comprises the step of inserting said rod into a hollow tube for lock strength, said hollow tube being attached to said housing.
  • 34. The method as recited in claim 32 wherein said method comprises the step of providing a second elongated rod within said door and positioning said first rod to push said second rod upward out of said door and into a door frame above said door.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/129,648 filed Aug. 5, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,385 and assigned to the same assignee as this application.

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4683733 Marin Aug 1987 A
4770012 Johansson et al. Sep 1988 A
4794268 Nakano et al. Dec 1988 A
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4820330 Lin Apr 1989 A
4877275 DeForrest, Sr. Oct 1989 A
4970494 Keely et al. Nov 1990 A
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5525973 Andreou et al. Jun 1996
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Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/129648 Aug 1998 US
Child 09/596598 US