Door Lock With Prism Display

Abstract

A doorknob assembly of the type wherein a button, generally centrally located in the handle, is effective to lock and unlock a lock mechanism. The button to lock and unlock the door moves within a passage, a portion of which may have a suitable indicia, for example a colored band, positioned on it. The button includes a prism with a reflecting surface, object surface and image surface. When the reflecting surface is positioned adjacent the indicia in the passage, there will be a display visible at the outer transparent area of the button. Thus, the condition of the lock mechanism is readily apparent to one using the doorknob.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a doorknob assembly including means for indicating the condition of the door lock.

Another purpose is a doorknob assembly of the type described utilizing a reflective prism to indicate the condition of the door lock.

Another purpose is a doorknob assembly of the type described including a pushbutton movable in a central passage to unlock and lock the door lock mechanism, with the position of the pushbutton being readily visible through the use of colored indicia.

Other purposes will appear in the ensuing specification, drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a doorknob assembly, with portions broken away, and

FIG. 2 is a side elevation from the left side of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1 a portion of a door is indicated generally at 10. There are handles 12 and 14 on each side of the door. There is a lock mechanism, not shown, between the handles and positioned within the door behind the plate 16. The door latch is indicated at 18 and will be held in either a locked or unlocked position, depending upon the condition of the lock mechanism.

The knob 14 has a central passage 20 defined by a cylindrical wall 22. Movable within the passage 20 is a button 24 attached to a shaft 26. As is conventional in button-type door locks, the shaft 26 will be attached to the lock mechanism. In one position of the button, the lock mechanism will be locked, whereas, in other position, as indicated in phantom lines, it will be unlocked. The particular locking mechanism is not shown, although such locking mechanisms are old in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,024,055 shows a pushbutton-type locking mechanism. Also, the Schlage Lock Co. of California makes a pushbutton type of doorknob lock.

The knob 14 has a concave surface 28 which terminates in an inwardly directed flange 30. The flange 30 adjoins a wall portion 32 which in turn is attached to the passage wall 22 to complete the handle assembly. Suitable indicia in the form of a colored band or the like indicated at 34 may be attached to the wall portion 32 adjacent the flange 30. The flange 30 in effect positions indicia 34 properly within the passage 20.

The button 24 includes a transparent outer member 36 having an inwardly directed wall portion 38. Within the transparent outer member 36 of the button is an inner opaque base member 40 which is attached to the shaft 26. A reflecting surface 42 is formed on the base member 40 where it joins the outer transparent member 36. The reflecting surface 42 may be suitably polished or plated with a reflecting medium, for example chrome or the like, to provide a high degree of light reflection. The outer surface 44 may be termed an image surface and the wall portion 38 forms an object surface. Thus, a prism construction, annular in configuration, is formed by the combination of the object surface, reflecting surface and image surface. When the button 24 is in the inward position of FIG. 1, the indicia 34 is directly adjacent the object surface and thus the indicia will be displayed the at the image surface. When the button 24 is in the out position, as indicated in phantom lines, the lock mechanism is unlocked, and the indicia 34 will no longer be adjacent the object surface. The prism will not then reflect the color image to the front of the handle 14, but will reflect the color of the knob or handle which in most cases will be chrome or brass.

Preferably the outer member 36 of the button 24 is formed of a clear plastic and the base 40 may be formed of an opaque plastic. The transparent outer surface will only display what is seen by the object surface, which is positioned adjacent the indicia when the button is in the in or locked position. Thus, the condition of a door lock is readily apparent to one approaching the door. If a color display, for example red or green, is visible at the button, the condition of a door lock is readily known. Although only a single band of indicia is shown herein, there may be separate bands of indicia, one of one color and one of another. In such a construction, one band of indicia would be visible when the button was in the in or locked position, and another band of indicia would be visible when the button is in the unlocked or out position. Thus, regardless of the condition of the lock, there would be a display at the pushbutton.

The invention should not be limited to the use of one or two different bands of indicia, nor should it be limited to color as the indicia. Various designs or written information may also be useful to form the display at the pushbutton.

Whereas the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it should be realized that there are many modifications, alterations and substitutions thereto.

Claims

I claim:

1. In a doorknob assembly, a handle, a passage within the handle, a shaft positioned in the passage and adapted to be attached to a lock mechanism, a button attached to said shaft, said button and shaft being reciprocal in said passage for locking and unlocking a lock mechanism,

said button including a reflecting surface and a transparent area in alignment with the reflecting surfaces, indicia positioned in the passage adjacent the path of movement of said button, said indicia being visible at said transparent area when said reflecting surface is in alignment with said indicia to provide an indication of the condition of the lock mechanism.

2. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that said indicia extends circumferentially about the passage, with said reflecting surface extending circumferentially within the button.

3. The structure of claim 2 further characterized in that the entire outer surface of said button is transparent.

4. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that said button includes an outer member and an inner member, with the outer member being transparent and the inner member forming a reflecting surface.

5. The structure of claim 4 further characterized in that the transparent outer member includes a wall portion extending inwardly within the passage beyond the reflecting surface, with said wall portion forming an object surface adapted to be positioned adjacent the indicia in one position of the button.

6. The structure of claim 5 further characterized in that said indicia has an axial length, within the passage, such that it is adjacent the reflecting surface in only one position of the button.

7. The structure of claim 5 further characterized in that said reflecting surface has a coating of a reflective material.

8. The structure of claim 5 further characterized in that said inner member extends inwardly within said passage beyond said extending wall portion.