Lock For A Glass Door

Abstract

A lock mechanism for a door comprises one or more lock cylinders which are mounted on opposite sides of the door and which are connected through the door to actuate a common lever in response to appropriate movement of the tabs on the backs of the lock cylinders. The lever locks or unlocks the door by advancing or retracting vertically one or more bolts. Ball bearings are used throughout to reduce friction.

Parent Case Text

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application Ser. No. 21,257 filed Mar. 20, 1970, now abandoned, and discloses and claims in part the subject matter disclosed and claimed in that application.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to locks, particularly locks adapted for use with glass doors, and more particularly, to locks of the type having vertically operative bolts. These bolt locks operate by driving the bolts vertically into the structure surrounding the door to lock the door and retracting the bolts into a lock housing to unlock the door.

In the prior art such bolt mechanisms were generally disposed within the door frame itself. With solid glass doors this is practically impossible unless the door frame supporting the glass is bulky enough to accommodate the bolt mechanism. Further, the heavy bolts were difficult to actuate.

I have developed a number of lock mechanisms utilizing lock housings mounted on the plane surface of a glass door intermediate the vertical edges of the door, and preferably having a lock cylinder on both sides of the door. The lock mechanism is readily operable by means of a single key in a lock cylinder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the preferred embodiment, my invention comprises a plural cylinder lock mechanism which can be mounted inwardly from the extreme vertical edge of the door. One of the lock cylinders is connected through a hole in the door to a bolt mechanism. The other cylinder is connected through the lock housing to the same bolt mechanism, which includes a common lever for pivotal movement in response to appropriate movement of either one of the lock cylinders. The lever in turn actuates the bolt mechanism to extend or retract vertically one or more bolts for locking and unlocking the door respectively. The lever, bolts and other parts of the mechanism include bearings to make their operation smoother and easier.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide a new and novel lock mechanism for use particularly with glass doors.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new vertical bolt lock mechanism for glass doors, which need not be mounted in the frame of the door.

It is a further object to provide a vertical bolt mechanism of the type described which provides a means for mounting the lock cylinders so that the entire lock mechanism housing can be utilized to better advantage from a design standpoint.

It is a further object to provide a readily operable vertical bolt mechanism which can be easily manually actuated by means of a single key in a lock cylinder.

These and other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glass door having associated therewith handles and a lock housing of a type using vertical bolts;

FIG. 2 is a foreshortened enlarged section taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 2--2 in FIG. 1 showing the bolt mechanism in extended position so that the bolts are disposed in the structure surrounding the door;

FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged sectional view partially broken away showing a portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 2 in an alternate position with the bolts retracted; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 4--4 in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Although specific forms of the invention have been selected for illustration in the drawings, and the following description is drawn in specific terms for the purpose of describing these forms of the invention, this description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

Referring to FIG. 1, a glass door 10 includes a glass panel without any frame. I have provided a lock mechanism of the vertical bolt type which in this embodiment comprises a plurality of housings designated generally 14 and 16. The housings are oppositely disposed on either side of the glass door spaced intermediate the vertical edges thereof and are integrated with the handles 15 and 17 respectively.

In this embodiment the housing 16 serves as a means for mounting one lock cylinder 18, FIGS. 3 and 4. The tab 12 of the cylinder 18 operates in a plane which is parallel to the vertical face 11 of the door. The lock cylinder 18 passes through a hole 24 in the glass door 10.

The housing 14 is composed of a plurality of members interconnected to form a rigid unified structure including the handle 15. The entire housing 14 is fixedly connected to the door and to the housing 16 in any suitable manner, such as, by bolts (as at for example 13, FIG. 4). The housing 14 comprises a rigid channel shaped member 21 which is interfitted with a cover 23. The housing 14 contains the vertical bolt lock mechanism and a lock cylinder 20.

To actuate the bolts I have provided a pivotally mounted lever means which cooperates with the rotating tabs on the lock cylinders. This lever means comprises a pivot arm 60 which is pivotally mounted at one end to a bracket 62 by means of a spring pin 64 passing through the bracket and the pivot arm. The bracket is held in place in the housing by any suitable means such as the screw 66 passing through the portion 21. The bracket 62 extends across the width of the channel formed between the side walls of the portion 21 and terminates in a relieved channel-shaped portion 68 which supports a T-shaped insert 70. The insert is preferably made of a hard rubber material such as Butyl rubber.

The pivot arm 60 is pivotable about the pin 64. Extending from opposite faces of the pivot arm 60 are pairs of cylindrical coaxial lugs 72, 73, 74 and 75. The lugs are engaged by the tabs of the lock cylinders as they rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise to lock or unlock the door. For example, in order to pivot the pivot arm 60 in a clockwise direction when viewed as in FIG. 3 (to lock the door by extending the bolts) it is necessary to rotate the tab 12 of the locking cylinder 18 in a counterclockwise direction so that it engages the lug 74 and, as it continues to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, pushes the lug 74 in a clockwise direction about the spring pin 64. If the direction of rotation of the tab 12 were reversed, the tab 12 would pass the lug 74 and engage the lug 75 thereby pivoting the pivot arm 60 in a counterclockwise direction about the spring pin 64.

Similarly a counterclockwise rotation of the tab 19 on the lock cylinder 20 would cause the tab to engage the lug 72 when the mechanism is in the position shown in FIG. 3 and move the pivot arm 60 to the right. Reversing the directional rotation of the tab 19 would cause it to pass the lug 72 and engage the lug 73 thereby moving the pivot arm 60 to the left back to its position as shown in FIG. 3.

The pivotal movement of the pivot arm 60 actuates the bolt mechanism. This mechanism comprises most preferably a plurality of bolts which are vertically mounted to extend into the structure (200 FIG. 2) surrounding the door and to be retracted within the lock housing. In the embodiment shown the upper locking bolt comprises a square bolt 80. The lower end of the bolt 80 terminates in a yoke having a bar 82 pivotally connected thereto by the pin 81.

In accordance with the present invention I have provided a means whereby the bolt mechanism is made considerably easier to operate. This means comprises a plurality of bearings attached to the bolt. It is preferable to have four such bearings, as at 83, 84, 85 and 86' disposed on opposite sides of the bolt 80 and proximate to the ends thereof. The bearings are preferably ball bearings and are retained on the bolt by means of guide pins 86 which pass through and engage the inner races of the bearings and are fixedly engaged in holes in the bolt 80. It is preferable to have washers 87 disposed between the vertical edges of bolt 80 and the ball bearings.

The bearings ride in the web of the channel portion 21 and on a shim spring 88 which is mounted in the web. The shim spring is a thin strip of material such as a 302 stainless steel strip preferably on the order of 0.015 inches thick and includes two vertically extending legs which are slightly bowed to provide a spring action and prevents rattling. The spring may be held in place in any suitable manner such as by tabs extending therefrom into supporting holes as shown.

Spacer blocks 89 are used to maintain the bolt 80 in vertical alignment in the housing.

I have found that this arrangement considerably reduces the frictional resistance to movement of the bolt and in part provides an effective means for raising and lowering the bolt by the use of a single key and lock cylinder. The remaining linkage for accomplishing this result in response to pivotal movement of the pivot arm 60 comprises a link 100 which is pivotally mounted intermediate the ends thereof to a bracket 102 by means of a pin 104. The bracket is held in fixed position in the housing by any suitable means such as screws (not shown) passing through the depending walls of the member 21. The link 100 is pivotally connected at one end to the bar 82 by the pin 108 and is pivotally connected at the other end to the bar 110 by the pin 112. The bar 110 is pivotally connected to a slide plate assembly designated generally 114.

The slide plate assembly comprises two flat plates 116 and 118 which are held in spaced relation by means of a spacer 120. The spacer is fixed between the plates in any suitable manner as by riveting. The bar 110 is pivotally engaged with the upper end of the slide plate assembly as by means of the rivet 122. The slide plate assembly also includes bearings which will be more fully described herein after in connection with the function of the plate and its movement in the housing.

The slide plate assembly provides a means for engaging the pivot arm 60 whereby on appropriate movement of the pivot arm the slide plate assembly is raised or lowered vertically in order to raise or lower the bolt 80. This means comprises a cam and follower mechanism associated with the slide plate assembly and the pivot arm. The spacer 120 provides the cam surface 130 which is flat and is disposed on an angle to the vertical line of movement of the locking bolts. The cam surface 130 is engaged by a portion of the pivot arm 60. This portion comprises most preferably a ball bearing 132 held for rotation in the yoked end of the pivot arm 60 by means of a lock pin 134. The lock pin 134 extends beyond both sides of the yoked portion of the pivot arm 60 as clearly shown in FIG. 4 for reasons which will be more fully explained hereinafter. As the pivot arm 60 is rotated from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 2 the surface of the ball bearing 132 will engage the surface 130 of the cam of the spacer 120 and as the bearing continues to rotate in a clockwise direction when viewed as in FIG. 3 the slide assembly 114 will be pulled vertically downwardly by gravity in the lock housing thereby forcing the locking bolt 80 to be extended from the housing to the position shown in FIG. 2. On counter rotation of the pivot arm 60 the assembly will be forced upwardly in the housing thereby retracting the bolt 80.

The plates 116 and 118 have similar S-shaped slots 136 and 138 respectively therein. The extending ends of the pin 134 are disposed in these slots as shown in FIG. 4. The slots are so shaped that the ends of the pin 134 basically ride substantially in the center of the slot throughout the entire travel of the pivot arm. The principal function of the end of the pin is to prevent the opening of the mechanism when it is in the closed position as shown in FIG. 2 by other than a key actuating the pivot arm 60. Thus, if one were to push downwardly on the bolt 80 in an attempt to raise the rod 110 and the assembly 114, the lower portion of the right hand terminal end of the S-shaped slots would engage the pin 134 after perhaps less than one-eighth inch of travel and prevent the mechanism from being jimmied opened. At the other end of the slot the pins do not engage the upper or lower ends of the S-shaped slots and the ball bearing 132 passes slightly over center of the corner of the spacer 120 as it leaves the surface 130. This overcenter action prevents the mechanism from accidentally extending the bolts when they are retracted.

When the mechanism is in the position shown in FIG. 2 the assembly rests on the upper cross member of the T-shaped insert 70 which, as previously stated, is preferably made of a hard rubber material. This has the effect of deadening the sound and positively stopping the action of the assembly.

The operation of the device requires minimal effort to move the slide plate assembly by virtue of the fact that the assembly is mounted for movement on ball bearings. Four such bearings 150 are shown in FIG. 3. Each of the bearings is mounted between axial spacer elements such as washers between the plates 116 and 118 so that they are freely rotatable about their axes. The bearings along the left hand side of the slide plate assembly when viewed as in FIG. 3 bear against the depending side of the member 21. The bearings along the right hand side bear against blocks 152 and 153 of preferably hard rubber material such as Butyl rubber. The blocks are fastened to the inner side of the depending wall of the member 21 and are preferably attached thereto by any suitable means such as a pressure sensitive backing for bonding to aluminum. The blocks of rubber not only serve as a bearing surface for the ball bearings to roll upon, but also serve to contain the entire slide plate assembly and to force the bearings on the left hand side against the member 21 as aforesaid. The blocks while hard are nevertheless resilient and provide for easy, quiet action of the mechanism.

The lower dead bolt portion of the mechanism is exactly the same as the upper dead bolt portion and the connecting rods are also exactly the same with the exception that there is no need for a link such as the link 100 or for a bracket such as the bracket 102. Rather the lower bolt 180 is pivotally connected to a bar 182 by means of a pin 181 and the bar is directly pivotally connected to the lower end of the slide plate assembly 114 by means of the pin 183. The entire arrangement otherwise is exactly the same and consists of four ball bearings and four spacer blocks and a shim spring all arranged as described in relation to the bolt 80.

Thus, as the slide plate assembly is moved upwardly as the pivot arm 60 rotates to the left from the position shown in FIG. 3, the bolt 180 is retracted as is the bolt 80, and likewise when the pivot arm is moved back to the right to the position shown in FIG. 2 the slide plate assembly moves downwardly thereby extending the bolt 180 and through actuation of the link 100 extending the bolt 80, thereby locking the door.

It will be noted that in my prior copending application referred to above the mechanism shown included a counterbalancing spring. No such spring is required for the mechanism shown in this application, since friction has been reduced to a minimum at all points of contact and in actual practice simple rotation of a key in a lock cylinder will cause the mechanism to be actuated either to extend or retract the lock bolts with a minimal manual effort.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangement of parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. In particular, it will be understood that the device can work with a single lock cylinder either mounted on the lock housing or mounted through the door. Further, it will be understood that the device can work with a single locking bolt either at the top or a dead bolt at the bottom.

It will further be understood that the "Abstract of the Disclosure" set forth above is intended to provide a non-legal technical statement of the contents of the disclosure in compliance with the Rules of Practice of the United States Patent Office, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention described and claimed herein.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A lock mechanism for a door, comprising:

a. lock cylinder means having a movable locking tab connected thereto;

b. a pivot arm pivotable about a fulcrum;

c. means connected to said pivot arm and engageable by said locking tab to pivot said pivot arm in response to movement of said locking tab; and

d. locking bolt means comprising at least one lock bolt connected to a slide assembly movable in response to pivotal movement of said pivot arm for extending or retracting said lock bolt with respect to said mechanism to a locking or unlocked condition respectively; said slide assembly comprising a plurality of plates fixedly spaced with respect to one another, said plates having substantially S-shaped apertures therein, and pin means extending from said pivot arm and into said apertures, said pin means being so positioned with respect to said apertures as to provide a means for positively preventing said slide means from moving when said slide means and the pivot arm are in a predetermined relationship whereby said mechanism is prevented from being unlocked without appropriate movement of the pivot arm.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the movement of said slide assembly in response to movement of said pivot arm is accomplished through a cam means disposed therebetween, said cam means providing a means to prevent the mechanism from accidently extending the lock bolt when it is retracted in the unlocked condition, comprising a positive stop to prevent actuation of the cam means without appropriate movement of the pivot arm.