Door Locking Mechanism

Abstract

A door locking device comprising a cam latch released by a lock piece that can slide vertically in a vertical frame of a door. An actuating means is provided in the frame and slides the lock piece vertically, and a flexible and slackenable line connects the actuating means and the lock piece.

Description

This invention relates to a locking mechanism, and more particularly, to an improved locking arrangement for a door. The door according to this invention may serve as a sliding door and a swinging door.

In general, various apparatuses and arrangements for locking doors have been used, such as cylinder lock operated flush bolt, and dead bolts and/or cam latches.

It is an object of this invention to provide a locking device and locking means, which device and means may be installed in a position not easily found by strangers and may exhibit a remarkable merit in respect to burglary-proofness.

Another object of this invention is to provide a locking device easily locked and unlocked. The device is mountable in such places are previously were not suitable for the installation of an ordinary locking device, and it requires no skilled or troublesome work to install the locking device.

Another object of this invention is the provision of the locking device, wherein the locking mechanism can be locked against the door directly; and can be served as a means being capable of locking another locking device installed to the vertical frame too.

Further object of this invention is the provision of a locking device having a simple and sturdy construction and the provision of excellent and durable products because of an extremely simplified manufacture with low cost.

In order to attain the above objects, the door locking device of the invention comprises a lock piece provided slidably in the vertical frame of a door. An actuating means is provided in the vertical frame and slides the lock piece vertically, and a slackenable line connects the actuating means and the lock piece.

Further detailed explanation of this invention will become clear by the following explanation referring to the drawings showing the embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a pair of locking devices embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, showing a lock piece and an actuating means interconnecting therewith on an identical plane for the convenience of understanding;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a guide member of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the section line IV--IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial front view of a door as an embodiment of the locking device according to this invention;

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the locking device of this invention, similar to that of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows still another embodiment of the locking device, almost similar to that of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the vertical frame and jamb of a door which is provided with another embodiment of the locking device of this invention;

FIG. 9 is a partial plan section taken along the plane IX--IX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a partial front view of yet another embodiment of the locking device of this invention, showing its fractional view; and

FIG. 11 is a drawing generally resembling FIG. 8 and showing another embodiment of the locking device.

FIGS. 1 through 4 show a pair of an inner door 1 and an outer door 10.

The vertical frame 2 of the inner door 1 is provided with a base 7a of an ordinary door latch 7. A cam latch is rotatably supported by the base 7a by means of a rotational shaft 12, which is integral with the cam latch, and passes through the base. A free end 13 of the rotational shaft is provided in the vertical frame 2 and possesses flat faces 14a and 14b in order to engage the lock piece 3 to which will be referred later. A cam latch keeper 9 with which the cam latch are engaged, is fixedly installed to the vertical frame 11 of the outer door 10.

A lock piece 3 is vertical slidably provided inside the vertical frame 3 and has a fork 3a with a groove 15 for receiving and securing the end 13. The lock piece 4 is situated on the room-side surface of the vertical frame 2 and passes an integral arm 17 through an aperture made in the vertical frame. A line 6 having flexibility and slackenness such as a wire, chain or line is connected, extending over an aperture 18 or the arm 17 and another aperture 16 on top of the lock piece 3. A screw 19 secures the line to the arm 17.

The lock piece 3 falls inside the vertical frame 2 through an opening 20 of the back of the surface where the lock piece 4 is provided. A sliding panel 59 of the actuating means is covered by a cover plate 23. This cover plate 23 is fixed to the vertical frame with a screw 50. This enables the sliding panel to slide vertically within the space 58 enveloped by the vertical frame 2 and the cover plate 23.

When the lock piece 3 is fallen into the vertical frame 2, it is easy to insert the line from the opening to the vertical frame because the line 6 connected to the lock piece is slackened and the opening may be small in size. If, therefore, a stiff rod having little flexibility were substituted for the slackenable line proposed in this invention, then the above-mentioned advantages would not be expected.

Now in the condition shown in FIG. 2, the latch cam 8 is engaged with the latch cam keeper 9; the end 13 of the rotational shaft of the door latch 7 enters the groove 15 of the lock piece 3; the movement of the rotational shaft is controlled; the guide piece 21 of the lock piece is inserted into the vertical frame in advance.

If the handle 4 is slidden upwardd in such a state, the lock piece 3 will accordingly be raised by the action of the line 6 along a guide piece 21, when the form forming the groove 15 separates from the end 13, the latch cam 8 of the door latch may rotate freely. Furthermore, in case the lock piece 3 is raised too, a part of the piece is still engaged inside the guide piece 21. If, on the contrary, the actuating means 4 is lowered, the lock piece 3 goes down with its own weight, while the groove 15 engages with the end 13 of the rotational shaft, whereby the rotation of the latch cam 8 is checked.

The guide piece 21 which prevents the lock piece 3 from rotating has a frame-like structure with a square cross section, and has an opening 21d free at its upper and lower ends, and parts of the guide pieces 21a and 21b, partially cut away. The guide piece is located inside the vertical frame 2 and the aforementioned lock piece is guided into the opening 21d at the right position. The tapered face 21c at the top of the guide piece 21 is provided for smooth conduction of the lock piece in assembling. The stopper or projection 22 formed by bending upward a portion of the vertical frame holds the guide piece at a predetermined position.

The upper notch 21a of the guide piece is provided for the escape of the set screw of the door latch when the screw is driven in. The lower notch 21b, on the other hand, is given in order to cause the end 13 of the rotational shaft of the door latch 7 to pass through the guide piece, thereby engaging with the tip of the rotational shaft of the door latch with the lock piece provided in the guide piece.

The apparatus of this invention is further equipped with a means to avoid the excessive fall of the lock piece with its own weight. The structure of this means is as follows:

The cover plate of the actuating means is provided with an aperture 53 and a bore 24, and the fall of the lock piece 3 by its own weight is prevented by engaging a pin 26 with the groove 24 by the action of a compression spring 25 fitted to the opening 52 of the actuating means shown in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 5 and 6 indicate another possible position of the actuating means. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 5, the actuating means 4 is installed below the door latch 7, which is connected with the latch by means of the line 6 suspended from a pulley 27. Another embodiment shown in FIG. 6 comprises the latch 7 installed on one vertical frame 2 of a door 1, and the actuating means 4 mounted on the other vertical frame 28 of the door. The latch and the actuating means are connected with each other by means of the line 6 running over the pulley 27. Thus, the safety against those who may attempt a trespass is hightened because the latch is separated from the actuating means by a sufficient distance.

Another type of actuating means may be employed in lieu of the actuating means 4 described above.

In Fig. 7 is shown actuating means 29 having an oscillating lever.

The actuating means 29 is composed of a frame 60 secured to the vertical frame 2, and a sliding member 35 vertically slidable on the back of the frame wherein the cylinder 34 is provided on the backside and the line is engaged at the lower side, another sliding member 33 horizontally slidable inside the cylinder, a compression spring 61 provided between the slider 33 and the cylinder 34, and a lever 30 pivoted on a movable pin 31 and connected with the slider 33 by means of a fixed pin 32. The slider 35 is guided vertically by the backside of the frame 60 and the pin 62, and the pin is supported by a bracket 63 which is integral with the frame. When the lever is rotated downward or counterclockwise on the pin 31, the rotation is accompanied by the sliding motion of the slider 33 upwardly as well as rightwardly (as illustrated) along the lining of the cylinder 34 by means of the other pin 32, and the slider 33 slides another slider 35 upwardly.

The lower hooked portion 35a of the slider 35 is equipped with the upper end of a line 6, which accordingly hoists a lock piece 3, thereby a latch cam 8 rotatable by the same reason described earlier. If, on the contrary, the lever 30 is rotated upward, a reverse action will result in moving the slider 35 downward while the lock piece 3 drops by its own weight, until the free end of the rotational shaft of the latch cam 8 enters the groove 15, when the rotation of the latch cam is prevented.

FIGS. 9 and 11 show another embodiment of this invention where a bush-type actuating means 36 is employed.

In this particular embodiment, the actuating means is mounted on the front of a vertical frame 2 in such a manner that a cylinder 40 with a slot may reside in the vertical frame, and the actuating means is equipped with a bolt 38 that passes through the cylinder and can be operated by one-touch action.

The lock piece 3 is raised above the end 13 of the rotational shaft so that the latch cam is allowed to rotate. Besides, the bolt 38 is retracted.

WHen a push button 37 is pushed under such condition, the bolt 38 moves slidably in parallel with a pin 39, connected with the push button, which also moves up to the end of a slot 41 aligning with the axial direction of the cylinder 40. When the pin 39 has reached the entrance of a circumferentially and downwardly opening slot 42, the bolt 38 is rotated by a compression spring 43 and comes to a stop when the pin has reached the lower end of the slot 42. At this time, the tip of the bolt penetrates into the opening 44 of the vertical frame 11 of the opposing door, thereby connecting both vertical frames 2 and 11 in a body. On the other hand, the pin 39 is connected with a line 6, which slackens by the above described rotation of the pin, when the lock piece 3 is enabled to go down. If, therefore, the cam of the door latch is operated so that an arm 13 may be rotated, the lock piece moves down and engages with the rotational shaft.

For unlocking the door, the push button 37 needs only to be turned in the reverse direction, when the pin 39 enters the slot 41 and the bolt 38 slides to the left to a standstill in the original recess by means of the compression spring 43, the rotation of the pin raising the lock piece 3 by the line 6. This particular embodiment of the invention provides triple locking based on the use of the actuating means (including lock means), the door latch, and the lock piece. Such a feature makes this arrangement recommendable as a specially rigid anti-burglary measure.

In another arrangement the bolt 38 may fall short of reaching the opening 44, which therefore may be omitted and only the pin 39 is actuated by the bolt in order to slacken or raise the line. This, obviously, simplifies the structure of the lock piece. In addition, the lock piece 3 may be applied not only to the rotational shaft of the above-described door latch, but also to the shaft of either a circular actuating means or a lever actuating means used for latching purposes as well as some other shaft similar to that of the above door latch.

A variation of the lock piece is shown in FIG. 8. The remainder of the entire apparatus is the same as in FIG. 11.

Another deformed lock piece 73 presents a square transverse cross section as shown in FIG. 9, and the flat face 45 thus formed is in contact with the notched face of the rotational shaft 13, whereby the shaft is prevented from rotating.

FIG. 10 exhibits an embodiment in which the lock piece coacts with a socket in the floor to directly constitute a door locking mechanism. The lock piece 83 consists of a round or square bar, whose tip is located in the socket 49 of the floor 48, locking the door.

A lever actuating means 47 is employed as the actuating means. When the lever actuating means is rotated upward, the lock piece 80 causes a guide 54 to slide up by means of a line 6 out of the socket 49, the door 1 being unlocked. If the lever actuating means is rotated in the opposite direction, the lock piece comes into the position where locking is done.

Despite some examples of embodiments as described above, it is clear that the present invention is not to be limited to these examples of application, but can be variously modified within the scope of the spirit of invention indicated in the patent claims. It is therefore obvious that !rinciples of the locking device hereinabove proposed are applicable to doors of different pieces of furniture.

Claims

I claim:

1. A locking device comprising, a pair of doors with hollow vertical frames and horizontal frames, a base fixed to a vertical frame of one of the doors, a cam latch rotatably pivoted to the base, a rotating shaft means integral with the cam latch, and rotatable as a unit with the cam latch by extending through the base into the vertical frame, a cam latch keeper fixed to the vertical frame of the other door and engaging with the cam latch, a lock piece vertically slidable provided in the vertical frame and releasing the cam latch by inhibiting or disengaging the rotation of the cam latch while engaging with the rotating shaft, an actuating means provided in the frame and sliding the lock piece vertically, and a flexible and slackenable line connecting the actuating means and the lock piece.