Hinge Lock

Abstract

In a hinge lock, a first hinge leaf and a second hinge leaf which are pivotally interconnected to open about a vertical hinge pin. The first and second hinge leaves are generally T-shaped in cross-sectional configuration, each having a leaf portion interfitting between the edge of the door and the jamb and a locking plate portion extending respectively across the face of the door and the jamb. Extensions of the leaf portions project inwardly beyond the locking plates to form the pivotal pin connection. The respective inward surfaces of the first and second locking plates are each provided with a pair of keepers which coact with an opening provided in the extensions to receive a locking arm in sliding horizontal alignment therein. When the locking arm slides completely through the keepers and the extension opening, the arm serves to prevent opening of the door by preventing relative pivotal movement of the first and second hinge leaves. When the locking arm is horizontally urged out of the opening, the first and second hinge leaves are then free to swing about the hinge pin to permit povital opening of the door.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates generally to the field of door hardware, and more particularly, is directed to a combination door hinge and lock.

Various types of locking devices for doors have long been developed by prior workers in the art. Conventional slide bolts are an early example of these endeavors. All presently available slide bolts of which I am aware function by affixing a bolt in sliding arrangement upon the edge of a door and furnishing a stationary keeper in the jamb to receive the bolt to lock the door. All such devices function at the latch edge of the door and operate to keep the latch edge of the door in association with the door jamb to thereby prevent unwanted door opening. Such devices have the advantages of easy operation and relatively low cost. However, they are rather unattractive in appearance and are not generally suitable for finished, decoratively furnished areas such as the front door of a house.

Similarly, prior workers have developed chain and keeper type of door locks which also function at the latch edge of the door and also are relatively unattractive for use in finished areas. Because of this, other workers have attempted to develop acceptable locking arrangements which are relatively unobtrusive in appearance and which do not interfere with the finished appearance at the latch edge of a door. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,206,793, a night lock for a door has been demonstrated which includes a hinge positioned lock fitting. The fitting incorporates a hole to receive a pin therein which is affixed to a lock bar. The ends of the lock bar bend inwardly to press against the frame and the door for door locking purposes. Other types of hinge locks have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 485,460, 980,622 and 2,488,688.

It will be appreciated that while other workers in the art have attempted to develop functional, inexpensive and aesthetically pleasing hinge locking hardware, all of the prior art types have failed to gain widespread acceptance either because of their relatively complicated nature, their appearance or inability to provide the necessary degree of desired protection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the art of door hinges, and more particularly, is directed to a novel hinge which serves the dual purpose of both hanging a door and also providing a readily available and easily lockable sliding arm construction.

The present invention incorporates a hinge suitable for hanging and swinging a door in conventional manner and includes a first hinge leaf and a second hinge leaf for affixing respectively to the inward edge of the door and the inward edge of the door jamb for door hanging purposes. The first and second hinge leaves project inwardly and terminate in respective integral locking plates which project at right angles to the hinge leaves. The locking plates respectively affix to the interior face of the door and the interior face of the door jamb and each are equipped with locking arm keepers suitable for horizontally sliding a locking arm therein. First and second leaf extensions project inwardly respectively from the first and second hinge leaves interiorly of the locking plates and terminate inwardly in a conventional vertical socket to receive the hinge pin therein to pivotally interconnect the first and second hinge leaves. A pair of vertically spaced openings are provided in the hinge leaf extensions in horizontal alignment with the locking arm keepers. The locking arm horizontally slides between the keepers from an open position wherein the door may be pivoted relative to the door jamb to a locked position wherein the interaction of the locking arm against the first and second locking plates serves to prevent relative pivotal movement of the door with respect to the jamb.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved hinge lock of the type set forth.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel hinge lock which incorporates generally T-shaped, pivotally interconnected hinge leaves for affixing respectively to the door jamb and a locking arm removably being slidable from an open position to a closed position to prevent relative pivotal movement between the hinge leaves.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel hinge lock which includes pivotally interconnected hinge halves, each hinge half being generally T-shaped in configuration and each interiorly including a locking arm keeper and a locking arm opening in horizontal alignment, and which further includes a locking arm sliding within the respective keepers and the opening to prevent the hinge from being opened when the locking arm is fully seated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel hinge lock that includes a stationary hinge half, a pivotal hinge half and means to prevent pivotal movement between the hinge halves.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel hinge lock that incorporates a first hinge leaf which is affixed to the door edge, a second hinge leaf which is affixed to the door jamb and locking plates extending at right angles to the first and second hinge leaves, the locking plates affixing to the respective interior faces of the door and the door jamb and interiorly carrying locking arm keepers to receive a locking arm in sliding engagement therein.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel hinge lock that is inexpensive in manufacture, simple in design and trouble free when in use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the following description and claims of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a door hung within a door frame by a pair of hinge locks in accordance with the present invention. The upper hinge lock is illustrated in open position and the lower hinge lock is illustrated in closed and locked position.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, partially exploded perspective view of the hinge members and the locking arm comprising the hinge lock.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the lower hinge lock of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along Line 4--4 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along Line 5--5 of FIG. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show a door 10 which is pivotally held within a door frame 12 by a pair of upper and lower door hinge locks 14. As best seen in FIG. 2, each hinge lock 14 includes a fixed leaf 16 which is drilled or otherwise machined to provide a plurality of openings 22, The fixed leaf 16 connects to the door jamb 18 in conventional manner such as by a plurality of screws 20 which turn within the openings 22. The fixed leaf 16 terminates inwardly in a fixed locking plate 24 which preferably is integrally formed with the fixed leaf 16 and extends at right angles thereto. The fixed locking plate 24 conventionally connects to the interior face 26 of the door jamb 18 by means of screws 20 or the like which turn through the openings 28 provided in the fixed locking plate 24 for that purpose. A leaf extension 30 projects interiorly from the connection of the fixed locking plate 24 to the fixed leaf 16 and aligns in the same vertical plane as the fixed leaf 16. The leaf extension 30 inwardly terminates in a conventional pin socket 32 which vertically receives a hinge pin 34 to conventionally permit pivotal movement of the movable leaf 36 relative to the fixed leaf 16 for door opening and closing purposes.

The movable leaf 36 is fabricated similarly to the fixed leaf 16 and is provided with a plurality of openings 38 to receive the screws 20 therein for affixing the movable leaf 36 to the edge 40 of the door 10 in conventional manner. The movable leaf 36 terminates interiorly in a movable locking plate 44 which is also preferably integrally formed with the movable leaf 36 and which extends at right angles thereto for affixing to the face 46 of the door 10. Openings 48 are drilled or otherwise provided through the movable locking plate 44 to receive the screws 20 therein in conventional manner to affix the movable locking plate 44 to the interior face of the door.

Socket means including a leaf extension 42 interiorly extends from the junction of the movable leaf 36 and the movable locking plate 44 in vertical alignment with the vertical plane of the movable leaf 36. The leaf extension 42 terminates interiorly in the pin socket 32 to conventionally permit pivotal movement of the movable leaf 36 with respect to the fixed leaf 16 when the door 10 is opened and closed. A pair of vertically spaced openings 50, 52 are machined through the respective leaf extensions 30, 42 to receive the locking arm 54 therein horizontally sliding engagement as hereinafter more fully set forth.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, each locking plate 24, 44 is respectively provided with a pair of upper and lower keepers 56, 58 and 60, 62 which horizontally align with the vertically spaced openings 50, 52 to provide a pair of right and left slide channels 64, 66 therebetween. Preferably, the keepers 56, 58, 60, 62 are each provided with flanged ends 68, 70, 72, 74 which are spaced above the interior surface of the locking plates 24, 44 to define the interior limits of the slide channels 64, 66.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the locking arm 54 is sturdily constructed of a strong material such as steel and is provided with a grasping end 76 and a bifurcated operating end 78. The locking arm 54 should be fabricated of material of sufficient cross sectional body to serve as a lock to prevent bending or other deformation when moved to the locking position as illustrated in the lower hinge lock 14 of FIG., 1. The operating end 78 is bifurcated at its operating end to define a pair of fingers 80, 82 which are separated by the slot 84. The slot 84 terminates at the operating end in an open end 86 and at the grasping end in a closed shoulder 88. The fingers 80, 82 and the vertically spaced openings 50, 52 are mutually configured to permit easy horizontally sliding movement of the respective fingers 80, 82 within the spaced openings 50, 52. See FIG. 5. If desired, a chain or similar flexible device (not shown) may be furnished to interconnect the locking arm 54 with the fixed locking plate 24 so that the locking arm will always be associated with the hinge lock 14.

In order to operate the device, the locking arm fingers 80, 82 are horizontally urged to the open position as in the upper hinge of FIG. 1 by pulling the fingers 80, 82 clear of the upper and lower movable locking plate keepers 60, 62 and clear of the vertically spaced openings 50, 52. In this position, the door 10 is free to swing relative to the door jamb 18 by operation of the fixed leaf 16 and the movable leaf 36 about the hinge pin 34 in conventional manner. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the locking arm 54 may be associated with the hinge lock 16 when in the open position by positioning the ends of the fingers 80, 82 within the upper and lower fixed locking plate keepers 56, 58.

When it is desired to utilize the hinge lock 14 to lock the door 12 in the closed position, the locking arm 54 is horizontally urged through the fixed locking plate keepers 56, 58 until the fingers 80, 82 horizontally insert into the spaced openings 50, 52. Continued horizontal urging of the locking arm 54 moves the fingers 80, 82 through the movable lock plate slide channel 66 until the fingers 80, 82 are retained within the flanged ends 72, 74 of the keepers 60, 62. The grasping end 74 is continuously pushed toward the movable locking plate until the closed shoulder 88 seats upon the strut 90 which defines the spaced openings 50, 52 from each other. The engagement of the strut 90 upon the closed shoulder 88 of the locking arm 54 serves to prevent further horizontal movement of the locking arm and positively seats the locking arm in locking position. When the locking arm is in the fully locked position as in the lower hinge lock 14 of FIG. 1, the flanged ends 68, 70 of the upper and lower fixed plate keepers 56, 58 engage the grasping end 76 of the locking arm to maintain the grasping end in proper association with the fixed locking plate 24. It will be noted that relative pivotal movement between the fixed locking plate 24 and the movable locking plate 44 is thereby prevented by the locking arm which is held in close, parallel relationship with the locking plates 24, 44. Any attempt to open the door, such as by pulling on the door knob 92 will prove unsuccessful due to the interaction of the locking arm 54, the upper and lower keepers 56, 58, 60, 62 and the action of the locking arm 54 upon the fixed and movable plates 24, 44.

When it is desired to unlock the door, the grasping end 76 of the locking arm 54 can be pulled by the fingers of the user (not shown) to horizontally move the locking arm within the slide channels 64, 66 toward the fixed plate 24 until the fingers 80, 82 of the operating end 74 pull clear of the vertically spaced openings 50, 52 to the position as illustrated in the upper hinge 14 of FIG. 1. In this position, the door 10 may freely pivot to an open position about the hinge pin 34 in conventional manner.

Claims

I claim:

1. In a hinge lock suitable for pivotally carrying a door within a frame from an open position to a closed and locked position, wherein one edge of the door abuts the jamb of the frame when in the closed position and wherein the door has an interior surface, the combination of,

A. a fixed leaf affixed to the said jamb,

1. said fixed leaf terminating interiorly in a fixed locking plate,

a. said fixed locking plate interiorly affixing to the said jamb,

b. said locking plate extending at substantially right angles to the plate of the said fixed leaf;

B. a movable leaf affixed to the said edge of the door and operating in cooperation with the fixed leaf,

1. said movable leaf terminating interiorly in a movable locking plate,

a. said movable locking plate affixing to the interior surface of the door,

b. said movable locking plate positioning at substantially right angles to the plane of the movable leaf;

c. socket means extending interiorly from the said fixed and movable leaves,

1. said socket means including a fixed leaf extension extending interiorly from the fixed leaf and a movable leaf extension extending interiorly from the movable leaf,

2. said fixed and movable leaf extensions terminating interiorly in a pin socket,

3. said socket means including a hinge pin positioned within the pin socket to permit relative pivotal movement of the door with respect to the frame,

4. said fixed leaf extention and movable leaf extension each being provided with a locking arm receiving opening therethrough,

a. said locking arm receiving openings being in horizontal alignment;

D. slide channel means interiorly associated with the said fixed locking plate and the said movable locking arm receiving openings for hinge locking purposes; and

E. a locking arm slidable within the said slide channel means and locking arm receiving openings from an open position to a locked position,

1. said locking arm permitting pivotal movement of the movable leaf relative to the fixed leaf when in the open position, and

2. said locking arm preventing relative movement between the fixed leaf and movable leaf when in the said closed position.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the said fixed and movable leaf extensions extend interiorly in the same planes as planes drawn through the respective fixed and movable hinge leaves.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein the respective slide channel means are defined by upper and lower keepers, the said keepers extending interiorly from the respective fixed and movable locking plate, the said keepers terminating interiorly in flanged ends, the said flanged ends being spaced from the respective fixed and movable locking plates to define slide channels within which the locking arm has relative horizontal movement.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the slide channels horizontally align with the locking arm receiving openings.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein the said locking arm receiving openings are each horizontally divided by a strut into pairs of vertically spaced upper and lower openings and wherein the locking arm is fabricated with a pair of fingers each of which slides within one of the pairs of vertically spaced upper and lower openings.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein the said fingers are separated by a slot which terminates at one end in an open end and at the other end in a closed shoulder, the said open end aligning with the said struts to permit sliding movement of the fingers within the pairs of vertically spaced upper and lower openings.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein the closed shoulder contacts the said strut when the locking arm is urged to its locked position.

8. The invention of claim 2 wherein the respective fixed leaf, fixed locking plate and fixed leaf extension and the movable leaf, movable locking plate and movable leaf estension are each generally T-shaped in cross sectional configuration.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein the said hinge lock is generally X-shaped in cross sectional configuration when the door is in its said closed position.